Playing @ Aunt Aimee's House

We had a great day during the last day in PA. After a wonderful trip to Chuck E. Cheese's with Aunt Aimee, Grandma Fran and Emerson we went back to Aunt Aimee's house and the kids played.

Jack is a great dog. We really enjoyed our time with him. He is quite the spirited dog and loves to play. But, he was also cuddly at night and very, very kind. He is so great with kids.










See All of the Pictures Here at this link

A Fun Time with My Grandma

We really had a great time at my Grandma Leonard's house on Saturday. We had triffle (which is one of her very best desserts. Brought back memories!) Aidan had fun on the piano, playing with all the toys and enjoying the patio.

It was great to see everyone. I wish we lived closer.

This is on my Grandma's wall. It has a letter for each grandkid and spells out "Grandma." Very nice.


We have had lots of family portrait pictures during this trip!


Aidan with my Aunt Mel. It's been great to spend so much time with her. She is so fun.


Aidan with my Mom, Grandma Karen.


Me with my Grandma Leonard. She influenced me so much. I remember well when she said, "Be yourself, go do what you want. You deserve it." She gave that advice when I moved out after graduating from college and got on with my life. Penniless, but very happy. Thanks Gram for your wisdom. It was some of the best advice I have ever gotten.

You can see all of the pictures here at Facebook

Great Day - Spaghetti and Marshmellows

We had a great time at Bill & Aimee's house. After a great spaghetti dinner we roasted marshmellows by the fire.







See all of the photos here from a great day at Aimee and Bill's House

Idlewild Park

We had a great time yesterday with Uncle Terry, Aunt Sue, Benny, Emerson, Grandma Fran and Aunt Aimee at Idlewild Park in Ligoneer Valley, PA. Aidan LOVED the roller coasters.










See all the pictures here on my public Facebook Album

State College - Penn State

We had a great time during our trip to State College. We went to Baby's Diner. Then did some shopping for a stuffed animal Nittany Lion for Aidan. Then on to the Creamery for Ice Cream. I tried the Peachy Paterno and it was GREAT!

Then we went on to Beaver Stadium and then over to the Lion Shrine for some pictures. It was a great day and a lot of fun.

Fishing Trip

These are pictures from our fishing trip in Huntingdon County. We had a great time and it was beautiful. Aidan helped reel in 2 fish. He really enjoyed spending time with his uncles.

I can understand why people would want to fish. It is peaceful and very relaxing. Well, if you aren't chasing a four year-old around the rocky perimeter of a creek. :) But, I'm not into capturing live animals and releasing them. I do respect good fishermen though. And Aidan's uncles and Pappy certainly are.








See all the pictures here: Fishing Trip Summer 2009

Kemah and Galveston

Over the last couple of days we have been having a little mini-vacation. First we drove down to Kemah Boardwalk for our first excursion. Lots of fun for Aidan. He had a ball on the train, carousel, and playing in the fountain water.

Then we drove down to Galveston and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Baymont which was ok, nothing fancy. Our room was clean, the shower was hot, and the continental breakfast was free. We went to the beach in the afternoon and had a great time. Aidan didn't really remember going last year. So this year was really special. He had such a wide-eyed look to him. He loved every minute of it... other than when he swallowed a mouth full of ocean water! That made him throw up. Understandably.

He loved playing in the sand. Aidan kept belly flopping on ever sand castle Norma tried to help him build. He said, "He liked crushing them." He also loved picking up shells. I explained to him where they came from and he immediately had to run to his Mom to tell her the news... as if she would never have heard it before. So cute.

We will probably take another trip down to Galveston before the summer is over. But, we don't have a lot of time left! It's already July 18th. Amazing how quickly the summer is flying by.

Slideshow of all our pictures from Kemah and Galveston

Here are some of my favorite pictures (there were many):






What a great time!

**i have been struggling with finding a singular host online for my pictures. buzznet does not have a batch upload tool (where i can load many pictures at a time), flickr is $25 a year, and i have been pleasantly surprised by shutterfly. What do you use or recommend?**

Another Pic from Galveston

Norma reminded me that I forgot this picture. It's a good one. So I thought I would post it. :)

Galveston Dino Exhibit

Aidan loved it... can't you tell?
View LARGE Slideshow

Aidan grabbed the camera as I pressed the button to take a picture. So this is in essence a 'self portrait.'

He really had a great time dumping sand. It was almost as if he thought he could clean off the beach and dump things back into the ocean. Of course, it just kept washing back up on shore. But, he didn't seem to mind.




We really had a great time. We went out on the beach a couple of times. The hotel was great. Another successful Galveston 2 day trip.

Backyard Fun at Grandma Fran's House

This is from the last night we spent in PA and it's the last of my pictures from there. It was a lot of fun. I just love the picture of Aidan and Katie as the dog runs up to them. Also never get tired of watching Uncle Tim wrestle with Aidan. I just wish we lived closer.

See LARGE version of the slideshow

Em

One of the highlights of the trip to PA was meeting Emerson and seeing how much she has grown. She is my brother Terry's daughter. So cute.

