MY TRIP

I will get into more detail later. I will share pictures then, too. I just wanted to say, first of all, that we are back.

Secondly, I wanted to share a huge highlight!

We went to the Old Manse in Concord Massachusetts. It was owned by the Emersons....as in Ralph Waldo.

Nathaniel Hawthorne rented it and wrote some of his works.

Henry David Thoreau planted a garden there.

Cool as all that is, there is a beautiful, 1864 Steinway. It is a square grand (much like this picture). Oh my....my heart jumped when I saw it. I got to play a chord on it.

NO, I didn't have to sneak in to touch it. It is, in fact, one of the only items you may touch. Pianos need to be played to keep it in good condition.

The lady giving us the tour asked if anyone played. Well, I do....I have played for over 30 years. However, I get a little freaked when I know someone will be listening. (I never had that trouble when I was a teenager, but I was a lot better then.)

Needless to say, I couldn't just leave and admit that I didn't even touch the great instrument.

We have decided to go back in a few years. I have told my hubby that before we go, I'm going to continue practicing a few bars of Moonlight Sonata. (I have it memorized, but still don't like to play in public.) And, when they ask, I will be ready.

PS....obviously, I haven't yet figured out how to post a picture on my new computer. It's an Apple MacBook Pro. SO...I'm calling on my friend Catey. Girl! I need some dummy directions, please!

OUR TRIP

OK...first off, there are a LOT of pictures. But, it doesn't take a long time to actually look at pictures.

Secondly, these are in reverse order. Why? Well, when you download on blogger, you can only do 5. Those 5 are posted in the reverse of what you selected. Then, every subsequent download is over the others. I didn't think of that until I was on photo number 10. It doesn't matter the order, though ;)

This is our trip to Austin. The MAIN reason we went is to go visit these people right here. If you go to Mommy Spice on my sidebar, you can read her blog. This couple has meant so much to us over the past several years....we love them dearly. You can see Spicy Girl in the pink. (You WOULD have been able to see a picture of me and all the goodies, along with my other 2 kids, but I look pregnant. I refuse to LOOK preggers if I ain't actually preggers. It was NOT a pretty picture....all hangin' out and crap like that....but I digress.)

Anyway, this couple has an Auntie Anne's Pretzel Shop in the Austin area. We went to see them, their store and, of course, to sample. As I had never had an Auntie Anne's pretzel product, I was lucky to taste some of EVERYTHING! YUM!!! The cinnamon sugar with light cream cheese is YUMMY!


Checking out of our hotel. This is one of the few places that trusts their guest to NOT jump out of the window...they still opened. We took full-advantage and let the kids throw all of the soft stuff down to DH and the FTU. TOO FUN!


After some Amy's ice cream.

DH and DS #4

Brothers: #2 and #1

DS #3

DH and DS #1

The food court area, where Amy's was, had a lot of cow statues....the kids were all over them. Here is #3 and #4.

#1 and #2

His ice cream was obviously quite yummy!

All 4 outside the Oasis restaurant in Austin.

OK...there is a story with this. This picture is taken at the Oasis over Lake Travis. It is gorgeous...a lot of fun. Well, the kids kept walking to the glass looking over onto the lower decks and down to the water. We look up and notice one of the boys "caressing" a certain part of the sculpture. I'll leave it to your imagination, but the thing I think of is Ralphie and the leg lamp.....watch the following clip to about 1:45....THAT is how it was with this sculpture.

On the train, waiting to circle the park.

#3 and #4 on the swings

#4 holding onto the bar.....INTENSE!

#3 on the sliding bar

OK...thanks for visiting. I'll be putting up zoo pictures later. Tomorrow, I will be taking the boys to the zoo....just hope nobody approaches me. They might think I'm trying to break the monkeys out of the their cage. :)

PREPARATION

The next several days will be busy with preparations for our vacation. Our last family vacation was in June of 2004. We went to Destin, FL for 8 LONG days. It would have been nice, except we left our baby. We thought the trip would be too hard on him. Ends up it was a LOT harder on me and I vowed to never just leave my kids behind.

That being said, in the middle of the vacation guess what I'm doing? I'm flying clear across the country sans kids. The thing I swore I would never do, I'm doing for FOUR WHOLE DAYS! I feel better about it, though. Daddy will be staying with them AND he will have help from the boys' grandparents. Otherwise, NO WAY!

Yes, on Friday we are leaving for the LOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGG drive from north Texas to California. There will be a few "sanity" stops between. We'll actually take until Tuesday to get there. We're just going to mosey across the country. It'll be fun, but I suspect after being gone for 18 days that we'll need a vacation!

Preparations are slow going.....due to me and my lack of interest. Oh I definitely want to BE on vacation, I just don't want to GO on vacation. I don't want to pack, clean, predict the meds needed, predict the toys and books wanted, predict the accidents that call for more wipies, bandages or an extra pair of clothes.

My hubby, the pilot, has no problem packing. In fact, he's already done his. He left his able bodied side-kick.....me.....to do everything else. Notice I said able BODIED, not minded. LOL! I only hope he lands LATE on Friday...that will give me time to put everything off until Thursday night and get it all done.

Seeing as how I have SO much to do for our trip, I'd better go. I have a library book to finish!