Gettysburg...

We headed to Gettysburg on Thursday, July 31st to go camping for Andrew's 14th birthday. Can you believe he is now 14??? I certainly can't. I have no clue when that happened. It seems like yesterday he was my bubbly, chubby little guy with no hair and no teeth!! Now he is definitely all teen - rolling of the eyes, sighing, arguing, etc. Still a good kid, but I was certainly not ready for the teen years. Anyway, he is really into learning about the Civil War. So, we decided to take him to Gettysburg and go camping. Nanny and Bompa, Morgan, Mom and Jeff and Jennifer joined us for part of the trip. We stayed at Gettysburg Battlefield KOA. I would highly recommend it. It's a beautiful campground, kept very clean and is close to town. Here is our tent (from another trip - I didn't take any pictures of it this trip): It rained like crazy two nights in a row. I laid in the tent praying that we wouldn't get wet. Thankfully, we only had a couple drips here and there. We need to set it up in the backyard and use the seam sealer on it. Our biggest concern is trying to figure out how to keep critters out of the screened-in area. We got back from swimming one day and there was a bird in it. We're not exactly sure how it got in. The entire tent was zipped shut. We think it was bopping around on the ground and walked under the bottom. First a skunk and now a bird. What next??? So, we decided to do some sight-seeing while we were there. Of course! Andrew really wanted to see the battlefields. I had never been to Gettysburg and it had been quite awhile since Steve had been. Dad told us to start with the Visitor's Center, so we did. It was nice and they have a ton of stuff, but both of the kids were bored. We didn't stay too long and headed for the battlefields. Andrew loved it! He has been reading about it for so long and now he could put the pieces together by seeing it. I was really drawn to the fences. I don't know why, but I took a ton of pictures of the fences. I was also surprised by all of the monuments. There were monuments everywhere. To me, it really took away from the area and the history. But, it did help to understand where each troop was during the battle. This statue stands on top of the huge Pennsylvania Memorial. It's a beautiful memorial, but looks so out of place standing in the middle of a field. We spent quite a bit of time touring the battlefields and driving on the Auto Tour. It was extremely hot and humid, but we had a good time. Andrew just took it all in. I think it was overwhelming for him. On Saturday, Jennifer and Morgan piled into the van with us and we did some more sight-seeing. We stopped at General Lee's Headquarters. It was interesting to see how close his headquarters were to the actual battle going on. He was in plain view of anyone who wanted to send a shot his way. After touring his headquarters, we headed to the Jennie Wade House. That place was creepy. According to the story, Jennie was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. Seeing where the house was and where the troops were coming from and in what direction they were shooting, it's hard to believe. But, that is the story. Who am I to argue? I took some pictures inside the house, but I get a strange feeling every time I look at them, so I didn't even edit them to add to my PictureTrail album. After the Jennie Wade House, we headed to the Farnsworth House for lunch. Apparently, the Farnsworth House is the most haunted house in the United States. I have no clue if it is or not. We sat in the garden and had an excellent lunch. After lunch, we headed to the Boyd's Bear store. This place was HUGE!!! Grace made a bear and we headed back to the campground. It was pouring when we got there and there were tornado warnings. Great! Steve and I started talking about looking into getting a camper at this point! It finally stopped raining and Dad and Bonnie arrived for dinner. We had a great dinner and even better conversation and company. After dinner, Mom, Jeff, Jennifer, Morgan and Andrew decided to take a ghost tour. Apparently they had some experiences while in one of the houses and in a field. Andrew thought it was pretty cool. While they were gone, we played Nanny and Bompa's favorite game - Sequence. Bompa, Dad and Steve were on one team with Nanny, Bonnie and I on the other. We let them win one game but kicked butt for the rest!! When everyone got back from the ghost tour, it was late and Andrew was going home with Dad and Bonnie. They brought him back Sunday morning (August 3rd - Andrew's birthday) on the Harley's. Of course, they had to stop at the Gettysburg Harley shop first to buy Andrew a T-shirt! This was Andrew's first ride on the Harley. He had a blast! When they arrived, it was time for everyone to go home. Andrew left with Jennifer and Morgan. They had band camp all week. Steve, Grace and I stayed until Tuesday. It was very quiet with everyone gone! On Monday, I really wanted to find the George George house (my maiden name is George). This is the place General John Reynolds was taken after he was killed in the war. Rumor has it that we are relation to General Reynolds. There are actually a couple rumors saying different things. I have no idea which is true or how to find out. George George is probably no relation at all, but I still think it would have been awesome if both sides had "met" before my grandparents did. Anyway... After talking to the guy who now runs a business in the George George house, we decided to head to the National Cemetary. This is where President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. Then, we went back to the Visitor's Center, but didn't spend much time there. We spent the rest of the day driving through another part of the Auto Tour we had missed before. This is where we saw the spot where General Reynolds was shot and killed. Andrew had wanted to see this spot, too, but we couldn't find it. We will have to take another trip at some point and make sure we get there for him to see it. It was a good trip. There is so much to see and do. We needed more than the 6 days we had. Maybe next time.

