Living, Loving, Learning

One of the coolest things we saw on the Cape was this community playground. It is located in the town of Truro and friends, Joyce and Georgia, actually helped in the construction of it. It is right next to the senior center which I think is so cool. It is evident that this is an artsy place from all the cool artwork and design evident. The kids had an absolutely wonderful time playing here. And of course, you can't make a trip to the east coast without checking out a lighthouse. This is a very pretty one, located right by the cliffs and surrounded by a golf course. What a view!! Ahhhh, I already miss this scene alot. I always forget how soothing the water is until I've been away from it for a while.

On the harbor side of the Cape, there are some nice beaches too! The water is still and shallow and clear - perfect for little kids. Griffin found all kinds of treasures on the beach when walking with Gran. It was cold that day, so Lucy and I stayed cuddled up just playing in the sand. Great moments.

Provincetown is the "big" city on the top end of the Cape. It is a funky little city filled with shops, restaurants and tons of unique people. It is marvelous. It is one of those rare little spots on this earth that felt truely, come as you are, everyone accepted. It made my heart so happy to be there. The homes and streets have such a distinct look. The clapboard siding (I think that's what it's called), marvelous gardens and yard art. This home was a particuluar favorite. A harbor is right there, in fact, that is where the whale watching tours depart from. After a day of dragging the kids through the shops I thought they had earned some play time so we headed down to the little harbor beach. It was so cool that day, but that did not stop Griffin from wanting to be in the water so we made him strip his shorts off in a futile effort to keep them dry. Lucy wanted in on the action big time - I think if I would have let her, this little mermaid would have bee...

Well, the 15 hour drive to the Cape turned into an 18 hour drive. My kids did FANTASTIC!!! I was shocked by how well they held it together. We left at 5 AM and cruised straight through, only stopping for quick breaks and one sit-down dinner. Lucy cried for about 10 minutes one time, as we were trying to find a place for dinner and that was it - the rest of the time it was smooth sailing. My little ones are going to be great travelers and I cannot wait to show them this big groovy world of ours!! I had been afraid to do much traveling with them before this, but they have proven themselves in spades. We arrived at the Cape late at night and went to be pretty quickly. The kids were up pretty early and for sure, the first thing on the agenda was THE OCEAN. Griffin was so excited, he saw that water and went running straight for it - the frigid water temperature and 70 degree air temperature did not slow him down AT ALL. I think Uncle Leo was happy to have another little soul share his lov...

We had such a fun week in Michigan, before we headed out East. The most fabulous part was the surprise 40th birthday party that the Marino's threw for Bruce. Seeing as his 40th isn't until the end of July, it was a HUGE surprise. The morning of, we drove over to their place (leaving the kids with the Moms for an overnight - Lucy's first overnight!!) so the guys could go golfing. Bruce was so sweet, handing me a $50 as he walked out, saying, "Why don't you ladies go do something fun like get a pedicure!" Little did he know, we had a lot of things to do before he got back. By "we", I mean Gabriella and by "a lot" I mean amazingly small amount - she is so organized!!! All party paraphernalia had been hidden and so we pulled it out and decorated the house and yard, set up tables and chairs and Gab got the food ready to go (of course, she had enough for everyone Bruce had ever known!!) We finished in enough time to enjoy a beer or 4 before the r...

While we were staying at the Moms' house in MI, we had the pleasure of getting to know a close friend of theirs, Laurie. She shared this beautiful poem with us, and I would like to share it with you. People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway... If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway... If you are successful, you will win some false friends, and true enemies; Succeed anyway... If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway... What you spend years building up, someone can destroy overnight; Build anyway... If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway... The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway... Do Good Anyway Give the world the best you've got - It may never be enough Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them a...

I guess I will start at the end first...why not, it's my blog! Our trip home started out beautifully, a quiet and calm morning followed by an easy drive into Boston with my Mom. We got through check-in and security without a hitch and practically walked right onto the airplane. Griffin and Lucy were so good on the plane, playing quietly and napping. We de-boarded in Memphis and had about an hour to sit and have a nice dinner and playtime before we would board the final plane home. That is when our travels came to a SCREECHING halt. We were told that our plane had a mechanical issue and it was being worked on and would be ready to go at 7:30, then 8, then 8:30, then 9, then 9:30. Finally at 9:45 we were told our flight had been cancelled and that we should make our way to the service desk to make new flight arrangements. I have to say, up until this time my children were absolute jewels. Not once was there any crying, fits, brattiness or whining. I was able to keep them occupied wit...

Hello, Friends. Sorry it has been such a looonnnngggg time since I have updated. Some of you know this already, but I have been pretty sneaky of late. The night before we headed up to MI my Mom called and proposed an adventure I couldn't say no to. She asked if the kids and I would like to stay in MI for 4 more days and ride out to Cape Cod for a week at the new house AND I would be able to surprise my little sister Alexis who was headed there for a long weekend. Of course, I said YEAH!! So, I had about 12 hours before we were leaving for MI to repack us. Of course I couldn't blog my change of plan and tip off Lexi. It was well worth it. Alexis was so happily stunned to see us, she truly did not know what to say. We are having an amazing time exploring this little nook of the world. We will be flying home on Friday night - there was no way we could miss spending Father's Day at home with Bruce!! We all miss him sooooo much!! I have a ton of blogs in my head an...

My two little goof balls are becoming fantastic playmates. Lucy is starting to LOVE playing dress-up with Griffin, even though her only choices are pirate, fireman, train conductor or a knight. Guess I should start expanding our dress up options! It is hard to tell but this is Miss LuLu standing all on her own. She is doing so well at this. And although I've said it before, I really do think her first step is right around the corner. I was trying to get a cute picture of the 3 of them, but this was the end of the photo shoot and Lucy had had enough. I love the knowing look shared by Griffin and Sunshine. Tomorrow afternoon we are headed up to MI for a QUICK weekend trip. I am going to take a much needed blogging vacation so there will *probably* not be anything new here until next Wednesday. Hope y'all have a great week. Keep cool (it's 90 here today!!) and I'll catch ya on the flip side. Peace and Love!