Rocking the Mine

{we were given a tour of the mine.....the boys really liked this part}

The other day we were meeting some friends at a rock mine. Technically, you could call it a "field trip"......one person planned it, there was a set time, reduced fee, and it was educational.

We had been looking forward to it, but when we woke in the morning the weather crushed all of our built up joy. The forecast called for thunderstorms.

{the colorful rocks above are the same grey rocks below....once under a flourescent light, their color shines through}

For the past few weeks, I have had a boy with a strong aversion to thunderstorms. I feel for the boy.....he's really been trying to conquer this fear. During the morning, we debated back and forth about if it would rain, answered some phone calls , and basically rushed around turning the house upside down while preparing for our "field trip". 

I have this bad habit of unloading closets, piling up counters with dishes, leaving laundry strewn about....before leaving for outings. I have plenty of time to prepare....always think I am prepared.....usually realizing that I am not prepared at all. Always.

{the facts about the mine and what it was like to work there were fascinating. I think I now know why they call it "going to the can"}

{We were able to go on a rock dig. We then brought the rocks back up the hill and put them under special lights....some had pretty color patterns, some did not}

So, we finally make it out the door and Set our GPS for our hour long drive. About 10 minutes before arriving at our destination the boys announce they are hungry. Makes sense since in my rush I forgot to feed them lunch....and it's past lunchtime. We are now in a fairly rural area....our food options are limited. We swerve into a Dunkin Donuts/Convenience store.  We order our 3 pizza rolls, hand the young man my credit card, and shop the protein bar aisle.

And then there is a glitch. There is always a glitch.  The young man yells that they are out of pizza rolls. I tell him to give me the healthiest sandwich on the menu and 1 Boston Creme donut {I know, makes no sense-don't judge}. He then tells me that my original bill came to $5.53....the new bill comes to $4.93....and then he says "you want to call it even?"

At first I say "sure", but then I think for a moment. So, I am supposed to call it even....in DD's favor? Insert perplexed look. Tell me that is not strange? Growing up, my parent's owned retail stores....I'm pretty sure that is something they would never have said to a customer.
Quickly....I call out in a parental tone  ...."well, why don't you throw in another donut?". To which he agreed. We then hurry to the convenience store counter to pay for our protein bars. "That will be $5.78....we only accept cash". I'm going to skip over the part where I was astonished that 2 kashi bars would cost almost $6?  Have you ever heard of a convenience store that only accepts cash? I like charging things, and having cash on hand for emergencies....so, I may have given a *sigh*.

I turned to the line of men standing behind me {as they had all participated and watched our pizza roll dilemma}...."it's one of those days gentlemen" .  To which the tallest, burliest one replied with a big grin.... "it'll get better"

And he was spot on. A fun day was had by all. The boys fell asleep on the way home....and I got to enjoy a forgotten protein bar {and possibly a donut, as well}. Good times.

A Number of Things

Oh, how the years fly by. Feels like yesterday that we were living in Michigan  with our baby boys, but it was actually 9 years ago.

Naturally, the boys changed and grew. With each year, they look more and more alike. They recently celebrated their 9th birthday.

6 of our friends from home swung by to visit.

           Oh, and we celebrated 21 years of marriage. Wow, that feels crazy. Seems like just yesterday that we celebrated this anniversary.
See what I'm saying....time is flying.

Che bella giornata!

 Oh, how I would love to speak Italian. I used to know a little bit. My grandfather is from Sicily....When I was a child he hosted a local Italian radio program. The music and his words were all in Italian. I remember listening to the radio on my birthday and waiting for "Maria Betta" which is what he called me {Mary Beth}.

Che bella giornata=What a beautiful day!

We have been having a mini love affair with Brooklyn. Greg would love if we moved there.....I'm happy with the occasional visit. This part of Brooklyn.....is wonderful. The houses are charming and unique.

  The walk along the bridge is lovely....especially if you pretend that the river is actually clean.

 One of our destinations was this amazing pizza place {Grimaldi's}. The line was long and full. We were at the end of the line until we {and our line mates}had the clever idea to phone in our orders. An hour wait turned into 20 minutes and a walk to the head of the line.

The best pizza ever! Ever. The cheese was fresh......the tomatoes flown in from Italy.

Il mio bello marito {my handsome husband}

We ate our pizza under the bridge.....pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge. So fun. 

Indulge Me

As I was uploading the photos for the last post I came across some photos from our house. I had forgotten about some details.....certain pictures, pieces of furniture, flowers....random things.

The boys would always ask to get dropped off at the top of the driveway.....they loved racing my car home.

We miss Grandma and Grandpa's pool so much. I had many fun conversations with my mom and sister pool side.  

We miss the big toad in their fun little pond.

We loved having a big deck and yard. The yard. Greg does not miss mowing it {took him 3 hrs}, but I miss all the water sports we used to play. 

I sense a theme....one of the things we miss the most is our private outdoor space.

 The playroom.

There were many games of tag played in this room {great during the winter}.....I remember not having a clue about what to do with all the space. Funny how things change {or stay the same?}. Now, I have no clue what to do with lack of space. I also remember how long it took us to pick out the wood for the floors....the paint colors. For those who had been in this room.....do you remember the view? Ahhh, I loved it especially during the winter. Though, now our view is much more entertaining.....wish I could put into words the things I viewed today!

This basement was so great for dodge ball games 

This room was changed often. I dragged those cheap bookcases from room to room. I remember when they collapsed in the middle of the night .

I remember what a trooper Greg was....building my rain gutter bookshelves.

One of the first things we will install in our home {hoping}. 

 From what I hear, the new owners have not done a thing to our old house.

Thanks for indulging me. Greg is out of town.....it's super hot outside....so it was fun to take a little trip down memory lane.These photos actually get me excited for our next home. Who knows when it will happen, but it's so fun to imagine. In the meantime, we make the best of today, but also want to be thankful for yesterday. Good times.