Grandparents are Fun

I consider myself very lucky that I still have a grandparent alive. My Grandpa is 98. 98! I love visiting him and hearing tales of his youth or his observations on life. He's very well-read. In fact, I'm usually pretty embarassed at what I DON'T know what I talk to him.

All four of my grandparents were a very big presence in my life growing up. We lived just about an hour away from them, and I spent a lot of time in the small town where they all lived.

So I love it when my own parents come for a visit. It's fun to see the boys interact with them. My Dad just left after a visit. Here are a few pics of the fun.


Finn and Grandpa out for a snowshoe.


Me falling down while snowshoeing.


Boys out for breakfast with Grandpa. I thought I asked for a croissant, but did not receive one upon their return...



First ever picture of Grandpa and all nine grandkids.



Grandpa and the boys.

I Just Had to Make it to the End of July

Right around March each year, I start to panic. Afterall, in March, summer is only about three months away and I'm getting a little nervous. I love summer--the unscheduled-ness of it all, not waking up to an alarm, no real requirements (except hockey--why does there always seem to be hockey regardless of the time of year?!), lots of stay-up-late movie nights. However, I'm not big on the summer heat, which fortunately only lasts for six weeks or so out here. Anyway, I like the concept of summer.

The March Panic arises from the fact that I realize that in three months, the boys will be home full-time. It's not that I don't want them to be at home with me, but it does complicate matters as far as work goes. I lose most of my working time during the day AND they go to bed later.

So when summer is coming, the kids are all like, "YAY! SUMMER!!!!!!" And I'm more like, "oh yay, it's summer." Note the lack of exclamation points and capital letters in my "exclamation."

But I don't want their summer to be all about me working, so I just sort of fumble along during the summer. "Fortunately," Eamonn is still unemployed so that has dramatically helped this year.

At any rate, when school was letting out, I was thinking, "How am I going to make it to the end of July when we go to Ohio?" It seemed like a long space of time to fill and a lot of work had to take place in that time. I had to do my normal weekly work, a few extra jobs for one client, and complete a magazine for another. I was sort of overwhelmed by the thought of it all.

And now, suddenly, it's here. I made it. I kept up with my weekly work, I finished the extra projects, and over the weekend, I turned in the magazine--several days ahead of schedule, pardon me while I pat myself on the back. And breathe a sigh of relief.

Tomorrow we drive to Denver to spend the day and have Finn's bloodwork done before the boys and I fly to Ohio on Thursday.

I admit, I'm excited to see everyone. Yesterday, I talked to my Grandpa on the phone and he sounded so incredibly good. I can't wait to spend time with him. That man always has a story. I'll tell you a funny story about Grandpa. Late this winter, he had a heart attack. OK, that's not the funny part. I'm getting to the funny part. Anyway, after the heart attack, Grandpa went through some type of physical therapy/rehabilitation. One day he was at rehab and someone called up to the exercise room, or wherever he was, and asked if there was a typo because was there really someone in cardiac rehab who was 96? Did they mean he was really 69? The people looking at the paperwork couldn't believe it.

And now he's 97. Madness.

The boys are really excited for Ohio as well. The other day, did I already write about this???, they had some elaborate Lego game set up involving buildings and all of their characters, who were eating at Donato's and Graeter's, our favorite pizza and ice cream haunts in Ohio. Some children look forward to siteseeing, my children look forward to eating. Just like their mother.

Eamonn is remaining behind, all of you Internet stalkers, so don't get any crazy ideas about burgling our house. And remember, he's unemployed so he has all the time in the world to sit here and guard the house with his shotgun.

Stay tuned for pictures of us eating pizza and ice cream until we're sick.

Small Town Fourth of July

My Dad was here visiting over the Fourth of July. While we go up valley for the big fireworks one night, I love our town's small town celebration on the actual Fourth of July.

It starts wtih a bike parade:

I strategically position myself to photograph my family. Declan (on red bike) buzzes by without even a wave.


Finn concentrating very hard.


The parade ends at the town park where there are sack races:


A balloon toss:

Finn and Eamonn were a little overzealous and were out in the first toss.

And of course, the pie eating contest. Recall that last year Finn and Eamonn won their respective categories. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to defend their positions this year. Perhaps they shouldn't have eaten donuts before the contest. But fun was had by all.




See? Doesn't Eamonn look like he's having fun?

