Chicago Style Roadtrip #TBTStories

Today's Throwback Thursday story comes to you from the Windy City. Jim and I are enjoying a little visit to Chicago with grandson Matthew, so I dug up a photo of our five from our Chicago road trip circa 1998 (I think).

The photo was taken outside Shedd Aquarium after our spring break adventure. We didn't have plans for spring break that year, and Jim was busy with work, so I told the kids we could head out, destination unknown, on a day's drive, spend the night, and return the next day. To make it even more interesting, I wrote little instructions on slips of paper that we drew out along the way. Things like: stop and buy a pop from a machine, stop at a church, sing a song when we cross a river, and stop in a college town.

We headed north on State Road 3, and made a stop at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle. It happened to be the day they were honoring the Silver Anniversary team, so we ran into Kent Benson, who played for that team in Bloomington during a couple of those banner years. :)

After a stop at Purdue (where else?), we continued north toward Chicago. Since it was supper time by then, I told them we would stay at a hotel in Merrillville, and drive into the city in the morning. (A little safer that way.) :)

Jonathan 10, Adam 7, David 15, Jennifer 12, Andrew 13

We spent a fun day at Shedd Aquarium, Niketown, and Michael Jordan's restaurant where our sweet waitress gave us free dessert. She was from a big family, and was seldom allowed to order dessert at a restaurant, so she wanted the kids to have some. I'm guessing she also felt sorry for this crazy brave frazzled mom gallivanting around Chicago with her five kids. :) I remember that the biggest challenge of the trip was finding a spot to park our 12 passenger van. 

As a little aside, someone once noticed that none of the kids have hands in this photo. Lol.

Today's trip ended with a cloudy evening, and a thunderstorm cancelled the boat ride we had planned. Here is a photo of Matthew holding up the clouds at Navy Pier. I'll share more about our current Chicago adventure tomorrow.

Linking up with Jessica at The Mom Creative for Throwback Thursday Stories. #TBTStories.

Lazy Days of Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday again, and that means time for the Hodgepodge. Our hostess, Joyce, took a little Hodgepodge summer vacation last week (since she was in Portugal!), but she's back at it this week with some great questions to challenge our thinking on this hot summer day. Be sure to click on the button below to visit Joyce and the others.

Here are her questions and my answers:

1. Since you weren't Hodgepodging last Wednesday, how did you pass the time?

Playing Elefun with the grands.

2. What's the first word that comes to mind when I say marriage? Yes, one word. 

The first word that came to my mind was compromise, and after thinking about it, I decided to stick with that word. Instead of 50-50, marriage should be more like 100-100. Of course, sometimes it will be 120-80, or 70-130, and that's ok. That's where the compromise comes in.

3. Summer officially arrives in the Northern hemishpere later this week. Does it feel like summer where you live? Describe your idea of the perfect summer day.

After a long, hard winter, it is, in fact, beginning to feel like summer around here. A few days of 90 degree temperatures in the forecast will bring us face to face with sticky summer days. Yay for summer!
My current idea of a perfect summer day is sitting on the deck with this view:

4. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."(Sam Keen) Is laziness ever respectable? Do you have a lazy summer planned, or something semi-ambitious?

I like the quote, and I think we all need to slow down and enjoy a lazy day now and then. Especially in the dog days of summer. Hopefully, my summer will be both a little bit lazy and a little bit productive.

5. Past or present, who's your favorite television dad? Why is he a favorite? Is he anything like your own dad?

I'm choosing 2 favorite television dads.
First, Charles Ingalls, because I always wanted to be a pioneer, and Pa was so wise and kind (and cute). Times were simple, and I thought it looked like so much fun to climb into the loft each night at bedtime in that little house on the prairie. (As an adult, I realize that it probably wasn't as much fun for Ma Ingalls. Being a pioneer was hard work!)

Second, Cliff Huxtable, because he made us laugh

6. June 18th is International Picnic Day...share a favorite picnic memory.

My mom's father was one of 12 children, and the family had a reunion every year on the last Sunday in June. My parents packed up the car, and we would head north to the city park in Wabash, Indiana. We sometimes stopped in Indianapolis so we could travel caravan style with my grandparents. If I was lucky, I would get to ride with Mamaw and Pampaw (and I usually was). :) I knew that Mamaw's basket held her famous banana salad, which was a once-a-year special dish she only made for the reunion. It was actually pudding, made with lots of milk and dark brown sugar, bananas, and Spanish peanuts on top. It was a caramel flavored pudding, and I loved it.

