Hershey...PA Trip Part Two

Each year when we visit PA we go to either Knoebels Amusement Park or Hershey Park. This year, much to Jacob's dismay, it was Hershey Park! Jim was very excited, since it's his favorite amusement park, but Jacob was leery. Two years ago when we were there, Jacob had some not so great experiences on his first roller coasters. This time around we told him he didn't HAVE to go on anything if he really didn't want to (yeah, right.)

We are very fortunate that our niece Stacey works for Milton Hershey Schools and has access to free passes. These passes include parking, admission and discounts on food while in the park!!! The amount of money saved is unbelievable. Normally, we stay with Stacey, Tim and Sydney when we are there, since they only live about 2 miles from the park and they are great hosts. However, this year Sydney came home with a fever the day we arrived and Tim wasn't feeling well either. We decided rather than risk the flu, it would be prudent to stay in a hotel that was a short mile from the park. We were all bummed about Sydney being sick which, by the way, we blame on her Grandfather, my brother Pat.

When you first enter the park, you measure yourself to see what rides you are tall enough to ride. This year, Jacob was a Twizzlers!!...just like his vertically challenged cousin, Stacey.
We don't have very many pictures of the rest of our day...we were busy having fun!!! Our nephew Adam joined us and Jim had a great time riding the bigger/scarier roller coasters with him (Fahrenheit and Storm Runner), while Jacob and I did ones more his speed. Even though the weather was great, there wasn't a crowd (my guess is because of the economy and the high cost of admission.) However, it made the day all the more fun because the lines were short! Jacob easily rode the Trailer Blazer a dozen times and sometimes didn't have to leave his seat in between. I did get to ride on the Great Bear with Adam and Jim, while Jacob patiently waited. It was awesome! We also managed to coax Jacob into riding the Coal Cracker. He was so nervous, but also so funny. He started yelling even before we went down the drop and the three of us laughed so hard! When we stopped to see the picture, he wasn't even visible since he ducked down behind me. Of course, we then told him we had to ride one more time to get a good picture. He didn't want to, but we all got back in line and we got a good pic.The three of us are yelling for fun...Jacob's yelling out of terror!! In the end, he was fine and said it wasn't that bad.

Now, the thing about riding the Coal Cracker is that you can see the Sooper Dooper Looper. You see, Jacob loves roller coasters...that is in theory. He plays Roller Coaster Tycoon and loves looking up different coasters online to study how they were made and how fast they go. Jacob's fear of coasters is that first drop and the drop-in-the-stomach feeling...he doesn't like it (yet.) So, we had him compare the slope of one drop to the other and the Sooper Dooper Looper wasn't as steep (even though it goes right into a loop.) Yep, we headed that way next. Jacob had talked about going on it in the month leading up to our trip, but when we got to the park he sang a different tune. At first, Jim and Adam went on while Jacob and I watched. Then Adam and I went. When we got off the ride I told him how fun it was and told him he would like it. He still said no...that is until I bribed him. Yes, I offered him not only $5, but also a Sooper Dooper Looper T-shirt!! He agreed. Thankfully, the queue line was empty and we were able to proceed directly to the boarding platform and a train was ready for us. He did resist a little and he chose to sit next to Mom (Jim and Adam sat right in front of us.) As the tears rolled out from behind his sunglasses, I gave him words of encouragement and told him to yell all he wanted. He did! He also closed his eyes. After going through the loop and out the other side he said "Is it over?" I said yes and he turned his tear streaked little face to me and said with shock "That was it?!?" We just laughed!! As soon as we got off the ride, I paid my debt. He got an "I survived the Sooper Dooper Looper" t-shirt and his money. As Jim and Adam made their way to ride the Comet (there was no way we'd talk Jacob into that one this year.), I did manage to talk him into riding the "loop" again. He was scared, but he kept his eyes open and yelled more with excitement! I was so proud of him.

After a couple more rides and the cousins decided to try out the Boardwalk. It's Hershey's water park section. The water was a little chilly for Jim and I, so we sat out, took some pictures and rode a roller coaster while the "kids" splashed. They both had a blast!!

After the Boardwalk section closed for the night, we headed back to the roller coasters. A few turns on Trail Blazer and then guess who wanted to try out the Sooper Dooper Looper at night?! Again, he was nervous for that first ride, but afterwards he ran out the exit and right back in line...thankfully Adam ran after him! He rode six more times before we had to leave the park!! It was a great day!