Introducing....

...Lilly!!

She is our new kitten. We kept her from the litter we rescued from my grandmother's back porch. Unfortunately, I couldn't find home for her two sisters and mother, so they are happy on a large farm right now. Lilly is now two months old and just received her name last night. She was "Jenks" at the beginning. That's because Steve was convinced she was a he. I took her to the vet for her immunizations and the vet tech said since she is a calico, she is 99.9% sure she is definitely a she. Steve is still not completely convinced. We will see once she is fixed (at the age of 6 months). Until then, she is Lilly. She is a pisser! She loves to torment Grace. Of course, Grace gives it right back. BeBe is not too happy about the new addition, but he is getting used to her and teaching her the rules of the household. It's good to see him playing, again. Okay, I guess that's it for now. We went camping in Gettysburg last week, so I will be posting about that soon. I am still working on the pictures. Until then...

The People Have Spoken!

That's right - the people of the Troy Fair have made their voices heard. Because of that, my black and white has won the People's Choice Award, too!!! This was not for just this particular category. This award took into account all of the pictures together!! And they picked mine. I am absolutely thrilled!! Now, let's see if I can win something at the PA Apple and Cheese Festival in October! ;-)

Second Place!!

I was at the Troy Fair today taking pictures for a friend (the subject of a future blog post). As I was waiting for her to get ready, I headed to the photography building. I had entered two photos - one in the "Farm Life" category and one in the "Black and White Any Subject" category. Well, the Farm Life didn't win anything, but I did win second place in the black and white!! I am so excited!!!!! I will get a very small amount of money, but I wasn't in it for the money, anyway. It feels good to say I won second!! Here is the picture:

Camping is a "Rush"!!

Way back in February, I bought tickets to a Rush concert. They were for Steve's birthday. Steve's birthday was in January, but the tickets didn't go on sale until February. The concert was on Thursday, July 17th, in Hershey. It was a long wait from February to July, but it was well worth it. Since I was only able to afford two tickets, we made plans for my sister to watch the kids. Steve and I decided to go camping and make a long weekend out of it. It was certainly much more affordable than staying at a hotel. It was also the first time we had taken a "vacation" without the kids since we first started dating. It was a good time. Camping - We stayed at the Elizabethtown/Hershey KOA. I would recommend it to anyone. They really seem to love their jobs and their campground. They had activities planned for the kids and families every day. And it's clean. We lucked out and got the largest tent site in the campground. And as an extra bonus, we got a skunk at no extra charge!! Yup, I said a skunk. The people next to us said they had seen a skunk a couple nights in a row before we arrived. We think he came for a visit while we were at the concert. When we got back from the concert, Steve had the flashlight and happened to shine it in the screened in "porch" area of our tent. There were rolls all over the place. Apparently it got hungry and decided to make a mess. During the night, I woke up to Steve hitting the side of the tent with his pillow. He said it was back. I told him to knock it off, because it was a skunk. I didn't want to startle it and get sprayed. He insisted it was not a skunk, because he didn't smell it. I am certain it was a skunk. The next night, Dad, and his wife, Bonnie, came for dinner. When we were done eating, we were sitting around the campfire talking. It was dark, but I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye behind us. It was the skunk!! He was not afraid of us at all and made his way around our camp. I had never seen four grown adults move so fast in my life! My dad and Steve tracked him to make sure he stayed far enough away. He made his way to other campsites, but came back a couple times. After the third time, we didn't see him, again, the rest of the night. Thankfully. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep due to the skunk. Well, I wasn't able to sleep, but it was due to the people who had arrived at 10:00 that night. They were up until 2:00 AM screaming, banging things, etc. Steve finally yelled (not so nicely) at them to shut up and go to bed. They quieted down immediately, but then had a light pointed at our tent for over half an hour. But, at least they were quiet! We left the next day and were glad we didn't have to deal with them another night. Rush - The concert was absolutely awesome! We were on the floor, 50 rows back from the stage at the Hershey Stadium. I thought we had great seats. Until the concert started. Of course, everyone stood up and didn't sit down for the rest of the concert. Steve was able to see everything, thankfully. He asked how I liked it. I told him the band sounded great and the lights were pretty!! They palyed for FOUR HOURS!! They had no opening band. It was just the three of them. They took about a 20 minute break in the middle, but the rest was all Rush. They sounded great. I seriously think they sound better live than they do on their CD's. The sound is so much more full. It went by so fast. They are definitely a band I would go see, again, if given the chance. I can't begin to explain how great they were. The rest of the time we were in the Hershey area, we did some sight seeing. It was nice to be back in the Lancaster/Strasburg area, but it was so disappointing to see how much it has changed since the last time I was there. It is so commercialized now. Alot of the Amish are getting pushed out. I see more Amish here at home than we did while down there. It's sad. I didn't take a single picture while we were there. I had my camera, but just didn't see anything to take a picture of. Plus, I drove the entire time, so it made it a little more difficult. We did have some good food (just like my grandmother's) and we had a great tiem. It went by too fast. Now we are getting ready to head to Gettysburg to camp for Andrew's birthday in a week and a half. That should be fun. I have never been there before and neither has Andrew. He is a huge Civil War buff and has been wanting to go. But, shhhhh. It's a surprise! He doesn't know we're going.

