Our Last "Trip" East

I call this blog entry Our Last "Trip" East, because after August 10th we will officially be living on the east coast. As you can imagine, this past week since we have been home from our trip east has been very busy so I am just now putting the pics from our trip on the blog. The trip itself was very busy too with job interviews and house hunting. But here are some pics of us relaxing and having fun with friends and family. We started off the trip by staying at the Greene's house.

Pat had a softball game so we took dinner, and the boys had fun watching and playing. Above is a picture of Owen yelling at the game after he heard us. Too funny! Below the boys had fun running the bases after the game was over.


After a couple of days with interviews and house hunting, Amy insisted we had a good old New England day, so we walked the Cliff Walk in Newport and then had lunch at Flo's Clam Shack on the beach. It was beautiful and a lot of fun.




This is what they call red tide. The waves were full of red seaweed coming into shore. The locals don't like it, but I thought it was cool. I guess pretty soon I won't like it either.


Then it was up to the Willard property in MA for the rest of the week. This is where we will be living until our place in Chicago sells and we can buy in RI. Beautiful, isn't it! Although we love this place, we appreciate your continued prayers that things fall into place and our condo sells soon. It would be so nice to have it all settled and to move into the house we found and love in RI. Until that happens, we are so thankful to have amazing parents to help with the transition.


Owen taking a nap with Grammy.

The boys and their toys.


A playdate with Angela's friend Rita and her grandaughter Sophie.



We took Owen to see the neighbor's horses. Just as I was about to take him out of the wagon to pet them, Gunther decided to try and bite Mike. He got his shirt, which was close enough for me and that meant Owen was staying just where he was. Angela actually ended up going for a ride on Gunther later in the week and he was just fine.


The next day we took Owen in the wagon up through the woods to Marshall Farm to see their animals and get some homemade icecream.


They have a half zebra, half donkey that they call a Zedonk. We called it a Zonkey. They also had a miniature horse that Owen thought was really funny and two baby camels.




I took these in the garden. I was trying to do a little photo shoot for a Fuzzi Bunz contest, which you will see more pics of later.



This is the Willard's new puppy, Callie. She is very sweet and likes to cuddle.


It is still strange to think the next time you see pics from the east coast it will be because we are living there! Wish us luck!

Rocky the Rockstar

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Guitar Man

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingWhile we were in Rhode Island, we stayed with our good friends Pat, Amy, and Riley. Owen loved Pat's guitars and I was surprised he knew just what to do. He walked over and started playing them immediately.

The Orange Scooter

Uncle Larry has an orange scooter. Owen loved "riding" it. He did his usual, "vroom, vroom."

More Tower Hill Pics

Aunt Bev sent me some more pics from Tower Hill. Here we are on our way to climb.


If you look closely you can see Owen and I running down the hill. We are the little white spec towards the top.

Tower Hill

This is Tower Hill. My mom and her six brothers and sisters grew up climbing this sand dune every summer, and I remember going there often with my sister Karen and cousins. It is actually steeper than it appears in the pictures, and the fun part was always running down it after you spent all day climbing it. We went there with the Barrett gang before Mike and I went to the east coast last week.

Riley climbed the entire thing by herself. Owen didn't last very long. Mike and I took turns carrying him and then having him climb with our help.


It is hard to tell from this picture, but Mike is actually running up the hill with Owen. Crazy! He would pick a point, run to it, and then have to stop for awhile to breathe. It is hard enough to walk up it.


Owen posing with some of the dead trees and drift wood during a break in the climb.



Aunt Bev taking a break.


It is hard to clearly see in this picture, but you could actually see the Chicago skyline from across Lake Michigan. It was amazing.

Carissa and Alexis took a mud bath. It is a common thing to see people walking around like this. Tower Hill is part of Warren Dunes, a state park in MI. There is a campground and a river with mud beds.

Back at the beach we all had fun swimming and playing in the sand. Owen had a little too much fun and decided to drink his cup of sand he was playing with. Yuck!




Aren't these pictures awesome! I don't know who impresses me most, the fact that Mike can throw Riley up that high or that she has such great form?!



If you are Scottish, as I am being the second generation born in the US, you will appreciate these next pictures.


Owen is throwing a piece of driftwood that I was surprised he could even pick up. It reminds me of the Scottish Highland Games and an event called Caber Tossing.
During this event men throw long logs the size of telephone poles into the air with the objective of having it go completely over. It's hard to explain, but below is a picture of a true Scottish lad and his caber.





After a long day at the beach we had a cookout, with of course, SMORES!




These pictures of Rya, Nicole, Owen, and I were taken a couple of days before Tower Hill. We really are going to miss our friends and family!