Headed Home

Well, it's official--my time in Oregon is coming to an end. It's 11:00 at night and tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane to return home. I'll be honest...my immediate reaction is excitement. I can't wait to be back in my own home, with my own bed, snuggled up with my own dog.

I will also miss my times here in Lake Oswego. I've made some great memories with the Vaiciulis clan that I hope we will all treasure for many long years.

The girls love stories so I am sure we will be able to talk about some from the summer. Like the boy who got kicked out of the swim park for swearing or how I got lost going berry picking. Hopefully they'll remember us swimming in the lake with our noodles and riding in the lazy river at Wilson Pool. The girls have gotten me caught up on the latest Disney shows which I will admit that I will have to watch when I get home. I'll have to check in on Hannah Montana and the Wizards of Waverly Place. I'll think of the girls every time I hear the Jonas Brothers as I hope they will think of me when they hear Mamma Mia. I'll hear Paige's voice in the word COUSIN and I'll see Gwynn when I pass Abercrombie.

Auntie Mar and I have the best looking toes in Lake O thanks to Suzanne and her girls at Elite Nails. I will miss my shopping buddy :). Uncle Mark and I have shared baseball scores and replays. It'll be fun to watch the Pats and Raiders this fall...there will be no tuck controversy.It's been a good five and a half weeks.

Gwynn and Paige, you are very special girls to me and I love you very much. I hope you know how much I care about you and how special these summer memories will be to me.

Final Activities

This week, we have been trying to cram in some last minute activities. Monday was spent at one of my favorite places this summer, the lake. The girls swam for a little while but they mostly enjoyed when I went in with them and threw them into the air. You should see how high Paige gets. The water seems to have gotten a little murkier so it's not as clear and refreshing as it was in the beginning of the summer.

Tuesday we headed to the Sherwood Ice Arena. It was supposed to rain most of the day so I tried to plan an activity that would get us out of the house for a little while. It was a good idea in thought but in actuality it was not as fun as I would have liked. It was cold, the skates didn't fit right, the girls had trouble...you know the rest. It just didn't work out. I did get some cute pictures though.

Wednesday afternoon was still a little cloudy so we decided to head to Southwest Community Center for their indoor pool. The girls and I love this pool. It has a long waterslide, a rope swing, and "a leisure pool with interactive play features" (that's a direct quote from the website since neither Auntie Mar nor I could accurately describe this pool). The girls especially like playing Aquamarine with me. It's based on the movie of the same name. We all pretend to be the characters from the movie, Gwynn is Aquamarine the Mermaid, Paige and I are the two human friends.

We ended the week with a playdate with Anna and Abby. After picking the girls up, we headed to Oaks Park. This is an amusement park but smaller than anything I can think of back home. This is no Six Flags or even Lake Compounce for that matter. It has maybe 20 rides but that might be pushing it. It seems that they cater to two different groups of people-young children (3-5 yrs. old) and those that want to spin til they puke. It was harder for Gwynn and Anna to find rides that they liked. They both enjoyed the miniature roller coaster while Paige and Abby liked the giant slide. We ended the afternoon with $1 souvenirs and ice cream cones. It was a nice way to end the summer. Stay turned for a slideshow of our Oaks Park Adventures.

where are 3-D glasses when you need them?!?!?

Saturday evening came and the girls soon realized that the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 3-D Concert was on TV. They had seen the original in the theatre but that show used the "Real D" glasses instead of the classic red and blue glasses. This causes a severe problem when homes across America, including Yorkshire Ct., head to their TVs on Saturday to realize that they have no glasses to watch this movie with. I had remembered hearing commercials about Wal-Mart giving away free glasses but that didn't do us any good since the show had already started and the nearest Wal-Mart was at least 30 minutes away.

