Steph had an interesting week-end. She was invited to a Bat Mitzvah of a school friend. We didn't even know that she was Jewish. I really wanted to go to the ceremony but Leah didn't want to attend and Mark is out of town so I didn't get the chance. Kind of a bummer but that happens. After the ceremony they had a big event at a restaurant with a d.j. and games. The girls all seemed to have a wonderful time. I asked Steph about the service and she said it was good but she didn't understand a lot because it was in Jewish. Hebrew? I suggested.
That night we went to the Saturday night service at Peters Creek. (where I work) Then on Sunday we went to church at Christ Community. In the afternoon Steph had a practice and Pizza party for teaching Faith Factor next Sunday and then she went to Youth Group back at Peters Creek. For Steph it was pretty much an all church all the time week-end.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
B-day
My birthday was Monday the 3rd. It was a beautiful day weather-wise which is rather unusual. Typically by November 3rd the leaves are all off the trees and the temperature is cold. This year however the temperatures the last few days have been practically balmy and there are still some beautiful trees around. I know it won't last for long but I am enjoying this last bit of Fall weather while I can.
I had a pretty quiet day. I played tennis in the morning, dropped Leah off for a swim party with the girl scouts and just read a book for most of the afternoon. Mark, Steph and I went out to dinner at Bravo's and then when Leah came home we had a small party.
The next day at work the staff had a special birthday breakfast for me. It was really good and I received some nice cards. I am all for celebrating all month long so if anyone would like to go to lunch let me know.
I had a pretty quiet day. I played tennis in the morning, dropped Leah off for a swim party with the girl scouts and just read a book for most of the afternoon. Mark, Steph and I went out to dinner at Bravo's and then when Leah came home we had a small party.
The next day at work the staff had a special birthday breakfast for me. It was really good and I received some nice cards. I am all for celebrating all month long so if anyone would like to go to lunch let me know.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
MSU
We went to Michigan to visit Laurel this past week-end. It was really great to see her. We spent most of the time eating out and shopping. So needless to say it wasn't a cheap visit. One of the interesting things for me was that it was the week-end for a home football game against Ohio State. I have never seen anything like it. The campus was crazy with tailgate parties everywhere. The game started at 3:30 pm but the tailgates were going strong at 11:00 am when we picked up Laurel. Pitt being an urban campus with little parking around it there didn't seem to be many tailgates although now that they moved to Heinz Field it is probably different. But the game is still far away from campus so the atmosphere isn't the same. I had the forethought to wear green but Mark had on a red jacket (totally uncool). Not that anyone said anything or seemed to care. Unfortunately MSU lost the game, but Pitt won so we weren't too disappointed. Our first night at the hotel there were a lot of rowdy Ohio State fans, but the second night it was much calmer. They were probably recovering from tailgating all day.
We also visited the Kappa Delta House. It is very nice and I think Laurel will enjoy living there next year. They had a parents program but unfortunately we couldn't stay for it because it was from 3-5:00 and that would have put us home about 11:00 pm. As it was two of the newer sisters gave us a tour. I would have liked to talked to exec-board sisters to ask some questions but they weren't available when we were there. Oh well, I didn't have anything crucial to ask so maybe next time.
We also had the chance to meet Laurel's roommate Debra and friend Rose. They both are very nice girls. I am glad that Laurel changed roommates, Debra is a hard worker, which is way better than having a heavy partier. Debra is also Jewish which gives Laurel a different perspective. I think it is interesting for her to know about the difference in cultures and about being kosher. I hope they can share things about their faiths.
It was kind of sad to say good-bye again but we will see her at Thankgiving and then when her term is over in December.
We also visited the Kappa Delta House. It is very nice and I think Laurel will enjoy living there next year. They had a parents program but unfortunately we couldn't stay for it because it was from 3-5:00 and that would have put us home about 11:00 pm. As it was two of the newer sisters gave us a tour. I would have liked to talked to exec-board sisters to ask some questions but they weren't available when we were there. Oh well, I didn't have anything crucial to ask so maybe next time.
We also had the chance to meet Laurel's roommate Debra and friend Rose. They both are very nice girls. I am glad that Laurel changed roommates, Debra is a hard worker, which is way better than having a heavy partier. Debra is also Jewish which gives Laurel a different perspective. I think it is interesting for her to know about the difference in cultures and about being kosher. I hope they can share things about their faiths.
It was kind of sad to say good-bye again but we will see her at Thankgiving and then when her term is over in December.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
College
I am sure many of you are a little curious how I am faring with my eldest daughter in college. It has it's ups and downs. The up side is that she seems to be handling herself really well, attending classes regularly, keeping up with her work and making friends. The down side is that she is so darned far away. When she had a tumultuous break-up with her boyfriend it would have been nice to give her a hug, but I was too far away so I had to send one over the phone which just isn't the same.
