Vermont Favorite ....

I took these pictures in Vermont too. Today, I am thinking back on that week and missing it very much. We really loved that area and the farm. I think I am even missing the smells of the pigs and the fresh eggs! I don't think I have ever had an egg as good as the ones from Vermont. No wonder people have chickens!!! I just don't have room for chickens in my yard .... and I don't think our deed restrictions allow for chickens :( I might have to do some research on that!!!

Another Pathway ...

I find myself drawn to shots like this.....some sort of drive, path, road that leads to something but you can't see where. I kind of feel like life is that way right now for us. We are walking into something we see as very beautiful in faith that there is something even more beautiful at the end. When you think about it, isn't that our life with Christ? We walk every day in faith and hope that this life ends on earth but we have an eternity with Him. Now that makes these pictures mean even more to me ....... it makes me think of that song, "He is Good and His Love Endures."

A Hot ... Pondering Moment

The "boys" spent some time in the hot tub. Scott, you really, REALLY need to get some sun sweetheart ..... you look like you are from the North Pole! The boys love the bubbles and the warm water. The best part is when they get out, they don't have to take a bath!!! But before parting, Jack took a few moments to meditate in the waters.....and do some breathing exercises!!!!

Last Stop Before Florida

Well, this is our last stop before coming home. We arrived at our cabin. Scott did all the leg work on this from DC. This was the last leg we didn't book because we did not know the timing. So here we are and I didn't have to do a thing except pack AGAIN!! You realize, I have packed, unpacked and repacked 16 times. Yes, when you start with packing at home and then going through from Boston, Maine, Vermont, NYC, Lancaster, DC, and North Carolina and home, it was a packing of some sort 16 times. I don't care if I ever see a suitcase again for a year!!

Needless to say, the cabin was insanely perfect. There were three master suites on different levels so the all of us had our own space. Where did everyone end up? Yes, they were mostly on our level where we were with the kitchen and fridge!!! But the view was spectacular and the leaves were gorgeous!!! We arrived on Thursday. Friday? It was a big fat pajama day. We did nothing. Saturday? Another big fat pajama day and we did some school. I did get dressed and go out to Waynesville for a bit by myself. That was very nice and relaxing ... the weather is perfect......a little warm .... but cooler on the mountain!!!

On Our Way to North Carolina!!!!

Praise the Lord .... we are headed to North Carolina!!! And no, I cannot get a normal picture of Jack! This is our new normal :) It is a riot! And look at those Smoky Mountains!!! AAAAHHHH! We are loving it! We are such mountain people .... we just love the mountains!!

The Truth About DC ...

Since leaving DC, I have had time to think about those days. What it really boils down to is we spent time in our nation's capitol not feeling very patriotic. Every where you looked as it related to buildings, design, history, etc., everything we saw was tied back to God. So what our country was founded on as it relates to who they worshipped then is 200 years gone. When we, as Christians, walk through DC and see and hear how our country continues to remove God, morals and values from everything we do moving forward, I found it disheartening. It was sad and extremely disappointing. And then add looming recession, stock market crashes, and every other doom and gloom newscast that can be run on the liberal stations of the TV, well, you almost feel unpatriotic. I know .... God is bigger than all that ... yadayadayada ... I'm just saying to walk through it and think history and then fast forward to now ...... it's just so crazy ...... and yes, we are the odd ones.

DC Brownstone Rental .... BOMB!!!!

Well, after Arlington, we are just plain tired. So we stopped by the Eastern Market and I wasn't sure what that was all about. Right up until I entered it and was hit in the face with fish and shrimp on one side of the aisle and directly across the aisle was the coffee bar ... Are you SERIOUS???? Who wants to drink coffee and smell fish?? LOL!! I mean, really???? So I walked in and it is this indoor market that has everything in cases. I grabbed a few things to make dinner work seeing as we are OUUUUTTTTAAAAA HERE in the morning .... yeah, we are done. We get home and spend the evening listening to the kids upstairs RUN and JUMP and PLAY all evening on our ceiling. Banging back didn't work either. The A/C is making a horrible racket. And yes, Scott took pictures!!! We have never EVER had a problem with VRBO rentals ... and this week is OUR week!!!! Needless to say, the polite yet firm email Scott sent requesting one night in return since we left two days early based on the noise level and the accomodations was received warmly by the owner .... and I quote, "And your reference to this being an economy rental, we obviously do not have the same taste in furniture." Oh, I'm sorry!!! I would like to know when I set my laptop on the kitchen table that the legs don't buckle from the weight!!!! LOL!!!! And did you hire a blind man to patch the holes???!!!!! So we sit now waiting on our returned deposit from her. It is now 4 days past her due date and she is now not responding to Scott's emails. Hmmmm........and profiling is wrong ...........

