As most of you know, Cameron suffered more than the concussion mentioned in the last post.  Without re-hashing the details, let’s just say that he exercised poor judgment…similar to that of the poor sap in the photo above.  What do said sap and Cameron have in common?  Neither was wearing a helmet.

Cameron is usually pretty good about wearing a helmet.  But for some reason, and on my birthday no less, he decided to become the Jean Van Damme of skateboard stunts and attempt something spectacular sans-helmet.  Big Mistake.  He remembers the stunt going bad, and then he has a fuzzy recollection of waking up on a friend’s couch.  Two hospital visits and two doctor visits later, he was promptly ensconced in a Pediatric ICU Unit with a 27 meter needle in his spine (or so it felt) draining spinal fluid that was creating pressure inside his now cracked (though still thick) skull.

After five days on his back (and only on his back), he was pronounced healthy enough to leave the hospital but warned that he’d be “uncomfortable” for awhile.  Today he’s a reasonably normal version of himself but one that suffers from recurring headaches and a general state of “wobbliness”.  In other words, he’s on the path to a full recovery.  He should be good to go in just a little bit, and he’ll most certainly be a wiser version of himself than the one that made such a potentially devastating choice just a short time ago.  Right Cameron?  Right…I thought so.

Thank you again to everyone that stayed abreast of Cameron’s progress.  We appreciate the thoughts and prayers.  For those of you reading this that weren’t aware of the severity of the incident, I apologize…things were a bit hectic for a few days.

When Cameron comes to Florida in a few weeks, he’ll be leaving the skateboard at his Mom’s.  We’ll play a lot of golf, we’ll get him back in Aaron’s gym, and we’ll feed him well (every other day).  Maybe we’ll let him play with a bouncy ball or something similarly low-risk.

Kristin is contemplating a school change.  In an effort to jump-start her education, she’s thinking about leaving William Patterson (where she’s an undeclared major enduring the standard fare of liberal arts) to enter a school that caters to her primary interest: interior design.  Teachers and professionals alike have declared her interior design skills to be “very good” to “excellent”, and having enjoyed her expertise firsthand, I have to agree.  She’s brilliant!  (Sorry…excuse the outrageous display of pride…)  Should she decide to make the change, she’ll dive headfirst into a program that can have her up and running in as little as two years.  After that, intern opportunities lead to careers with the likes of Ethan Allen or Disney.  I kinda’ like the idea of Disney…

We’ll keep you posted on her decision.

Mark just came off Aviation Week (a success) and is busy preparing for Sub Week.  Marine Week was fun, Surface Week wasn’t.  If there was ever any doubt about Mark’s lack of enthusiasm about being on a ship, that doubt is now removed.  He hated it.  (Kinda’ makes the Navy an interesting choice, doesn’t it?)  Anyway, given the opportunity to take the stick of a Navy Trainer in flight, he declined.  Why?  Because flight time is limited, and Mark decided to use his time to enjoy the pilot’s skill.  He experienced a bunch of rolls, dives, climbs, and upside-down flying that left him even more convinced that aviation is his first choice of career paths.  Given that our favorite midshipman enjoys a class rank of 59 (out of about 1,200), he’s got a good shot at getting his choice of career pipelines.  But then again…

…part of Sub Week includes an overnight “cruise” that other mids have called “a blast”.  The Navy has been falling short in recruiting Sub Officers for the last several years, so the sub guys put on a good show for mids-soon-to-be-Naval-officers.  Mids enjoying high class rank are recruited for subs aggressively (and I mean aggressively).  Sub school involves two difficult years of study, but at the end, graduates hold the equivalent of a masters in Nuclear Engineering.  These guys (all guys until this year) join an extremely small group of individuals worldwide qualified in all aspects of nuclear power.  Once deployed, Sub Officers enjoy some of the highest compensation in the military.  Demand in the private sector is off the charts.  All in all, it’s a great career path…

…unless your passion lies elsewhere.  So I guess we’ll see, right?

