Antietam, or Let's Do Something Before I Go to Work!

Brent was a bit anxious about starting his new job on June 29. He wanted to do a little getaway, so we combined a trip to the Antietam battlefield with a wedding in Gettysburg the next day.

We got up early and headed for Sharpsburg, MD and the Visitor's Center. The movie was worth watching, and then we went to the gift shop and purchased a CD/book that took you through a 2-hour driving tour of the battlefield. It was well worth the $20.

Brent researched restaurants in Frederick, MD and there looked like some good ones. This town looks pretty cool actually. Lots of cute little eclectic shops and some great restaurants. We checked out a bunch of the menus and settled on the Tasting Room where we had a great meal. I would recommend it if you ever find yourself in Frederick.

Following dinner, we drove up to Gettysburg to the Liberty Resort where we were staying. Brent spent some time researching his run through the battlefield the next day. He went out for ice and ran into friends returning from the rehersal dinner. It was great connecting with old friends, and meeting some new folks too.

Wednesday's With Gwen

Now that summer is here, Gwen and I have our Wednesday evening together again while Kera and Brent ride. I love these evenings! We crammed in a lot this particular evening. Gwen loves to set up an obstacle course in the driveway. This year though she's sporting her big-girl bike. Frankly, it's tough for her to quickly make the turns as she chases me around the obstacles on the bike.

Next, we rode the bike to the playground where I snapped these 2 awesome photos.

We came home and I made dinner while Gwen watched...yup, you guessed it...HSM3. What else?!

My Tri Guy

Congrats to Brent who scored a 3rd place finish at the City Island Tri on 6/21.

55 and Holding

We went to a wedding last weekend, and a woman I just met the night before said, "May I ask you a personal question?" Well, what does one say when asked such a question, but sure. She then asked, "How old are you?" Was that a good thing, as in, my how young you look, Donna. Or was it a bad thing as in, good heavens you act childish. Hmmm. Could be either I suppose! As it turns out, she thought I was about 10 years younger than I am, so I guess it was a good thing.

Regardless, I celebrated my 55th birthday on June 21. Kera, Chris, and Gwen visited me in the afternoon. I swear Kera has a little notebook where she writes down everything she hears me say I want. Lovely gifts, and very nice of them all to spend time with me.

In the evening, my parents and brother came to celebrate not only my birthday, but Father's Day as well. Happy Day, my Dat!

Here's a pic of my parents with me, celebrating the day, celebrating life.

Look Who's 3!

Kylie turned three on June 14 and we had our family celebration tonight. She got a bike for her birthday and she had a great time riding back and forth in the driveway.

What a hoot she is. She sticks her tongue out when she's concentrating hard. Very funny.

I have yet to see this little girl sit down and actually eat a meal. Tonight was no exception. We all sat and had dinner on our Strawberry Shortcake plates while Ky basically played. Until it was cake time, of course! She tried hard to blow out the candles and finally got two of them. A little help from Grandma and we finally nailed the last one. I don't know what food she likes, but I know the cake with lots of icing was a hit.

Finally, it was time for presents. She was quite into it, asking, "What is it?" for each package we put in front of her. Great Grandma & Grandpa got her a cute short set with little watermelon shorts that were just adorable. Grandpa got her a video and a very nifty Princess set with crayons and paints. Aunt Kera, Uncle Chris, and Gwen got her a Cootie game, 2 dresses, and a really cute book set with an adorable bunny that jumps out of the box like a jack-in-the-box. Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Rick hooked her up with a Leapster2 hand-held game set and some games. She made out pretty good!

I love this pic of Trav playing with his little girl.

And what's not to love about Great Grandma in a Strawberry Shortcake party hat?!! She's a real party animal! LOL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLIE!

Ice Packs

Brent has this cool knee ice pack thing that works great. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find another one like it anywhere. Our neighbor, Loren Barisch is a chiropractor (Barisch Family Chiropractic - a shameless plug) and he found this one in a catalog. It actually holds 2 ice packs and was originally designed for the US Gymnastic Team. Whatever. For the price, it should be the Cadillac of ice packs! It covers the whole knee and I can't wait to give it a try.

Silly Grils, Crazy String

When Gwen and I are together, Brent calls us the "Silly Girls." Tonight the silly girls decided to take a group picture and play with Crazy String. The picture's not bad all things considered, but Gwen's fingers just aren't quite strong enough to get the Crazy String to work. I had fun shooting it at her feet, but she didn't appreciate my humor at all! We sure do have a good time though.