Our Vacation Part 1

Our family chose to head east this year for our family vacation.  We spent 2 weeks away from home, which was the longest we have ever spent away.  It was a wonderful time and made many memories.

Our first night was in Canton, OH, staying at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.  It was clean and they served a good (free) breakfast to start our day.  We spent the next morning at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  If you are even minor football fans I highly recommend this tour.  You are able to take a self-guided tour and spend as much time in any area you would like.  We were fascinated by the early football uniforms (see photo) and all the records that have been made over the years.  At the end, there is a game room of sorts where you can practice throwing the football, play any number of football related games, trivia games, referee type games, etc.  Plus you can eat "game day food" in their cafeteria.  We could have spent all day here, but instead spent about 4 hours which I would think would be a minimum.  Of course there is a gift shop as well, with all kinds of NFL related items for young and old.

We then headed to Punxsutawney, PA to meet Phil.  We are fans of the movie "Groundhog Day" and thought it woud be fun to stop there.  We ate at Lily's Cafe, which was a quaint down-home restaurant with a bakery next door.  We visited "Phil" at the town library, which is where he lives.  There are several Phil statues throughout town in various costumes.  We then stopped at Gobbler's Knob where the February 2nd ceremony is held each year.  The kids enjoyed reenacting the ceremony and announcing whether Phil saw his shadow or not.

We then stopped by my Uncle Dewey's and Aunt Win's home which was just south of Punxsutawney.  It has been at least 12 years since I have seen him and he has never met my husband or children.  We enjoyed catching up and sharing stories.  We then headed to Bedford, PA to stay the night.  We stayed in the Best Western Bedford Inn and it was more like a "motel" with outside entrances to each room.  I was nervous that the rooms wouldn't be clean, but was pleasantly surprised.  The rooms were very clean even though it looked a little old on the outside.  There was also a breakfast buffet that was free and another good start for our morning.  At $82, this was our cheapest night stay and well worth it.

Day three we realized how much we dislike paying tolls.  There are no toll roads in Iowa and aren't used to these.  We were quite suprised how much money we were handing over as well headed across the country.

We opted to stay in a suburb of Philadelphia called Warminster.  It was farther away from downtown, but offered much cheaper hotels.  We chose the Holiday Inn Express.  It is only about 1 1/2 years old and we were very pleased with it.  The staff were helpful and pleasant.  We stayed here 5 nights and were well taken care of.  Since we were so far from downtown, we took the train downtown and the train station in Warminster was just minutes from the hotel.  It cost our family of five, $28 to to take the train round trip and about 45 minutes.  It was much easier than driving and trying to find parking and paying for parking.  Plus the kids got to experience a big city train.  Unfortunately it was quite busy on the ride back home and we had to stand for a good share of the trip.

In downtown Philadelphia we toured the US Mint.  No cameras or video cameras are allowed inside.  We enjoyed the mint tour and found out my dad could be called a numismatist or a coin collector.  We purchased a set of 2010 coins for him for his birthday from the gift shop.

Right next door to the mint is the Christ Church Burial Ground where you can see the graves of many early heroes including signers of the Declaration of Independence and Benjamin Franklin and his family.

We then spent the rest of our time inside the Independence visitor center.  I recommend getting tickets ahead of time online for your tour of Independence Hall as the tours fill up quickly and are often sold out.  We toured Independence Hall and saw where the Declaration of Indepence and constituion were signed.  We also saw the Liberty Bell.  You could easily spend an entire day here and maybe multiple days depending on your interest in history.  Be prepared for expensive food.  Our lunch in downtown Philadelphia was $45 at a deli!  YIKES!

The next we crossed the Deleware River and headed into New Jersey to visit the USS New Jersey in Canton.  We arrived in the afternoon and it wasn't too busy, but there were no tour guides available as they only work in the mornings.  We took a self-guided audio tour which was just fine.  The kids and I listened to the kids' version and my husband listened to the adult version.  Each area was numbered and as you got to that area you punched in the number to hear the information.  The kids really enjoyed the tour.  Thankfully the ship was air conditioned as it was quite hot outside.

Enjoy the photos:

Vacation Part 1 on PhotoPeach

Thought for the Day

Sometimes, having a good day can be as easy as choosing to have one!

Fun Fact For Ya!

Did you know...............

A female kangaroo that has recently become a mother holds a reserve embryo inside of her after her first baby has crawled into her pouch.  This embryo is an "emergency backup" baby, that will develop should the first one die prematurely.

Isn't that fascinating?  All of God's creatures have such amazing attributes, abilities, features, and skills.  I am always in awe of how He created each one of us and all the amazing animals in our world.  Who knows why He gave that special ability to kangaroos, but He obviously knew what He was doing.

As a parent, would you want this ability?  What happens if you don't need that embryo?  Wouldn't that be a huge right-to-life debate if we had that ability as humans?!?  God definately knew what he was doing there.  I don't think I would want an "emergency backup" plan.  I will just take the plan God has for me!

Thought for the Day

Every now and then, go away and have a little relaxation, for when you come back to work, your judgment will be surer.
Leonardo Da Vinci

We certainly did that!  Our family went away for two splendid weeks of fun and relaxation.  Even though I am now digging myself out of piles of mail, bills, laundry and all the "stuff" that needs to be put away, I am so glad, because I have refreshed my mind and body and ready to start the new week!

Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lawyer Atticus Finch defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic, Puliter Prize-winning novel, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the eyes of Atticus's children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unanswering honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.

Somehow I went through my high school and college years without ever reading this book. With the recent publicity about this book, I decided now was the time to read it. I packed it and took it along on our 2 week vacation and finished it the day we got home!


I'm not sure I would have appreciated it as much if I had read it sooner in life. As a parent, I saw myself looking at this book much differently than I would have as a student. I was moved by Atticus' parenting style and how he showed love to his children and his friends and his community. I loved Scout's innocence. She said the things that as adults we wish we could ask or say. Unfortunately, I don't think our country and the people in it have changed much with their prejudices. They may not be as blatant as they are in this story, but the same thoughts are still there. I am still amazed when I still hear the word "colored people" or when I was asked just a couple weeks ago, why do you want to go to Philadelphia, it's all black people down there?!?
This was a definately a book that makes you stop and think about your life and how you treat those around you. I am grateful I took the time to read this classic. I am anxious to see the movie version as well.

The Last Two Weeks

My family and I have been vacationing for the last two weeks.  We have been driving over 2 thousand miles and seen many sites and made many, many memories.  As I sit in our final hotel room, I am grateful for the chance to give our children these memories.  But, I am sooooo ready to be back in my own home and in my own bed.  I am tired of eating out, I am tired of using public restrooms, and I am tired of not having all my "stuff".  So, as we drive our last 5 hours tomorrow, I am going to go back through our memories and appreciate every moment, but be ever so grateful to also be back home!

Stay tuned for more trip details coming soon!

It's Monday

Wake up this morning and rejoice that you can make a fresh start to the day, to the week, and to the month.  It is the first Monday of August, a new week and nothing has happened yet to goof it up.  You have been given another chance.  Rejoice, put a smile on your face, and start your week off with a spring in your step!