This weekend was our community's annual festival to celebrate the bridge that joins our two communities. Being a small town, we have parades, lobster dinner (we are in the midwest, a lobster dinner is a treat), activities, etc. We also have fireworks.

We've never been down to the activities, but last year we took the girls to the fireworks for the first time. Hopefully next year we will be able to do some of the activities. I would have this year, but between the garage sale I was involved with (and will do again next year) and Sarah's ball game which was from 2-4, we just didn't make it. Then again, it's not DH's thing.

Last year, we started to take the girls to the fireworks. This is a bit of a big deal because we don't have sunset until 10:30. They loved it last year, so DH wanted to take them again this year. We sent them to bed for a nap at normal bedtime (and S2 pissed DH off when she wouldn't go to sleep) and got them up about 10:15 so we would have time to drive to a friends house, feed her cats, set up their hammock and wait for it to be dark enough. The first fireworks started at 10:45. The girls had an absolute blast!

Earlier this week, my friend Sandy and her family came to visit us for a day. They live in Virginia. Sandy and I have been friends since I was 16 and she was 17. I remember when her kids were born and she and her daughter came to see me in the hospital when S1 was born. I've not seen them since we moved from VA exactly 9 years ago this month.

Man it was good to see them. We had such a nice relaxing day. They were were camping up on a campground on Lake Superior. The came in on Wed night and I headed up to see them while we watched the sun set. Thursday, we picked up some breakfast and headed back up to the lake. The kids (my two and her two teenagers), played on the beach together for several hours before we made them take a break for lunch. Then, I drove Sandy and the kids down to see our house. The girls and J (who is 14) started playing Wii and K (who has me unsettled a bit because she's 17 and I can't believe we were so young when we met) wanted to go back to the camp to take a nap. So, J stayed at our house and played with the girls while I drove people back. I then made some dinner and we got S1 ready for her baseball game (which everyone came out to watch). It started to rain and we called the game at 2 hours and 20 min (this was a game that started at 7:15 and ended at 9:35 when the kids were too tired to get an out. I adore our coach, he calls it when its time and doesn't have to 'play to the end.') So, we ran back, got changed, picked up my DH and went back to camp for dinner and s'mores. It was a very long day and the girls didn't get to bed until midnight, but boy was it a great day. I'm sorry they couldn't stay longer, but it was a fabulous time.

If I build it, they will come.

So, I am wearing exercise clothes around the house, and the treadmill is now set up and I even took it for a test run. Felt good, maybe I'll use it more often now

Cats, Otters, and 19 girls

Saturday at 9:00 AM, five vehicles, 19 girl scouts, and eight adults headed out on a four hour drive. We arrived in Duluth after a picnic lunch. There was only a small skirmish in between the four girls in my car.

At the zoo, we divided into different groups. The zoo was fun. The girls wanted to run to everything, and then we had a hard time dragging them away from each exhibit. Me and my co-mom found ourselves completely fascinated by the bats. Yes, the bats. It was so amazing watching them interact with each other.

Then we drove to the restaurant for dinner and on to the Aquarium where we unpacked the cars in the rain bringing in bags, sleeping bags, and pillows.

The Aquarium was fabulous. We learned all about sea horses, had a behind the scenes tour and saw the kitchen where the animal and fishes' food were prepared. Including the defrosted rats and baggies of rat and mice-icles. By then, it was pretty late because our schedule was on Central time, but our bodies on Eastern. We got the girls snacked, jamied, teeth brushed, and all in sleeping bags. They were so tired, they almost all fell asleep with almost no discussion or noise!

During one of the girls classroom activities, I had wandered into the main exhibit area. I was drawn to the otter tank. They have two otters. The otters kept swimming and then jumping out of the water to stand at the window on a tiny ledge before falling back into the water and doing it again. I wondered if they were interacting with me or just playing. So, I wandered to the other side of the corner I was standing. The otters followed me and played the same game in the new corner. It took everything I had to leave and return to the classroom.

In the morning, we watched the sea horses playing. They mate for life, and each morning, they spend an hour with their tails entwined as they talk to their mate. Then the men stay attached to their seaweed while they wait for the eggs the female transferred to them to hatch while the women head out for coffee with their friends.

Slowly the girls woke up and we gave them time to look at the exhibits, have breakfast, get dressed and packed up.

When the person in charge of feeding arrived at work, we all gathered around the otter exhibit to watch them feed the otters. BUT, as a special bonus, we were able to walk behind the exhibit (where the otter's sleep) to watch them have their private breakfast of cat food and carrots. Then, they cleaned out the pen and attached bananas with some peanut butter to the walls of the rocks so we could watch them jump and eat. Then, they scratched their faces on the tree limbs as they continued to ignore that we were on the other side of the window. When they were finished, one left the public view to sleep while the other first laid completely before curling up in a little ball just like my cats at home, to sleep.

Where did the cats come into the trip - the otters are so very catlike that I'm still amazed.

My cold is a bit worse now, but I had a great weekend! (sorry about the lack of cut - I'm too lazy to go back and fix it)