Crazy Picture

Just so you know, I did try to fix that picture that turned. And no, it doesn't look like that when I upload it. Never had that happen before but if you turn your laptop on it's side or pick up your monitor and turn it very, very carefully, you can see it :) ...... bizarre .....

Arlington Cemetary Visit

We arrived after our park time at Arlington Cemetery. We thought it would be very good for the kids to see this and learn the meaning behind this. On the way in, it had a sign asking people to remember to be quiet and respectful while on the grounds, etc. We stopped and had the kids read this and talked about it. We went to see the soldiers guarding the tomb. We had to hike what was to us uphill. When we arrived, the guards where getting ready to make their changes. This ceremony took about 10-15 minutes. When it ended, we walked back down and that was where it started downhill.... and not the walking part. It was the part where the self-control was about to end in the cemetery. We ended up holding hands ... luckily, no one got hurt and we didn't leave anyone behind. But Jack is still trying to figure out why that man just walks back and forth and clicks his heels "like this" and he swings his leg and clicks his heels together. In his words, "that was so boring." Oh, you know ... some things they are just NOT going to get yet. And I am learning to be okay with it ....

Parking Space in NYC ...

I never blogged this in NYC ... but there is a story; a very big story about the parking space in NYC that Scott has not shared on the blog. What I would like is for those interested to please respond on this post and begin requesting the NYC parking space blog. I can't reveal this information. He really, REALLY must write this himself. It is downright scarey and very revealing of "someone's" personality ..... a truly hidden gem ......

Wednesday in DC

Well, we got up Wednesday and resorted to a free morning. Scott left to get a break from all of us. I think he drove around DC instead trying to find a parking space and looking for a Dunkin Donuts than he did anything else!!! When he returned, we grabbed lunch at Subway and intended to eat at the park I found online. SOOOooooo, since I couldn't find the playground area and once again, yes, it is past NOON and the Pearce's are once again looking for somewhere to stop and eat as usual, (the curse continues), where did we stop?? In the parking lot of a GOLF COURSE and we ate on the freakin' curb. I'm not kidding either! We are so stupid!!! After lunch, we drove down this rode and low and behold, 1 minute away was the park with about 35 picnic tables and the playground!! LOL ...... seriously, we have issues. We are going to need therapy when we return. It is ridiculous ....

Missed Photo Opportunity

As we rode the bus, I was so looking forward to taking some pictures of the war memorials. Right as we got closer, the helicopters started to fly over. Scott was talking about how that was probably the president again and som

ething like "get the picture!" So as I was trying to get the picture of the helicopter, we drove right by the war memorials and I missed every single picture. Can you believe that? And then when I was frustrated and telling Scott, he started defending himself. So instead, I took pictures of him defending himself. This is what he looks like while he is justifying himself. I personally think it is kind of funny ..... and he just loves when I start snapping 10 times while he is talking .... :) LOL!!!

Few More Things in DC

We did see four helicopters fly in today together and land over by the White House. We figured that had to be the President coming in. That was very cool .... we also saw the National Cathedral and the pictures will never do it justice. Amazing....absolutely amazing ... and if you look at the Lincoln Memorial very closely, there is a man sitting down on the steps if that tells you how HUGE this building is. We plan to go back tomorrow and walk the memorial sights at The Mall.

Tuesday in DC ....

Today, we took in our history for the day. We left "the dungeon" and made the kids walk 1.5 miles to the nearest tour bus stop. I think it did them some good to get out and burn off some energy first thing. As we made our way, we stopped at The Library of Congress and I made us all go in. I really did want to see it in person. And yes, I took a picture of the ceiling. It was the only thing I could photograph without getting into trouble. First, I got out of line and was crowding my kids to which the security guard did not like and let me know what I was doing. Then, I forgot to take my phone out of my pocket and put in the bowl which set off the alarm. And then my watch ... and then my bracelet. So after getting butt metal naked, (which means getting off all my metal items!), I got to go through while Scott is behind me. I think he was sighing at this point and rolling his eyes. Needless to say, it was worth the time. It is amazing and I cannot believe how creatively this was designed. It has to be an architect's dream to walk through this. I could go on and on about the detail of the marble and statues and pictures and mosaics ..... it was beautiful. If you ever have the chance, you should at least walk through it. And to think The Library of Congress was first enacted in 1800. The first location was in the capitol building but when it was attacked and burned down in 1814, they had to rebuild. And we found a room that was the history of the Indians, Mayas, and Columbus. Since we have just talked about that in the last couple months and been reading books on them, Spencer enjoyed reading more and seeing the artifacts from that time period. I think he is our history buff. He really enjoys taking these things in. Jack? Not so much ..... he was pestering us to leave and bored to tears!!! Erica walked for a bit but she has always said, "I hate history." Hmmm... she is really, REALLY going to love DC, huh??!!!!

