Jiggity Jig

I'm Home again...yahoo. A month is a long time to be away from home. I have mixed feelings about coming home in that now the school machine starts cranking, so home is not as relaxing as one would like. But there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being away for so long....so that is where I'm off to right now, I may even try a swan dive. Good night (really good morning on all time zones I've been in today).

Gratitude and off the grid

This gratitude session is dedicated entirely to my husband. He turned 41 today.

1. He is a great husband
2. He is a great dad
3. He loves to cook (yeah me)
4. He is a great friend to me and everyone he meets
5. He is very smart (scary smart)
6. He tolerates my losing things (currently the battery to our camera)
7. He appreciates his family
8. He is very handsome
9. He likes a good challenge (he is looking for this year's big deal, last year he climbed Mt. Ranier)
10. I love my husband..thankyouverymuch.

As of tomorrow afternoon at 2pm I will likely be off line for a week (until Sunday evening). We will be honorary Yoopers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We will be spending a week with my husband's side of the family. It is an idyllic experience of lake fun, lounging, socializing, swimming, clowning around, campfires, sunsets, bonding, holding babies and so on. I am actually feeling homesick at the moment...a whole month away from home might be a bit too much even for this easy going, flexible girl....but one week more is tolerable. Anyhoo, off to the great outdoors for a week. As my 7th grade nun principle said to our class, "Silence reigned and they all got wet"...it took me a long time to get it, but now it has stuck! Peace out.

Grandma Pics

Every year I do a photo session of all of grandma's 'babies'. Every year, I've gotten less and less particular about the product (which the kids appreciate). Here is a fun one! Now onto our new adventure...celebrating my husband's birthday...party ON!

Break down

We are on our last day at the beach. One more pool run, one more visit to the beach. We've had a great visit and now we 'break down' our beach house cleaning, picking up, packing etc. This evening we'll make a last evening visit to the beach and then watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Our beachweek was a success...now to make plans for next summer. Tomorrow we all go in our separate directions to our own separate lives (well sort of). My husband and I are taking a side trip to Virginia for Saturday night to celebrate his 41st birthday with college friends. Thanks grandma and grandpa for babysitting! Also, thanks for sponsoring out beachweek house! Group hug.

One wish

My niece took an inventory of goals for our beachweek. Mine was specific...I want to see dolphins. As I was not successful at seeing whales in Oregon, I said I want to see REAL DOLPHINS not facsimiles of them. One morning, I set out with my dad on a mile walk to the beach to "see dolphins"...none. I was convinced that my mother (who also shared this goal) would see them on her one (or few) visits to the beach (because of her healing shoulder) and I would go on a daily basis and see none. I was wrong....I saw them!!!! I almost missed them but my whole family yelled for my attention across the beach (for all to hear) and then I saw and I jumped for joy just like a little kid! I'm sure some of the other beach goers thought that I was "special". I consider my beachweek a success (and I have 2 days to go!)

The Beach-Guest Blog

We (Chief's nieces Biz and Bunny) are now half way through our 11th beach week trip. Our whole family congregates to a beach, this year is our second at Bethany Beach in Delaware. Some of our activities have been...

-THE FOOD: A breakfast run to the Fractured Prune donut shop. It is a small shop that specializes in fun flavors such as creamsicle and peppermint patty.

- THE POOL: We have made one or two pool trips across the street, but it has been more popular with the younger crowd. Grandpa nicknamed them the synchronized belly flopping team in honor of their creative leaps (and in time for the Olympics).

-THE BEACH: We have experienced many waves so far in our lives, though this year's are not the biggest we have found many ways to entertain ourselves. J-man and Princess, two of the six cousins, enjoy standing or lying at the breaking point of the waves and allowing them to pummel them...always producing a few laughs and a lot of sand filled bathing suits. AJH and J-man, because of the chaffing, have created the penguin squad, named for their funny walk. Once we decided we were going to take on the task of creating our own sand city (AJH was the architect). It started as a wall and quickly grew to a mini-metropolis with a residential area, a business center, a town hall, and its own fall out-shelter/escape tunnel. At the end of the construction, we decided that our creation was not as pretty as the neighbor's, but it was both practical and authentic looking (theirs look 'store bought'). Monkey's favorite activity is to wait for the waves to come up and bury his feet. One time he waited so long (exhibiting his ginormous amount of patience), the sand covered his shins (he was hoping to get to his knees). This year he has become very brave about facing the waves. While out boogy boarding, he hung onto Bunny's back and rode a huge wave onto the shore. Once while waiting for the caravan to arrive, Uncle Sock arranged a touch football game, the big boys against the big girls. Though we are slightly biased, the girls played an excellent game and out maneuvered the boys for their 14-7 victory.

OBSERVATIONS:

One thing we have noticed about this beach week compared to beach week pasts is the pace at which the week is going. The little ones are much better at entertaining themselves which has led to more downtime, conversations, and family-wide card or other games.

Playing the card game Pit is a tradition going on since one of the early beach weeks. If you have never seen the game played, it involves yelling, pounding of the table, and the winner yelling PIT!!!!! It has become a right of passage for the older grandchildren (Biz, Bunny, AJH) to the play the game with the adults, we remember watching them play when we were little. The little ones (J-man, Princess, Monkey) were not overjoyed at having to watch from the sidelines, but we think they ended up enjoying the loud and chaotic experience in the end.

Now we are going to help finish preparing our Greek party. We have food, home-made tunics and an actual model of a temple.

Hope your summer is going well: Atlanta (Bunny) and Pandora (Biz)

Making memories

We've been trying to 'tap in' to the Internet via someone else's connectivity and have been 'shut out' for 2 days...so no blog. We've been cursing someone called 'Cronin' because he/she has a secure connection. Beachweek is ringing true to form just as all of our other 10 years have: sun, sand, pool, reading, napping, dancing, singing, playing games, eating too much and on and on. My extended family has a ball reconnecting, creating new memories, getting too much sun, tumbling in the surf, and hearing family stories (told by my dad). The one major element missing is my brother. He is surely missed...it just isn't the same without him. I must end this session now because its my turn for Charades..."first word, sounds like..."

No picture today...Internet won't let me (fists in the air cursing).