Once we arrived at the park, there was hugging and squealing as the 12 siblings and families greeted one another. The women unloaded their baskets and arranged the food on long picnic tables while a couple of the men hung up the large cloth sign with the family name on it so everyone was sure to find the correct family. :) I parked myself right beside that banana salad so I could be first to spoon out my helping. If I waited in line, there might not be any left.

After the meal, we visited with Pampaw's parents, Grandma and Grandpap, and the other relatives. We sometimes got to play on the playground equipment at the park, and there was a huge slide built into the side of a hill that was so awesome. I wonder if it's still as big as it was to 10-year-old me? One year, the picnic tables had recently been painted, and several of my great-aunts ended up with orange paint across their backsides. Another year, my mom made me tap dance on one of those same tables. She was proud and I was shy.

It was a fun tradition that they kept up for many years. Only one of the 12 children is still living, and the reunions are no longer held. I do, however, have the banana salad recipe. :)

7. The travel site Trip Advisor lists the top five islands in the world for 2014 as-Ambergris Caye in Belize Cayes, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Marco Island Florida, and Lewis and Harris in The Outer Hebrides (Scotland). Have you been to any of these? Of those listed (and if price were not a factor) which would you most like to book for a holiday?

I'll choose Providenciales, because I have been told that Turks and Caicos is lovely. However, I'm partial to our personal favorite island, Grand Cayman.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of one of my favorite TV dads, here's a little clip from Bill Cosby's Himself. This is a youtube video, but the first time I heard this sketch, it was on an album. Remember those? Anyone?
If your stereo is on the blink, you can click below to enjoy Bill Cosby's Chocolate Cake for Breakfast. I always thought it was a fine idea. :) 

Friday Fragments

Hello Friday! Time to share some fragments from the week that was.

Did you know that Santa Claus makes appearances in June? Well he does. And it seems that he doesn't wear his hat in the summer. Too hot for that.

In case you're wondering where I ran into the jolly old fellow, it was at church for the 'Celebration Park' themed Vacation Bible School. Here are my sweet grands enjoying the opportunity to see Santa in summer. Ho ho ho!

****

My peony bushes didn't do too well this year. I love them, but was only able to cut a few blossoms to enjoy inside. The peony problem was possibly due to the skid loader that ran over the bush earlier this spring. That could do it. Hopefully, they will come back stronger next year.

****

Haleigh and Ella found this game in the closet when they were here on Wednesday. We put in fresh batteries, and they were soon squealing as the elephant blew butterflies all over the room. When I told them the name of the game, Haleigh said, "Huh? Ella fun?"

I think she wondered why it wasn't called 'Haleigh fun.' Good question!

And that reminded me of friends of ours with two (now grown) daughters named Soni and Joy. One day, near Christmas, Soni asked her mom why they never sang 'Soni to the world.' We always loved that story.

****

The Colts were in our little town yesterday for a Fan Fest event on the courthouse square. I didn't go, but I swiped this photo of the kids from Darci. Sounds like it was fun for all, and there was even music by former Colts punter Hunter Smith. I'm sure it was good. He's a friend of our friend Sandi. :)

****

Even though the peonies aren't doing well, I can always count on the clematis on the back fence. I love it because it's beautiful and requires almost no effort. My kind of gardening.

My late-planted pot doesn't look too bad either. Of course the recent rain has helped. My thumb is not green. And that reminds me of a story Jim's mom told, about a time when he was a little boy and she noticed him getting his hat and coat on and heading for the door. When she asked him where he was going, he said, "I'm going to Grandma's (which was next door) because you said she has a green thumb and I want to see it."

****

And finally, in honor of Father's Day, a photo of me with my dad, probably around 1962. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Linking up with Mrs. 4444 at Half-Past Kissin' Time for Friday Fragments.

Tiger Shark Tales #TBTStories

It's Thursday, and my throwback story today is one that defined our summer for many years: Tiger Shark Swim Team. I have noticed some posts on Facebook recently about kids and swim meets, and it brought back sweet summer memories of our years as a swim family.

