Dollywood

Callie turned 10 this year, which meant we hit the road for the celebration.  We had tossed a few ideas around in the months leading up to it and finally settled on a regional treasure known simply as Dollywood.  Just a couple of hours drive from Lexington is the amusement park built by and dedicated to the one and only Dolly Parton.  We were all excited to see what the hype was all about.

Reese got to drive a car, so that wasn't a bad start.  Our plans were to spend one full day at the park and then spend another part of a day checking out Pigeon Forge.  The weather was good and we got to experience all of the rides we wanted to.  Dollywood is definitely a place that has to be seen to be understood.

Callie got to map out our path and prioritized what rides we needed to tackle first.  And to John's dismay, many of the early rides included speed and spinning.  He's smiling in this picture because he is happy to be with his daughter, but inside he is looking forward to the moment the ride is over.  Callie is smiling because she loves this kind of thing.

On the other hand, the Sarah-Reese duo was fired up and ready to be spun, twisted, and thrown in all sorts of directions.  Inside their minds they were already thinking about how much fun the next ride was going to be and if there would be enough time to get a sugary treat without the Enemy of Fun intervening.

And the going in circles at high speeds only continued, this time at a higher elevation.  And although Callie enjoyed the ride, she was a little bit grumpy because her mom was breaking the rules by trying to take photos while the ride was in motion.  Poor thing is conflicted inside - loves the speed like her mom but also wants to follow the rules like her dad.

Oh look - more spinning!  And this time they get you to inflict the pain yourself because you have the option to turn the wheel and make things spin faster.  And when you are on the ride with Reese, there is only one speed she likes to go, and that is fast.  Fortunately John had not eaten much before this one.  The teacups are a menace to society.

Dollywood was all decked out for Halloween, so there were pumpkins and cute little photo ops like this all over the place.  And there were huge pumpkin displays that lit up at night - they were pretty amazing.  We capture a good family shot before the crowds descended at night for the big illumination aspect of the evening.

This is just a small taste of some of the night time displays they had in the park.  The overall day was a great one and the second amusement park experience under our belt.  The foundation continues to be set for bigger and more famous amusement parks for future birthday celebrations.  Stay tuned.

Camping with the Abrahams

We have spent a lot of time with the Abrahams over the years, but this was the first time we took the show on the road in tents.  Hopefully this will just be the first of many times we go camping with them, because we had a great time.  This was a good test run, spending two nights over Labor Day weekend at a state park in eastern Kentucky.

Because it was Labor Day weekend we got to celebrate Sarah's birthday, and Kelly made sure that we did it the right way.  There is a cake underneath the ball of fire that Ella is presenting to Sarah in the picture.

Due to the increased candle count and the years of no practice, Sarah was to say the least a little out of breath.  Thankfully, Reese was more than willing to come to the rescue so that we could get the fire out and eat the cake.

Ella and Claire love their hammocks, and within minutes they had both found perfect locations to put them up for the weekend.  And our girls quickly assigned themselves to the hammocks as well.  The beauty, though, of assigning yourself to a non-sibling is the increased level of cooperation and decreased level of bickering.  Win-win for both families.

Although the campgrounds were not extensive, we were still able to find a mini-trail that we could explore.  We stopped midway for lunch and fueled up with only the healthiest snacks, just like you would find in the wild.  The hike was fine, but it's safe to say we probably spent more time at the camp site hanging out and playing a game called Splendor.  This game was great for all ages and we had to purchase our own edition once we got home.

It's hard to capture in a brief post how much fun it was just spending time with this crew.  They are wonderful people and are so good to us and for us.  On the way home we had to stop for lunch, and although there are other options, the only real choice was Miguel's, a great pizza place by the Red River Gorge.  We can't wait for our next adventure together.

Picnic with the King of Pop

It is very fitting that to mark the tenth year we have gone to Picnic with the Pops that we had the best night ever with the King of Pop.  It was a tribute to Michael Jackson and man, was it good.  We went back to getting two tables this year and we were lucky enough to fill those tables with some great folks.  We love that this event has always centered around our FPC family with us and the Chrismans at the core.

You might have noticed our theme was black and white in tribute to one of Michael Jackson's big hits.  We also had to throw in a sparkle glove and a signature drink we called Dirty Diana.  Each person's cup had a different song title written on it, and once the music started we made sure that if your song was played you got the opportunity to have the dancing spotlight if you so desired.  This was not a problem since most people never sat down.  This year's Pops witnessed the most dancing by far.

We had a lot of cute couples in our group, and we took pictures of them all.  But we are a little biased and thought we looked good enough to share.  Plus, Sarah wore a great shirt and we never  want to miss an opportunity to share the message it bears.  And although we did not get a picture of them, we were only tables away from another group of friends who had gotten a last minute invite.  This extended our dance floor to include the Fultz's and Begleys and only expanded the fun.

Some people had songs on their cups that had a 50/50 shot of being hear.  Susan and Kelly had some pretty great odds with PYT and Bad.  Of course, Susan was rarely sitting down the whole time the music was playing, so it didn't really matter what was on her cup.  This year will definitely be tough to top.

