I love NY plus a golden birthday!
Then we left Thursday morning and headed to Harmony, PA. I have been wanting to take my kids to the Priesthood Restoration site but it is not really on the way to Rochester. When my parents mentioned wanting to go too I decided to make it happen this trip so we got there about 3pm and spent about three hours and it was lovely. My parents have a good friend from the temple that lives near there and was a big part of the development of the area so he came on our tour and told us some pretty special stories. I love hearing about miracles happening as the work of the Lord moves forward. The tour was nice (although I would have appreciated a little more interaction and less repetition from the movie we started off watching) but it was neat to be there and walking around I just felt the truthfulness of it all. I'm so grateful for the priesthood power and authority in my life; being able to make covenants and be a part of an organized church and to receive blessings and power is so important to me and the joy I feel in life. So we walked around the houses, the sugar bush and then went down to the river where the baptisms happened and it was all quiet and peaceful and lovely.
After a bit of miscommunication from my dear daughter, we ended up at a Subway somewhat nearby and had dinner then drove the last three hours to my parents house. Google maps took us the back roads way and my parents were so confused why I was following it and not just staying on the highway but we had no traffic and besides a few stop signs, we made great time and had a much more beautiful drive of rural upstate New York.
Friday the kids and I spent all afternoon at the mall doing school shopping. My niece came with us and my mom showed up for a bit but we got all the sneakers and back packs and school supplies and some clothes and it was fun but exhausting so we got some Abbotts custard to perk us back up. Saturday was super fun; we went to Ithaca with my sister, nephew and brother-in-law. Carter just got home from his mission so I basically asked him questions the whole drive there so that he could tell me stories. It was a beautiful drive along Cayuga lake and then we went to a state park, walked up to a waterfall, ate lunch by the lake and tried it out a bit (so cold!) then we went to another state park and found more beautiful waterfalls. It was lovely and fun to be with my sister and it was a beautiful day. We went into Ithaca to go to a cute little bakery where we each picked out a pastry and that was delicious and fun. KayLee drove us home and when we got back Mom had made my birthday dinner--roast beef with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and fruit salad. It was so delicious and my mom is a great cook and it was wonderful to get home after a busy day to such great food.
Sunday we went to church and then spent the afternoon at KayLee's house. We played Rail Baron (she won) and had dinner and she and I played piano duets and we watched Parent Trap and talked and it was fun. My kids were so happy to have some cousin time and Kara and Carter are some pretty fun cousins to hang out with. Kara has really gotten into nails lately and she did both Lily's and Emma's but it took forever.
Monday was pretty chill. I went to Wegmans with mom and Lily and we finished this puzzle that I had given my dad for Father's day. There were about 70 pieces left that all pretty much looked the same so it took some diligence and patience but Lily and I kept each other going and finished! We had dinner and then went down to Charlotte Beach and got Abbott's and played in the lake for a few minutes.
Tuesday morning I took the kids to the temple. Mom came and hung out with Brandon in the waiting room, Dad helped out with confirmations and Karl-Erik and Carter did the baptizing. It went pretty quickly since it was just my three and Kara but it was incredibly special to me to be there with three of my kids just down the hall from where Josh and I were endowed and later sealed. It is my favorite temple to be in and I love it so much. Funny story, I had a huge crush on this kid in our stake named Nathan when I was 15 but then he started dating my friend (total bummer) but we stayed friends. His dad is now the temple president so he came in and welcomed us all and he doesn't really know me but all I could think about was my crush on Nathan.
Anyway, so super special time at the temple then we walked around the Sacred Grove and then drove by the Hill Cumorah (which they have completely ruined--I can't even talk about it it makes me so sad) and on the way home I decided it would be fun to go to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We got a few appetizers and some cheesecake to go then went home. Josh drove up that night but didn't get in until 10:30 PM. It was still great to see him and have him join the party.
Wednesday was my 45th birthday. I have decided to just take charge of my birthdays and I like doing fun things with my family so we went to Niagara Falls for the day and it was super fun. Although first Josh went out and got my favorite bagels and brought them home for breakfast. So delicious. My parents came with us and that slowed us down just a touch but I was happy to spend time with them. Honestly that was the best part of my birthday; being with the seven people who love me most. We went into Canada and the kids were so excited to be in a new country and we rode Niagara City Cruises into the falls. It was so wet and crazy but fun and beautiful and will be a memorable experience.