The best part is when the fire truck comes and sprays everyone down. The kids were happy. They didn't have to take showers after the pie eating.




Other activities with Grandpa. He watched Declan play hockey (yes, he's already back on the ice, getting ready for next season).


We had a picnic in Vail after hockey, walked to a park, got caught in a huge rainstorm.

This is pre-rainstorm.

Grandpa hiked with Finn (while Declan was at hockey).


We all went on a hike. Please note--we rode the chairlift UP the mountain and hiked back down. I was surprisingly sore from hiking down. Clearly I am getting old.

That's the Gore Range in the background.


Heading down. We walked about 100 yards and stopped for lunch. We're tough like that.

We had a wildlife encounter (that's a mule deer).


Reaping the fruits of their labor at the bottom.

Preserving Memories

Tomorrow is the last day of school. I've been a little overwhelmed with all of the year end activities--concerts, plays, class parties, slideshows, school carnival, etc. There has also been a whirlwind of year end committee meetings before we adjourn for the summer (healthy lunch changes are still on the priority list), and of course, occasionally I have to produce some income.

I'm excited for the boys to be home for summer. Mostly. It's very hard for me to work during the summer, but it will all work out in the end. I think.

I'm excited to get them out of the germ pool, to take trips to the swimming pool, hiking, the park, library summer reading program, our trip to Ohio and Virginia, etc. Bring it on.

I wonder if I'll be saying that next week.

Anyway, a few things have me in a reflective mood these last few weeks. First, next year is Declan's last year in elementary school. I can't believe it. I was similarly reflective when he turned 10 and so I created a photobook on Kodak Gallery for his birthday. I keep going into his room and looking at it. But I feel this need to preserve memories for them.

When I was young, like Finn's age, I remember being at my cousin's house and my Dad's grandparents being there--my great grandparents. My Dad was tape recording (tape recording--tee hee! Wait, we just got rid of our VCR two months ago. I shouldn't be tee hee-ing.) my Great Grandfather talking and telling stories. I didn't really get it at the time.

Similarly, Tara recorded my Grandma Moffitt telling some stories once. Again, I didn't get it. But as I get older, I get it. First, I miss hearing people's voices when they die. And I hate it that the great stories of their lives go with them. And I guess when I say "great" I just mean the little stories that made up their lives.

So last year when we were in Ohio, I videotaped my Grandpa and my Dad talking about a pretty scary incident from 1960 when my Grandpa was using a chainsaw and cut himself. And I use the work "cut" loosely here. He nearly died.

I'd heard my Dad talk about it a little, but had never really heard the whole story. Not that I'm into the blood and gore of it, but I did want to hear it in their words. When we got to Ohio, I bought a new video camera that doesn't use tapes or DVDs. I was totally psyched to be all high tech. And then I discovered that I bought a camera without a light, so unless you're in a nice bright setting forget it.

Ah well. Such is life.

But I did get about an hour of footage of Grandpa talking and just telling stories of his youth.

Before we'd ever taped last summer though, my Dad wrote down his own recollections of September 1960:

*********
I graduated from OSU in August 1960 and immediately left for Florida for a couple of weeks. When I returned, Dad and a carpenter, Herman Dean, were working on a project putting new siding on a section of the east side of the barn. One afternoon I was at the barn and Dad asked me to go to the hardware store. [Timing is somewhat relevant here so I will relate some otherwise non-essential information]. It probably took me 30 minutes to walk to the house, talk to Mom briefly, drive to the store and make my purchase. As I left the store I was accosted by one Wilson Evans, the renowned town bloviator, from whom there was no escaping in less than 15 minutes of sound and spittle from a slobbery cigar butt.

I returned to the house and talked with Mom for a few minutes and left for the barn. As I went through the gate into the pasture I heard a shrill sound. I couldn’t identify it so I walked slowly for a few steps and the sound recurred. Then before I could hardly move it came again with a greater intensity. As I thought back on all of this later I don’t know why, because I had no inclination of what was to come, I dropped the materials I was carrying and started running as hard as I could toward the barn literally throwing myself over the gate instead of opening it because at that point I could tell that the shrieking sound, not a human yell, was coming from the barn. I came through the door immediately next to where they were working.