I was very, very excited when she pledged Kappa Delta. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I did. It will give her some fun activities to do in between studying, working and going to class. It is amazing how different it is having a house compared with the suite the girls have at Pitt. I kind of envy the house it really seems more fun. She went to her first tailgate party on Saturday and was exposed to a new culture. There are people who have as their main goal to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. I told her to laugh at and then feel sorry for them because they will be feeling it the next day. (or later that day depending how early they start)
Going to college is an eye opening experience. You meet all kinds of people who are so different than those that you knew at home. Laurel was surprised when one of her fellow pledges was incredulous that she chose to go to MSU because of her major!?!, because she was all about the football team and tailgating which Laurel doesn't care that much about. (although she has enjoyed the games she has gone to) So, I am happy that Laurel is getting to experience college with all it's challenges and good times. I know that she will thrive there.
We are going to visit Laurel in a couple of weeks. I can't wait! She already has told me things she wants me to bring from home and that she wants to go out to eat. I guess the cafeteria food can get boring after a while. I am anxious to see the inside of the KD house and meet some of her friends.
Laurel would love to get some mail so let me know if you need her address.
I was very, very excited when she pledged Kappa Delta. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I did. It will give her some fun activities to do in between studying, working and going to class. It is amazing how different it is having a house compared with the suite the girls have at Pitt. I kind of envy the house it really seems more fun. She went to her first tailgate party on Saturday and was exposed to a new culture. There are people who have as their main goal to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. I told her to laugh at and then feel sorry for them because they will be feeling it the next day. (or later that day depending how early they start)
Going to college is an eye opening experience. You meet all kinds of people who are so different than those that you knew at home. Laurel was surprised when one of her fellow pledges was incredulous that she chose to go to MSU because of her major!?!, because she was all about the football team and tailgating which Laurel doesn't care that much about. (although she has enjoyed the games she has gone to) So, I am happy that Laurel is getting to experience college with all it's challenges and good times. I know that she will thrive there.
We are going to visit Laurel in a couple of weeks. I can't wait! She already has told me things she wants me to bring from home and that she wants to go out to eat. I guess the cafeteria food can get boring after a while. I am anxious to see the inside of the KD house and meet some of her friends.
Laurel would love to get some mail so let me know if you need her address.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Amuse Me
I have been watching sports every day and night for the past 4 weeks. I love the Olympics and then the U.S. Open tennis started. I will be going into serious withdrawal tomorrow.
In between my sports watching my family went to several amusement parks. We were in Southern California and visited Sea World, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure park and then went to Kennywood for Mark's company picnic back in the 'Burgh.
I was excited to take my girls to Sea World because I had fond memories of going when I was younger, back when there was a Sea World in Ohio. We went on a few rides first, An Arctic Adventure, which is a simulator-type ride that was pretty cool. We then went on a ride called Atlantis that looked like a roller coaster and was although it had a water part that I was not expecting. Okay, so now that I'm wet we might as well go on the river raft ride. We were completely drenched after that ride. Mark and the littles went on it twice, to make sure that there was not a spot on them that was dry. After that we had lunch and then started attending the shows. The shows were very entertaining, but waiting in the hot sun for them to start wasn't great. We all had sunburn even though we did (I thought) a good job of putting lotion on. Is there anything you can do about sunburn on your hair part? Other than a hat? All-in-all we enjoyed Sea World but felt that it would have been better if they had a few more non-water rides.
Everyone in my family absolutely loves Disney. (ok, maybe not Mark but he is a great sport) We were excited to go on the rides that they don't have in Florida and to revisit our favorites. We went on the Matterhorn first and then headed over to the Alice-in-Wonderland ride. After this we noticed a trend. We were next to go on the Alice ride when it broke down and were told that the wait would be about 15 minutes before it started again. We decided not to wait and went to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. About half through the ride it broke down and we were escorted to the exit. We next tried our luck with the Pinocchio ride. We made it almost to the very end this time before yes, once again the ride broke down. I thought maybe Fantasyland was having problems, let's check out some other areas of the park. It didn't seem to matter. The Indiana Jones ride was down when we first went to ride it and the Haunted Mansion was down for most of the day. By the end of the day we were able to ride everything we wanted and loved the Indiana Jones ride so much that we went on it twice. The only thing we missed is the It's a Small World ride because they are completely overhauling it and it would be out for I think a few months. The girls sang the song to Mark anyway so he wouldn't feel he missed out completely or just to be annoying. Hee Hee!!! Actually I wanted to go on the canoes and the girls said, "no way, it looks too much like exercise."
After taking a day off we went to Disney's California Adventure. The park opens at 10:00 so we went to Disneyland first and rode Space Mountain before heading over to CA, which is separated by a courtyard so it is really easy to go from one park to another. We headed for Soarin' and had a little longer than expected wait because one side broke down and we had to be diverted to the other side. We were worried about another day of mishaps but I think the only other ride that went down while we were there was the new Toy Story Arcade ride. We did end up going on it twice because we loved it but the line was very long, they really need to give this ride a fast-pass. We enjoyed California Adventure a lot. I always allow the girls $20.00 to spend on souvenirs for the whole vacation and we had no trouble spending it all at Disney. My recommendations for a Disney trip are, arrive as soon as the park opens, use Fast-pass for any line longer than 20 minutes ( if it is available) and don't get stressed by break downs.