Josh and the kids walked around a bit afterwards while I sat with my parents then we went to Niagara on the Lake, which is way cuter than Niagara Falls. It is a quaint little town on Lake Ontario with shops and restaurants and charm. Mom and Dad sat on a bench while we walked up and down the street looking at all of the cute little shops. We got pastries and had fun trying on hats and we also got a chimney cake which was pretty good.
Then we went to dinner at an Irish pub and everyone said what they love about me while we waited for our food. My kids said my hugs and that I'm funny but my mom said how I have always been kind to my parents and I thought that was so sweet of her to say. I have always had a good relationship with my parents; we spent many years just the three of us with my sisters coming and going and we are a good trio. They have always been so good to me and I really appreciate them. My dad is the sweetest and says the nicest things about me. They build me up in a special way and make me feel so good about who I am and I am so grateful for it. It is good to be reminded because even this morning I felt like such an idiot and it is so easy to quickly get down on myself. Anyway, it was a delicious dinner and sweet and fun and then we had a lovely drive home all along the lake. When we got back KayLee came over and I opened my presents and we had an Abbott's custard cake--YUM! It was a great day and I feel good about being 45. I really have such a beautiful and blessed life and I am so grateful.
Thursday morning Carter and K-E came over for breakfast to see Josh then the boys left to go to the Little League World Series. The girls and I watched a movie then I went and had lunch with my best friend from growing up and it was so fun to catch up with her. She has four kids and is fostering three more and is the seminary teacher in her ward so we never really get to talk. Then we played some games and had dinner and went to KayLee's to say goodbye and then back to get packed up. The girls and I left Friday morning and had an okay drive. Lily drove the first 1.5 hours to get some highway experience and then I drove the rest of the way. I had thought we might stop at Hershey or the mall or someplace fun but turns out we were all tired and just wanted to get home. There was a lot of construction around Baltimore so we didn't make it home until 6pm then we decided to go get dinner and go see Freakier Friday, which was totally cute. Josh and the boys got home after midnight so we all slept in Saturday morning.
Then it was go go go. I had to make a grocery list and grocery shop and start some laundry and Josh cut the grass and the kids unpacked and I did some ironing for Sunday and went to Hobby Lobby and then up to Jen Tripp's surprise birthday party. It was an awkward time and I tried to be sociable but it didn't work out so well but when it was done the Wolferz were kind enough to take Emma home and the boys and I went to the Blue Crabs game. We got some sandwiches from WaWa and made it to the game at the top of the 5th inning (we had free tickets from the library) and sat right behind home plate. It was a pretty good game and we had fun and then the fireworks were great; I love fireworks!
Sunday I played the organ during sacrament meeting, the piano during primary singing time and then I taught during our class time. It was busy but I love my class and our lesson was fun. Then it was home to celebrate our 17-year-old! Since it was Lily's golden birthday I decorated with golden balloons and streamers and a door thing and I got golden wrapping paper. We came home from church and I made her crepes for brunch and then a peanut butter cheesecake for dessert and we played Skip-Bo and watched home videos of her. Then she went to a stake youth lead committee meeting from 3-6:30 and we wrapped her presents while she was gone. As soon as she got home we had dinner (Josh made burgers) and opened presents and had her cheesecake while watching more home videos. She had gone out to dinner with her dance friends Saturday night in Solomons and then they got crumble cookies and came here to play games; she had a great time and we're so grateful she has such nice friends.
It is easy to celebrate Lily; she is a wonderful girl and so easy to love. She is extremely responsible, does well in school, loves baking and dancing and she has started to enjoy playing the piano too. She is helpful and thoughtful and very considerate of others. She talked for four hours the other day to an elderly lady in our ward who is home bound and lonely; she has such a caring heart and I love that about her. We got her some shoes and a luggage set since this girl is going places! She has already started her BYU application and can't wait to become a dance teacher. She brings a wonderful and positive influence into our home and I can't even think about her not being here without getting sad. I'm so proud of her and we had a nice day celebrating our golden girl.
Happy Birthday to you and Lily!!
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