The computer geek in me immediately went to Google to see if there was somewhere else closer that I could find these much needed 3-D glasses. One of the top results was a video on how to make these glasses from a piece of transparency, an old pair of sunglasses, and a red and blue Sharpie. While this was good to know for future reference, it did not help me in the here and now. I then found a Yahoo answer question that had been posted by someone an hour before. They were asking the same dreaded question I had, "Where can I buy 3-D glasses besides Wal-Mart?" Luckily there had been one simple answer, there was a free pair in the TV Guide for this week. YES!!! I told Auntie Mar that I would run to the store to get a couple things (for Strawberry Shortcake...your favorite Dad) and I would get the glasses.

This whole ordeal can be seen like a MasterCard commercial.

Finding out the concert on TV requires real 3-D glasses--10 minutes of tears

Looking up on Google where to find 3-D glasses--5 minutes of searching

Two TV Guides for the free 3-D glasses--$7.98

The look on the girls faces as they watch the screen pop--Priceless

blondes have more fun

Auntie Mar and I enjoyed some pampering on Friday when we got our hair highlighted by Lisa, a stylist for Judy, Auntie Mar's neighbor. My idea was to go blonder without looking like a skunk. I also wanted a haircut if there was time. I'm going for the Kate look from "Jon and Kate plus 8." I was first in the seat and Lisa started foiling my hair. Before long, I looked like I could receive signals from outer space.

Auntie Mar was next. I had convinced her earlier in the summer that she needed a little lightness for the summer. She had visited a different stylist who gave her a stripy look with stronger, thinker highlights. Lisa's job was to "fix" this by making it look more natural.

Listen to that...I can hear the radio!

Lisa offered to cut my hair but unfortunately wouldn't have time for Auntie Mar. When she washed me out, the look on my aunt's face said it all. SHOCK!!! I looked in the mirror and saw the blonde...everywhere. I secretly worried inside. Was this what I really wanted? Lisa started cutting away and while she checked on my aunt's color, I ran my fingers through my hair. It's summer so I suggested going even shorter. She continued with the scissors and by the end I was very pleased with the cut. After a quick blow dry, I checked myself in the mirror. I will admit, only to you, my readers, that I was regretting my decision. I was thinking, it's too blonde, there are too many highlights, it looks white. Of course I didn't mention any of this and put on my happy face.

Holy Blondeness!!!

More Natural

By this time Auntie Mar was getting shampooed and blow dried. Her highlights were much more subtle and natural. Her hair doesn't look "blonde blonde" but it looks lighter and more fresh. I loved her color.

Well, this morning, I woke up and got ready to go and get a pedicure with Auntie Mar (more pampering :) ). I took my shower and washed my hair a little extra thinking maybe this would make it look less drastic. I have to admit, as the day has gone on, I have grown more comfortable with my color. It's still blonde but I don't feel it's as wild as last night. I like it alot more today.

Here are the new blondes.

Berries anyone????

Tuesday morning, the forecast was overcast with a chance of sun in the afternoon. Auntie Mar had decided to go in to work with Uncle Mark so that meant that the girls and I would have a car to use. One of the activities that I had really enjoyed from last summer was berry picking and I knew that this would be something that I would want to do again this year and today seemed like a perfect chance. Unfortunately I couldn't remember the name of the farm we had visited. In the age of Google, all I had to do was put in what I wanted to do and I found my answer. I found this great website, meetup.com. You can find social groups in your area who are looking to do things together ranging from playdates to speed dating. I found a mom's group in Lake Oswego who had recently visited Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island (http://www.krugersfarmmarket.com/) and had mentioned how much they liked the farm. This seemed like a good choice.

We began our trip late morning, around 11:00. I knew we might run into some hunger issues but I didn't think that this should hold us back. I let each girl pick out a bag of animal crackers and I snuck a couple Special K bars in my purse just in case. I got directions from the Kruger website and it seemed easy enough.

