Almost There

I'm almost there... only four more days to go... and then...

VACATION!!!!!

Finland, the motherland, is waiting and I am so ready for it. Can't wait to relax and clear my mind of the constant demands and noise.

Usually I manage to calm things down once school is out, but this summer has been super busy. There hasn't been any summer lull at work, and it has also been crazy busy on the personal front. Many things are happening that I've put in motion myself. They are good things and things that may propel life forward, but the constant busyness takes its emotional toll. I'm very lucky that this break comes at the exact right time.

My plan for this weekend was to hang out with friends on Friday and Saturday, and then pack for the kids and myself on Sunday. But you know the saying about best laid plans... our sewer system had other things in mind, and I ended up spending Friday cleaning up after a toilet backed up in our basement. Not as much fun as hanging out with friends would have been.

Luckily there was still Saturday, and dear friends visiting. We had lunch, we took them to the beach on Sands Point, and to the Roslyn village to eat FroYo. We ended up at our house, sitting around the fire pit, having a lovely conversation. There's nothing better than to see old friends, and to realize that after some struggles they are in a good place in their lives, happy, healthy, and content, enjoying the here and now, and with dreams for the future. Very much like myself, in fact, although living in very different circumstances.

Hershey Park

This was our first time to Hershey Park, and it was a very pleasant surprise how nice it was. There were a lot of different level rides and lots of them for the kids. I would definitely go back there again when the little one is a bit bigger to try out the bigger roller coasters.

The Pennsylvania Capitol

The last weekend in June we went to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania (home of the chocolate factory, and the amusement park). Sort of by accident we visited Harrisburg, which is the capital of Pennsylvania, and even by more of an accident, we ended up at the  Capitol building, which is the seat of the PA state government. The building is a national historic landmark, and a real treasure. It was amazing to see something like that completely unexpected. Even the kids were a bit in awe of the building and all the architectural and artistic detail. We got lucky to get there when a tour of the building was just starting, so we got a great look of this exquisite building, and a lesson in its art and history. 

If you're interested in learning about the building, this site has lots of information and more pictures: 

http://www.pacapitol.com

Happy Hula Holiday

Ha! I noticed that I'm only posting one Holiday post after another. It's been so busy that I haven't had time to blog much...been busy at work, and just lots of stuff going on generally. I'm still Ebay'ing and it's actually going ok (I've been able to sell several things), but the app is a little whacky, posting my listings on the blog randomly at odd times.

Anyway, here are some pics from our Fourth of July party. It was a very active one... with lots of hula hooping and badminton, playing "Capture the Flag" with kids against adults (it didn't end well), and the usual trampoline jumping and general running around. We have a great view from our yard to the fireworks which just seems to get better year after year.