You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2007.
This morning we went out after breakfast and walked around town. We stopped at the Y and found out more about going there, and then we headed over to the barber shop and the three oldest guys had their first REAL haircut (translation: not from Mom). It was so cute to see little Andrew way up high on the barber’s chair. This is a good introduction for him, since he’ll be in a wedding in July and I don’t feel qualified to cut his hair for a special occasion.
Then we walked down Main Street and stopped in a gift store that had a LARGE window display of Red Sox stuff. I cannot believe the amount of gifts, stickers, books, hats, umbrellas, etc., with Sox stuff on it. It’s everywhere! Even the gas stations have displays in them…I saw a Yankees-Red Sox chess set in a convenience store the other day.
It’s been cloudy and rainy today, so we came home after our walk and had lunch here in the hotel room and took naps. We don’t have a kitchen but we do have a fridge, so we’re able to keep milk for Jonathan and some leftovers and fruit on hand. David and I are trying to hold each other accountable to not eating too much at dinner, so we’ve been bringing stuff home every night.
We’ve moved from Brattleboro, VT, about 30 minutes down the road to Keene, NH, where David’s work is. He’s going to be keeping some crazy hours at work so we thought being closer would promote family togetherness a bit more….that’s the whole reason we’re here, after all.
Brattleboro is a completely artsy, granola town. For those of you in Charlotte, think NoDa except further to the left 
. There’s a great food co-op that we wandered around in yesterday morning, and there are all kinds of galleries, shops and little restaurants. Dogs are welcome nearly everywhere. The people are an interesting mix of love-the-earth, hate-the-president folks and native rural Vermonters who are a little more farm-y and less earthy. Strangely enough, as the boys and I were standing in the center of the town waiting to cross the street, “Song of the South” was blaring from a pickup truck nearby. (sweet potato pie and shut my mouth…) I loved exploring there! I wish we could have had a bit more time, but we may drive over there sometime and spend a day.
I must put in a recommendation for the hotel where we stayed… the Latchis Hotel and Theatre is right in the middle of town. It’s an old, Art Deco hotel which is being restored piece by piece. The place is decorated with art from local artists and schoolchildren. There’s a theatre downstairs that hosts shows, first-run movies and art films. It’s not a luxury hotel, but it’s clean and comfortable and all the people were friendly and helpful. They even let us rearrange the furniture to house the kids more comfortably.
Now we’re over in Keene, which is another charming little New England town, with more of a college town feel. Keene State College is here in town, within walking distance. 
The main street is full of little stores and cafes. We’re within walking distance of the Y, which gives a discount to the guests at our hotel. It was kind of stressful getting all our stuff and the kids over here by myself, but fortunately my mom came up and met me for lunch and helped me get situated in the hotel.
We also went and did laundry this morning at “Suds Bucket.” While the clothes were sudsing away, we walked over to Dunkin’ Donuts and got two munchkins each, and I got my first DD’s iced coffee of the season. “What are munchkins?” the kids asked, to my horror!
I left out one prize item from yesterday’s “Notes” entry. And that is this conversation:
What do you think the female equivalent of the goatee is?
David’s theory: shaving stripes into one’s legs or shaving smiley faces into one’s armpits
Kelly’s theory: shaving entire leg, leaving a ring of hair around one’s knees, with the center shaved out
Does anyone care to comment or is everyone running to throw up right now?
This is the very first time in my life that anyone has told me that I have one of these…
| What American accent do you have?
Your Result: Boston
You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don’t. Of course, that doesn’t mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine. |
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| The West |
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| The Midland |
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| North Central |
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| Philadelphia |
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| The Northeast |
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| The Inland North |
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| The South |
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| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz |
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Thanks, Amber!
Well, there are lots of funny things I could write about today, but instead I will give you details on one really funny incident.
We pulled off to a rest area in northeastern PA to let the kids run around a bit. Right before we pulled in, we passed a car with a license plate frame from a car dealership that is in Worcester, MA, near where I grew up. The car followed us into the rest area and parked nearby. Forgetting that Northerners don’t talk to each other, David struck up a conversation with the passengers of said car. He told them that I grew up near Worcester, and the conversation quickly became a rapid-fire exchange of information and “really?!” comments. It turns out that they lived around the corner from me for most of my childhood. I remember their son…he was in my sister’s graduating class and he escorted her to a semi-formal once. And they were on their way back from…
Charlotte! Their daughter now lives in Dilworth.
So there you have it…two families traveling from Charlotte with Sterling, Massachusetts, in common, meet in a rest area in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Who’da thunk it?!
We’ve made it to our first stop, near Harrisburg, PA. Thanks for your prayers…travel was safe and easy. The kids were troopers.
Things are always entertaining in the minivan when we’re traveling. Here are some of the highlights from today:
-About forty minutes out of Charlotte, Kelly mistakenly thinks she’s forgotten her cell phone. Ensuing panic gives way to scheming about how to get it back. David opens a different bag and finds it right on top.
-(one hour in) Mommy, what state are we in? North Carolina (repeat three times)
-(ninety minutes in) Sign: “Jesus Saves.”
David: I wonder if in other countries they have signs that say, “Buddha Helps.” Persistent giggles from Kelly for about five minutes. David, after considering it in silence for a while, decides that it would probably be, “Buddha Enlightens.”