Don't blink...Jacob and I are the third ones back.

Pilgrimage to PA Highlights

We recently returned from our yearly trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania... a.k.a. the land of hoagies, Middlesworth BBQ chips and Eder's Teaberry ice cream. Our trip started off in Lancaster at lunch with our nephew Adam and his future wife Deanna during a downpour that we haven't seen the likes of in a very long time. I don't have pictures, because the camera was in the car and getting it was not an option, the rain was coming down by the bucket fulls. After finishing lunch, the skies cleared and Adam joined us in Lititz to tour the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery.
Jacob got a lesson in how to twist pretzels. Unfortunately, the bakery is no longer allowed to bake the pretzels for consumption like they had in the past (big government stepped in and put a stop to a long standing tradition.)However, he still earned his Official Pretzel Twister certificate! When we left Texas, the weather was unseasonably hot with temperatures over 100 degrees for a couple of weeks; however, in Pennsylvania it was unseasonably chilly and rainy with temperatures in the low 70's. A bit of a climate change! Not to be deterred, on our second day Jacob was in the pool first thing. The water was way too cold for normal people, so Uncle Danny joined him.

Day three started off with a bang! Uncle Danny and Jacob went to the cabin to shoot the .22 rifle. I'm not sure why, but this is something Jacob wanted to do when we got to PA and he wanted to see the Crooked Shot (family hunting cabin.)

Uncle Danny soon found out that Jacob was quite a shot.
Later that afternoon, we visited with Nana, Jacob's 91 year young great-grandmother. Jacob adores Nana! Jacob spent that night with Gram and got spoiled, while Jim and I went out for wings with Danny, Shelly, our niece Danielle and her friends Kevin, Megan and Wendy. We were also joined by Jim's brother Eric and our niece Caitlyn. It was our 15th PA wedding anniversary and what started out as a night of chowing on 9 dozen wings and having a few beers, turned into a night of laughter and way too much drinking in downtown Williamsport. Thankfully Eric is not a drinker and he volunteered to be our DD. I'm not sure who had more fun, the drinkers or the driver. We were all laughing so much that Shelly and I both had sore faces!

The morning of day four was a little slow for all of us. As for Jim, well, let's just say he didn't bounce back quite as quickly as the rest of us. By the time I went to get Jacob at Gram's, we were all back to normal and thought a dip in the pool was in order. The weather had other plans for us; however, Jacob didn't let the cloudy skies get in the way of his having fun in the pool. Yes, the rain was pouring down, but as Jacob said, he was already wet!
Once again the skies cleared and several family members gathered at Harold and Angie's river lot. It had been years since we'd been there and a good time was had. The kids especially loved the sparklers and ground fireworks. Unfortunately, in PA we couldn't get the cool fireworks like we had in South Carolina (no mortars, bottle rockets etc.)

Day five we had a 4th of July cookout with Danny and Shelly. We all got way too much sun, but we had a great time! Our nephew DJ and his family stopped by and the boys had a blast in the pool!

After a full day in the sun and water, we had one tired boy...After we all took naps, we ventured to downtown Williamsport to watch the fireworks. What an interesting crowd of people we came across. We ran into DJ and his family and Jacob loved being with his cousins Maddox and Jaxon.

On Sunday, Jacob went with Gram and Pappy Max to the Country Club for a birthday party for even more cousins. Once again he was swimming...I don't know where he got the energy! Later that afternoon we got together at Christopher's (Jim's youngest brother) for a cookout. Our niece Gianna seemed to be quite taken with Jacob. She is so adorable!!

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Last but not least, it was time to leave Williamsport, but not before stopping for the best ice cream in town...
Jim and I both had the Teaberry and Jacob got Peanut Butter...yummy! Those are "baby" cones!!

It was a good trip, even if the weather wasn't always on our side. Jacob loved spending extra time with his Uncle Danny. Jim and I have come to the realization that it's hard to fit everything and everyone in when both sides of the family live in the same town. Ah, but we did our best! Now off to Hershey...

Updates on Life

I realize it's been awhile since I've written anything and I hope I haven't lost my core audience. It's just that sometimes my blogging brain isn't in sync with when I have the desire to actually sit and type it all up. So, here is a quick update on life.


