And so, the fun begins!!

I hope everyone had the opportunity this past weekend to reflect on the blessing we have just to live in the USA; especially remembering those who have served and/or are serving to protect our freedoms that we so take for granted. We went to visit my brother and his family this weekend in Franklin TN (that's the Nashville area for those not familiar). On Saturday night, we went to the Zoo - I think it's the first time our kids had ever been to a zoo; except for the Yellow River Game Ranch. I think everyone had a good time. Check out the teeth on this Alpaca - they were at least 2-3 inches long! We also saw camels, donkeys, meerkats (aren't they cute?), giraffes and more. We also got to ride the carrousel - thanks Uncle Tom & Aunt Camille for taking us to the zoo; we had a great time!

On Sunday night, we went to a block party. The kids had a great time playing with some new friends, writing on the road with chalk, eating, chasing and popping bubbles, etc - can you tell what Daniel enjoyed the most? Oreos, of course, although he does love to play with bubbles.

Camille's parents live around the corner from them and they were at the party too. Camille's dad, Dave, tried to teach Emma how to play tic-tac-toe. She was very patient with him. Later, she wanted me to take a picture of what she drew with the chalk. Sorry, Dave, I guess coloring with chalk is more fun than just drawing X's and O's - maybe next time!

On the way home, we stopped in Chattanooga and took a ride on the Tennessee Valley Railroad. They have a short 6-mile ride from Grand Junction Station to East Chattanooga and back. You get off at the East Chattanooga station and watch a real locomotive turn around on a turntable. You also get a chance to go into the Repair Shop and hear our conductor tell us about what they're working on in the shop. On the return trip to Grand Junction, we had a new friend sit with us. She told us her name is Priscilla; although her mother called her Marcy. She kept wanting to sit with Daniel and he kept trying to get away from her. Meanwhile, Emma kept trying to sit with her and she really didn't want to have anything to do with her. In the end, she invited both kids to come to her house to watch a movie and eat lunch. She couldn't tell us where she lives. Maybe we'll see her again sometime this summer on one of our (sure to be many) trips to ride the train at Stone Mountain - we'll see.

I'm sure we'll have some fun adventures throughout the summer, watch for further details. We'd love to see everyone, just let us know where and when to meet you. We'll see what we can do. Have a great summer!!