Dastel.com

Visiting Mom & Dad – Jul 26 – 30

kjj422 — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:21:11 +0000

We arrived at Mom and Dad’s Monday night . The next morning we met Kev at “The Ranch” (a restaurant in Orangeville) for breakfast. It was his birthday so the staff brought out a piece of cake with a candle on it and sang “Happy Birthday”. Then we went back to the farm for chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that Mom had made for Kev. Kev stayed for a little while and we talked about our families. Later, Aunt Peg came over after another doctor’s appointment. It’s so sad all the stuff that’s been happening to her. Every time she starts to get better something else happens. I think we got her in a little better mood and then Mom made spaghetti for supper. Aunt Peg was pooped afterward so we took her home.

The next morning, Neil and I visited Uncle Jim, Aunt Elsie and Bob. They seemed to be doing well and we had a good visit. After lunch Mom, Dad, Neil and I drove to Warsaw. Our first stop was at Jeremy’s house to see the twins. (see story below). Then we went to see Aunt Peg. She was doing better than the day before. On the way home, we decided to go to my favorite restaurant in Batavia, Main Street Pizza, for some deep dish pizza. They make the best sauce I’ve ever had. After stuffing ourselves, we headed for the casino and race track to play a few slots. I actually won a little money so I was happy. I don’t think Neil did as well. Besides the casino, they’ve started harness racing again for the first time in years. Neil and I decided to bet on a race. I picked a horse at random since I didn’t want to buy a program. It came in third from last. Good pick. We dragged Mom and Dad out to watch one race. Neil told me to bet on the same number as last time but I bet on a different horse. Darn – mine came in second. Guess who won – the horse Neil told me to bet on. I could have won $37 on a $2 bet. The first time I don’t listen to Neil, it costs me $35.

Thursday morning we went to Hidden Valley Animal Adventure. (see story below) The weather was beautiful – about 70 deg. I had to wear a long sleeve shirt because I was a little cold. (Oh my gosh – have I become a southern girl?) For lunch we got subs in Attica. They know how to make subs in NY – not like the pitiful things you get at Subway or places like that. Mid afternoon, Neil and I took a stroll out through the Christmas trees. It’ s really nice out there and the trees looked good. We spent the rest of the day hanging out with Mom and Dad.

Friday morning we loaded up and headed home. We had a good time visiting everyone and really enjoyed the cooler temperatures. It was a long trip but well worth it to get to see everyone.

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure – Varysburg, NY

kjj422 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:52:58 +0000

One of the farmers in Varysburg (near Attica) started acquiring animals from different continents. Eventually he turned part of his farm into a wildlife adventure. He also built a beautiful lodge overlooking a pond that has a restaurant, snack bar, grill area, and souvenir shop. The lodge can be rented for weddings, receptions, etc. For the animal adventure, you get on a covered wagon pulled by a tractor. There’s a narrator on board who describes the animals you’re seeing as you drive through different pastures. The pics show a few of the animals we saw. All the animals are grazers – no carnivores like lions or tigers – so it’s safe to ride an open wagon. It’s a great place to take little kids because they can get up close with the animals and you get a cup of food to feed the animals at designated areas. One little two year old was so excited at each new animal she saw that she just hooted and hollered. The animals come right up to the wagon at times so you can touch them. We took the tour with Mom and Dad and had a great time.

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure website

Pics

Visiting Aiden & Alexis – Jul 28

kjj422 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:44:20 +0000

Mom, Dad, Neil and I went to Warsaw to visit. We stopped in at Jeremy and Jen’s to see them and their 7 month old twins. Aiden and Alexis (Lexie) are really cute and happy babies . Lexie seems to smile all the time. Jeremy and Jen are very proud and obviously adore them.

Pics

Vanessa, Al and Knox Visit – Jul 23 – 26

kjj422 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:36:25 +0000

Vanessa, Al and Knox arrived at our house Friday afternoon. We talked with Vanessa and Al and played with Knox. He’s real cute and can make some high pitched noises when he’s happy. The next morning, Vanessa and I went shopping while the boys babysat. We went to Burkes outlet, a new store in town, and Vanessa hit the motherload for school clothes. After that, we checked out the Mennonite store outside town and picked up a few goodies. Then we brought back pizza for lunch. After lunch, we packed up and headed to the lake. We visited with Dexter, Tammy, Ryan and Francesca (Ryan’s girlfriend from Italy via China). Dexter gave Knox a BB gun (he gives one to all the kids). Then we went home to talk and play some more. Sunday morning, the kids left around 1100. I sent a bag full of cookies with them that Al said would probably be gone before they got home. (I think he likes my chocolate chip cookies!) We had a great time with them and were really glad they came to see us. We can’t get enough of our kids and grandkids.

Pics

Celebrity Sighting

kjj422 — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:05:09 +0000

Guess who we had lunch with the other day? Well, not exactly had lunch with but were in the same restaurant with here in Paris. It was Hank Williams, Jr. I had no idea that’s who he was but Neil knew. He has a farm somewhere around here.