Paris is enjoying a few weeks in Girl Scout Camp.  It’s a day camp experience now, but Kristin just reminded me today that when she was Paris’ age, she enjoyed one week of overnight Girl Scout Camp.  She was angry with us for not allowing her to attend two.  What the hell was I thinking?  I let my little girl spend a week away from home in the woods?  Where were all of you to smack some sense into me?  I guess it wasn’t all bad…Kristin has great memories of her camp experience, and she quasi-chastised me for not considering overnight camp for Paris.  The only overnight experience Paris is going to enjoy in the near future is in a convent.  (Do convents still exist?)

I must be getting old.

More soon –

Mark was one of the “Fencers of the Decade” in Passaic County.  Just as importantly, two of his teammates were named, and a couple of his friends/competitors made the list as well.  All good guys, all deserving!

Mark is in San Diego right now for ProTraMid (Professional Training for Midshipmen).  He may even be out to sea (this week being Surface Week).  His phone is dead, and staying in touch with him during the week while training is near impossible.  Last week was Marine Week (at Camp Pendleton), with Sub Week and Aviation Week coming up.  He’ll hopefully see all of this over the weekend when he has some time off.

Congratulations Mark!

Kristin wrapped up Year One at Patterson University.  One down baby!

Cameron recently managed another skateboard related injury.  This time it was a severe concussion.  The discussion over helmets being worn at all times has already happened on several fronts.  When he finally remembers what year it is, I think he’ll consider favorably all of the helmet advice he’s getting.

Paris wrapped up another successful school year.  She tested and qualified for every available accelerated learning opportunity offered in our school system.  It’s certainly nice to have choices…

We celebrated the end of school with a short trip over to Disney.  Four days of fun in Paradise!

More info soon!

It’s my understanding that the skies are gray in the Great Northeast, there’s been lots of rain, and the mood in general rates pretty low. So here’s a clip from sunny (and finally warmer) Paradise…

Double click on the clip to get it started — (we killed the original video…too many folks were unable to run it…)

For those of you that only see a black box above, please enjoy the video courtesy of Vimeo below:

Paris has always had her own Christmas tree in her bedroom.  Each year, we set up the Big One, and we set up one for her.  Santa always leaves presents under both trees, so as you can probably imagine, the Bonus Tree is quite the bonus!

Today was a bit on the chilly side in Paradise, so Paris broke out the cold weather gear.  We managed a high of 67 degrees, but hey!  67 is chilly in Paradise.  She’s had the hat since she was two –

We’ll continue getting ready for the Big Day!

Speaking of Big Days, we’ve got a Big One coming up this Saturday!  Army-Navy 2009!  This is “Beat Army!” week at the Academy, and we always do our part to participate.  Raise the banner!

John Gallen will be pulling for Army at the game, but we don’t hold that against him.  His Dad and his father-in-law are both Army vets.  Even so, we know that deep down inside he’ll feel a sense of pride when Navy kicks Army’s ass!

Right John?

John?

Hey, you Northerners!  If it’s chilly and/or wet next Saturday, send warm thoughts to midshipman Mark!  He’ll be entering the Stadium early for the march-on, and then he’s in his seat until the end!  Last year was cold (if I recall correctly), but this year may be better!  And for anyone going like John is…be sure to catch the march-on.  It’s one of the coolest traditions in College football!

Go Navy!  Beat Army!

Those shoes are not the girly-girl variety.  Somehow or another, Mom found the kiddie version of a punk rocker boot.  Paris may be slam dancing this weekend, I guess…

Add the black lipstick before heading out to hunt candy!

Oh!  And proof that candy will rot your teeth, kids!  Paris lost another one!

I have not seen any pix of Kristin or Cameron in costume.  However, for those of you so inclined, there are some pictures of Mark in costume on his Facebook page.

Well…it was.  Cold, that is.  And rainy.  I wouldn’t call the month “bad” because…hey!…we got to see a lot of folks that are very important to us!  But the weather prevented us from doing a lot of things we would have liked to do, and as a result, our photo collection is sparse.  In fact, the gloomy weather must have had an adverse effect upon my thinking skills.  We had a beautiful day in Albany hiking with Peter and Mona, but did I take any pictures?  No!  I blew it!

