Richard took me on a surprise weekend trip to Conway, New Hampshire. We visited that beautiful down years ago and it was lots of fun to return. The town is in a valley and snow-capped mountains tower in the background. Our hotel room had a breathtaking view of the White Mountains and Mt. Washington can be seen from almost anywhere in town. We arrived late on Friday night and went to a really good German restaurant, The Bernerhof Inn. The cheese fondue was DEEEEELICIOUS! On Saturday, it was sunny and almost 40 outside so we went shopping. We bought some souvenirs for the big kids back home and I found some yummy organic soap and body spray for me and the girls at Fields of Ambrosia. Yummy, you say? I only buy soaps and sprays that smell good enough to eat. The one I bought for myself was Honey and Oatmeal. See? Yummy! Anyway, the owner makes her products at her farm and I’m always excited when I find homemade, local organic products.
On Saturday night, we ate at a company that I won’t name because they brought our dinner before our salad. I really hate it when that happens. Makes you feel rushed, like they’re trying to see how many people they can get in and out of their door each hour. And, they were packed. I sent a complaint to the corporate office because this is the second time we’ve visited that chain and it was the second time our salad came after our meal. Hey, I’m not dumb. I can see the pattern. They sent an apology offering to reimburse our money for both of our meals and offered to send us a $100 gift certificate to our favorite restaurant. I told them I wasn’t looking for a free meal. I don’t send out complaints just to get money back. I told him to donate the money to his local food bank. I doubt he will but maybe I’m just getting too cynical with each passing year. (Dealing with the deadbeats we encounter with WritersWeekly Whispers and Warnings has definitely made me deeply cynical over the years.)
Anyway, on Sunday morning, it was sunny at the hotel but snowing on the mountains. That was something I’d never seen before! Despite the cold and mountain snow, we took Max and Mason to an indoor water park. They had a great time! I’m not an amusement park type of person. Okay, I admit it. I detest them. Ah, the sacrifices we make for our children. Dinnertime couldn’t come fast enough for me! We were soaked so we returned to our hotel room, showered, and ordered room service. It was actually quite good!
On Monday, we met with an author who’s going to move to BookLocker from another POD publisher (who not only made it very difficult for potential buyers to find his book on their website, but who also failed to process orders they received for his book because, we believe, they didn’t like his book’s political content). Anyway, he and his wife were sooooo nice and we had a very lively two-hour lunch and political discussion. When we were finished, they gave us a gift – an entire 1/2 gallon of Maple Syrup that was harvested from the trees on their land just last week! Whoo hoo! We LOVE maple syrup but don’t buy it often because it is SO expensive. We now have enough to last us at least a year! I immediately called Ali and Frank at home because they love maple syrup as much as I do. They were thrilled!
After lunch, we went to the local rock shop to get something for Frank. We were going to do some more shopping (gotta do our part to help the economy, don’tcha know!) but it was SO cold. I couldn’t resist stopping at the Bavarian Chocolate Shop on the way back to the hotel. Yum!!!
The last night we were there, it was -8 on Mt. Washington and the winds were blowing at more than 50 m.p.h. I was glad were were in the valley! We’re heading home right now. I’m writing this from the front seat of the truck.
I have a couple of Masonisms for you this week.
Max and Mason recently got an ant farm. The morning after the ants arrived, Max and Mason raced to the ant farm to see what had been done overnight. I said to Mason, “Look at that big tunnel the ants dug, Mason!”
Mason, who’s a train fanatic, replied, “But…where’s the bridge?”
And, when Mason was being a stinker one afternoon, I sighed, “Oh, Mason Hoy.”
Mimicking me perfectly, he replied, “Oh, Mommy Hoy.”
I also have an Ali-ism for you this week. While Mason is potty-trained, he’s not completely poopie-trained. He does go in the little toilet sometimes but he’s a bit hesitant about it. Anyway, I asked Ali to change his diaper. Ali was pretty upset that I’d asked her to help and, okay, I admit it. It was a pretty bad one. (Why do you think I delegated it to one of the teenagers? Heh…) Anyway, Ali was making a huge show of trying to hold her nose while changing him. She can be pretty dramatic and entertaining when she wants to be. She finally finished and exclaimed, “I am NOT going to feed my kids food that makes their poop smell like THAT!”
Angela
P.S. REMEMBER AND WRITE ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD USING MEMORY TRIGGERS! It’s fun and it really does work! My next class starts IN TWO WEEKS! Each class is limited to 15 students so sign up today! Remember, Write and Publish Your Life Story – https://www.writersweekly.com/wwu/courses