Dad was sitting against a post 6 feet from the wall where they were cutting an opening for a window. His left leg was stretched out with the pants leg torn away at the knee exposing a huge cut in his leg at the kneecap. His left arm was severely cut on the underside about where a watch band would be. He was totally lucid. He had made a tourniquet for his arm with his handkerchief and a wood rasp and was holding it with his right hand. He said something to the effect that “I am in pretty bad shape and so is Herman.” Herman was lying inert to Dad’s left. Dad said he thought Herman may have had a heart attack. Dad said that he had done something to try and help Herman but I don’t remember what that was.

I ran back to the house to get help. June was there and I explained to her and Mom and went back to the barn. June called Dr. Thompson and he directed her to get Herman to his office and to take Dad directly to the hospital. She called West Mansfield and Richwood ambulances however both were involved in funerals and could not respond. She called Bellefontaine and an ambulance was dispatched. She then brought the pickup truck to the barn.

We put Dad onto an old door and got him into the back of the truck. We then lifted Herman into the truck and headed for town. He didn’t make a sound while we were loading him and appeared to be totally unconscious. We met the ambulance at the grain elevator at the edge of town. Dad was transferred to the ambulance. June took Herman on to Dr. Thompson’s office.

On the trip to the hospital Dad was still lucid and reminded me to loosen the tourniquet periodically.

I later learned the sequence of events leading up to the accident.

After the siding was installed they were preparing to cut an opening for a window. This entailed standing on a sawhorse while operating a power saw. Dad saw that Herman was very unsteady while he was preparing to perform this maneuver. Dad told Herman to let him do it and took Herman’s saw. And here starts the unwinding of the resulting saga. Dad noticed that the spring on the guard on Herman’s saw was not in operation. He hesitated initially to use it but for reasons he later explained and I have forgotten, decided to proceed.

Dad was standing on the sawhorse and bracing himself by having his left knee against the wall he was working on. This placed his upper left leg parallel to the ground and under the area of work. The saw pinched and jumped out of the grasp of his right hand. He instinctively tried to catch it and it dropped onto his left arm and then onto his leg probably still operating close to 1200RPM. The cut on the arm did not show as much but it was bleeding profusely. His presence of mind in getting the tourniquet applied may very well have saved his and Herman’s lives in the judgment of medical personnel I talked with.
*******

So it's definitely not a "fond" story in family history, but it's an important one. Next week, Grandpa will turn 97! He's much more cautious with a chain saw these days.

Anyway, I'm still working on preserving people's voices and stories. I hope my Mom doesn't freak out when she's next.

Back on the Job

Tap, tap, tap. Anyone still out there? Man, I needed a break. And obviously, I took it.

We're back in Colorado after 2 1/2 weeks in Ohio, which was very fun. But I did notice that my Mom had developed a nervous tic in her eye by the end of the trip.

As I was looking back at our pictures, which I'll post a link to here in a sec, I realized that this trip was mostly about seeing people as opposed to going places. It was a very different trip from last year when the boys and I went a few days early to Ohio, but then Eamonn joined us and we went to Niagara Falls and Eamon and Nicole's wedding. That was a vacation trip. This turned out to be more of a visiting trip. Not that we didn't have fun--we definitely did--but you'll see in the pictures that it's all about the people!

According to the boys, the Ohio State Fair was definitely a highlight of their trip. I was all excited about it, too, until I was actually there and having to try to appease two boys who are separating in terms of their levels of interest on things. Finn is still happy to do the kiddie rides. Declan is more interested in trying more of the "big kid" stuff. Frankly, even if Finn did want to do bigger rides, he's not tall enough for most of them. So there was a lot of compromising going on at the fair this year and they were both good sports. In years past, Eamonn and I would divide and conquer, which is good, because I don't really relish going on too many rides that I know have been assembled on site in a matter of hours. My Dad was with us for a few trips down the Giant Slide. I am happy to announce that I did not "scream like a girl," as I have been accused of doing in the past.

I will now be entering a detox program for people who have consumed too much Donatos Pizza and Graeter's Ice Cream. I lost count of how much Graeter's I ate. Donatos--twice. Sushi. First Watch (my poached eggs on my caps were a little overdone, which made me sad, but oh well, the conversation was second to none). Ice cream at the fair. Homemade ice cream at Grandpa's. Numerous bowls of popcorn with Mom while watching Midsomer Murders at night.

Number of workouts while in Ohio? One walk. I did go horseback riding, but the horse did most of the work.

My fat pants are snug. It's a little alarming.