Ben, Sam, and Knox Go Swimming

kjj422 — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:18:10 +0000

Here’s the video.

Babysitting Trip Jul 8-9, 2010

kjj422 — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:45:39 +0000

Since Vic was recovering from her hernia operation, we went to KY to take care of the Ben and Sam for a couple of afternoons. We picked them up from school on the 8th and went to Walmart to get some lunch food, a pool, and whatever else we saw. We ended up with some junk food, two foam swords and an Orca pool. While wheeling through the store with boys in separate carts, we played bumper carts. The boys loved it and Sam was cackling. Before we got outside, Ben and Sam had a sword fight in the store. People were looking at us and thinking “Man, those grandparents have lost control and the kids are running amok.” We finally got back to Granny’s and had lunch with her. After awhile we drove to New Albany to see Vanessa, Al, Knox and Matt. The boys played with Knox for a while and then Vanessa put a movie on for them to watch. Al brought home pizzas and we had supper. Then the boys talked him into blowing up and filling the pool. They had a riot getting sprayed, sliding into the pool, and acting crazy. Finally they got too cold and agreed to quit swimming. They talked the whole way back to Vic’s house. What happened to falling asleep every time they got in the car???? Vic and Glenn were doing OK so we handed the boys off to their parents.

The next day, we went with John, Diane and Granny to Shoney’s for breakfast. We caught up on all the comings and goings of our clans. Then we picked the boys up again from school. We were going to take them to the Hardin County Fair to ride on the midway rides but it didn’t open until 6 PM. On to plan B. A couple of weeks before, we had found an indoor playground at McDonald’s in Radcliff. Since the sky was threatening rain, that looked like a good place to spend a couple of hours. The boys had milk shakes and french fries for lunch while running back and forth to the playground. (Aren’t grandparents great for feeding grandkids healthy meals?) After a couple of hours there, we went back to Granny’s to let the boys play with Pops’ tools until Glenn came to pick them up. As soon as they left, we turned the horse toward home and took off.

It was a fun but hectic two days. Ben and Sam are tiring but very entertaining and we love them very much.

Click here for pics.

Missy L. has a Baby

kjj422 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:40:34 +0000

Missy had a baby girl, Peyton Mae, on Fri. April 17th. Mom and baby are doing well. Peyton weighed 7lbs. 15 ozs. and was 19 3/4″ long. Cole and Makayla just love their new sister and Noah is pretty OK with her too. Congratulations Missy & Phil!

Granny’s Birthday – Mar 12 – 13

kjj422 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:43:57 +0000

Granny’s birthday was on March 12^th so we met Dexter, Tammy, Ryan, John, Diane and Eric at her house for a little party. We got take out Chinese for lunch and then had cake and ice cream afterward. Everyone sat around talking and enjoying each other’s company. The next day we met Vic, Vanessa, Ben and Sam at Chik-fil-a to have a little birthday celebration for the boys. We had fun watching them play on the indoor playground and talking to Vic and Ness. Afterward, we drove to Louisville to see where Matt works. He manages a document storage site in a huge limestone cave underneath the Louisville Zoo. His company had a few large rooms to store documents. There is also storage for RVs, boats, cars, etc. It’s all pretty impressive. Matt showed us around his area and we saw his office. There sure is a lot of stuff stored there. Then we followed him to New Albany. We got to say Hello to Angela, who was almost ready to go to work, and to see their new ferret, Samson. Matt took us out to Qdoba’s for supper after Angela took left for work. We stayed the night at Granny’s since Ben and Sam’s party was scheduled for the next day. Ben got sick so Vic had to call off the party. Before going back to TN, we visited Valerie and Layne. Vanessa was there so we got to see her too. We had a good time talking and playing with Layne. Then we headed home.

Click here for pics.

Vickki and the boys visit – Mar 6 – 10

kjj422 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:42:16 +0000

Vic and the boys arrived on the afternoon of March 6. All the neighbors came over to check out how much the boys had grown. Sam got sick overnight so Vic had to take him to the doctor. He had Type A flu. Neil and I had gotten flu shots so we were in good shape. We kept Ben and went to play on the playground at the park. Sam felt bad all the next day so we stayed home and played with Ben. Sam perked up a couple times for about a half hour but didn’t eat anything all day. The next day Sam started to feel better so we went out back to ride the big wheels. The boy’s legs are still too short to reach the pedals so Neil and I pushed them with a broom handle. They were flying up and down the sidewalk and making reckless turns onto the patio. Luckily, no one crashed. Later, we took the boys to the playground. Then Vic gave them some Play-Doh when they got home. Both boys collapsed after all that activity and took a two hour nap. Vic decided to head home the next day since she was starting to feel ill. I guess all of them were sick by the time they got back. We really felt sorry for them and wished they could have had a better time.

Click here for a few pics.

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