"Now with even more chocolate!"
Family
Take a break… with Monsters vs. Aliens
Apr 4th
Wow! Things have certainly been busy around here… I haven’t posted in forever. There’s just been too much life lately. Dance, baseball, work, school, etc. Too nuts.
Today, Richie and Tedy began replacing our roof after February’s nasty storm. I appreciate the help they’ve provided, and I hope they get things wrapped up tomorrow. I’ve been relegated to clean-up duty and gopher during this project. I’m not exactly a handyman.
So anyway, I definitely wanted to mention “Monsters vs. Aliens” that we went to see last weekend. It was a pretty good movie. I’ve always liked animated movies, and this one’s good. Not great, but good. The kids were entertained, and that’s the main thing.
To me, the one thing the movie lacked is “Aliens” — there was one alien, who cloned himself multiple times, thus creating “aliens.” I would have liked five different aliens, one that could have been beaten by some special ability of each monster. Like Susan could have fought some big alien, and B.O.B. could have fought some Jell-O-type alien, etc. But I guess that would have taken away from the story a little bit. But still when I hear “Monsters vs. Aliens” I picture an all-out battle for suprremecy. But that’s just me.
The kids loved it, and the animation is amazing. I didn’t get to see it in 3D because my local theater doesn’t support it, but the one in Morgantown does. It may just be worth the repeat trip to see it in 3D.
Idlewild Park
Jul 10th
So, a couple of weeks ago we headed to Idlewild park in Ligonier, Pa. It’s a nice little family park that includes Storybook Forest and Soakzone, but we didn’t do either of those this time.
Allison dances with a local dance group, and this year they performed their routine at Idlewild. They usually have a trip at the end of the year after their recital.
Like I said, Idlewild is a nice little park. There a few fun rides… quite a few for little kids in Racoon Lagoon. There are no blazingly fast roller coasters, but there are a couple that are appropriate for kids around Ryan’s age.
He’s actually getting too big for the kiddie rides. He rode around in the airplanes and drove the little cars, but he just looks too big.
We got quite a bit of rain in the afternoon, and our day was cut a little short. But the kids had a good time while we were there. More photos on the Photos page…
Wild, Wonderful West Virginia
Jul 6th
Okay, I admit it. I’m not much of a mountain man. My idea of “getting back to nature” is taking a trip to Niagara Falls and relaxing to the sound of the waterfalls.
But last weekend we met up with friends and family and went to Jellystone Park in Elkins.
I don’t get much out of camping, although I did enjoy the company. I had fun playing cards and riding bikes and generally taking it easy. I don’t enjoy sleeping in a camper. I didn’t sleep too well. But at least my allergies were held in check this time.
The kids had a great time. They did a little swimming and even did a little river rafting. We did a little sight-seeing around the area and visited the fish hatchery. The kids would wave their arms in the air over the fish and the fish would jump around like crazy, expecting to be fed.
You can see more photos on the photo page.
Well, there goes the free time…
Mar 1st
We picked up a Speed Stacks set yesterday from Target.
Now, the competition is on! It really is kinda silly, but unfortunately it is addictive. Keep in mind, we are all beginners. So those of you that rock at this, don’t laugh at our times. For example, right now, Allison holds the time for a best 3-6-3, at 6.74 seconds. I had it for about ten minutes when I had a 6.90. But I will be back at it again shortly…
This is what happens when your XBox 360 spends a little time in Texas.
Crazy House
Feb 8th
It’s a little crazy here tonight… I think that there are more kids than adults… Allison is having her ninth birthday party tomorrow and she has invited a couple of friends to spend the night. So, it’s just a little crazy in here.
I always hate to say "if you look on the sidebar" in a post, because I change this site so often that it’s probably not going to be there long, but "having said that…"
If You Look At The Sidebar you will notice a Biggest Loser-type scale. This is because a group of us (eight, I think) are trying to lose weight along with the Biggest Loser Million Pound Match-Up. Some of us (not me) are doing better than others. I’ve lost three pounds so far, but at one time I had lost over five. And I’ve put some back on. You can see our Biggest Loser page here.
Happy… Thanks… Giving!
Nov 22nd
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Hope you have a happy holiday!
-
-
-
–
New (well, new to me) vehicle
Nov 18th
Well, we broke down (no pun intended) and bought a “new” vehicle yesterday. I put the “new” in quotes because it is only new to us. We got a 2005 Saturn L300. Our van was really getting rough and we were able to salvage enough out of it to make it worthwhile to get another car.
It seems like a nice vehicle. Only time will tell, I guess.
In other news… The Mountaineers escaped with a victory last night, beating Cincinnati 28 to 23.
Go Mountaineers!
Family, Friends, Food, Fun, and Football
Sep 26th
Saturday was a very busy day this past weekend.
Ryan had to be in town at 11:00am to line up for the big Shinnston “Frontier Days” parade. His flag football team rode along in the back of pickup trucks and tossed out candy.
After the parade we decided to stick around in town and visit the carnival and ride some rides. I rode the Hurricane one time with Allison, and that was plenty. Ryan rode a few of the kiddie rides.
Then, it was off to Stydahar Field for Ryan’s first home flag football game this season. The team looked pretty good this weekend, much more organized than last week at Tygarts Valley.
Finally, in the evening we had a get-together at our house to enj
oy a home-cooked meal made by Tina. The food was excellent and the company was wonderful. We all shared a few laughs and played some games.
My aunt Diana and uncle Derek are currently visiting us from England. They’ve been visiting friends and family and taking in some of the sights while they’re here.
Also, the Mountaineers beat the ECU Pirates Saturday 48-7. So they remain undefeated. They play again this Friday against South Florida, their first Big East opponent of the season.
New attractions
Aug 13th
We took a long weekend mini-vacation this weekend and decided to stay pretty close to home. Last time we did this we headed to Niagara Falls. Before that, Pittsburgh. So this was different. We decided to see the sights that West Virginia has to offer.
I’m not much of a Mountain Man. I don’t fish, I don’t hunt. But even so it was nice to see some natural beauty. We took a ride on the “New Tygart Flyer” and rode to a secluded waterfall. See the previous post for a pic.
Then on Saturday night we saw a show at the “American Mountain Theater.” The show has only been running for a couple of weeks now, and it’s a brand new experience for West Virginia. There’s nothing else like it around. The show reminds me a lot of the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, with a lot of singing and a little comedy. The AMT crew does an impressive job and they have a good foundation to build upon. The entertainment was great. Top notch musicians and a family-friendly atmosphere make this show a can’t-miss.
We visited Smoke Hole Caverns, Seneca Rocks, Spruce Knob and Blackwater Falls to round out our Sunday. I will post pics soon.
- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.
New Tygart Flyer
Aug 11th
We are riding back to Elkins aboard the New Tygart Flyer, one of the trains of the West Virginia Mountain Rail. It’s been a pleasent ride, with a great visit to the High Falls of Cheat.
- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.