I loved holding her. Made me wish we could have a daughter, too. But, Aidan was not so happy about it. He got mad and ran off into the other room and shut the door. Norma had been taking pictures and went after him to see this:

I have never seen him make such a face! He wasn't very happy. But, he did play well with Emerson the rest of the trip and didn't take it out on her or me. It was a momentary jealousy only. Thank goodness.

Pictures from Grandma Karen's House

This was the day this summer (2007) that we spent with my Mom. Aidan had a great time and at lunch that day he played in the playland at Chick-Fil-A for the very first time! Norma almost cried she was so excited, proud, and scared.

Click here for LARGE SLIDESHOW

Pictures from Aunt Katie's House

Click here to view LARGE SLIDESHOW


I am still playing catchup on our summer pictures from PA. These are of the afternoon at my sister Katie's house. It was a great time. Her husband Tim was an awesome cook. We had great food and lots of fun.

Unfortunately the rain interrupted Aidan's swim in the pool. Thunder was pretty loud. It was one of the neater moments in my life when he hugged me real, real hard and said, "Funder Daddy." It is in moments like that when the stars align and you realize your place in this huge world of ours. :)

Old Town San Diego

I would have taken more pictures with my cell phone if I had realized just how nice a job it was doing. Sure the pictures aren't perfect, but it would have been nice to take more. This picture was taken by my AVID elective teacher partner Janet. She thought it would be funny to send to Norma. Everyone knows I don't drink, so me with a margarita in my hand is pretty funny. Joe, one of our science teachers that was there, said, "Just type in 'Anything for AVID.'" Cracked me up. Norma wrote back a one word response: "BullSh*t!!!"

She knew.

Old Town San Diego was where the picture was taken from. We were at a 'hole in the wall' Mexican place that had terrible service, but good food. Their rolled tacos and enchiladas were GREAT. We had a nice time because the five of us just sat and talked and talked and talked. It sure is fun watching other people drink and not feeling bad in the morning!

Afterwards we walked around Old Town and bought some things. I got Aidan two Mexican toys. They are hand made wooden toys. He liked them, but they did not score as high as a dino would have! Still, I thought it would be neat to get him something different. I also got Norma a neat Angel that had a cool inscription on it that she would like.

Old Town has a very old west feel to it. Kind of 'Cowboy meets Mexico' theme. According to the website: Old Town San Diego is nestled in heart of San Diego, with over 150 restaurants, shops, and historical sites. Old Town, the Birthplace of California, is just a short walk from the San Diego Trolley Transit Center and a short drive from most San Diego destinations. Whenever we return to San Diego (my plan is when Aidan is 5 or 6) I'd love to spend a couple of days there.

The earliest indications of people living in San Diego date back 9,000 years. They called themselves Kumeyaay. When the Spaniards arrived, they used the word Diegueño to identify the Indians associated with the Mission. In 1542 explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo reported that the native indians, “were good natured and an attractive people.” With the arrival of the Spanish settlements in 1769, many Kumeyaay retreated to the hills.

The FOUNDING of CALIFORNIA

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820’s, a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed and by 1835 had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine Lieutenant, raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza.

In 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town State Historic Park to preserve the rich heritage that characterized San Diego during the 1821 to 1872 period. The park includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums and living history demonstrations.

Historic buildings include La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Altamirno Pedrorena and the Mason Street School, San Diego’s first one room schoolhouse. Just up the hill from Old Town San Diego Historic State Park, you’ll find Heritage Park where several of San Diego’s most notable Victorian homes have been relocated and authentically restored to their original splendor. Just a short walk down San Diego Avenue is the Whaley House, an officially designated haunted house, the Little Adobe Chapel on Conde Street, the first Church in Old Town San Diego and El Campo Santo on San Diego Avenue, a 1850 Catholic Cemetery.

Very interesting historical stuff. There is even a Ghost Town exhibit at night that we just missed. It closed just as we walked up on it. This is probably my last post about fun San Diego, but I thought I would add a little about the places we went to the blog. Just in case anyone finds themselves heading to San Diego and wants to learn about great places to go. I really enjoyed myself.

With the non-stop rain of Houston this summer, I sure do miss the weather!

La Jolla California

My favorite spot that we visited in the evenings during AVID San Diego Summer Institute was La Jolla. It was really incredible. La Jolla "By the Sea"

We ate at a place called Georges at the Cove. It was great food and a greater view up on the deck. I read a review of it and it has been called one of the best 10 restaurants in America. No doubt I can understand why.

After watching the sun set we returned to the restaurants and took in a place called Jose's Courtroom for some drinks. Of course, I had chips and salsa and water... woo! But, everyone else had a good time on some Margaritas.

La Jolla is definitely a place that I will return to one day on vacation with Norma and Aidan.

from their website: "Fine dining restaurants perched atop La Jolla's jagged cliffs. Boutique-lined streets, gemmed with art, gifts, and other shopping destinations. Indulgent soft sand beaches, with year-round vacation sunshine and the Pacific Ocean's watercolor sunsets. From the village to the cove, La Jolla truly is the jewel of Southern California."

The seals were great down on the beach. I bought Norma and myself nice tie dyed t'shirts where the proceeds went to saving the habitat of the ocean front.

We were in La Jolla for about




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