One of my big goals on this trip was to record my Grandpa talking and telling some of his infamous stories. I remember my Dad tape recording my Great Grandparents when I was about Finn's age and I wanted to do the same with my Grandpa, who I think, as I've talked about before, is pretty much the greatest person in the world. I mean, who is 96, still buys rental properties as investments, and does all of the necessary clean up himself? I need to take a lesson from that.

Anyway, over the years, there are a few things I've realized when generations pass on. First, their stories mostly go with them. Yes, there are the timeless tales that get passed down, but the details and nuances that the original storyteller adds go missing. And also, I just miss hearing their voices--their funny laughs, their dry delivery, their little sayings. I miss that. And, belive it or not, I come from a very funny line of people. My Great Grandpa Moffitt, who lived into his 90s and died when I was a freshman in college, was a character like you wouldn't believe.

So blah, blah, blah, the bottom line is that I wanted to record Grandpa and some of his stories before it was too late. Not that he's unhealthy or anything, but whether you're 96 or 26, I'm infamous for procrastinating and then regretting not doing stuff like this and I didn't want to miss my chance. And if I get to record Grandpa until he's 106 now, I'll feel very, very lucky.

I did buy a new camcorder to get all this done and the boys and I had fun experimenting with it and then recording Grandpa. I did discover that the microphone on it is so sensitive that it picked up all of my jabbering relations in the background. And kids, including my own, seemed to like to stand right in front of me while filming. I needed one of those "on air" lights. Or a dart gun.

Anyway, the camera is totally cool and I love it. It's a Panasonic, 60 GB hard drive, 75x optical zoom and a battery life of about 2 hours, which dramatically beats the 3.3 minutes we were getting on our old camera. The fact that it's about the size of my hand is a bonus. I haven't downloaded any footage yet. But I'm lazy that way. I'll probably get to that right before my next trip to Ohio. Also, I need to backup my laptop's hard drive first because I have some concerns about its, um, behavior lately.

So, now that you've held on through all of that rambling, you can check out the pictures HERE. And just a note about the captions on the picture, when I was particulary verbose (which happens a lot, as you know), you'll see the caption end in . . .Just hold your cursor arrow over the caption and you'll be able to see the whole thing. Because I wouldn't want you to miss any of my electrifying wit.

In a photographic bonus, I'll be back soon with pictures from Karen and Neil's visit in July. I realized I never posted them! Now those will be some serious scenery shots.

Long Road Home

Eleanor "Floreine" Moffitt
May 16, 1915 - January 20, 2009

My Grandma, my Mom's mom, passed away today. I'm sad. Definitely sad, but there is a part of me that puts it into perspective--she lived to see and do so much.

I think I'm missing what was and mourning what used to be. Grandma had a long, amazing life, but Alzheimers took her from us a long time ago. So she hasn't really been Grandma for many years. We have actually prayed for many years that she would just slip quietly away and be free of the mind-stealing disease. Today we got our wish.

Does that sound weird to wish someone would pass on?

Instead of thinking about her these last years, I smile and remember her as she was: sweet; loving; sometimes silly; could fall asleep anywhere (including on the toilet and she actually fell off and broke her foot); teacher; wearer of rain hats to protect her hair (which she had "done" at the beauty parlor); always had mints, Wrigley's gum and tissues in her purse; a neat freak; slow eater; loved to eat out; well traveled; loved to shop; never documented checks she wrote in the checkbook, thus driving my Grandpa crazy; letter writer extraordinaire; liked to clip things from the newspaper and send them to us; member of church choir; woman of faith; loved Lillian Vernon's Eucalyptus Drops; never met a Marie's Candy she didn't like; aged gracefully; great giggle; patient; kind; perfect grammar (she was an English teacher); very organized; crazy neat; called toppings for ice cream "dope"; had a dedicated circle of friends called The Harem--my Grandpa drove them all around; mother; sister; daughter; aunt; grandma; great grandma; an amazing influence on my life.

My friends often didn't understand how much I loved to spend time with my Grandparents--I mean, who would want to hang out with old people? Me. As kids, we visited all of our Grandparents frequently--they were/are a huge part of my life. When I was old enough to drive, I visited even more often, spending the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and their friends--eating out, going to church, playing Rummikub or Scratch, eating popcorn, grilling chicken, and watching some of their favorite shows like Matlock or Walker, Texas Ranger. Still makes me giggle. Usually they fell asleep during the shows. At night, they snored so loud I could hear them upstairs where I slept in my Mom's old room. They got up between 5am and 6am every morning because they had "things to do."