So.  Let’s look at what we do have.  First, we arrived in the area and immediately caught up with the kiddies.  Yes!  Paris adores her time with her siblings, and this visit was no different.  We managed to get ‘em all!  Can you believe it?  And…we even met the lovely Michelle.  Cameron finally introduced us to his date after what…18 months?  “Hey Cameron!  Do we embarrass you?”  Hmmm…maybe we don’t now, but gimmie a minute, okay?

Michelle!  This is the young lady who will someday suffer my hands around her neck because she and Cameron text each other incessantly!

I’m kidding, Cameron…put the weapons down.  Here is the lovely Michelle sitting with the hairy version of Cameron:

Fast forward.  We hit Sami’s house, we hit Grammy’s house, we hit Oma’s house, and we descended upon Peter and Mona’s house.  We were all over the place during the first two weeks of June, and it rained non-stop.

Kristin had her prom.  Kristin had graduation.  Christopher graduated.  And Cameron’s birthday is Monday!  We had a lot to celebrate!

Since I had to leave a little earlier than expected, we celebrated Cameron’s birthday on Thursday.  Here are the greatest girls in the Universe enjoying lunch!

I have no idea what is happening here.  Obviously hairy Cameron has become hairless Cameron, and Herb has got some hair action going with that napkin.  Cameron thought it was funny…

And here, the Hairless One opens yet another birthday card.  He looks frustrated!  I guess it does get difficult opening such a large number of cards with checks and cash falling all over the place.  Such work!

We’re not following any chronological order here, so let’s jump back to our Broadway excursion.  Paris (and Mary Kate, Karen and I) ventured into the City to see The Little Mermaid. Fantastic!

Walking in the City!  When Mark, Kristin and Cameron were little, they used to beg me to “go walking” in the City.  We were never allowed to take a cab no matter how cold, how windy, or how rainy it was.  They loved — absolutely loved! — walking in the City.  Cameron was just a baby, so he got pushed around. What did he care?  I have pictures of all of us on the Empire State Building.  Alone.  It was so damn cold that no other person was silly enough to go up 100 stories in the snow and wind.  And when we came down?  “No cab!”.  We had to walk to our next destination and to our car.

So here are Paris and Mary Kate doing a little “walking”.  Paris isn’t as big a fan of New York City compared to her siblings, but she knows how to get around.

And what’s this?  Get ready!  Line up!  We’re here!

Cameras are not allowed in Broadway theaters, but I had mine ready.  We were in the second row, and I had some prime shots lined up.  But the seats were a mixed blessing.  I was in clear view of several Camera Nazis and ultimately, I decided against any photos because I figured it was a bad idea for Paris to see me being escorted out of the show.  It might have left a blight on her day.  I did find some promo shots online and, though not great, they give you a sense of the stage scenery and setting.  It was very impressive!

The “water” is colored sheeting of some sort with light tubes on the top to give it shape and a boundary. It rose and fell in realistic waves.  The performers all wore custom made (and costume appropriate) “heelies”.  If you have kids, you know the shoes I’m talking about.  The large wheel embedded in the heel allowed the actors to glide across the stage like fish gliding through water.  They even had to “wiggle” to get moving (just like a real fish).  Ursula (bottom left) was elaborate and brilliant!  The photo doesn’t do justice to the human-sized octopus moving convincingly across the stage.

Ariel was the show favorite, of course. And then Sebastian (no pix, but he’s the crab). But Paris’s favorite “off” character was this guy –

He’s the chef tasked with making dinner for Eric (the prince) and Ariel.  And he decides to make fish.  For a mermaid.  Pretty funny…

Last night in town!  At least for Dad, anyway…

Carnival!  Paris loves carnivals — what kid doesn’t?  And she has perfect, carnival companions…Kristin and Cameron!  The girls get ready to do some violent, multi-directional, torturous ride from Hell…

The operator wisely put Kristin on the outside.

