That pretty much sums up the weekend... hope you enjoyed it as much as I did...
What? Oh - details! well as it turns out I happen to have some time to kill so sit back and enjoy as Aunt Ing spins her tale of the weekend in lovely rustic Lancaster, PA. We begin or story with Thursday afternoon where Nana left early to due issues with driving in unfamiliar territory in the dark of night... no worries. Our hero's sister will not be arriving until later that evening - as she must work a full day... Aunt Ing left work early as she planned, with actually an extra 30 minutes because the live-in-person meeting was changed to a -lets dial-in meeting (yeah!) ...SO left 'early' got home proceeded to pack (over pack) then love the pups between everything as once again I'm feeling guilty -- did the dishes, got the laundry up stairs and generally make sure the house was in good order - as it won't be when I get home.
Stopped by the bank, deposited lady's group stuff, went to the grocery store picked up my prescription and some provisions for the road, pulled out my map quest directions, and programmed same into my cell phone navigational tool - glad I had both. I took the scenic route as the main highways at rush hour around Baltimore were SO not my idea of a good time... it was a very nice ride, and while Nana did beat me to the hotel, we met up and I found a very nice Italian restaurant and I certainly enjoyed my dinner - and didn't I have the numbers to prove it the next day!
Sis and our little entertainment machine arrived later that night, she was sleeping when she pulled in and in a move only I can do, gather up the baby and walked back into the hotel with the only key brought outside.. whoops. Nana came back got it - they unloaded sis and niece and all 600 pounds of necessary travel stuff and soon after everyone was settled in, mellow and sleeping...
Friday morning, up, moving, no schedules no worries, we shower, we putz, we make a breakfast decision then decide to play tourist, we hit the chocolate factory that well - we could see the outside of the factory and hear the workings from inside the 'gift shop' the only candy making we got to see - was the middle aged white women spreading marshmallow and peanut butter on something and then was probably going to cover it chocolate... of course upon seeing marshmallow one must then quote the movie Julie and Julia - where the french friend of Julia child asks "what is this marshmallow fluff?" say it with a french accent - very funny...
Not a particular favorite of mine (the marshmallow not the movie) ANY way - we shop enjoy and discover the pretzel factory is a short walk through the very lovely little town so we do that after a quick stop at the local 'information booth' which thankfully had rest rooms we picked up more reading materials and after making a small donation for both materials and rest rooms we strolled our way to the pretzel factory... where we enjoyed an interactive tour, with a built in make your own pretzel lesson - very cool... plus we got to see the actual ovens build in 1860's to make those hard pretzels and I can't even begin to imagine working those oven in the dead of summer... So we made, we toured, we bought soft pretzels, we ate and enjoyed...
We also stopped by the cup-cake-ry on our way back to the car....yummy... and saved our dessert bacon - but more on that later...
So then because the 4 year old rules the roost we headed back to the hotel to go swimming!! Oh why not? shopping - yeah yeah it will be there, this was one of the perks of the hotel - why not? And since Nana and I remembered our suits on a "good thing I checked the list" moment we all had suits and away we went... I spent a great deal of time trying to convince the niece that your bottom half should remain afloat while trying to swim rather than sinking to the bottom... I wasn't exactly what you might call successful - you try talking to a happy bouncy 4 year old with the undivided attention of 3 adults, including her mom, her aunt and her grandmother... spoiled just a bit there wasn't she? That's my job... I'd do it to the others but my brother is working... or something - plus this is the last year they will all be in school next year... Big sigh.
ANY way... swim, swim, Nana heads to the hot tub of no bubbles, because well yes, the pool was heated... just enough as to cause immediate wind sucking... but after a bit you noticed it wasn't all that warm either... we are all prune-y, Sis and M head to the showers to warm up, me to the hot tub of no bubbles we sit around for a bit then head back to the room, shower, dress, search the smart phone for dinner ideas... and head out...
Now we drive and find the place or at least what the phone GPS tells me it is... and it's not the same name, worry a bit, but figured it looks nice and if it does suck Sheetz is right there - we can do death dogs and move on with our night...
