Road Trip for Snow Cones

Kayti and I love snow cones.

As snow cone connoisseurs, we have identified two snow cone establishments on the East Coast worthy of a road trip:

One is Sno-To-Go in Williamsburg, a six hour round trip for Kayti's favorite Twizzle Berry and my favorite Cherry/Grape/Lemon Lime mix.

The other is The Snowball Stand in Woodstock, Maryland, a 2.5 hour trip round trip for Kayti's watermelon and my cherry, both with a huge dollop of marshmallow goo on top.

Last Thursday, Kayti took a personal day from school and we took a road trip to The Snowball Stand. To make the trip educational (ha!), I gave Kayti the map and she told me when and where to turn. No major highways allowed once we crossed the Potomac. For just over three hours we giggled our way along the highlighted route below, passing through lots of cute tiny towns until we finally made it to the corner of Woodstock Road and Route 99.

We took highways on the way home and made it back in 1.25 hours. Worth every minute in the car. Yum!

Entering the High School: A Study

More often than not this year, I have driven Kayti to school. This process gives her an extra 15 minutes in the morning and it gives me time with her in the car, something that will slowly fade away over the next few months as her solo trips as a new driver become more frequent.

Every morning, after Kayti gets out of the car, I have a brief moment or two while I am still in the car line to observe the social phenomenon of Entering a School. At any given time, there are about 20-25 kids walking toward the 2 sets of double doors to get into the building. While there are the exceptional one or two groups of kids entering together, the majority of 15-18 year olds enter alone, keeping their heads either down or straight ahead and walking tentatively to avoid the awkwardness of keeping the same pace with the person next to them. I've seen kids, who I am certain know each other, glance in the direction of their acquaintance in hope of recognition, only to be denied or unseen and so they continue with the pack as it moves toward the doors.

Funny thing about this ... at 49 I can still relate to the "will someone acknowledge me / should I acknowledge them" tug of war of this process and the agonizing attack on self-worth that can accompany it with every step. I still feel it sometimes as I enter the same building for church each week, but then up walks the designated Greeter, who reaches out his or her hand and welcomes me on Sunday mornings.

Too bad there's no Greeter Club in high school.

A Loser with High Standards

Every project, every process, everything we do can be broken down into methodical steps:

Step 1: Open refrigerator.

Step 2: Take out milk.

Step 3: Open pantry.

Step 4: Take out Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Step 5: Open cabinet.

Step 6: Take out bowl.

You get the idea.

My question of the day is this ...

Why is it that no one ever completes the last step of anything?

Last Step: Put cereal box back in pantry.

Last Step: Throw empty yogurt container in trash can.

Last Step: Fold up old tarp.

Last Step: Put hammer back in the garage.

Last Step: Wipe off kitchen counter.

Last Step: Put placemats back around the table.

Last Step: Put movies back on shelf.

Last Step: Put clean clothes away.

Last Step: Put pillows back on couch.

Each morning, I spend the first 30 minutes on the main floor of our house doing everybody's last steps. Why do I do do this, you ask?

Because I am a "Loser with High Standards" ...

What I like.

The older I get, the more I am refining my list of things I truly enjoy.

Of course, time with my family and friends will forever top the list, but interesting, unexpected things are pushing their way up as the

years go by ...

The Sound of Water ... not from a faucet, but from a babbling brook or a rain storm. Amazingly peaceful. See the pictures below and just imagine how wonderful the sounds are at Swallow Falls.

Screened-in Porches ... heavenly, especially when my family & friends are out there with me, too.

Puzzles ... Jigsaw, crossword, anagram, logic, etc. I could sit and do them all day long.

Quiet Mornings ... Waking up with the birds, praying before I get out of bed and enjoying a bit of alone time before everyone else gets up.

TV Shows about Cake ... Ace of Cakes, Ultimate Cake-Off, Challenge.

Lunch with Friends ... I'm not a fan of "fine dining," but I love the casual get-together with my buddies and a turkey sandwich from my favorite restaurant, JPs Deli.

Gary and I spent last weekend at Deep Creek Lake with a bunch of our close friends and I got to enjoy all of the above (except the cake shows) ... it was wonderful. Here's some of the beauty we got to enjoy:

Gary, Brian, Sharon and Mike at Swallow Falls National Park.

The largest waterfall in Maryland ... after climbing dozens of stairs, we got to stand at the top of the falls and look down over them (sorry, Mom, but I made it back safely!)
More dandelions than you could imagine ... a mother's nightmare, a daughter's dream.

Thank you Barbara, Brian, Doug, Gary, Kathy, Mack, Mike, Penny & Sharon for a wonderful weekend!