Have I mentioned that I am known for getting lost? Well, yet again, we started on I-5 and followed my notes onto Rt. 30 (St. Helen's Road). The problem with the notes I had taken was that I did not include how long I was on roads for. It seemed like we were on 30 for-ev-er. I started to get worried. We were going through a very industrial area and I couldn't help but wonder where would a farm be around here. I continued to see signs for Mount St. Helens and just had a gut feeling that we were lost. I pulled off to the side of the road and called Auntie Mar to see if she could 1. figure out where we were, 2. see if we were on the right track, and 3. tell me if we were close. She was able to answer all my questions 1. we were in Litton, 2. we were going the right way, and 3. we had about 10 miles to go.

We arrived at the farm within 15 minutes and the girls were ready to pick berries. We found a small red wagon and got eight small baskets to fill. We knew that the farm was advertising that they had raspberries and blueberries but I had a feeling they might have a couple more types. My first complaint about this farm (and probably my only one) is that there are no signs directing us to the berries. I had to guess what kind of berries we were picking.

Our first stop was some kind of dark berry-either marionberry (my first gut thought), blackberry, or boysenberry. My mini taste testers assured me that they were delicious, whatever kind of berry they were. We filled two pints full of these juicy berries.

Next stop was the blueberry bushes. The girls were slightly distracted at this time since they had spotted the raspberries which are their favorite berry. Blueberries are also tough because it takes more work to fill a pint since they are smaller than the other types of berries. It's also hard when more end up in your mouth then in the bucket. The evidence could be seen on their lips and fingers.

Next on the trail were the most anticipated raspberries. The result left us disappointed. There weren't that many on the bushes and those that were there were kind of sour. We ended up with only one pint of berries from this section of the farm.

We found one more section to try out. Here we came across more "black berries." What type exactly, we don't know. We do know they tasted good so we got one more pint of berries to make an even six.

I think the girls had as much fun pulling the wagon as they did picking the berries. We went to the farm house to pay and some fresh cherries caught my eye. I put some of those in a bag and let the girls pick out two honey sticks each. Gwynn picked sour raspberry and cinnamon while Paige went with sour grape and mint. I also found some farm-made sweet walla walla onion salad dressing and some sweet pepper and apple relish that I thought I would try.

The fruit of our labor!

After our berry picking adventure we headed home. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about he drive home. I get a little confused by north and south, east and west, when I am in an unfamiliar area. Luckily all my guesses were corrected and we ended up back on I-5 headed home. We stopped for a quick bite at Quizno's and Coldstone for dessert (did you know they have a new flavor called Blueberry Muffin Batter...mmm).

Auntie Mar came home with news that she was going to go to a walk in clinic for a rash she had on her back. Uncle Mark had a baseball game. And I had plans with my boys, the Red Sox. The excitement of the night was that we learned that the rash on Auntie Mar's back wasn't really a rash but shingles. Crazy, right?!?!? The same virus that causes chickenpox gave Auntie Mar her headache on Saturday, her markings on her back and under her arm, and her swollen lymph nodes. Needless to say I think she'll be in some pain for a while (probably until we head back east next week) and she'll be tired. I hope she feels better soon. ;)

Random Videos

Now that I have figured out how to load videos onto the blog, I thought I would add a couple more. Here is one of Gwynn and one of Paige from outside near the pool. The last one is of Gwynn doing the Cupid Shuffle.

Enjoy.

Just the Girls

This past weekend, it was just me and the girls. Saturday morning, Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark got an early start as they headed to Seattle for a Mariner game and night away. The plan was pretty open for what we were going to do on Saturday. There was one thing for sure...a nice dinner. The girls and I had been talking about this dinner since I first came out. We went through all of our options. We thought about going back to the restaurant on the water (Newport Bay) which we had gone to the first summer. We also discussed going back to Cheesecake Factory which we dined at last summer. A new option included Red Robin (but Paige told me that it was not fancy enough). As we went through the day Saturday, we kept going through our choices.

