After a long break in between we had a Piccirilli family reunion. Man have we changed since we were scrawny little kids swimming in my aunt Nettie's pool. Now we are the adults with spouses and kiddos running around. Sadly a few of the cousins weren't able to make it and they were sorely missed. It was so great to catch up with all of these guys.
Some good friends of ours invited us to spend a day with them on their boat. Ashlyn and Landon had never been knee boarding or tubing before. Ashlyn has been a "little fish" since the day she was born. When she was only four months old she knew how to hold her breath under water. She would get so excited when it was bath time and would play in the water long after it had gone cold. She loves anything water related and was eager to try knee boarding.
Landon was a little more timid. He has a healthy fear of water and is terrified of tsunamis and being left behind in the water. He asked us many times what happens when you are in the water knee boarding and fall. Does the boat leave? Will they come back for you? Always the sarcastic one, I jokingly told him that once you fall they leave you in the water and that you wouldn't believe how many people are just bobbing along in Lake Berryessa because the boats left them behind. Thankfully, he appreciates my sarcasm. Our friends eased his fears and made it known that they would definitely come back for him. He did an amazing job of facing his fears and not only did he knee board but he also went tubing with the girls.
I'd say he enjoyed himself.
My kids are thrill seekers. They love amusement parks and especially roller coasters; the higher the better. Knowing this, I planned a trip to Great America. We invited our friend Jack to come along. We knew he loved roller coasters too because he came with us last year for Landon's birthday. I think I will always have a soft spot for Great America since it is my old stomping ground. It is still hard for me to believe that Ashlyn is the same age that I was when my mom used to drop my friends and I off at the front gates. We had our season passes and would spend the entire day riding roller coasters and would only leave because the park was closing for the day.
Also, I will never be able to call this ride "Flight Deck". It will forever be known as Top Gun. I vividly remember standing in the three hour line with my friends when the ride first opened while the Top Gun soundtrack played in the background. Now I get to share it with my kids! Good times.
This is a picture of an amazing big sister. After Great America we stopped at a nearby Chipotle for dinner. Landon's blood sugar had rapidly dropped and even after he treated it with a fast acting carb his legs were still weak and shaky. With no hesitation, Ashlyn walked over to his side of the car and told him to get on her back. She gave him a piggy-back ride all the way to the restaurant.
Basil is hanging in there. Her back legs are still pretty weak and she slips a lot. Despite her pain she is still as loving as ever. Sweet girl.
The middle school group at our church has a week called Summer Daze. They have time in God's Word in the morning and then different activities each day. We went to Boomers, Waterworld, Capitola, hiking at Castle Rock park, and Six Flags. I originally went because I needed to make sure Landon's blood sugar stayed level throughout the long days of activities. Ashlyn made it clear that I should NOT hang out with him under any circumstances because it would be "social suicide".
Wow. Always fun to hear.
So you can imagine my surprise when on the second day she asked me to hang out with her and her friends. We actually had a really good time that week. It was physically exhausting but so much fun.
One of my best friends was in town for her daughter's soccer tournament and we got a chance to catch up! Shirene and I met when I started working at Bank of America during my senior year in high school. We went to the same college and had some classes together. We haven't seen each other in years but as always, we picked up right where we left off. I love those kinds of friendships. It doesn't matter how long it has been, when you see each other its as if no time has passed at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment