Time is Flying By!

Do you ever get side-tracked?  I, for one, am almost an expert at that subject.  I often compare my days to the book, "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie."  I have the best intentions, then get dragged off in a totally different direction.  And, that is why I am nearly two weeks late in getting out this post.  And I decided that I couldn't let another day go by without sharing our trip to visit our grandson, Joshua.  After all, he deserves to be celebrated!

He was super excited to hear that we were coming, and was curious as to when we would arrive....trying to get me to pinpoint a time.  Well, I always hesitate in honing on on a time, because it's such a long drive, and there are so many variables that could change the ETA.  So, I decided to set him up on Find Friends, so that he could follow our progress on the way down.  After getting over the confusion on my part that he had named his ipad  "James Monroe", we were all set up for his stalking, and he was very excited!

The weather was perfect for travel, and I had packed a picnic lunch so that we could limit our exposure to people.  We are both immunized, but why throw caution to the wind? 

And, it really is a good idea to take breaks and stop and smell the roses....or as in this case....the tulips. Aren't they lovely? 

Joshua kept tabs on our travel, and I updated him with photos.

Which pretty much involved Marty behind the wheel.  Or should I say, clutching the wheel?  As truck traffic was jaw clenching! But, finally, we reached our destination. 

We were greeted with enthusiasm, and immediately thrown into game playing.

at least for a short time since it takes nearly the entire day to make the trip. 

Soon we were on our way to settle into our hotel room.  I had stumbled upon this gem when we made an emergency trip back in December.  It's called "The Sessions Hotel".  It's a renovated warehouse that was converted to a hotel, opening less than a year ago. Beside being visually appealing and comfortable, it has the added plus of NO ROAD NOISE!  Something that I can't say about any of the other places where we've stayed.  In fact, Marty used to have dreams that he was clutching the steering wheel when he was sleeping!  

The hotel has a country music theme, but, obviously, has some sort of tie to the Bristol Speedway, since this mural takes up a good portion of the outside wall.

I haven't a clue who that man is, by the way.

Here you can see that the hotel has done an excellent job with decorating.  This photo is actually from our December trip, but the room is quite similar to the one where we stayed two weeks ago. 

The lobby has a clever crossword on the wall.

And, a copy of this original sheet music was hanging in the room.

A vintage radio added to the aura

And I loved the photo above the bed!

Here you see framed guitar frets.  I can't come up with an explanation as to why that was a good idea. Makes me wonder what happened to the rest of those guitars?

Hanging microphones were actually lights.  Quite clever, if you ask me.

After a good night's sleep, we headed to Bluebird Bakery to pick up some donuts for Joshua along with a loaf of their famous bread.

He was not disappointed, and he even let me borrow his Koala cup for my coffee!

After breakfast, we headed to Bass Pro Shops to look at the fish

and to try his hand at some fishing in the pond that is within walking distance of the store.

I walked around a bit while Grandpa popped on the worms and offered his fishing tips.

It was a bit drizzly, but as you can see, the trees were budding and the flowers were blooming. Beautiful!

Finally, Joshua caught a fish....all on his own.  How's that for excitement?

And the fun continued at home with a jam session on the front porch.  

Joshua is conquering chords with a gusto!

Sunday began with the sporting of matching shirts....purchased the previous day at Bass Pro.

Then we delved into game after game of Sly Fox.

Poor fox only managed to win twice, much to Joshua's dismay. 

I decided to take a break from the sly guy, and assist Joshua in putting together this very cute lego kit that his Aunt Stacey gave to him.  He was very excited about putting it together....for about 15 minutes. Then, he decided that it was way too hard.  But he was eager to play with Snoopy, so I decided to "help" him out.  It was a real challenge, but he was thrilled to have it when it was finished. 

The Red Baron was very busy for the rest of the day.  Only I must have skipped a step because Snoopy falls out when the plane turns upside down.  Kind of adds to the excitement when you're a nine year old boy.  

We managed to get outside for a bit while the rest of the gang was busy doing household upgrades (like stripping wallpaper and replacing sink fixtures....not exactly my idea of a fun time)

And Violet was very eager to share her soccer ball moves

which are extremely entertaining!

We then moved inside to continue working on Joshua's Lego city.  He was busy building an ice cream shop

with outdoor tables and an outside window for orders

and, apparently, BatMan was there to be sure that all was safe.  What an imagination!