I have to admit after going to 3 parks in August already we (Mark and I) weren't very excited about going to Kennywood. It was paid for by his company and they had dinner included and the girls were really looking forward to it, so we went. Of course, we had a wonderful time. It is nice that the girls are at the age where we like to ride pretty much the same things. Steph wanted to go on the Phantom's Revenge and neither Mark or I was willing to brave it. Laurel was missed because we know she would have taken Steph on it. One ride that we all like is the Grand Prix or what I like to call the Dodge 'em cars and everyone else says are Bumper cars. I like to drive around and try to avoid being hit and Mark and Leah in one car and Steph in another try to bump me as much as they possibly can. "Getting Mommy" is the highlight for Leah.
So we had a very amusing August and I am glad that we are now home and back to a normal routine. Although we miss our Laurel, but that will have to be another blog.
In between my sports watching my family went to several amusement parks. We were in Southern California and visited Sea World, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure park and then went to Kennywood for Mark's company picnic back in the 'Burgh.
I was excited to take my girls to Sea World because I had fond memories of going when I was younger, back when there was a Sea World in Ohio. We went on a few rides first, An Arctic Adventure, which is a simulator-type ride that was pretty cool. We then went on a ride called Atlantis that looked like a roller coaster and was although it had a water part that I was not expecting. Okay, so now that I'm wet we might as well go on the river raft ride. We were completely drenched after that ride. Mark and the littles went on it twice, to make sure that there was not a spot on them that was dry. After that we had lunch and then started attending the shows. The shows were very entertaining, but waiting in the hot sun for them to start wasn't great. We all had sunburn even though we did (I thought) a good job of putting lotion on. Is there anything you can do about sunburn on your hair part? Other than a hat? All-in-all we enjoyed Sea World but felt that it would have been better if they had a few more non-water rides.
Everyone in my family absolutely loves Disney. (ok, maybe not Mark but he is a great sport) We were excited to go on the rides that they don't have in Florida and to revisit our favorites. We went on the Matterhorn first and then headed over to the Alice-in-Wonderland ride. After this we noticed a trend. We were next to go on the Alice ride when it broke down and were told that the wait would be about 15 minutes before it started again. We decided not to wait and went to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. About half through the ride it broke down and we were escorted to the exit. We next tried our luck with the Pinocchio ride. We made it almost to the very end this time before yes, once again the ride broke down. I thought maybe Fantasyland was having problems, let's check out some other areas of the park. It didn't seem to matter. The Indiana Jones ride was down when we first went to ride it and the Haunted Mansion was down for most of the day. By the end of the day we were able to ride everything we wanted and loved the Indiana Jones ride so much that we went on it twice. The only thing we missed is the It's a Small World ride because they are completely overhauling it and it would be out for I think a few months. The girls sang the song to Mark anyway so he wouldn't feel he missed out completely or just to be annoying. Hee Hee!!! Actually I wanted to go on the canoes and the girls said, "no way, it looks too much like exercise."
After taking a day off we went to Disney's California Adventure. The park opens at 10:00 so we went to Disneyland first and rode Space Mountain before heading over to CA, which is separated by a courtyard so it is really easy to go from one park to another. We headed for Soarin' and had a little longer than expected wait because one side broke down and we had to be diverted to the other side. We were worried about another day of mishaps but I think the only other ride that went down while we were there was the new Toy Story Arcade ride. We did end up going on it twice because we loved it but the line was very long, they really need to give this ride a fast-pass. We enjoyed California Adventure a lot. I always allow the girls $20.00 to spend on souvenirs for the whole vacation and we had no trouble spending it all at Disney. My recommendations for a Disney trip are, arrive as soon as the park opens, use Fast-pass for any line longer than 20 minutes ( if it is available) and don't get stressed by break downs.
I have to admit after going to 3 parks in August already we (Mark and I) weren't very excited about going to Kennywood. It was paid for by his company and they had dinner included and the girls were really looking forward to it, so we went. Of course, we had a wonderful time. It is nice that the girls are at the age where we like to ride pretty much the same things. Steph wanted to go on the Phantom's Revenge and neither Mark or I was willing to brave it. Laurel was missed because we know she would have taken Steph on it. One ride that we all like is the Grand Prix or what I like to call the Dodge 'em cars and everyone else says are Bumper cars. I like to drive around and try to avoid being hit and Mark and Leah in one car and Steph in another try to bump me as much as they possibly can. "Getting Mommy" is the highlight for Leah.
So we had a very amusing August and I am glad that we are now home and back to a normal routine. Although we miss our Laurel, but that will have to be another blog.
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