ANY way we get seated found out - because I asked - that the restaurant we were looking for is behind the one we were in.. we were here we were moving on. We ordered, and my sister seemed to enjoy her dinner - Nana and I went for red meat - my sister mentioned more than once now that I recall, that she was enjoying her dinner very much and how tasty she indeed found it... yes I do believe she mentioned her dinner and her enjoyment of it more than once, or twice - to the point it almost wasn't funny anymore... seriously Sis it was noodles and sauce and veggies and chicken - WTH was in that stuff??
Moving on--- we head back to the car and as per our usual methods, Sis loads up the kid, Nana gets in, I get in and program the phone back to the hotel... as I was sitting there waiting for the all clear, programming my phone there is a rap on my window - scared the living CRAP ('cuse the french) out of me - to which my sister- the knocker (on the window) proceeds to laugh like a mad woman because she had, indeed, startled the living daylights out of me! Laugh it up pumpkin I remember.... so she heads to sheetz to get cash, which that machine was out of - we pick her up and head back to the hotel... fat and happy and with a regular heartbeat again.
Friday night - all cozy, happy fed, we stupidly feed small child red velvet cupcake which then turns her into spaz-child because her aunt has no idea about red dye... trust me I remember now... won't do that again. So finally she's coming down, we're coming down, we crawling into bed... and ahhhhh....
UNTIL...this annoying alarm sound goes off. about midnight... now me being the urban dweller think 'car alarm' then worry that it's my car alarm...as I make 1 step to the window - my sister heads to the door... to discover it's the hotel's FIRE ALARM... well doesn't Miss I was a fireman come RAGING back out - she starts shouting-- "get up - get moving - grab your purses"... which she left her in the middle of the floor - she has her kid bundled and out the door before either Nana or I have our shoes or anything else on... we get outside put everyone in the car and fire it up, I then walk up to the lobby (from the outside) looking of course for smoke, flame SOME reason why I have been roused from my bed at flipping midnight... Got the lobby see people standing around, and the message I received was don't know why the alarm is going off , kitchens are clear hang tight... groovy. About the point I head back to our car... I hear the fire trucks so I figure we're going to be here a while, and frankly I gave serious thought to heading to the diner for midnight fire-pie. But as Nana tells me we need to quickly go back in since we're pretty sure that there is NO fire and she's got to pee and we want to double check we didn't leave anything valuable behind...
We sneak back up to our room, get in, get done, head back out to find.. 2 fireman outside our door - who didn't say anything to us- probably because we were leaving... back to the car... Nana then goes out to next phase of "are you done yet?" She tells us we're clear to go back in, yeah! So pile back in, get things settled, open book to read because I knew I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon - and Sis asks Nana what did the fireman say when they said we could go back in... Nana then replied didn't talk to a fireman - just some guy... 'click' on goes the light... "WHAT?" Sis begins to lecture then she calls the front desk, got the all clear from them then proceeded to continue with her lecture about talking to someone in a hat - like that makes a difference the guy Nana talked to could have had a ball cap on! She then went on and on about the type of hat... yadda yadda, light off and 3 women laid there in the dark while the 4 year old recharged her batteries...
Personally I read my book, rolled over, chatted to Nana, rolled over, stared at blank, dark walls and finally some time later managed to sleep....
Needless to say Saturday morning started much slower, but today was shopping day! We got up dressed and followed the phone to the mall - stopping to have breakfast - then to outlet heaven... of course I was told in the most nice way possible (NOT) that I was not listening to the nice lady in my phone because I turned into the wrong outlet for what Sis wanted and then I had to get myself back from whence I came and I can't say I appreciated the jokes.... "Yes! You did just see Tony Wang's Middle PA Chinese buffet for a second time - cram it. and the next one that says "Look girls Tony Wang's again is going to walk home" Har har har... backseat drivers...
SO finally with another wrong turn into the right mall and a small loop-around we found the store Sis wanted, and a parking space Aunt Ing wanted. Ah... shopping, kitchen store, gadgets, glasses - fun fun fun... we dump that load, and proceed to wander through the stores, stopping here and there, buying here - maybe not there... waiting for the mythical shuttle that supposedly runs between all the various pieces and parts... ended up walking the entire thing... and finally the sun was heading down, the evening fertilizer (read manure) having apparently been spread and all that lovely natural smell drifting across the shopping mecca... we decided to make our way back to the car - and think about dinner...
Page 2 coming....
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