Here they are getting on some other Death Trap.  This thing was called “Hurricane” (or something)…Paris is all smiles here, but in the end, she decided it was a “terrible, terrible” ride…

Why?  Well…would you ride something that goes round and round at high speed that some stoned, illegal bolted together the night before?  Look at this damn thing…

I don’t want to put unneccessary fears in the heads of any of my kids, but I think Paris is starting to figure out what makes sense in life and what doesn’t.

Speaking of which…I just got off the phone with Paris moments ago.  She’s having a blast with Tonte Stephanie at the Warwick house.  She’s got a few more days of New York before she comes home.

Mark is on a training block doing a little sailing.  As it turns out, he’s doing multiple, short trips instead of one long one.  His first was not his cup of tea.  They sailed from USNA to Baltimore, down to Solomons Island, and back to USNA.  He tells me that “Monster (the energy drink) plus no sleep plus waves at night are not a good combo.”  He didn’t lose his dinner, but it was close.  Apparently they sail through the night and the boat has to be manned (obviously).  He also complains that sleep is impossible because “tacking and jibing is loud and rolling into the wall tends to wake you up”.  One mid was hospitalized after hitting his head while trying to sleep.  Poor kids.  Getting paid to sail…

Hey!  Future Plebes!  Mark suspects that some day, when he might actually be responsible for some of you, that some of you may find this site.  Whenever he tells you to stop whining, refer him to this post!

(He will most certainly make me take this down…)

Kristin in Florida in three weeks!  Mark soon after.  Cameron soon after that!  Yeah Baby!

]]> http://trunzo.com/2009/06/27/june-mega-trip/feed/ 0 http://trunzo.com/2009/06/21/paris-graduation/ http://trunzo.com/2009/06/21/paris-graduation/#comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:43:10 +0000 Jay http://trunzo.com/?p=725 Okay folks…we’re moving quickly now.  If you have not had a chance to check out Kristin’s Prom pictures, simply click on “older entries” at the bottom of this page.  You’ll find her at her finest!

Kristin graduates on Tuesday (the 23rd).  We’ll have pictures up soon after.  But until then, check out her little sister’s graduation!  Paris celebrated the conclusion of kindergarten on May 29th!  I know, I know…it seems likes ages ago, right?  But I had some video issues, and although I’m not thrilled with the quality of this one, I’m happy enough to feel comfortable sharing it.

Our videographer was none other than our favorite midshipman.  He managed a week with us after his training block in Mayport, FL.  We expect to see him again in about a month.  Kristin will be with us at the end of July, and our resident golf stud (Cameron) will hit Paradise in early August.

Okay!  Video!  It’s just under seven minutes, folks, and it should load up very quickly.  Hit “play” and you’re off!  Be sure to watch to the end!  It gets better as it goes along, and we also slip in some “credits” for a nice gift to help Paris celebrate.  A gift?  “From whom?” you might ask…

…check it out and see –

Mark was lucky and snagged zero block as his first summer training assignment.  Zero block is the shortest training block of the summer, and it also starts soon after the mids’ last final exam.  As counter-intuitive as this may sound, it’s actually considered a good thing.  It allows mids to get their training underway, it buys them two bonus weeks of leave over the summer, and it allows for an escape from duties during the hyper-busy commissioning week period.  Plus, Mark was sent to Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville, FL!  That’s about 260 miles away, but at least it’s the same State!  So we get some bonus time with him…

Those of you to be lucky enough to be considered one of Mark’s 10,067 Facebook friends have already seen the photos.  But for the mere mortals amongst us, I have a few I liked:

This is the USS McInerney.  This li’l frigate acted as Mark’s home away from home for two weeks.