During the day, we decided to try our hand at bowling. I looked online to see what bowling allies were nearby. Gwynn and Paige immediately wanted to go to Players but that place is like Chuck E. Cheese for adults. I wasn't keen on going there on a Saturday afternoon. I was thinking of something more like Holiday Bowl in Groton and I found Tigard Bowl. It was a simple place with a dozen lanes. Just right for an afternoon game or two. The girls and I got our shoes on and headed to our lane, complete with bumpers. The girls did well, with Paige even getting two spares which I have to say is impressive given her unique way of rolling the ball down the lane. I hadn't realized how slick the lanes are but we learned that when Paige's ball got stuck (due to lack of speed) and I asked Gwynn to go push it. She started walking down the lane but fell on her dupa. I think her ego was more bruised than her rear end. We all learned a lesson-don't walk down the lane at the bowling alley.

Gwynn's strategy of rolling the ball and turning away.

Paige works hard with that 6 lb. ball.

Paige poses for the camera...look at that back arch.

Gwynn looking deeply into the camera lens.

I think they liked the video games as much as bowling.

After bowling, we ran into Blockbuster to rent a couple movies for the night and then we headed home for a quick change into our "going out" clothes. We had finally decided on California Pizza Kitchen. Gwynn swore they have the best pasta. Me, I was thinking pizza. :) We went to Bridgeport Village and again fought traffic due to the movie releases this weekend. There was a little wait and while we hung around, Paige took over the camera and captured some pics of cars, flowers, and the sky. Here are some of my favorites.

Paige and Gwynn show me their silly side.

Gwynn and I smile for Paige behind the camera.

She at least got some of the logo in the picture.

Here's our silly picture...there are some bunny ears on me somewhere.

Look at the pretty flowers...all the pretty colors.

Not a bad pic of me-except for those lovely cold sores :(

Dinner was simple and delicious. I went for their famous BBQ Chicken pizza while the girls stuck with pasta. The best part, according to the girls, was the dessert. I went with a favorite of apple crisp while the girls enjoyed their piece of chocolate banana cake. We had fun playing a game to see if the girls were psychic. I would tell them about something behind them and give them two options to choose from. For example, "There is a painting on the wall of fruit, is it an apple or a pear?" The girls liked trying to guess the right answer.

When we got home from dinner, I had the girls shower up so that they could watch a movie and then head off to bed. We sat down with our bowl of popcorn to watch "Nancy Drew." It was ok but I have to admit that I think I saw some of it with my eyes closed. After the movie, the girls headed upstairs to brush teeth and head to bed. They had gotten permission to sleep in Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark's bed. That was ok for a little while but soon I gave them the "if you're not asleep by 11:00, you'll go to your own beds." I think about 10:45 they were asleep.

That was until 3:40 when I heard some talking going on upstairs. Then I heard them go to the bathroom. I headed up stairs and was ready to send them to their own rooms. I wasn't feeling good, my stomach hurt, and I had a headache. All I wanted was to be in my bed, asleep. I again told them there was to be no talking and if they weren't asleep in a half hour, it was back in their beds. I sat outside the door and at 4:15, I went downstairs.

Sunday morning, the girls woke early and were ready for their day to begin. They played together while I read my book. I finished the second book in the "Shopaholic" series. Mid-afternoon the girls asked if we could go to the Wilson Pool so we headed there for a couple hours. Both girls love jumping off the diving board. We came home and had grilled cheese and soup for dinner and then played outside. Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark got home around 7:30 and I was ready for bed soon after.

It was tough work this weekend. But the girls and I stayed busy and had fun. I've got to make a list of all the final things I want to do with the girls. The days are flying by and before long it will be time to fly home. Let's see what else we will do...

Songwriter and Singer-Gwynn Ann

Here is Gwynn singing an original song called "Keep Believe'n."

Time is flying by

It's hard to believe that there is a little less than two weeks left in this journey to the west coast. This week has gone by really fast. Wednesday we picked up our pottery and hung around the house for most of the day. Here is a picture of all our art work.

