I love being on vacation. I was off all last week and damn, I did a ton of stuff. Or maybe it just felt like it. You can be the judge…
After work on Friday, I met Pap at the house and we went down to Sears to pick up our new washer and dryer. As you may have heard, Sears is going out of business and everything was 50% off, our washer & dryer were fine, but old. So we decided to sell them and get the fancy new kinds. We bought the Samsung smart ones. When else would we be able to get the super expensive, hi-tech ones for half price? Without them being used? The only catch? They do not match…but who cares. They are pretty awesome.
For once I did not have any major issues installing something, but I think that was mainly because Pap helped me. Also, go ahead and make of my sexy feet in the reflection.
Saturday was Emelyn’s birthday party, but first Lindsey and Payton went to her cousin’s baby shower. It was an awesome party (and not just because she is my niece, but also because it was Puppy Dog Pals themed). Payton was being crazy and playing in the pool. We moved the little kids slide into the kiddie pool and Payton would go down it and just splash into the water. She has no fear about going underwater. After the kids were gone, the adults (or at least us guys) sat outside and drank some beers around the fire. It was nice to just chill for once without worrying about a kid running around or doing something crazy.
Sunday we went to Philadelphia. We were planning on hitting up Sesame Place on Monday, so we went down the day before. For some unknown reason it took us like eight hours to get to the hotel. Granted, we stopped a few times for a few things, but it was still pretty crazy. We played around the hotel for a bit, then we all went to bed. Unfortunately, Lindsey snores really loud, which woke Payton up like every hour. She would cry, then I would wake up and say “it’s okay PayPay, go back to sleep.” Needless to say that happened a few times…Lindsey slept like a baby.
Have you ever been to Sesame Place? I never heard of it until last year when Offord took his family there. He posted a bunch of pictures. I mentioned it to Lindsey and she was like “oh yeah, we went there a few times when I was a kid.” Oh…I guess I am the only one who has never been there. Just to let you know, I have never been to Disney World either. My poor childhood, haha.
It was a hot day, but luckily we rented a cabana. At first I thought it was crazy, but it ended up being a great investment. We did not have to lug around the bags or stroller. Would definitely recommend it. Anyways, it was a cool little park. Payton liked the water park, she loves rolling around in pools of water. We tried to go down a slide, but the line was pretty long and I do not think she could wait for it. Plus, water was pouring down on our heads, which she did not like. She was okay with the rides. Although, she did not like the mascots. We had dinner with a show and Payton freaked out when Cookie Monster or the other ones would come near her. It was a really fun day though.
Tuesday was a relax day. We did laundry (new W/D!), played outside, took Samson for a walk. You know, nice relaxing stuff.
Wednesday was the Pittsburgh Zoo with my mom and brother. The zoo is always fun. Payton was old enough that she could actually identify some of the animals. She loved seeing the rhinoceros, zebra, and giraffe. She was a little freaked out by the turtle (she does not like when animals look at her). Fun fact (not sure if I mentioned this before): Payton’s first major word was turtle and now she loves saying rhino, draff, eba, ostich (ostrich), and lion (if you ask her what it does, she will roar). It was a pretty long day, but after we left the zoo, GPS took us up 28 to 422. So we stopped in Indiana for dinner.
I went golfing on Thursday. I went up to Lemon Drop and played 18 by myself. Wow…that course is not very good. Most of it was barely cut. Ugh. When I got home, I decided to cut the grass.
Friday was a work day. Pap came back over and we went to pick up some topsoil. I wanted to level out the spot by the patio where the gas company ripped up the yard. Then Pap and I had fun loading up the pavers I used for my patio (I had a ton left over) onto his truck. He is going to use them at his house for a little project. As always, it was a fun time spending time with him. Anyways, I got the grass planted later that day.
After the grass, I decided to tackle another project. I went to Ace Hardware and bought a new spigot for the basement water. I was looking for the valve to shut off the water and turned one that I thought might be it. I heard a weird noise, then water started coming down through a hole in the garage. I realized pretty quickly that the hole in the garage is the same one that is in our kitchen. I turned the valve back to the original setting (must have been off) and ran upstairs. There was like a half inch of water all over the floor. UGHHHHH. I cleaned it up and then went back to the spigot. I eventually found the right valve, but guess what? My wrench was not big enough. I decided to clean the house and go pick up Payton. The spigot would have to wait.
Saturday was pretty uneventful. Lindsey worked, so Payton and I went to the park and played for awhile. Then we took Samson for a walk. We went to Johnstown and visited Lindsey at work. After that we made a trip to Lowe’s so I could buy an actual wrench set. With the proper tools I was able to replace the spigot in like five minutes. Yay! The basement no long floods when we run the hose. Anyways, Saturday was uneventful, but fun. I love days with just the two of us.
Sunday was awesome. Jason, Ryan, Offord, and I went golfing at Cloverleaf in Delmont. We had a great time, mostly busting each other’s balls and talking about our lives. We do not get together enough, but when we do, it is always fun. We even went for brunch at the Lamplighter (I definitely recommend their Sunday buffet, it is $13, but freakin’ delicious).
It was a great vacation. I feel like I can cross a ton of stuff off my summer to-do list. Here is probably my favorite picture from the entire vacation…my brother took it when we left the restaurant in Indiana. I just think it captures everything so well.