This is what most of us would call a “really, really big gun”.  The guys on the ship occasionally get to shoot this gun.  They like that…

This is another gun (although it doesn’t look like one).  It should never be confused with R2D2 because R2D2 couldn’t shoot 3,000 massive rounds a minute.  This gun can.  It’s called a “Sea Whiz”…probably because if you’re on the wrong end of it, you’re doing the second part of the phrase while the 3,000 rounds whiz past you.

Frigates fire torpedoes too.  In the old days, frigates were tasked with chasing down enemy subs.  Subs still quake with fear if a frigate is in the vicinity, but today frigates are used mostly for drug interdiction runs.  Frigates carry one or two helicopters to help with the sub chasing, and today, the McInerney carries this nifty little guy –

That is what’s known as a “UAV” (unmanned aerial vehicle).  Think of it like a big, remote control helicopter with big guns.  This UAV is currently being tested before a full-blown deployment across the fleet, and Mark’s frigate is the lucky platform used for testing.  There are only one of these right now, and you’re looking at it.

Here’s Mark looking somewhat nervous next to our little friend.  Since it doesn’t have a pilot, I think he’s worried it might decide to shoot on its own.

So what else do we do on frigates?  Well, we train!  Train, train, train!  Everybody has to know what to do in any given circumstance!  And some of those circumstances are called “emergencies”.  Emergencies are bad.  Like…a fire on a ship, for example…when you’re out in the middle of the ocean, a fire is not a welcome sight.  So let’s learn how to put one out, okay?  How?  Well, c’mon!  First you gotta set one!

That’s a training area on dry land.  There’s no point in setting the ship on fire, right?  Now everybody learns how to put it out!  Oh, and that shed in the middle?  There are “simulated” guys in there waiting to be rescued before they become toast.  Better hurry Mark!

So…maybe you’re thinking “so what kind of real life cool things do these frigate thingys do?”  Well…check this out:

That pirate-looking steering wheel is not the one used to pilot the frigate.  It’s also not the wheel off of Gilligan’s S.S. Minnow.  Nope!  It’s on the bridge of the McInerney, but it’s a souvenier.  You see, it was taken from the largest self-propelled submersible ever captured by the US Navy, and the McInerney did the capturing.  This particular submersible was a small submarine transporting 12,000 pounds of uncut cocaine.  The crew of said submarine wasn’t willing to give it up so easily, but once they realized the game was up, they tried to scuttle (sink) their own ship.  The crew of the McInerney suggested to the sub crew that, since said sub crew thought sinking the sub was such a good idea, perhaps they ought to sink with it.  Once locked in for awhile, the crew saw the light and surrendered the sub.  (Before any liberal readers think about calling the SPCA or Greenpeace, please rest assured that the crew members of the McInerney are wonderful guys that would never allow hostile drug runners to actually sink with their sub.  It was a bluff, and it worked.  And yes, I was honored to meet some of the crew of the McInerney, and I can personally attest to their good character.)

Training concluded on Friday, and Mark has been relaxing and eating us out of house and home since.  He’s also playing a little golf, catching a little sun, and enjoying his new friend named “Aaron”.  More on that in the next post.

Meanwhile, Cameron is really, really mad at us for playing golf without him.  He hasn’t had a kind word for us all weekend.  We see him next week when he will most certainly be straightened out.

Kristin is getting ready to graduate!  But before that memorable day, she’s got a Senior Prom to attend!  I have been given the first, super-secret inside look at her prom dress while it was being altered to fit her super-fit self, and I gotta tell ya’…phenomenal!  Her female classmates are going to hate her!

Paris has three and a half days of school left…almost done!  She’s had a stellar year!  Plus, she’s been honing all four swimming strokes in preparation for joining the Sarasota Sharks.  The Sharks are a very successful, very competitive swim team in our area.  Competitors usually join the team at age 9.  As most of you know, Paris is soon to be 7….she’s a natural!  More on that as the season progresses!

In less than a week, all of us descend upon New York for our June extravaganza…we’ll be in the area for the entire month.  We’re looking forward to it!

Hey!  What have we here?  It’s Paris hangin’ with Mark!  What a rare sight!

