i had all sorts of wonderfully, lofty ideas on how i would blog our month long trip.
this is the first sighting of my children in 10 days.
in the future, if i even speak of leaving them for that long, smack me.
10 days is too long.
this mama REALLY missed my babes.
this is my 12 year old schooling me in pool.
well, depending on who you ask. (i won.)
thanks to my aunt & uncle for having us!
pool table, air hockey, pin pong, darts, Foosball. etc.
really, so nice.
yes, this is a little odd but come on, what beats that smile??
this is my gram. (in the blue) she is one of the most precious ladies on the face of the earth. WILL blog about her soon.
(don't mind the little sweetie on the right of sam. she couldn't be cropped properly.)
they've all gone to pot.
i'm just going to wing it.
they'll be out of order but by gummy, we're bloggin!
'Boatwerks' (that's how they spell it.) in Holland on the first night we got there.
Thanks Mom and Dad for paying for dinner.
just like the olden days.
this is the first sighting of my children in 10 days.
in the future, if i even speak of leaving them for that long, smack me.
10 days is too long.
this mama REALLY missed my babes.
this is my 12 year old schooling me in pool.
well, depending on who you ask. (i won.)
thanks to my aunt & uncle for having us!
pool table, air hockey, pin pong, darts, Foosball. etc.
really, so nice.
yes, this is a little odd but come on, what beats that smile??
this is my gram. (in the blue) she is one of the most precious ladies on the face of the earth. WILL blog about her soon.
(don't mind the little sweetie on the right of sam. she couldn't be cropped properly.)
it takes more than a little (massive) downpour to dampen the spirits of chillin's at Craigs Cruisers.
Packed and ready to go!
this is my baby.
he's 12, going on 2o.
he's so very handsome.
i'm his mama. i can say stuff like that.
Hard Rock Cafe (duh) in Cleveland.
nothing like a Hard Rock to make a person feel ancient.
"who's Bruce Springsteen?"
"who's ZZ Top?"
"WHO IS PHIL COLLINS????"
hello people!
and fyi, no, Miley Cyrus isn't cool enough to be here with these people.
the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
this was one of the boy's favorite places on the trip.
for their sake, i'm SO glad we stopped.
my backseat photographer!
Sam's favorite player, Matt Ryan. such joy.
Jackson and um, Jackson.
Max and his favorite player, Tom Brady and his favorite dad, Ryan Likkel.
i love this one!
this is one of the classy joints that the boys stayed in before i joined the party.
according to all of them, it was a dump.
(BUT it had the COOLEST water slide/pool!)
"what, we have to make our own breakfast?"
"no room service??"
"mom would never stay in a place like this!"
yes, all of those were actual quotes.
the answers to the questions were....
yes, you have to make your own breakfast.
no, there is not room service.
and you're right, mom would NEVER stay in a place like that.
i don't need expensive but i do need clean and according to my children, it was NOT clean. uhg.
my baby cousin,danny (he's 25 and getting married but whatever. he's still a baby) and his precious wife, amber just bought this house. it's a fixer but a perfect starter.
while i was there i figured i'd make myself useful doing what i love.
those of you who did ANY traveling in the late 70's/early 80's, remember these overpasses!?
i can still clearly see the ginormous Howard Johnson sign.
you with me??
Craigs Crusiers. same rainy day.
waterlogged but happy!
smiling sam and his Chinese handcuffs. again, IF you were a 70's/80's child, you know what that is!
oh, i love memory lane.
this was taken somewhere between New Jersey and Washington.
please, don't make me remember which state.
geez, 22 states. you wouldn't remember either.
i could write an entire blog post about this store but it would bore those of you who have never been there.