The trip was short, but sweet, and we were blessed with gorgeous weather on the way home.  We stopped at the New Market Battlefield for lunch.   We pretty much had the place to ourselves.

And music man wanted a photo with the mountain in the background.  What you can't see at this angle, is the word "LOVE" adorned with flags behind Marty. 

Looks like we might be back to our Gallivanting Adventures!  I'll just have to be motivated enough to remember to share them!

Thanks for following along.

Celebrating Spring

Easter was so special this year that I couldn't let the season pass without sharing just a few of the delights of the weekend.  I think that most of us have learned this past year, that we just can't take these moments for granted. The priest said it well when he commented that we are joyful because Lent is over....and that Lent this particular season was extra long......over a year, in fact.  Just how on the mark was that? We shut down in mid-March of 2020 and are only now beginning to emerge in April of 2021.  

Sure, we had Technology to keep us in touch, but there's nothing like being present in the moment, side by side, enjoying companionship of those whom we've missed, and that's exactly what happened on Easter this year.  

Our youngest daughter, Amy, bought a house in late fall, and she has been working furiously on remodeling it to make it her "home".  So, it seemed the perfect venue to welcome family who hadn't seen each other in well over a year.  She was quite excited by the prospect, and I must say, we certainly all did have an enjoyable time.  Her generally quiet home was buzzing with excitement from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning, filled with the exuberance of little ones excited to be visiting Aunt "Mimi"!  

And, to be quite frank, it was like a vacation for me.  All I needed to do was show up with the traditional butter lamb.  (That's because the mold was handed down to me a few years ago.)  

Amy made the paska (yes....it was delicious) 

and braided cheesecakes; Stacey made the nut rolls (all also delicious....would you expect anything less?) ; and my mother made all of the traditional Slovak foods that have been served on Easter for generations, taking them to be blessed on Holy Saturday as part of that same tradition.

But I wasn't a complete slacker....I did make the Cyrek (Easter Cheese) on Amy's stove, so that she could learn how it was done.  

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.   On Saturday, the kiddies arrived:  cousins who hadn't seen each other for well over a year.  And that's when the REAL excitement started.

Rocket launching (how could that NOT be a fun time?)

A cute bunny

Rock chalking,

The idea was to "color" the rocks so that they looked like eggs...then hide them.

All were on board for that!

Dinner from BRGR....ordered in.

Dying eggs

which, as you can see, resulted in an array of brilliant colors!

And, we closed off the day with magnatile structures.

which we somehow managed to keep away from Parker long enough to get a photo.  He's sort of like Godzilla when it comes to finished structures like these. He takes pleasure in knocking them down.

But it's all in good fun.

Easter morning began with the excitement of hunting down baskets.  Here are some happy smiles of success.

Gramma was put in charge of kiddo control

which always adds to the fun!

Then, the cousins arrived for the outdoor Easter Egg hunt.

Oops!  Looks like one was missed.

Perhaps someone should tell the bunny?

And someone decided that more eggs would be fun! So, she set out to coloring! Nothing like keeping the fun going.

In the meantime, these two were obviously enjoying quite a laugh...

and then, Great Grandpa showed up!   

Actually, Marty played chauffeur for the day, driving up to get both of my parents and bringing them to Amy's for this special day out.  Just look at how happy my Dad is!

We didn't miss the opportunity of getting a photo of the great grandparents with 5 of their great-grandchildren.  

And thanks to Apple watch technology, we were able to get a photo of the entire group!

As you can see, it was a lovely, sunny day, and we certainly the summer rays outside. 

Then, it was time to move inside for dinner.  

We lit the candle, and sat down to enjoy a scrumptious meal.

with some special after dinner moments as well.

I couldn't help but remember how many photos I had seen of people sitting around that same table, with the cabinet in the background, over the years, at different locations, of course.  My great Uncle Paul made that furniture for he and my Aunt Winnie, and and it has been lovingly cared for all these years.  So many happy memories, and now the traditions continue.  In fact, when Amy bought her house, she told her realtor that she needed a dining room that would fit this furniture. How lucky that she found a house that satisfied the need! 

Stacey got some special shots with each of her children with their Great Grandpa before Marty loaded he and mom into the car for the ride home.

I'd say he looks pretty happy.  Wouldn't you?

And, now you can see just why I felt the need to share the moments from the weekend.  My gallivanting days might be limited, but, luckily, I don't have to travel too far to continue the adventures!

Hope you enjoyed this one!