Wednesday afternoon, I recommend catching a movie since I wasn't feeling very well. At first Gwynn was all about Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D but I felt like something more kid friendly would be better. We all finally decided on Kit Kitteredge: An American Girl. Gwynn become very interested in seeing this film since she thinks she holds a resemblence to the main actress, Abigail Breslin. Each girl brought their favorite American Girl doll and we were set. I have to admit that I enjoyed the movie. I thought it told a great story and lesson. The girls also leanred about how tough the times were during the depression. They had questions afterwards but I think it was a bit of an eye-opener. I think the girls liked it too since they came home and dressed up like their American Girl dolls.

On Thursday, the girls and I tried out a new place called the Wilsonville Family Fun Center. There were arcade games, water bumper boats, a sling shot, go karts, two courses of miniature golf, and laser tag. Unfortunately the girls were not big enough to try the go karts and we ran out of time for laser tag. But they certainly enjoyed the bumper boats...over and over again. Miniature golf was interesting although I don't think there are any LPGA players among the three of us. We stayed for a lot longer than I had originally thought but it was well worth it. Here is a slideshow of our adventures.

Friday we started the morning with a fire. Yes...you heard that correctly...a fire. Auntie Mar took the day off and we had breakfast outside. After a slow start we made our way to the mall. It was time for one of my favorite times of the year...the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!!! I had my eyes on a pair of crochet looking Uggs. Auntie Mar called ahead and they put them aside for me to try on. Unfortunately they were not as cute in person as they were on the computer. I left Nordstrom empty handed...so sad.

Friday night, after dinner, I made my way to the movies to see Mamma Mia! It was hard enough finding parking since the entire area was jammin with people waiting to see The Dark Knight. Once I got to the theatre, I learned that the 7:20 show had already sold out. Luckily there was a showing at 7:50 so I waited around for that one. It was so worth it. I loved the movie so much. I couldn't help but sing along to Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia. I tapped along to Super Trouper and Honey Honey. I am wanting the soundtrack big time. I might have to run out to Target tonight.

So tonight I am sitting back and watching my Red Sox play the Mariners in Seattle. Trying to talk my Aunt and Uncle into letting me have Wednesday off so I can make the three hour ride up to Seattle for the day game. Hmmmm...not sure how far I'll get with that. :)


Watch for a post on our girls weekend where I took the pips (Gwynn and Paige) to bowling and dinner. Til then...night all...Go SOX!!!

More Catching Up

Here goes the rest of my recent happenings. On Sunday, I planned much of my day around the Red Sox baseball game. Baseball is one of the benefits of being on the West Coast-all the games are on and over 3 hours earlier. I get the pleasure of watching a normal Sunday afternoon game in the morning. After it's over, I still have the whole afternoon.

That afternoon, Auntie Mar and I headed out to run some errands before we were expected at Marna and Todd's for a birthday BBQ. We needed to hop over to the mall to return a couple items and over to Fred Meyers for some salad fixings. We also had to get our free cloth bag from CostPlus (to help keep GREEN). We were also on the hunt for some big water guns for the BBQ. If I were asked where we could find these, my immediate thought is Toys-R-Us. Nope...SOLD OUT!!! After getting home, I decided I would try back over at Freddies to see if they had a couple and I was successful.

While Uncle Mark caught the first few innings of the Mets game, the ladies headed down the road to the party. It was a nice evening in celebration of Todd's birthday. Marna and Todd have two little girls similar in age to Gwynn and Paige named Anna and Abby. Also at the party were Kelly and Laura with their little girl Kelsey and Shelly and Dave with their little girls Morgan and Taylor. Food, drink, conversation, and company made this a nice way to end the weekend.

Monday was going to be a Paige and Cousin Di day since Gwynn had been invited to join Kelsey and Anna at the zoo in celebration of Kelsey's "real" birthday. After Gwynn got picked up, Paige and I went out for a quick scooter ride that left me injured. Those Razor scooters are dangerous. I ended up falling off the thing when it hit a crack in the sidewalk. The scooter ended up twisting around and hitting me in the back of the leg. I even have a scrape and bruise from this little excursion. After, I tried to get find out how Paige wanted to spend the day. Her immediate answer was "ummm...let me think...the lake." I was willing to do anything but I really needed a break from the swim park. Auntie Mar reminded me of a pool in Portland called the Wilson Pool at Wilson High School. This is very similar to the Southwest Community Center Pool, only it's outside. It has a water slide and lazy river. I so wanted to go here. I found it on the Internet and showed Paige pictures. That got her more interested in the idea of going here rather than the lake.