Yep, we literally just returned from a long weekend in Annapolis with our favorite midshipman.  Paris misses him already.  Oh, and for those with a sharp eye, Midshipman Mark is wearing a uniform never before seen on this site — his “working blues”.  This picture was taken on Friday (a work day) when we first managed to catch up with our elusive mid.  (Paris was thrilled…)

It’s finals time at the Naval Academy.  At most schools, finals mean high stress, panic, very little sleep, and overall misery.  For plebes, high stress, panic, very little sleep and overall misery are regular daily affairs.  Finals bring sleep!  No morning formations, no classes, no “plebe-ness” (chopping, chow calls, abuse).  No stress (or very little), no panic, lots of sleep, and absolutely very little misery!  Mids (and especially plebes) love finals!  Mark was in high spirits…

We did the usual: relaxed with Mark, ate well, ate often, and swapped stories.  His are getting better.  I can’t imagine what the stories will be like down the road.  We also met his Sponsor Family (fantastic folks), we roamed the streets of DTA (midspeak for Downtown Annaplois), and basiclly had a wonderful time.

Check this out — Mark, Paris and I were waiting for Karen while she did a little shopping.  I turned my back, and I guess Mark decided to teach Paris how to salute.  Here we see her poking her eye out…

But here…here she’s getting it down!  Almost!

Now…if he’d just remind her to use her right hand…

We managed to bomb around the Yard with Mark for a bit.  It wasn’t a beehive of activity as it normally is because of exams, so we managed to see some things that normally would be tough to check out.  For instance, here’s Paris in the new, super-sweet Wesley Brown Field House. Wesley Brown was the first black midshipman to graduate from USNA.  He’s still with us, and he even signed the shovel that first broke ground on the site.  I remember the construction mess that was ongoing when I retrieved Mark from USNA Cross Country camp three years ago.  This place is amazing…

That’s Paris standing at the end of a long jump pit (one of two).  The track encircling the infield is a standard 200 meter indoor track.  But this baby is different…

The curves of this track are on hydraulic lifts.  The lifts bank the curves and when fully extended, the hydraulics lift the middle of the curves to just over four feet in height.  Incredible!

But wait!  There’s more!  Way in the back…way, way back on the wall, you can see a green tube looking thing…that’s artificial turf.  There are huge winches up on the walls behind where I was standing to take this photo.  Those winches can roll out that turf to make a full-sized indoor football field.  I’m talking 100 yards, plus end zones, and even goal posts!  To put this in perspective, also in the background are three, full sized basketball courts.  Each one of those courts take up the space of a normal sized high school gymnasium.  So!  That’s three, regular gyms tucked away at the end of the photo…and you can barely see ‘em.  This place is huge!

On the back wall to the right is a jumbotron screen.  There are five cameras mounted in the ceiling of the field house.  Guys running a few computers run the cameras and project the images on the jumbotron…so during a track meet (for example), the crowd can watch a 1,500 meter run while getting highlights of the men’s javelin on the big screen.  The picture doesn’t project the immensity of this place so well…but it is breathtaking…oh, and those windows overlook the Severn River.  Beautiful!

Speaking of the Severn River, Mark has two training blocks this summer.  One involves some time in a frigate (doing potential drug interdiction out of Florida), and the other is a sailing cruise (probably up the East Coast towards Rhode Island and back).  I’ve heard from other parents that sometimes the sailing cruises take the mids about a 100 miles off the coast.  It’s supposed to be amazing!  But…in one of these?

That is a USNA “44″, as in 44 feet long.  As many as 11 mids man this thing as it heads out to sea.  I don’t know about any of you, but I think I’d want to keep the damn shoreline in sight if I had to live on one of those things.  I’m sure Mark will have stories.

Now this thing…this I could take 100 miles off the coast –

That is the Pride of Baltimore. It’s docked at the Annapolis City Dock, and Paris and I stumbled upon it while we were waiting for Mark to finish up an ‘LMO’ (Last Military Obligation).  If the weather was better, we could have taken a ride!

