Vacation week leaves little time for Internet

I have taken lots of pictures this week of our adventures as have the kids. Thankfully we are enjoying every moment of our vacation and I have not had much time for the Internet - thus my lack of posts. Don't get me wrong I love sharing my adventures but I think I will take the time to post some of the photos when I return so I don't miss out on anything while we are still on vacation. The past several days have been spent enjoying all the different museums, yesterday we spent the entire day at the zoo and today we showed our gratitude by visiting Arlington National Cemetery. We also walked to several of the different monuments today. The only down side of the week was today on the Metro I had my Blackberry stolen (or it some how fell out of my holder unknowingly) I was using it for directions when we entered the tunnel for the Metro and shortly after arriving on the Mall I realized all I was left with was an empty leather case! Tonight we went and visited our friends Matt and Christa who live about 5 miles from the hotel we are staying at and enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal while relaxing with friends - Well Rebecca and I relaxed while Matt played tag games with the kids out in the tennis court. Tomorrow we are going to try to visit the Air Museum at Dulles airport and then we will be off to the NASCAR Truck race in Dover Delaware in the evening.

Road Trip

We decided to take a road trip this year for our family vacation and spend a couple days in our Nations Capitol - Washington D.C. We packed our bags yesterday and after a great night's sleep we took once last trip to the chiropractor and hit the road. The kids were excited not only to be going to D.C. but also about all the sights on the ride there. They were able to take in the Manhattan sky line for the first time this morning and get the reality of what I consider filthy city living! We took our time driving today and enjoyed the nice driving weather.

Once we arrived at our Hotel we drove into Old Town Alexandria and loaded our Metro smart cards for our daily commuting. I decided that rather than hang out in our room we would drive around and get to know the surrounding areas in the Capitol. The kids were amazed at the sites and sounds and enjoyed catching a glimpse of Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, The White House, as well as driving up and down both sides of the National Mall. I think the highlight of my night was when I drove past the Pentagon and Alex realized that it was a real place - not just something out of the movies! I look forward to the next couple days of getting to wander around the museums, memorials and not only entertain ourselves but get an education doing it. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully give everyone a couple of updates throughout the week.

Earth, Wind and FIRE!!!!!!

No, this post is not about music - it's literally about Fire! It has been very, very windy and has finally stopped raining the past few days here in the North Woods. Today I was working from my home office and due to the wind we had a brief power outage which caused me to lose my Internet connection for a short period of time. I decided to make myself something to eat for lunch and while standing in the kitchen I noticed something orange in my neighbors property. It took a moment for my mind to process what I was seeing - Fire! My first thought was is my neighbor crazy burning on a day like today but I quickly realized that this was not the case. I called 911 and got the fire trucks rolling and then Rebecca and I started pulling hose to knock down what we could. When I first saw the flames it was a small area burning and within a few moments the woods were ablaze. The local fire department showed up quickly and started positioning their tankers along my neighbors driveway and the other neighbors back yard and after about 2 hours all the flames and smoke had been eliminated. One fire man stayed on site for about another hour to ensure there were no hidden hot spots. When all was said and done it was close to an acre of woods that burned and for the most part there are only a few trees that were a total loss, most of them were evergreens that once the flames ignited the sap there was no getting near them! We were all so involved with helping fight the flames that we didn't take any pictures until it was all over and Alex asked if we could take pictures of the fire trucks before they were all gone. I am very thankful that we were home otherwise it would have been much worse especially once we realized all of our neighbors were unaware of the situation.

Alex's Racing Career

It's that time of year again - Pinewood Derby Racing! Alex came home several weeks ago with the flier that announced the date for the Awanna Races. I made sure the next week he had the money to purchase a couple of the pinewood derby kits that they provide (one for race day and a couple to use as rainy day projects we can do together as a family.) I sat down with Alex the next night and we decided on the basic design he wanted for his finished car and then we shelved the kit and thanks to my work schedule being crazy I totally forgot about it! Thursday afternoon Alex asked me if we were going to work on his car and I ensured him that we would work on it Sunday afternoon. It was at this point that he informed me that the race was tomorrow (Friday) night and that Sunday would be to late! Thankfully with some 11th hour dedication we were able to finish most of the car Thursday night and with a final layer of clear coat Friday morning we were guaranteed a starting position Friday night!

We arrived and registered Alex's car which he named the "Mach 18" and weighed in at 3.1 ounces. Alex was up against some serious competition but was all smiles as he realized that they were all friends. He ran a total of 4 race heats and finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd (there are 4 cars that run each heat.) Despite his great runs they have moved into the 21st century and have begun to track the times/speeds of the cars which determines who moves into the finals now rather than the average of each cars heat race results so his race career ended early which actually worked out well as I had to go to work.

We all had a great night despite the disappointment of not being one of the top 3 finishers. On the ride home we talked about the different cars everyone had built and the excitement of finishing each of his heat races without a single crash, we also reflected on how well his car ran despite the limited time we invested in its construction. I think what stood out in my mind from the evening was the fact that despite wanting to win all of the kids were cheering for each other and the good sportsmanship that was showed all evening between all the competitors.

Homeschool Wood Shop

The regular readers of this blog know that we are a homeschooling family. This year Rebecca's father decided to perform a wood shop class with Alex and his cousin Noah. They spent several Thursday's working with their Grandfather and this past week we got to finally see their completed projects. For this project the boys built multi-compartment bird houses which will be hung in the yard where we can hopefully watch the miracle of life this year and many years to come.

Here is Alex and Grampy posing with the completed bird house in the back yard.

Me hanging the bird house with the help of my climbing tree stand and admiring the view along with Alex and Dad's handiwork.

The final placement and view of our new bird house

Battleship Cove

Today we decided to take a family field trip to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a cool spring day and perfect for a day of fun and education. I have to say I was in awe of the entire exhibit - I have driven by it year after year but never stopped to take it all in. The exhibit is made up of a PT Boat Exhibition Hall, The Battleship-Massachusetts, The Destroyer-Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, The Submarine-Lionfish and the Missile Corvette-Hiddensee. There is also a 9/11 Memorial, The Fall River Carousel and the ever present gift shop. The Battleship was amazing and seemed to go on forever, I began joking that we were lost as we kept going deeper and deeper into the hull of the ship when I noticed that Rebecca looked a little panicked! I decided it was time for us to go topside and had no issues convincing Rebecca that it would be nice to get some of the fresh air out on the main deck! We had a great day and enjoyed touring all the ships. If you are interested in more detailed information about the site and the ships you can find it at: http://www.battleshipcove.org/

That slight tug on your heart.

Have you ever felt that slight tug on your heart or the nagging feeling that a simple call to someone is needed? I have had more than one occasion when I honestly felt that God placed someone on my heart and in my thoughts so that I would be able to lift them up during a tough moment in life. Some times a simple call to let someone know you are thinking of them can make a huge difference in their lives. I recently heard this song on the radio and it make me stop and think of the times I have been made aware that me taking to time to listen to someone else has helped someone and wonder how many times it has made a difference without me knowing. I realize how quickly life is moving around us and how easily it is to be distracted or caught up in our own lives but I think if we all took the time to listen for that still small voice and tune into that slight tug at our hearts for those around us the world would be a better place.

The Name of the song is "The Call" by Matt Kennon

Mixed Emotions on a day over taken with green

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - What exactly was the original reason for celebration you may ask?

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

While I may be of English/Italian decent I have had the pleasure of personal celebration on March 17th most of my life as it was my fathers date of birth. Since his death on Valentines day in 1993 I have found St. Patrick's day to be bitter sweet. While I always enjoy wearing my green "Erin Go Bragh" hat every year I also find myself wondering what life would be like if my dad was still here with us.

While Corned beef may not have been the traditional meal of the Irish (back then only the rich lords of the land could afford the salt required to preserve meat) we as New Englanders have always had a way with making a boiled dinner into something mouth watering not to mention the awesome things that become of leftovers especially my homemade corned beef hash! I must admit I indulge in corned beef dinners throughout the year but watching my kids sit around the table on St. Patrick's Day with a plate full of Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots transports me back to my childhood and the celebration of my dad's birthday, trying to be the first to butter his nose and my fathers yearly disapproval of me and my brother smothering our cabbage with ketchup!

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Every year I learn to focus more and more on my life's blessings while still honoring my fathers memory despite there always being a feeling of sadness when I realize the joys my family would have if he were still alive. I realize that he can't read these words but they make me feel better so...
Happy Birthday Dad - I miss you and Love you but most of all I wish you were here.

My 2008 tribute

My 2009 tribute

The Apple Of My Eye!

The past 3 days Ariel has been attending the State of Connecticut's hunter safety course at the Franklin Wildlife Management Area in North Franklin, Connecticut. Today was the last day of the course and was spent on the shooting range and taking the final exam. I am proud to say that she not only passed the exam she put 6 of 10 rounds into the target on the rifle range and actually shattered one of the clay pigeons on the trap range!
Knowing that she would be unable to handle any of my deer hunting rifles I decided to take a trip to the local Cabela's while she was at class today and surprised her with her very own Savage Arms youth model .243 which she has already proved she can place a round into the paper with!

I can't wait to spend time with her at the range and watching her zero in her new rifle. I am even more excited about the possibility of watching her shoot her first deer this year. She truly is the apple of my eye and I am very grateful that she shares my love of the outdoors.

Nine is Fine

I am always amazed when I look at the pictures of my children from the last 12 months and see how much they have grown. Yesterday was Alex's 9th birthday and we celebrated the day together as a family. For his birthday dinner we had authentic pulled pork taco's and per his request for dessert his Aunt Jackie made lime cheese cake.

I have been blessed with two amazing children and they are both special to me. I am very lucky to have a Daddy's girl and a Son who looks up to me the same way I looked up to my father as a child.

Alex,

You are the best son a Father could ask for. I remember the day that you were born and the excitement when I realized that I would have a boy to follow in my foot steps. I remember asking God to hold my hand as I raised you so that I would make the right decisions in the same way you hold my hand while we are hanging out together. I pray that you will learn from my mistakes and that I will be a Godly example to you as you become a young man. I am proud of you and thankful for your kind heartiness. I look forward to watching you mature year after year and hopefully some day seeing you graduate, get married and even start a family of your own. For now I want you to enjoy being a little boy (despite growing out of all of your clothes!) and have a great time throughout your ninth year of life. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Love,

Daddy