It's Been a Busy Summer - and It's Not Over!

It has been absolutely crazy around here. Ever since the end of May. My cousin, Nikki, married a wonderful guy, Eric, on May 31st. They had a beautiful wedding. I had the honor of being their photographer. Nikki had to have bene the most laid back bride I have ever been around. Steve helped me with the pictures and said Eric was a ball of nerves. While talking to Eric at the reception, he said he was just nervous, because he was hoping everything would be perfect for Nik. It was. They had a beautiful day and a great start to their new life. I love both of you!!

The week after Nikki and Eric's wedding, the kids got out of school. It has been crazy since. As I posted earlier, we had to take an unexpected trip to Chicago. We have been doing small projects around the house, trying to get it to look how we would like it to look - planting flowers, ripping out ones we don't like, rearranging things, etc. Then, it was the 4th of July. We really didn't seek out any fireworks this year. I told Steve after seeing them in Disney, I am a bit spoiled now. ;-) We did visit my grandparents and aunt and uncle at a campground for a picnic. The campground had fireworks, so the kids were able to see those. My favorite part of the summer so far has been my "Trash the Dress" session I did with two girls I know. "Trash the Dress" is a new way of photography. It's a creative alternative to the traditional prom or wedding pictures. I have posted my pictures elsewhere and I have been told I am "selfish, wasteful and not eco-friendly". At first, I was really upset with the comments. But, I have gotten an overwhelming positive response to these pictures.I guess the people who were against it thought we were totally trashing the dresses - never to have them worn again. From what I have read, most photographers have reported that the dresses really aren't harmed in making the pictures (well, at least not the ones that aren't burned, ripped, thrown paint on, etc.). 99% of the dresses are as good as new with a simple dry cleaning. That's how I left these girls' dresses - just needing a dry cleaning. We had an absolute blast!! I think I am hooked. I am so happy with the results and really look forward to it, again. I would love to do a wedding at some point.

This week was the big, ol' Canton fair. Absolutely nothing to report from that. It's smaller than the last time I was there 9 years ago. A bit sad, really. However, I did see a few people from my class. It was nice connecting with them, again. Next week, Steve and I are off to Hershey. No, not Hershey Park, just Hershey. We are going to see Rush in concert on Thursday night. Not sure what we will do the rest of the time we will be there. We are going without the kids! They will be spending the time with my sister. When we get back, it will be time for the Troy fair. I have been asked to take some pictures there a couple days that week. Should be pretty fun. In a couple weeks we will have Andrew's 14th birthday. That is something I can't wrap my brain around right now. It just doesn't seem possible. Then our family reunion will be coming along and then back to school. Where has the summer gone???

She's a Fish!

Grace started swimming lessons today. Steve and I took her to the playground that is next to the town pool. As they headed to the playground, I decided to see if they still offered swimming lessons. They do! So, I signed her up. And, as it happened, the class I signed her up for was starting in 45 minutes. So, we let her play for a few minutes, then headed home to get the proper attire on. She was so excited!! She did pretty well for her first lesson, but she needs ot listen to her instructor more. She thinks she knows how to do everything, when in fact, she knows nothing. Hence, the swimming lessons. She is getting to a point where she wants to be independent in the pool. Hopefully this will help. She will be going three days a week for about a month. There is only one little boy in her particular class. So, they each have their own instructor - which is very nice. I have a couple videos uploaded to YouTube. They are in my account - click on "Channels", then type in psumamalion2cubs.