This was the last picture of the night since the camera went out the door once the music started.  But it captures so much of what we love about this annual night out.  From the beginning the Chrismans have always led the way in making it a night to remember.

Random Summer

As we may have mentioned before, Reese was not a fan of expediting the extraction of her front teeth.  However, after a day with Jessica Johnson and the promise of a huge gummy bear, we no longer had to look at a dangling tooth in the middle of her mouth.  True to her word, Jessica ensured the quick delivery of a three pound gummy bear on a stick as a reward.  This excited Reese to no end, and she happily posed on the deck while she nibbled on her treat with her gums.  We have no comment on the rest of her outfit other than to say, look closely at what it says on her t-shirt.  As a side note, this picture was taken on the balcony of the two-bedroom apartment that was our home for the months it took to renovate our house.  Not a bad view!

While Reese was losing teeth, Callie was enjoying time at camp.  This summer she got to spend a whole week at Cathedral Domain, and she shared that experience with seven other friends from school, which meant she never wanted to come home.  Callie looks forward to this sleep away camp every year, and we can see that being the case for years to come.

Even though Callie was gone we were able to have some fun of our own, thanks in part to the Johnsons.  July is a great month to hang out with the Johnsons because 60% of their family birthdays fall during this month and they know how to celebrate the 4th in style.  As you can see in this picture, they had the proper gear ready to go.

We went downtown to watch the parade.  In Lexington at least, the 4th of July parade is one where you are never really sure what you are going to get and who you are going to see.  Regardless, it is always a good time and an opportunity to get some fair food.  The weather was good and the funnel cakes were even better.

This summer also brought visitors from Scotland, namely Dylan and Meryl, the grandchildren of Chris and Sharon.  We all love it when the various members of the Chrisman clan come to town, and Sharon and Chris are always ready to include us in their fun plans.  This year meant jazz in the park, which everyone enjoyed.  Of course, one of the things we absolutely adore about Dylan and Meryl is their cute Scottish accents, which makes everything they say sound fascinating.

Another annual summer time event is the Preston twins' birthday.  This year's theme was the red carpet, and Matt Preston outdid himself with the help of a green screen and photoshop.  We are a little biased of course, but Callie looks pretty smashing here.  And since it is one of the few times outside of church that she is willing to wear a dress we figured it was worth putting in the blog.

As we mentioned, we spent a little over four months living in an apartment complex down the street while our house was being renovated.  Hands down one of the best aspects of apartment living was the pool.  The girls spent a ton of time at the pool and we loved being able to just walk up and swim for an hour and then go have dinner.  Reese particularly enjoyed playing the role of the leisure class to the hilt.  But both girls became incredibly comfortable in the water and by the end of the summer it was great to see how easily they swam, jumped, and played in the pool.

Although the summer always comes to an end sooner than you want, by the time August came around the girls were ready to go back to school.  It's hard to believe that this is their second year in elementary school together.  They both love Cassidy and were excited to see their friends and meet their new teachers.

Trip to "the Lake"

After we had a great time at "the lake" with the Johnsons the previous summer we decided we needed to make it an annual event.  This summer the perfect weekend to do it was when the Johnsons were still hosting a Japanese exchange student named Kyoka.  This time around we were only doing a day trip, but we were ready to make the most of it and included the Ingle-Mayfields as well.

We quickly learned from last year that you can never have too many flotation options when you go to the lake, and it is impressive that we were able to actually get people on the boat in addition to all of the tubes and other inflatable objects.  The kids had a blast, and the adults had a pretty good time too.

Nothing says the lake like tubing behind a pontoon boat.  You can get just enough speed to make it entertaining, but not so much that safety is an issue.  Callie, Murphy, and Vivie Ann were the first to volunteer to get the party started.  This ride was pretty long, mellow, and full of giggles.

Next up, though, we had a threesome that raised the level of craziness.  Jessica volunteered to take Reese and Emerson on the tube.  These two are the most fearless of the bunch, and clearly Reese was happy to stand up to show off.  You may not be able to see it, but Emerson was standing up too with a huge smile on his face. Danger is definitely his middle name.

But if you really want the job done right, you have to get the mothers out there.  Jessica, Ann-Phillips, and Sarah decided to combine a day at the lake with Cirque de Soleil.  They were truly impressed with themselves and their audience on the boat was impressed as well.

So on this trip we rented a pontoon boat with a second level that had a slide going off the side.  But when you have a second level you can also jump off into the lake.  Or, if you are Emerson, you can have an adult throw you off the side.  It took a few minutes for Emerson's parents to convince John that it was perfectly acceptable/normal for him to throw the two-year-old off the side of the boat, but he finally relented.  And Emerson couldn't get enough. Eventually all party goers indulged in the jumping fun.

All good things must come to an end, and so as the sun began to get lower in the sky we had to head back to the marina.  It was a full day of fun with great friends.  And there is something relaxing about being on a boat and listening to the water rush by.

We couldn't leave without a final group photo and some ice cream.  We are lucky to have such a good group of friends, especially when the kids have grown up together.  We can't wait for the next trip to the lake, whichever lake that might be.