BUT....for those of you who read my blog (most of you HAVE been there!),only you can appreciate the Peanut Store in downtown Holland.
when i walked into it last month, i almost cried. not sad cry but that get-a-lump-in-your-throat-cuz-nothing-has-changed-in-30-years-and-i'm-stupidly-sentimental-lump. ya know the kind.
the smells. the candy. the decorations. even some of the employees.
same. same. same and same.
all i could think about, after i bought 10 pounds of Sea Foam was 'oh, my boys will love it here'.
so, when they FiNaLLy got there, we went.
it is my hope that when/if they go back as adults, they will think only happy thoughts when they walk through that door.
heaven knows, i do.
good consignment stores are super hard to find so when i stumbled upon this honey, i was in love.
if you've ever seen the inside of my closet, you can truly appreciate the JOY i felt.
everything was color coordinated
AND
organized by style & size.
can't ya just hear the angels singing???
these are some of my most favorite people. i grew up with these girls. since our mothers are BFF's, us girls naturally became friends. i So wish they lived closer.
their sweet sister-in-laws, Gretchen and Kate missed the picture because they had already left to take home their sweet babies. we adore them as much as we do Shanda & Tricia.
miss you girls.
Mt. Rushmore and the 'other dude'.
this was taken on the boys way out to Michigan. some cave in the middle of South Dakota. i love that rye took time out of their traveling day to let the boys enjoy something that they normally wouldn't get to do. although, if you ask max, he'll say he wishes that Dad would have kept on driving.
New York City subway. notice my bag...it's full of hand sanitizer.
for a gal that's a germ-a-phob...this was quite the experience for me.
i had to keep repeating 'we're making great memories. we're making great memeories'.
moving along...!
now, let me make this disclaimer.
my husband is an EXCEPTIONAL father.
he brought them safely across the country.
they were happy.
they were well cared for.
however, this is what children eat for breakfast with their mothers are not with them.
really, must i go on?
i think not.
the likkels have gone WILD with this new app.
CamWow is hysterical!
upload it. now.
more CamWow.
again, i'm bossing you...upload it NOW.
does this not make you laugh? out loud.
Downtown Holland.
downtown Holland. again.
you get one guess. where was this taken?
yup, downtown Holland.
Hard Rock Cafe. remember, the place where our children reminded us that we have zero taste in music. (whatever).
my gram. my mama. love these girls.
Washington DC. Arlington Cemetery. amazing place!
NYC. a wall dedicated to those who lost their lives on 9/11. very sobering.
West point Military Academy in New York state. since my friend, Jim graduated from here, i loved knowing the boys got a chance to see it.
NYC. boys walking Park Ave. that awning alone probably cost the same as my entire house.
since i was in michigan for 10 days before the fam got there, i needed wheels.
after a little sweet talking (and dumb luck. mostly dumb luck) i was able to score this bad boy.
brand new 4-runner.
stinkin' fun.
i adore this girl. she's my sister and i'm so proud that God made us friends.
really, SO very thankful for my sis.
gram and i deeds & derricks wedding.
those same nostalgic memories i have of the Peanut store, i have here.
this donut store is, according to most peoples standards, a dump.
But, these donuts are BETTER than krispy kremes.
not. kidding.
and the sweet little ladies that work here....oh, they are so sweet.
all this shopping. and relaxing can be hard on a girls feet.
thanks mama for not making me go to get a pedi alone.
my mama is nice like that.
the fam.
i'm not bragging but this is where i spent a lot of time.
ok, i'm bragging.
it. was. awesome.
this was taken on the train from New Jersey to NYC.
it wasn't clean but hello, it was better than the subway.
so much so that i even set down my hand sanitizer and enjoyed the ride.
Smithsonian Air and Space museum in DC.
The Mall (not a 'traci' mall) in DC. Washington monument in the background. everyone looks happy here but it was 95 degrees and humid. i don't think i need to go on. let's just say, not everyone was as happy as they look. i'll leave it at that.
still, so cool to have been there. so glad to have experienced it with my kids.
this is the bride and groom from wedding #1.
awww. so cute.
place cards...Gerber daisy paper cut outs, on a stick, placed in a bucket of sand.
so incredibility creative.
so incredibly fun. loving these colors!!
i'm addicted to this saying. thanks kayt. your fault.
this is my uncle ron (mom's baby brother) and his gem of a wife, von.
they are the parents of the gorgeous bride from wedding 1.
this is one of the brides sisters. her name is dulci and although she's never spoken a word, she brings SO much joy to our family.
she's a blessing for sure!
the genzink fam.
L to R.
sadie, belle, dulc, uncle, auntie, deeds, derrick, misty and jordan.
jordan is 'girl-trapped' everyday of his life and he's better for it. 5 sisters. wowsers.
an amazing kid. he'll make a great husband someday.
i adore this family!