Grandma was a great correspondant. Tonight I dug out some of the cards she sent me while I was in graduate school. I'm so glad I kept them. Her newsy letters full of updates on their health, what they were doing, who they were doing it with, where they were going, and yes, even what they were eating still make me smile.

A little selection. . .

May 27, 1992
Dear Natalie,
Never worry your pretty head about being tardy (note: I bet you anything I sent her birthday card late!). We just enjoy your letters, so full of humor and exciting things that you and Andrea are doing.

Make your plans to visit us whenever you can. You will fit into our schedule perfectly. Whatever we do, you can join us. Don't even consider frozen meals. We always have some of those in the freezer! Ha! But of course, we want to drop in at Millner's, The Plaza Inn, and wherever your grandpa sees fit to take us.

We are almost ready to leave for Bellefontaine to see Howard Traul. He is working on our will and other special papers. We'll see Dortie and so some errands before returning to West Mansfield.

On Sunday we went to Kenton to see Gerri. She is well enough to be in a room now instead of ICU. However, she is not able to come home yet. In fact, she may need nursing home care for a few weeks. A good friend and a very plucky lady!

I must not keep gramps waiting! Our best to you and Andrea.

Love,
Your Grandparents


September 29, 1992
Dear Natalie,
Days speed by for you, too; we are certain. Lately we have been visiting Dr. Gleason. First I had a muscle problem in the left hip which he cured. Second, your grandpa showed evidence of high sugar and this proved to be a fact. Now, we are doing serious dieting, having met once with the dietician at Mary Rutan. Hopefully the sugar will be controlled, and we'll lose weight. Yesterday, he developed a severe sore throat so back to the dotor and now a round of antbiotics. We don't give up; we just rely on the dr.

There are some activities of importance this week, so we want a quick cure! At the moment your gramps is waiting for me to finish so he can go for the mail.

We hope that school is going well and that you like your new apartment.

Love,
Grandpa and Grandma


April 14, 1993
Dear Natalie,
For some reason, we did not give you this check when we saw you briefly upon our return home (note: they were always sending little checks to us. Do you think she suspected I spent most of it on beer?). Perhaps there is something which you need for your apartment. Enjoy it no matter how you spend it.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. This is proving to be the same type of week as usual--busy. I am just happy that we are able "to keep on keeping on." Also, we are anxious to hear about your new experiences.

Love,
Grandpa and Grandma



May 22, 1993
Dear Natalie,
Congratulations! Your 3.8 record is great, but we know your potential (note: this must have been big news in West Mansfield because with this letter I also found a card from their neighbor congratulating me on my grades).

This week has been the usual busy one. I really worked on the final preparation for Bible Study at Circle. Then Marge Reames was ill, so I did a halfway job of cleaning inside while your grandpa worked on the lawn and swept the walk. Last night the "gang" was here for cards after we ate at The Red Lantern. As always, we had fun.

Today we are taking several sacks of newspapers to the recycling center at Rushsylvania. Then we plan to deliver Mona Dally's birthday gift and visit for awhile. Perhaps we'll get to Heartland, too.

We look forward to seeing you on May 29.

Love,
Grandpa and Grandma



Me with Grandma and Grandpa--December '93 (I think it's '93. My Dad always said I should write on every single picture or I'd regret it. Dang it. Parents are always right.)


Aha! This date I know: December 21, 1996--our wedding.


Grandma and Grandpa holding Declan--June 2000 (the date was imprinted on the picture--I lucked out)


Grandma with Finn--Spring 2003

I cannot wait to get home to Ohio and be with my sisters and my Mom so we can share stories and giggle uncontrollably at our memories. Like the time Grandma ate dogfood. Or how she called Grandpa "Barney" (his name was Byron). Or how we would drive through the countryside, she and Mary Huffman in the backseat giggling like teenagers and recounting who lived in what farmhouse and little tidbits of information (never gossip!) about the residents. Or the time Grandpa drove me to a particular road in the country because "something special happened there." Me: "Was that the first time you and Grandma made out?" Grandpa: Gave me a withering stare (I think he was trying not to laugh). Grandma: Giggling uncontrollably in the backseat. Turns out they were actually driving in their car and were caught in a tornado on that road.