We then walked by the Capitol building. We have a tour scheduled for Thursday at 9am. I hope that will be interesting. It only lasts an hour. I can bribe anyone for an hour!! After this, we got on the double decker bus and rode over to the Spy Museum. If you will notice, the sign on the street says No Double Parking. And parked behind it is Obama and McCain! I thought that was pretty funny myself !!!!

We didn't go into the Spy Museum itself because the kids aren't old enough to do the things they wanted. You have to be 12 years or older. So the boys weren't interested as much and Erica did not want to do it without them. Instead, we went to the Spy Museum stores and picked up some fun things for them and looked at all the gadgets, books and toys.

We also saw the house where Lincoln died. We want to go back to that and actually go through the house. I think we will do that tomorrow. It is hard to be in Washington without reflecting the history of the US and where we are today..........it is amazing and at the same time, very sad if that makes sense ...

More DC ....

Once again, trying to get a picture of Jack is nearly impossible. No Jack, your head is not going to fit there and if you get stuck between his legs, we are not calling the fire department! You will simply stay there and become part of the statue. And look, the scales in the emblem are balanced! Wow, where did that picture go ............................!

First Day in DC ..

We got into DC Monday afternoon with no problems at all. It was going well right until we started to come into DC. Once again, I took us in for the scenic drive through parts of DC that we might have been okay not knowing about. The really funny thing was we are only about three blocks from the action! We found our apartment. I'm laughing because really, that is all I can do. You assume everything seems okay. For us, we are having Mikasuki flashbacks. This was the neighborhood and duplex we lived in when both our houses were built for a short period of time. The quarters are small and you feel like you are on top of one another. This DC brownstone is no different really. The carpet is coming in places and could use a really good cleaning or replaced. There are so many holes in the walls that have been patched and never painted. The beds are mattresses sitting on homemade wooden boxes. And there are bars on all the windows, well, what windows there are. We are in the basement, affectionately renamed "the dungeon", so we have little windows that have bars where the sidewalk is. And they are covered with some sort of white paper blinds. Needless to say, Scott is working through this one too!!!! He is so out of his comfort zone it isn't even funny!!!! But he is really trying to be a good sport :) The dining table has been handmade too. I'm pretty sure if I was to lay down on this table, it would collapse. It is simply wooden pieces cut with those peg legs you get at Home Depot and they are screwed in with black screws and a pink/white plastic checkered table cloth has been thrown over the top of it! I'm really giving a lot of details, aren't I? Oh, the couch and chair in here? I'm pretty sure it is one of those pieces you pick up at IKEA where it might cost you $150 and last six months!!! LOL!!! It is really hysterical. You gotta laugh about it ....

So we found the dungeon and left to find some lunch. We drove right into downtown DC which is only about two miles away. Guess what we found? We found a Corner Bakery!!! Yeah!!! Something familiar!!! This is our favorite little cafe that we eat at every year in Chicago!! We parked and grabbed a wonderful late lunch. Then we walked to see the White House because it was only three blocks away. And we saw The Department of Treasury and where Truman built his house and the Red Cross building and a tons of other buildings.

At this point, we are attempting to tell the kids about the buildings. They are having way more fun walking the curbs and chasing one another. We decided the history is going to need to come from someone else; such as the double decker tour bus tomorrow!

Scott went to the grocery store and walked home. He called his friend, Gary, and said, "Listen, I may have called and said this before but I am going to tell you now. I'm going to die tonight walking home from this store. So when I do, I want you to tell everyone that I called you very calmly and what I've just said and that I knew it was going to happen." Gary thought that was pretty funny ..... he made it home safely from the Safeway! Is it bedtime yet?? Could someone lock the doors and be sure the bars are on tight???!!!!!

Washington DC ... Here We Are!!!

It's late ... goodnight.... I'll try to blog tomorrow ....

We found CARRABBA'S!!!!!