From the Ground Up

While we were gallivanting around Pittsburgh and other locations throughout the summer, true work was getting done at our house.  We really enjoyed stopping by every now and then to check on the progress, and it seemed like every day something new was going up.  The Chrismans shared our enthusiasm and embraced our excitement and desire to document the process.  Here is Chris, glass of wine in hand, demonstrating how he will come to visit once the project is finished.

And even on those days when we couldn't stop by, Sharon was quick to take photographs and give us updates on what was happening.  This particular update included the announcement that the Amish had arrived.  They were a fantastic work crew of framers, and we were mightily impressed by their craftsmanship.  If you ask Sharon, it wasn't just their work that was attractive.

When we say that the construction moved fast, we were not kidding.  It was incredible to watch the addition take shape in just a few week's time.  We have never been a part of such an undertaking, so it was so much fun to see it all come together.  Seeing this view for the first time made us realize how cool it was going to be to have our vision made a reality.

And it wasn't just the outside of the house that was taking shape.  Inside the house the framework for our new set up was also coming together.  In this picture the girls help us demonstrate the functional uses of the master bathroom.  If you look closely you can decide who is doing what.

One critical element that Sarah requested for the master shower was a large niche for shampoo bottles, etc.  Our contractor was a bit taken by the request at first, thinking it was too big and letting us know it would cost extra.  But Sarah was adamant, and when she saw the framed out niche her smile could not be contained.  No cost is too big for a proper niche.  (Of course she still wouldn't mind it being just a bit bigger)

Our daily visits brought excitement over the changes we saw, both big and small.  But this picture captures one of our biggest "aha" moments.  Our contractor had proposed going with bigger back windows than we had initially proposed, and we liked the idea because it matched our desire for more natural light and windows in the back.  But when we saw them installed we were a bit overwhelmed with how great it looked.

Another interesting feature of the addition came from the minds of our architect and his wife, a.k.a. Chris and Sharon.  Following one of their walks through our neighborhood they came up with an idea for an architectural feature to highlight the back entrance.  Sharon felt like something more permanent needed to be in the design.  We weren't so sure about it, but trusted their experienced eye.  Good thing we trusted them, because, like every other part of this project, as it came together we loved how it looked.

Pittsburgh with Grammy

In the course of our quest to visit all the major cities with baseball teams within easy driving range of Lexington we finally arrived in Pittsburgh.  We don't know what you think of when you think of Pittsburgh, but we loved it.  Our first day we jumped on a double decker bus tour to get a feel for what areas we would want to visit during our stay.

One of the cool things about the city is that it lies at the convergence of three rivers - the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio.  And along part of the river you can visit the location of old Fort Duquesne, whose history John will be happy to tell you at great length if you so desire.  It also had great views of the city and all of its bridges.

Another way to get a great view of the city is to take the Duquesne Incline, which is an old school cable car that transported workers to the steel mills back in the day.  Apparently it has been in operation since 1877.  There isn't a lot to do once you reach the top, but the view definitely makes the trip worthwhile.

Grammy Gayle found a great hotel for us to stay in downtown, which meant we got to walk all over.  This picture is on our walk to check out the baseball stadium the morning before we attended the game.  We found a path that was right next to one of the three rivers and had a great time soaking it all in.

On our city tour we found out that you can take a tour of the baseball stadium, so we decided to take advantage of it.  We never had done anything like that and now I bet we'll see if we can do it at every stadium we go to.  It was a lot of fun and the tour guides provided a host of interesting facts about the stadium and the history of the Pirates.

One stop on the tour was the press box, which has some of the most incredible views of the whole stadium with the rivers and city skyline in the background.  We also got to visit some of the luxury suites and sky boxes that aren't too shabby either.

Then they took us to the field and we got to sit in the dugout.  John had to teach the girls all about rally caps and superstitions that help make baseball what it is.  Seeing the field from this perspective is certainly a great way to get a feel for the game.

We were allowed to walk near the grass, but could not even touch it with our fingers.  Our tour guides went on and on about the special blend of grass and the amount of care that went into keeping it just right.  Once again, it was a great backdrop for pictures.

We still had time before the game started, though, so we took advantage of another opportunity and rented kayaks to head out on the Allegheny.  Now we got to see the city from yet another vantage point and it was a lot of fun.  Gayle stayed on the shore while we took the girls on a fun ride for a couple of hours.

They have a lot of bridges in Pittsburgh, but the Roberto Clemente bridge is the one they close to car traffic whenever a baseball game is going on.  So we were able to walk from our hotel over the bridge to the stadium.  It was yet another cool touch...well done, Pittsburgh.

Callie and Reese seem to enjoy this tradition of seeing American cities through baseball games.  We're not too sure if they enjoy the actual baseball games or just the treats that go with it, but either way it is a great time for all of us.  And it will always be a tradition that they will associate with Grammy, which makes the whole experience that much better.

Grammy arranged to fly back to California from Pittsburgh, so it was just the four of us on the drive home.  In the end, it was more like just the two of us, since our visit to Steel City clearly tuckered the girls out quite a bit.