I'm so lucky. I got to experience a relationship with my grandparents, all of them, into adulthood. Three of them saw me get married and met my first child. To say I had a close relationship with all of my grandparents is an understatement--they were an instrumental part of my life, and I'm so grateful.

There are things I'm glad she wasn't aware of when they happened--9/11, when grandpa died, Finn's cancer. She was wise, but innocent and she would wonder about people suffering. I'm glad she didn't have to wonder about some of these things.

Grandma, I can still hear your your laugh; I can still see your smile; I can feel your hands rubbing my back; I see you standing in the kitchen, looking out at the backyard as you washed the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. A lifetime of memories--all of them wonderful. Although you left a long time ago, losing you again is still so hard.

The Sound of Silence

I'm almost certain that I haven't actually been alone in the house for more than two weeks now. The boys went back to school today and the silence if deafening. But in a good way. If crickets could actually survive in this climate, I bet I could have heard them chirping.

I'm 100% certain that I was the only one remotely excited about school resuming. I had them in bed last night at 6:58pm in anticipation. Two weeks of not sticking to a time that was anywhere remotely near their normal bedtimes has come back to haunt us. Despite the early bedtime last night night, Declan woke up with huge circles under his eyes. . .the same ones that were there when he went to bed last night. If I got 12 hours of sleep would I have circles under my eyes? Actually, I think my circles are permanent, so it really doesn't matter anymore.

Take a look at a few Christmas pictures if you've got the time.

So while it was time to get back into a routine, I wasn't ready for the holiday season to be over. It went so fast, probably because we were gone for a week for the Make-A-Wish trip! I just would have liked a few more evenings of relaxing before Christmas got here--a night to sit in front of the tree and admire it, smell it, and maybe sit there with a book. I think the last time I did that was 1986. How time flies. It seems like yesterday.

Is it over?

Is it time for the kids to go back to school yet? Just kidding. We're having a really nice Christmas break and I'm enjoying having them at home. . .except that I haven't been able to ski, which vexes me greatly.

My Dad arrived on Christmas Day and the boys enjoyed the surprise. Dad enjoyed the surprise of having to circle and attempt landing three times at our regional airport set amid the mountains. If they hadn't landed on that third attempt, it was back to Denver and a 2 1/2 hour shuttle ride up the hill.

We've been sledding on the days it hasn't been too cold. On Christmas evening, we were out sledding when an elk herd came through the draw where we were and watched us. Very cool. I figure I burned about 8.2 million calories wading through the thigh deep powder to get to the sledding hill (burning 8.2 million calories sounds great until I considered that I probably ate 10.6 million calories in Christmas cookies after we got back). I had to look back every few minutes to make sure the boys were still with us. It would be bad to lose a kid in the snow on Christmas, wouldn't it?

I had to work at the ski school Friday - Sunday where we had huge crowds. Where are these people finding the money to spend like that? I've been amazed. The entire state of Texas seems to be here on vacation. Now, I don't mean this in a critical way at all, just making an observation, but I've never seen so many wild looking fur coats, massive purses, or fake, um, body parts (skiing showing your cleavage?), as I have seen these past few days. Don't get me wrong--I'm glad tourists from everywhere are here. I just find myself staring at times because I can't imagine what kind of money must be spent on these coats, purses, and, um, body parts.

Today we're going snow shoeing. The boys are dismayed because they would rather sit at home and play on the Wii, which Santa brought. I'm proud, and possibly distrubed, to announce that I happily pummeled the entire family at Wii boxing on Christmas Day. Nothing like cheering about knocking out your family on the holiest of all days. My arms are still sore. Seriously. Personally, I'm going to steer clear of the Wii Fit. We don't own it, but several friends do. One friend, who isn't even 40 had her Wii Fit tell her that her age is actually 55.

I just don't need to start the New Year that way. Denial. It's not just a river in Egypt.

Eating My Way Around Town

I had this initial insane plan that I would bring my workout DVDs with me to Ohio on "vacation" so I could exercise, eat right and lose weight while we are here. What is that sound? Hysterical laughter?

