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The Covered Bridge Festival & Wind Farm

Earl Park Wind Farm

Today we went to the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. Mom had heard about it for years, but had never been down there. We drove south about 2 1/2 hours to get there. On the way, we passed a brand new wind farm. Seeing the wind farm was as interesting as seeing the covered bridges. This wind farm in central Indiana is expected to be one of the largest in the world. And right along the road on which I drove back and forth to Purdue for 4 years. How cool is that?!

The covered bridge festival was okay. Actually the bridges were amazing - some dating back to the mid 1800's. The fest part we could have done without. Lots of junk to buy, lots of people and crowds to deal with. It was still a fun day though.












Walking? I think not!

"Cross This Bridge at a Walk" - I looked it up. Here's what it says on the Parke County website.

What does "CROSS THIS BRIDGE AT A WALK" mean?
The inscription "CROSS THIS BRIDGE AT A WALK” dates back to about 1.880. A team of horses at a trot will coordinate their pace with one another. It was believed this cadence vibration could do damage to the bridge. So, the driver would have to slow his team to a walk to avoid this. Also, a lot of Civil War troops trained on and around the bridges. Their marching could do similar damage so they had to obey the same law.
The writing remains on some of the bridges for traditional purposes only. It does not mean you have to dismount your vehicle to cross the bridge!

A Baby Cousin!

We are having alot of fun getting to know our new baby cousin. He is so cute!










We met for pizza downtown - the night before the big race.

A new toy! This was a few nights later at Grandma Mary's.

For lots more pictures of our visit, click here - Chicago in October, 2008.

South Haven, Michigan

Today we drove up to one of my favorite beach towns ever - South Haven. People rave about the beaches in Hawaii (which are fantastic, I will admit), but I think the beaches of Lake Michigan rival beaches anywhere in the world. The sand is soft and clean. The water warms up in the summer. It's just so fun to be in South Haven - I wish I could spend every summer there. Relaxing and reading on the beach, eating at the Thirsty Perch, shopping in Saugatuck. What a life!

He did it!

Pat finished the Chicago Marathon! It was alot of fun zipping around the greatest city on Earth with Pat's sister and brother trying to find him on the course. It was sure hot for us, so I cannot even imagine running 26.2 miles in the heat (or the rain, or the cold...) Afterwards everyone headed up to our virtually-free Hilton hotel suite for Bacino's deep dish stuffed pizza and beer. Pat was awake enough to eat pizza and socialize, and then hit the hay early. What an awesome day. We all hope Pat runs the Chicago marathon again next year.

Almost to the finish line!!!

The Spectators!!!!

The 13 mile mark - we missed Pat here after waiting at least 30 minutes.

World Class Race

26 Miles-29 Neighborhoods-45,000 Runners

One World Class Race

*** The Chicago Marathon 2008 ***

Tomorrow Pat is running in the Chicago Marathon! It's a goal he's had for a long time and he is finally getting a chance. I can't even imagine running 2 miles, let alone 26! This afternoon, we went over to the Race Expo at McCormick Place and it really was pretty cool to see so many people getting ready to run. (Of course, this also meant tons of unadulterated spending on running merchandise was going on - not by us - , but hey, I say keep working to get the economy back up!) We are going to try and find him at a few stops along the course, but there are 45,000 runners signed up, so we're not sure if we'll actually see him. We are all very proud of him!

The MOM Song

This is the funniest video ever!


Click here to see it: You Tube Mom Song


From The Washington Post:

The Amazing Mom Song
If you could sing a song about your work/life balance, how would it sound?
Anita Renfroe, mother of three and a comedian (totally redundant, but that is her profession), condensed years of parenting into a three minute ditty set to the William Tell Overture.
Over six million people have watched it. If you haven't seen the YouTube video yet, get to it right this minute.
Renfroe told of her inspiration to sing her heart out to the CBS Morning Show late last year. "When my three kids were under six, people used to tell me to treasure this time, if I blinked I'd miss it, Renfroe told CBS. "And I used to go home and blink and blink and they didn't go away."
Here are a few of my favorite lines (you can also check out the full lyrics). But trust me -- it's far better to hear Renfroe belt 'em out:Answer the phone, get off the phone, don't sit so close, turn it downNo texting at the table, no more computer time tonight, your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen upWhere you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home?Look at me when I am talking, stand up straight when you walkStop crying or I'll give you something real to cry aboutBrush your teeth, wash your face, get your PJs onGet in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with MomDon't forget I love you
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never endsYou don't need the reason whyBecause, because, because, becauseI said so, I said so, I said so, I said soI'm the Mom, the mom, the mom, the mom, the momTa-daWords by Anita Renfroe Copyright 2007 Bluebonnet Hills Music/BMI

By Leslie Morgan Steiner February 22, 2008; 7:00 AM ET Category: Free-for-All http://voices.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/2008/02/the_amazing_mom_song.html