When we arrived, Paige was so excited. She wanted to try out everything. We got right in and loved the temp of the water. It was warm enough to make Paige happy but cool enough to get relief from the sun. We swam around for a while but soon she was ready to try out the water slide. The pool does have a rule that all children under 48" must swim with an adult. I wasn't sure if this also applied to riding the slide. Our first trip down was together but our next try was with me going down first, followed by Paige. This allowed me to catch her. She LOVED it. I can't even tell you how many rides down we had. Each time, Paige reminded me (continually from the bottom to the top of the slide) to catch her.

In between trips down the slide, we enjoyed the lazy river, even though it was hard for Paige to trust that the current of the water would help move her. There was even a whirlpool that carried us around and around making it hard to escape from. While on the river, Paige recognized a friend from Touchstone Preschool. Her and Isabelle decided to swim together for a little while until Isabelle decided she wanted to try the diving board. I was sure that Paige would want to stay in the regular pool but she surprised me when she asked to go with Isabelle. I learned that Paige could jump of the diving board as long as I was there to catch her. To say that I was shocked when Paige actually jumped is an understatement. I was thrilled for her. She was so proud of herself. It was fabulous to see. She jumped one more time before the lifeguards came and told us that Paige could only go on the diving board if she was wearing a life vest. No big deal, we put one on and she continued to jump with Isabelle.

By 4:45, both Paige and I were ready to go home. We made it in time to join Auntie Mar on a walk down the road to Pizza Schmizza. We were going to meet Gwynn there with her friends from the zoo. On our way home, Gwynn asked all about the Wilson Pool showing her interest in us going on Tuesday. After dinner, I sat down to watch the home run derby but soon felt my eyes shutting and falling asleep on the couch. It had been a long day.

Today, one of the first things the girls asked for was to go to the Wilson Pool. Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark both went into the office today so we were without a car for the morning. The girls played Webkinz online in the morning, while waiting for Auntie Mar to get home. Once she did arrive, the girls were ready to go. We had some quick lunch and were in the car by 12:30. The excitement when we got to the Wilson Pool could be seen on both girls face. It could also be seen on my face when I learned that it was 2 for 1 Tuesday meaning I would only have to pay for one child. Yipee!!!

The girls waited patiently as I put sunblock on them but it wasn't soon enough cause they wanted to get in that water. Because swim lessons had just ended, the diving board was still closed. As soon as we saw the first child jump off, Gwynn and Paige were on their way to the board, Paige with her life vest on. Again, I couldn't believe it when I saw the girls jump off. Both girls got a couple jumps off when the lifeguard came to visit me again. This time to tell me that Paige could not wear a life jacket. I took this in and asked the life guard to clarify since I had two different rules being told to me. Either way, Paige would be allowed to jump in but I would still have to be there to catch her. No big deal, she still had fun.

We hung around for almost four hours, moving from the shallow pool to the water slide into the lazy river towards the diving board. The girls and I had a blast and I have a sunburn on my face to prove it. I'm sure this will be a spot we visit again in the coming weeks. It's hard to believe I have two and a half weeks left before we all fly home. This weekend should fly by since it will be just the girls and me. Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark will be going to Seattle Saturday morning and staying overnight. Stay tuned for details of the rest of the week.

Here's a slide show from our two days at Wilson Pool. See if you can find the sign from Nana.

Lots to Say...You've been warned...

Alright, I'm warning everyone now, this may be a long one. I have ALOT to catch everyone up on. There's hanging around on Friday, the coast and lake on Saturday, a picnic on Sunday, and the pool today. Let me begin.

