Good Morning Ellie,
I am writing this blog a week and a half before it is
due. Actually I am writing it
while traveling home from Green Bay.
I am not sure what my “Final Thought” is yet, but I do know that I must
share with you the final journey of our Green Bay trip. What a fun and crazy time it was and a
memory worth cherishing!
Final Thought: ?
Ellie, Poppy flew in late on Thursday, which was perfect as
it gave us the whole of Friday to pack in another full day… which of course we
did! We started off with a trip to
the Green Bay NEW Zoo. What an
awesome place for all age groups to visit! They have a children’s section filled with goats, llama’s,
chicken’s and of course a playground. You and Will fed the animals in pure childlike delight. A Zip-line and Climbing Walls were also
on premise, but I don’t think we will attempt them for a few years yet. They also house giraffes and a special
feeding time for little ones like yourself to actually hold a leaf plant and
let the giraffe take it from your hand!
Only here you and Will opted to let Poppy and I hold the plant… I think
it was because you saw how long its tongue was and didn’t want to tempt fate
(getting eaten yourself!).
The rest of the walk within the zoo was through lush
vegetation where we saw lions, prairie dogs, a moose, penguins, bear and of
course a carousel and train! You being
the grown-up girl you are, found the perfect carousel animal to ride. Will on the other hand might have
thought they were real as he held on to Poppy for dear life and cried the whole
way around!
The train ride was
much more Will’s speed but you were not receptive at all when it came to taking
pictures! Ughhhh… getting you two
on board so to speak at the same time takes great ingenuity!
Anyway on the way out, you politely
asked Poppy if he would buy you something from the gift shop. Knowing that you still had it in the back
of your mind that you were determined to purchase a gargantuan Packer fan cheesehead,
I clearly told you that you could only get one thing. You had to choose either one gift item from the Zoo or
the cheesehead… not both. So of
course you smiled sweetly with those baby blues of yours and handed Poppy a
stuffed giraffe!
And I should have known better because later in the day
Poppy made a special trip to the Packer Pro Shop and, yes, got you a cheesehead
too! When Poppy handed you the bag
with the triangular shape inside, you got so excited.
And I think with that twinkle in your eye and broad smile
you knew all along that Poppy would come through for you! We grandparents can be such pushovers…
well, more like Poppy can! Anyway,
Friday evening Gram Bubbles treated the whole family to a fish dinner. Now Ellie, you might be thinking,
“what’s the big deal about a fish dinner?” and I will tell you, “everything!” Friday night fish dinners in Wisconsin,
(fried perch plates), are as common as brushing your teeth daily. Since the restaurants where we live
don’t host any such thing, I make sure that when I go ‘home’ a fish dinner is a must. I will also tell you that you totally turned your nose up to
such a yummy meal and opted for a grilled cheese sandwich and french-fries
instead… nibbling only on the french-fries. At some point in your life I do hope you broaden your
taste-bud horizons! But on to Friday
night which also proved a bit interesting as the air mattress that you and your
mommy were soundly sleeping on popped and deflated almost immediately. Your Mommy, who was so tired, just got
up and moved into Gram Bubbles bed while you never budged and slept peacefully
on the floor till the next morning!
Oh to be young and not
worry about stiff muscles and sore bones!
Anyway, we are now on to Saturday, which was Stephanie’s
wedding day. And it was a
beautiful one at that! Well,
except for the mini melt down you had when you decided that you no longer liked
the silver shoes you chose to wear as the flower girl! As hard as it was to ignore you, it
honestly was the best medicine because when it came time for you to ‘walk’ the
flower girl walk… there was no problem.
Or it could have been because your cousin Cody had plopped you up on his
shoulders as soon as you arrived which seemed to help ease your shyness.
No matter, you and Barrett sprinkled
colorful pedals the whole way down the path while Brandon carried a small chalkboard
hosting the words “Here Comes Your Girl” as he followed you two! Since Stephanie is Aunt Sheri’s free-spirited child she was very true to
herself and held the wedding ceremony at their cabin in the woods, which holds
personal history for her. The deep
greens of the forest, the purple, turquoise, and black themed attendants
attire, the beautiful bouquets that Aunt Sheri made herself, and the arbor that
both your Uncle Jim and Aunt Sheri handcrafted couldn’t have been more
fitting. And you, Barrett and
Brandon were the icing on the cake, so to speak, as flower girls and ring
bearer! And of course your cousin
Stephanie made an absolutely gorgeous bride along with her husband, Mark, who
was equally handsome in groom camo attire.
Of course there
was a quick photo shoot of the wedding party, which surprisingly you not only
looked dead-on into the camera lens but actually smiled too! Go figure. But as soon as the photographer was done, it didn’t take
long for you to don the flower girl dress and put on your comfy old shorts and stained pink T-shirt! (And you did this El before we even
left the cabin for the reception!) Thank goodness Stephanie did not mind, as all she wanted was
for everyone to be happy and have a great time. And once you found the volleyball sandpits on the side of
the building that hosted the reception, that is exactly what you did… have a
great time that is!
Sadly Aunt Phyllis who flew in from Philadelphia for the
wedding fell ill for most of the trip and was not able to join in the
festivities. That is until the
following day, Sunday, when Aunt Sheri hosted a gift-opening/pool party for the
happy couple and family. While we
watched the lovely presents being opened and filled our bellies with the
delicious leftovers, you and all your cousins got water-logged and shriveled
fingers from playing, splashing and jumping in the pool. Again… another fun day to
remember!
Now we come to Monday which was the day that you, Will, your
Mommy and Poppy had to return home to State College. I think your Daddy, who was unable to make the trip, was
missing you all very much. Anyway,
your flight was in the latter part of the morning and since you are not much of
a morning person we let you sleep for as long as we could before awaking
you. Your Mommy moved you from the
bed to the couch where you could watch cartoons while I fixed you some pancakes
for breakfast (just so you know, Will was awake, dressed, fed and happy way
before this time frame!). Anyway,
here is the funny part of the morning’s story. Knowing that you can be a little bit of a grump-a-lump, I
set your breakfast plate down on the side of the kitchen table where Aunt
Phyllis was also sitting. I did
this so that you could still see the TV.
When I called you into the kitchen, you quietly walked in and took a
look at your plate, then Aunt Phyllis and then your plate again. And without saying a word, you slid
your plate clear across to the other side of the table before seating yourself
to eat your pancakes. Aunt Phyllis
watched you and your antics before stating, “Hmpf! Good thing I don’t get my feelings hurt easily!” Ellie I busted up laughing because that
is sooooooooooo you!
Anyway, I took you all to the airport, kissed you all
good-buy and returned to Gram’s house where I stayed on for a few extra days to
visit with my high-school girlfriends, who always bring me much laughter and a
gratefulness to our long-lasting friendship as well as spending some quieter time with my Mom (Gram Bubbles),
Aunt Phyllis, Aunt Sheri, Uncle Stevie and Aunt Dawn. Playing UpWords, having a delicious homemade dinner on Aunt
Dawn’s patio with a glass of wine, and ice cream with Aunt Sheri was for me the
perfect ending to a ‘never-enough-time’
trip home. Your Gram Bubbles
should be ranked as one of the best hostess’ of all time! How the chaos and craziness of the week
did not put her over the edge is beyond me… I guess Gram B. loves us El… with
her whole heart she unconditionally loves us! And for as much fun as you had with all of your cousins, I
think you would agree with me that next years trip to Green Bay won’t come soon
enough!
See you soon my little Travel Companion!
Love Mimi