-Mommy, what state are we in? Virginia (repeat eight times)
-(four hours in) At a rest stop in Virginia, the ladies’ room is out of order, so Kelly finds herself waiting in line for the men’s room with another woman. Upon hearing Kelly’s apologies for the wait (David and three boys are in the men’s room), the woman says in disbelief, “you have four little boys?! Don’t keep trying, because you might not get a girl!” At this point, Kelly decides to check out the selection of Little Debbie snacks with Jonathan.
-Many, many signs for Virginia Tech
-Sign: “Endless Caverns.”
David: “I don’t believe that. That’s a lie. You can’t prove it.”
-By the roadside: many silos
Cameron: You know why farms smell so bad? Because sometimes cows smell.
Ben: Mm-hmmm.
Cameron: And goats do, too.
Ben: And skunks! They smell really bad! They smell badder than cows and goats.
Andrew: And onions and peppers! They are very yucky!
A few weeks ago I wore a skirt with embroidery around the edge; a friend at church told me that I looked like I belonged in the Sound of Music. I tried to withhold my joy and bit my tongue before I shouted out, “Do I get to be Leisl?!” Of course, that wasn’t really the look I was going for, but I tried to take it as a compliment. Anyway, that explains my random post title…
To sum up, we’re going away. David has a work assignment in New England and we’ll be staying up there for 2-3 weeks. I hope to keep you all updated on our various adventures while we’re away. Our house and garden will be well taken care of; we are grateful for those who will be here in our absence.
So I will most likely be “off-blog” for the next couple of days as we travel. 
Please pray for uneventful drives to PA (where we’ll be tomorrow night) and VT (where we will land on Monday night). Maybe we’ll squeeze in a visit to Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service on Monday morning before we take off. If you’re ever in Carlisle, PA, please pay them a visit. The people in there are so kind and they have an unparalleled selection of books. If you leave their door, turn left and walk down the block, you will happen upon the unimposing brick building that is the U.S. home to Banner of Truth Trust. Such a theological powerhouse for such a sleepy little central Pennsylvania town. We really enjoy visiting!!
The boys are mostly excited about staying in a hotel. The “Hotel Game” is a popular one in our house and it mostly consists of dragging random blankets from room to room and pretending to sleep. I’m not sure why it goes this way; it’s not like we drag the blankets around the hotel when we stay there…but whatever.
And when we return to Charlotte, we’ll be in summer already. Hard to believe. I hurried up on Wednesday and put my summer veggies in the garden before our departure. It made me excited to taste the fresh pesto…mmmmm…
Scene: Family has just returned from overstimulating trip to Circuit City to purchase a laptop. While waiting for Mom and Dad to make up their minds, the boys took in a bit of Star Wars III.
Andrew: We did see Star Wars, and the guards were fighting!!
Mommy: Oh, were they using light sabers?
Andrew: No, they just did have water guns.
Mommy: Oh.
Andrew: And Luke (“wuke”) did have a water gun, and Martin Luther did have a water gun, and Yoda the Crocodile did have a water gun!
Mommy: Martin Luther was in Star Wars?!
Andrew: Yes, he was wearing a ghost thing on his head.
(Interpretive note: the robes that the Jedis wear are very similar to the robes that Luther wears in our storybook about him.)
Now who wants to make up a photoshop picture for me of Martin Luther taking the Emperor to task?
Here are some helpful resources when considering the tragedy at VA Tech:
Challies published some emails he received from church leaders in Blacksburg and supplied more links
Like you, I am occasionally watching the news and fervently praying for the whole VA Tech community, both those in Blacksburg and those spread across the world.
This will be yet another memory ingrained in that part of our minds…we will remember where we were when we heard. For me, that list goes something like this:
When the Challenger tragedy occurred, I was in Mrs. Nickerson’s third grade classroom. The class across the hall had been watching it live on TV, and their teacher, pale-faced and teary, came to the door to tell our teacher the news.
When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, I was driving from my grandparents’ house in NY to a rehearsal for the high school spring show in Shrewsbury, MA. It was April vacation, and it was raining. The car I was driving (my mom’s van) had problems with the driver’s side window staying closed, so I drove the two-plus hours listening to news reports on the radio with the cold April rain blowing in my face.
When Columbine happened, I was teaching at Holden Christian Academy. The principal immediately called a meeting to address how we would respond to questions from the students.
On September 11, 2001, I was eating breakfast on the couch in front of the TV. Cameron was playing on the floor in front of me and I was pregnant with Ben. I remember Matt Lauer saying, “We’re getting a report about a plane that has just crashed into the World Trade Center. We’re having trouble getting a picture, so we’ll get to that right after this commercial break.” I flipped over to ABC and didn’t turn it off all day. There was a picture of the towers onscreen when the second plane made impact. I was on the phone with David when the first tower fell. I remember when the newsman said, “All planes are now grounded in the United States,” and then hearing a plane go over my house minutes later. I know now that it was a military plane.
When the Columbia tragedy occurred, we were living in Fremont, CA and I heard the news on NPR while I was driving to the drugstore early in the morning.
My dad was the one to tell us about the tsunami…he and Mom were visiting us for Christmas here in Charlotte. He had been up early, reading the headlines online while we were sleeping.
What do you remember?