The weekend went by too quickly, and before we knew it, we found ourselves at BWI waiting to catch our flight home.  But even there Paris managed to find something fascinating –

That is a 500 lb. stained glass crab that Paris found tucked away in an upstairs alcove at the airport.  She thought it was really, really cool (and so did I…)

Our weekend was a success!  Mark hits his frigate this Friday for a two week run.  With any luck, his Officer-in-Charge will allow him to forego the Navy’s flight back to Annapolis, and we’ll be able to meet in Jacksonville.  If we pull that off, Mark spends a week here with us, and then he and I drive up to New York together.  We’ll meet Karen and Paris at the airport, and then (then!) our one month stay in New York begins!

In Sunny Florida, the day didn’t start off so sunny. It was warm and humid, but the high humidity meant low cloud cover. We woke up to a fog bank in the back yard. But fog banks be damned, Paris knew that the Easter Bunny had made a visit! Let’s go! C’mon! Let’s find some candy and eggs!

The start of The Hunt.  Look out the back doors…see any sunshine?  Didn’t think so…

Ha!  The first find!  Things are starting to look up!

Paris is thinking “the older I get, the trickier that damn bunny becomes…where is all the stuff?”

She’s beginning to get a feel for the Bunny’s agenda.  There’s a pattern developing…and a sick little smile that says “Bunny, you’re mine…”

Out on the lanai now (that’s a fancy Florida word for “patio”)…starting to hit the Mother Lode…look at those eggs!

In the palm tree!  The fog makes the picture look soft, and Paris is thinking the Bunny’s skull is going to be pretty soft if she ever gets her hands on him.  Eggs in the tree?

More eggs in a tree…this time an oak.  The Bunny’s Evil Twin had to be the one that visited…the Easter Bunny would never be so diabolical!

Eggs in the hedges!  As Paris’s Dad, even I’m starting to get frustrated!  But she’s taking it all in stride…

Back inside…and what have we here?  Oh my…this looks…BIG!

What a stash!  Okay, okay…even if it was the Bunny’s Evil Twin, we can live with it…I mean…look at this stuff!

Hey, now we gotta get into the stuff.  Hey look!  I love this thing!

This is the basket Mom and Dad gave me.  I wish Mark, Kristin and Cameron were here…they’re too big for Easter baskets, but I’d share…maybe…for a fee…

So!  What do we do in Florida on Easter Sunday?  We do the same thing we do on Christmas Day!  We go to the beach!  (Other people go too…)

And I love the beach!

And then!  Ha ha!  Hey Mark!  This is just for you!  We wrap up the day with…

Okay!  That was Easter in Florida!  But wait!  Earlier in the week, we had a little long distance baking going on.  Mom and Paris made some Easter cupcakes in Florida, and Grammy, Grace and Troy made the same ones in Pennsylvania!  Check it out!

It’s hard to see the detail in the photo, but those are eggs (jellybeans) on a nest (coconut) on top of a cupcake.  Fantastic!

Speaking of fantastic, we have a little non-Easter, but fantastic news to share!

Ya’ know…we’re very fortunate.  Our family…and I don’t mean just our immediate family…our family is filled with wonderful young people.  I get to talk about Mark, Kristin, Cameron and Paris all the time, but I hardly ever get a chance to talk about the other kids.  Why?  Because you people need to send me more pictures!

Okay, I got that off my chest…

…anyway, Grammy and Pop Pop did just that: they sent me a cool picture that captured a very cool event.  You see beautiful Grace up there with the cupcakes?  Well check this out!  Here she is in her very first horse show, and if you look closely, you’ll see a Blue Ribbon on her saddle.  But wait!  She didn’t win just one Blue Ribbon…or two…or…wait!  Ready?  She won FIVE!  FIVE!  Five Blue Ribbons in her very first show!  Victory Lap!

Yes!  Congratulations Grace!  We’re thrilled for you!

Okay!  We have so many great kids in our family!  I need more pix!  More news!  More info!  C’mon!  They grow up fast…

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