Starting with Jacob...he has been out of school less than a month and yet his social calendar has been busy. He's been to four, yes four, birthday parties in three weeks. Two were sleepovers, one was a full day spent playing at the Lost Lagoon water park at Sea World and another was a day boating and tubing on Canyon Lake! Jim and I have enjoyed the "date night" time all these parties have provided, but have realized it is all getting expensive! Not only are we buying gifts, but when he's gone we go out to eat or do some shopping for the house (I'll get to that later.) Jacob also had a sleepover here last weekend and several days when friends have shown up just after lunch and haven't left until 6 or 7 pm! It's okay though, because he does the same thing when he goes to play at their houses. The walkie-talkies he got for Christmas have been wonderful for keeping track of him and he's really good about keeping us updated on his adventures! Tuesday nights are scout night and since the troop is in summer mode, they are cooling off with a swim in the Comal River each week. The "scout hut" is located right on the river and it's just across from part of Schlitterbaun property and just down stream from the "toob chute", so they are swimming in a prime location. This week he is away at Boy Scout camp. Don't think though that it's been all fun and games, he's still mowing the lawn each week and doing a pretty good job of keeping up with his chores and the academics I toss his way.


As for Jim...he's a busy man. Unfortunately, there are many nights we don't see him until 7:00 or later. He is now more comfortable with his job and has made great strides in improving the relationship between his customer (Rio Nogales Power Plant) and G.E. He's also getting caught up on the paperwork, reports etc., that come with taking over a position that hasn't had a full-time CPM for 18 months! Not to mention, all the changes the economy has brought to G.E. and how they are now doing business. Seems like it's all work and no play for Jim, but we do get to have fun family time on the weekends and he's always looking for a project to do around here. Currently that project is making overhead storage space in the garage and getting the new door opener installed.


I'm keeping busy just keeping up with the house and the two of them. The house is an ongoing project and no, the rooms are not all filled yet. This decorating thing is a process and one that I'm taking my time with. I've never been one to spend money without carefully thinking about things and the fact that I'm not always confident in my design decisions makes things take that much longer. This is why Sue's visits are always so helpful...she is my decorating sounding board! On the other hand, let's just say Jim likes to make the purchases first and then has me try to figure out how to make things work together. Our most recent big ticket purchase was a new leather sofa, chair and ottoman. We got a great deal on it, but what as originally a shopping trip to find one sofa for the living room turned into these three leather pieces for the the family room. So the sofa search continues, but in the meantime I'm using the old one. Also, while Jacob's been away, we've painted his room and purchased him a new mattress set and bedding. I don't think his room will all be decorated when he returns this Saturday, but the foundation will be laid. Tomorrow we both are heading to Houston for three days. Jim has to be there for work and he wanted me to tag along. It will be good to get away!

Rock Hound

Jacob, like most boys, has taken an interest in rocks. Over the years, he has come home from walks with a few in his pocket. Usually I only know about this because I find them in the washer or dryer. Since moving here, he loves bringing larger samples home and we have a few piles outside of various "crystals". Recently on our trip to Fredericksburg, there was a rock and gem shop close to our hotel. Jacob had $8.00 of his own money burning a hole in his pocket and he really wanted to go shopping. He could have spent hours in that little shop asking questions about his interesting finds, but we had a museum to get to. After about 30 min., he chose a few "cool" rocks and minerals that he liked and could afford. He also found a bag of unopened geodes, that he couldn't afford and asked us if we would purchase them. We agreed and even got him a rock and minerals book to go with it.

Today, we "opened" the geodes. It took a little patience and some work, but he loved the treasures he found inside.

He finally had to place this one on the patio to get it to crack.

So as not to waste this educational experience, I had him do some research and he is writing me a report about geodes. I'm not a mean Mom, he actually had fun reading about them and is excited to finish his paper and share his new found knowledge! Gotta keep those synapses firing!

Who can resist...

...a giant custard cone???

We can't! Jacob and I were out and about at lunch time yesterday and decided to give into temptation and stop at Freddy's when we saw their cone. Freddy's is a burger and custard stand found here in Texas and up through Kansas (its origin.) They have yummy thin "steak burgers" and frozen custard (not ice cream, but custard.) It was such a beautiful day we decided to eat alfresco. Jacob's favorite is the #6 w/no onions, California burger with fries.

yummy
After eating the lunch portion, we enjoyed a mini-concrete. This is what they call their custard with mix-ins. Jacob had a mint Oreo concrete and I had a chocolate peanut butter cup concrete.

What more could you want on a hot day?