Anyway, on the plane the boys were talking about all of their favorite Ohio foods they couldn't wait to eat. Sad, I know. Things like Donatos Pizza, Graeter's Ice Cream, Jersey Mike's Subs and Marie's Candies were being shouted out from Row 27, seats D, E and F. I was right there with them actually--I've got the mushroom caps at First Watch on my list (I'm meeting a friend there for breakfast tomorrow so that's all taken care of). Then we discussed our favorite foods that were not from a restaurant--like Great Grandpa's homemade ice cream. I usually down about three bowls. People are amazed. Or perhaps appalled.

So this is what happened after our fight landed: We drove straight to Donatos. We did not pass go. We did not collect $200. But we did collect a large half cheese half pepperoni pizza. And we went to my Mom's and ate all of it.

But actually, before I even got to my pizza, I was shoveling in bites of Marie's Candy that Mom had "thoughtfully" purchased last weekend.

We were still chewing when we set off on foot for Graeters in Worthington. Mom is within walking distance to a Graeters. Danger! Danger! Danger! So I thought I'd get some sorbet. As if. I noticed peanut butter cup was on the menu and my resolve crumbled.

We rolled home and I think I probably munched some more Marie's. I didn't sleep well. I'm guessing indigestion.

I will say that I got up and did my workout Wednesday morning. I'm not sure why because it was more than negated when we got to Grandpa's. We had a great summer lunch--fresh tomatoes from the garden, marinated cukes and onions, homemade potato salad, sandwiches. I ate two helpings of everything, except the sandwich. Then it was on to the ice cream. I ate my bowl. I finished Declan's bowl. I finished Finn's bowl. I had another bowl. And two brownies. I waddled around the farm for the rest of the day.

Mom and I ate salad last night. Oops, but it was preceded by guacamole and chips. And some pico de gallo. Debbie came over to fit my dress which is now requiring additional alterations because of my guacamole tummy.

But then Mom and I devoured a huge bowl of popcorn watching the Olympics so I obviously wasn't too worried. Yet. But now I'm starting to panic that I'll be huge and bloated when we got to see the Jonas Brothers on Saturday. Because I'm sure they'll pick us out of the crowd and ask us to come backstage to meet them. At least that's what Marci and I are hoping--we're taking Declan and Marci's daughter Kendall to see those adorable Jonas boys. Sigh.

In vain, I exercised again this morning. Why? Ten more days of eating lies in front of me. Should I just stop and let the pounds fall where they may? Start fasting immediately and forget that Mom bought sushi for dinner? I'm back in Ohio just under 48 hours and all of my childhood (also adult) eating habits seemed to be hanging around here waiting for me like an old, unwelcome friend. Like a giant Marie's Candy just waiting to devour me. Ah well, there are worse way to go.

Here's what we've been doing so far:



Actually, last weekend, before we left, we had a visitor. This is Eamon, Eamonn's cousin. He's a pilot with NetJets. He flew into Eagle on Saturday and we got to spend the day/evening with him. We're actually back here in Ohio for Eamon's wedding on Aug. 30th. Actually, the wedding is in Michigan so we're road tripping from here to Niagara Falls for a few days before ending up in Michigan next week.


Declan at the airport before we departed. Eamonn had me take pictures of the boys so if one of them went missing I could immediately give the police a current photo. Frankly, I don't worry about it too much with Declan. . .


. . .it's THIS one you have to look out for. What do you think of his short new do? I got a little carried away with the scissors, but he seems to like it.


The boys at Graeters, Aug. 19, 2008. The amazing thing about Graeters is that it's always busy. Even in the dead of winter you see people in there. It's THAT good.


At Grandpa's. Their favorite thing is to ride the lawn tractor. Declan is actually a fairly good driver.


Declan and Great Grandpa. Great Grandpa is 95. His birthday party is Saturday. He still gets around.


Finn at the wheel. Not such a great driver, this one.


Finn and Great Grandpa. A little more driving intervention was required with Finn.


Declan tries to get away from Finn on the tractor.


Picking pears.


Picking tomatoes with Great Ruth. I just realized I forgot to itemize out all of the lemonade I drank. I'm sure those were harmless calories.


A dove in the walnut tree (as opposed to a partride in the pear tree).


The fruits (and veggies) of their labor.


The boys and Watson, Grandpa and Ruth's dog. He was more interested in having his tummy scratched or playing than posing for photographs.


Trying to photo Watson again. . .


The boys with Great Grandpa and Great Ruth. And Watson who really looks like he wants Finn to let go of his head.


Watson comes back from the end of the driveway the paper. Good dog.

Must run. Sushi is calling.