Friday was a hang around the house kind of day. Auntie Mar worked at the office for a little while and Uncle Mark attended a meeting or two from the house. I hung around with the girls and off course Nibbles. I have to admit that although I was not keen on the idea of a hamster when I first arrived, I have grown to kind of like Nibbles. He's providing me with my furry friend fix since I miss my Annie terribly. I do get to talk to Annie every now and then when my Mom puts me on speaker phone. I would love an email with her picture...hint hint. Until I get back to CT, Nibbles will have to do. On Friday morning we checked on her and found she had stuffed her cheeks full. The sight was so funny I had to take a pic.

Outside the girls rode their bikes and scooters. Paige looks so grown up. I keep trying to perfect my "taking a picture of myself" type of photos. I haven't fully got it figured out yet. I'll keep trying. In the afternoon, Gwynn hung back with her mom while I took Paige to the mall and the bookstore. We had a nice time the two of us.

Friday night, the three adults enjoyed an evening on the patio. The highlight of the night was Auntie Mar and Uncle Mark's reminiscing about how they used to play marbles on the playground at Butler. Anyone else remember this fun little game?


It was decided that we would get up early on Saturday and head out for Cannon Beach on the coast. The drive is about an hour and a half so our goal was to be on the road by 7:30. We weren't far off when we finally pulled out of the driveway by 8:00. Our first stop, Java Nation for some coffee and breakfast. Then we were officially on our way. The girls were in the way back, with Uncle Mark in the middle, Auntie Mar driving, and me in the passenger seat. Like most car rides I feel asleep while everyone else played their Nintendo DS's or chit chatted. We made great time and arrived in town by 9:30. We parked the car hopping to check out a store or two in search of a water shirt for Uncle Mark. Unfortunately no stores were open yet so we got back in the car and made our way down towards the Ocean Lodge where Ria and Regan (Auntie Mar's scrap booking buddy) were staying. Their children, Andrew and Lauren, are close in age to Gwynn and Paige.

Everyone headed down towards the water. I captured a few moments on camera but headed up the hill for some solitude and less winds. It was a great time to catch up on some reading (I had just picked up a new Jodi Picoult book, Harvesting the Heart) and some crossword puzzles (the kind from rag mags all about celebrities and their claims to fame).

After a couple hours on the beach, it was time to make the trek down the beach towards the center of town for some lunch and shopping. I think we underestimated the difficulty of this walk. Picture the wind, the sand, and the distance, along with four hungry kids. It was tough. We finally made it to our favorite grill for lunch. Unfortunately our party of nine seemed to be too big to accommodate so we split up into two groups. After our seafood lunch (Auntie Mar had clam strips, Uncle Mark had a salmon sandwich, Gwynn has clam chowder, and Paige & I had fish and chips), we walked around the shops a little. I scored with a couple postcards which I want to send back east and a card with what else but pansies on it. While the ladies and children shopped, we sent the men back to get the cars.

After getting picked up, we headed back to the beach while the kids played in the sand some more. Sadly it was soon time to leave and head back inland. Gwynn had to be back in time for a slumber party for her friend Kelsey who was celebrating her 8th birthday. The girls returned to their DS's and Uncle Mark took a snoodle and I enjoyed the Red Sox game on XM radio. Before we knew it, we were back in Lake O and dropping Gwynn off at Kelsey's house.

To do something special with Paige, we thought there would be enough time to stop by the lake. We dropped Uncle Mark and Paige off and Auntie Mar and I headed back to the house to get Gwynn her sleepover supplies. While Auntie Mar packed, I made us some "coffee" to drink at the lake (in reality they were margaritas and they were delish). We met back up at the lake in time to watch Paige and Uncle Mark swim for a bit before we were given the official warning that it was time to leave.

After a long day, it was nice to finally be home. I got cozied up, watched a little tv and then headed off to bed. Which is exactly what I feel like doing now too. I thought I could tell you everything that's been going on but I just can't seem to fit it all in. Instead, I'll post again in the morning with details of the picnic from Sunday and the Wilson pool from today. Until then, enjoy the slide show of our Saturday outing.