Being a swimmer means lots and lots of practice. Five days a week I drove the swim practice shuttle, sometimes twice a day. Different ages practiced at different times, so I spent lots of time waiting. Yes, I could have dropped them off, but I didn't always have somewhere else I needed to be, so we would wait. Before he was old enough for the team, Adam carried his little bag of Thomas trains, and could entertain himself quite well on the steps outside the pool windows. The early practice was at the outdoor pool, and they practiced indoors at the high school in the afternoon.

Jonathan, David, Adam, Andrew, Jennifer

On meet days, we had spaghetti for lunch (no sauce), followed by rest time in the afternoon in preparation for the evening meet. We packed goggles and Gatorade, snacks and Speedos, lots of towels, and some books or games for the wait time between events. 

At home meets, everyone had a job. Kids were preparing to swim, checking their events, writing them on their arms, and trying to keep track of their goggles. (There was one summer when I swear I bought goggles every. single. day.) Parents were shepherding swimmers, selling concessions, timing lanes, writing ribbons, and figuring scores. We worked hard to raise money for touch pads and a timing system, which simplified the scoring process and eliminated the need to write on ribbons by hand. Jim was the master of the computer at home meets, and was even known to make his way to the scorer's table at away meets if they appeared to need a little help. :)

I have many, many memories of meets, both home and away: the carpeted step bleachers at South Dearborn, setting up the tent and grilling chicken at the conference meet at Jennings County, the tight quarters around the pool deck at Milan, and the fun of an outdoor meet on a beautiful summer night at Batesville or Hidden Valley. Those outdoor meets were great until someone spotted lightning in the distance.

Swimming taught our kids a potentially life-saving skill, and they also learned sportsmanship, goal-setting, perseverance, and the fun of being on a team. There is nothing quite like the excitement of being on a swim relay team, whether you are a six-year-old Tiger Shark or an Olympic swimmer. (Just watch the Olympics relays, and you'll see what I mean.)

I don't have too many pictures of those age group meets because, well, I was busy. I do, however, have lots of memories. Washing towels and towels and towels, celebrating a new Tiger Shark record or a new PR, paying Jonathan to win the butterfly (I think I still owe him 20 bucks), a van load of excited swimmers, the sweet smell of chlorine, and cheering on our kids from my spot in lane six. Priceless.

Linking up with Jessica at The Mom Creative. #TBTStories.

Lakin' It Up

We spent a nice weekend at the lake with Andrew, Darci and the kids, and their (and our) friends from Louisville. Of course, Gumbo always gets to go along to the lake. Everybody loves Gumbo.

Ella relaxed in the deck chair with the footstool.

Darci and Shelly did some early morning yoga on the dock.

Haleigh loves her dolphin, and needed to sit beside her to keep her safe. I think she calls it Tweeter.

Makenna in the water.

Makenna, Abbi, and Matthew hammin' it up on the dock.

The three big kids were peacefully playing on the Watermat when Matt decided to shake things up a bit. The kids huddled to make their plan.

If the plan was for them to end up in the water, then I think it worked. Abbi down!

Makenna down!

And Matthew down!

Eventually, Matt went down too.

But I think it was his choice. :)

Next up, rope swingin'. Ella and I found  nice spot to watch the action.

Abbi away!

Flyin' Matthew.

I like Makenna's style.

The neighbors' dog, Jericho, has a log that he just loves. He can actually play fetch himself.

He nudges the log into the water,

and goes after it. Splashdown!

Heading out for a little tubing.

Haleigh prefers to wait for a ride on the 'slow boat.'

Pirate Andrew. Arrrrrrggghhh!

My silly attempt at a pontoon boat selfie.

We were cruisin' to Disney tunes, and Makenna was feeling the music.

Let it go… let it go…!

The kids.

The Leach family.

The Stewarts.

The Disney cruise winding down.

Sunday cleared off enough for some jumping off the high dock across the lake. Makenna goes off the railing.

Great form!

Abbi's turn. She's up...

and she's off!

There's always something to check on the iPhone.

Matthew and Haleigh stayed at the lake with me on Sunday night, and had time to try out the new Sands Alive. It was lots of fun.

See ya next weekend, Sweetwater!