On the way back from Philadelphia, we found a Carrabba's but we didn't eat there the first time. Thunderhole was concerned that I would want to pack. And I wanted to eat there but didn't want him to waste his time since he was giving me the "let's keep going" look ..... either way, we did not communicate very well at all. I think we got a big fat D on our report card according to the kids. They do not like when we argue. And we weren't really even arguing. But they can't stand it.......so we went on ..... frustrated and hungry. We stopped at WalMart because Scott had promised Spencer. He had some money he was saving for a special toy he wanted. So we talk some more and I refused to fix the problem of finding food. So we drove past our farmhouse, into Lancaster another 20 minutes to the next Carrabba's by GPS ...... oh, the fun of being married and working things out ........... with kids ....... we are the example of marriage ... yeah for them!!!! LOL!!!!! What would I do without Thunderhole ....... I would be so bored!!!!

Meet Jake

This is the little dog we met at our farmhouse. He runs after the car when we leave and he is waiting on us when we return. Then he chases the kids in the yard and plays with them. And when we get up in the morning, he is at the front door waiting on them. It has been really cute and fun to have his company. It has helped the kids who have missed Chip terribly!!!!! We will miss Jake!!!!

Wawa Man ......

Did you know that if you are seeing Rocket Man by Elton John, you can actually change the words to WaWa Man? WaWa's is the place where Scott can get his 44oz diet coke that he has to have or he becomes Thunderhole. We are driving the back roads that are taking three times longer (according to him) to return to Lancaster. And the kids are hungry again and thirsty. Erica is in the backseat saying, "I'm dying .... tell me goodbye family ... I'm dying now." And then she drops her head in silence. And I'm listening to Elton John on my Ipod singing songs like Rocket Man but I'm changing the words and making up my own words to go with our story ... like WaWa Man, and then Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word ..... he tried hard to hide his smirk but I kept taking pictures of him driving until he started laughing. Luckily, we found a WaWa's .... thank God ... and it put a smile back on his face ... until we couldn't decide on dinner ...

Leaving Philadelphia with Thunderhole

Well, we departed Philadelphia. The traffic was backed up because some how we managed to catch the football game traffic coming in and we managed to catch the football traffic leaving the game!!!! So I decided to take us off the interstate. Yes, this is the second time in Pennsylvania that it didn't go well. The first time was when I took us on back roads through Amish country to see the farms and land after dinner at dusk. It was BEAUTIFUL with the sun setting UNTIL the roads weren't labeled and I missed one. And we got lost ... and it was getting dark.... and Scott got really grouchy and mad about it. It wasn't like it was my fault completely. I knew where we were ... just not exactly which road because they weren't labeled. BUT because I do have a good sense of direction and I don't mean to boast but I really do for some reason, I was able to navigate us back to the house. So it only took us 45 minutes longer than it would have if we had stayed on the course we knew ...we would have missed so many pretty farms and the sunset. But that wasn't what Thunderhole wanted at the time.

Today, we got off the interstate heading on Hwy 30 ... through part of town that we missed. Once again, the sights we saw ..... if we hadn't done this, we would have missed China Town ... and MLKing's area!!! But for some reason, he doesn't see it that way .... at all .....

House of Betsy Ross

We got to see the house where Betsy Ross made the first American flag. And I took this picture of a man ringing the Liberty Bell. I then made Scott drop me off AGAIN so that I could go in a souvenir shop and pick up some cards and a magnet. He was ever so happy to oblige .... his personality was heading down hill....thunderhole was returning ......

Touring Philadelphia History

After the afternoon at the museum, we went downtown to catch a few things in the historic area. We saw the Liberty Bell. Isn't that cool? Can you tell how excited by daughter is to have her picture taken in front of the bell which is significant to our country's history? Especially to be standing with her brothers in front of 23 other people that are waiting to have their picture taken with enthusiasm??? LOL!! And we saw the building where the Declaration of Independence was written. We are now debating who wrote it because it is 11:15pm and we are both tired. We can't remember if it was Benjamin Franklin that wrote it or Thomas Jefferson. Isn't that terrible???? We'll get back to you on that ... anyway, we were pleasantly surprised by how pretty Philadelphia was. I don't know what I was anticipating but it was a very pretty city.

In the Act

LOL!!!! Scott found a place to sit .... if you notice, the bench is a bone!!! Spencer found Michael Jordan's shoe ...... wow ..... and Erica got caught in the investigator's office of the railroad station!!! And Jack got to be the conductor on the train!!!!