Makin' Memories

Today my in-laws leave us and head to Florida to spend time with their son in West Palm Beach. I'm a little sad, because even though I know they'll be back to see us before they head back to Honduras, I'm really going to miss them. They are a sweet couple who wonder about my sanity on a regular basis but they love me in spite of my kookiness. My father-in-law has gotten a good laugh out of giving me some Honduran slang to use on my husband. I may actually get myself in real trouble one of these days! With their time here rapidly winding down, this past weekend we took a couple day trips to show them a little more of the country. Saturday we went to Hershey Chocolate World. A great time was had by all! What more can you want? Family time and chocolate!

Our children enjoyed posing with the Hershey Bar. 

My in-laws had a great time on the factory tour! 

And of course the singing cow sisters were a hit! 

I love the change of the seasons, but fall is always very bittersweet for me. I hate winter more than any other season, and fall's job is to get the earth ready for winter. But, I do love the beauty of the landscape, and we took the opportunity to show my in-laws how beautiful Lancaster County can get on the way back from Hershey! 

Then on Sunday we took a ride on the Wilmington & Western Railroad with some good friends. We all had a wonderful time watching the scenery from the windows of a coach pulled by an old diesel engine. We reached Mt Cuba after about 20 minutes on the train, and had a picnic lunch at the lovely picnic ground the railroad maintains for the tourists that ride the rails. The next few pictures are a sample of the views we enjoyed on our little trip. 

We enjoyed a very nice picnic lunch at Mt Cuba. 

A beautiful covered bridge scene that seemed right out of a painting! 

This old house tugged at my imagination as I thought of the families that may have lived there when the train made its daily runs so many years ago. I could almost see the children who once lived there standing on the hill side waving at the engineer as the train steamed past. 

When we arrived back at the station, we took the time to snap some family pictures. The ones I will share with you here, are the ones that show the fun loving side of us! We were trying to get a mommy and daddy only picture when the little guy sauntered up and squeezed himself in between us like he belonged there. It made for lots of laughs and a cute memory. 

Our goofy children are hard to get a "nice" picture of. No matter how hard I try, their personalities always show through! I am told that's how it's supposed to be, but just once I'd like a "nice, normal" family picture! I may as well give up on that notion though, because we just aren't normal! 

This last picture pulls at my heart. It's the first picture of its kind taken of Martin's parents. When I showed them this photo, my mother-in-law smiled and smiled. Then asked if I'd be able to give her a copy. I was only too happy to say "But, of course!"

And so ended our weekend of fun and Monday morning it was back to the grind of school and work. But, I kept these memories close through the week, and truly felt I had been on vacation. I felt renewed just by spending time with family and friends talking, laughing, and taking photos that will forever freeze these moments in our minds. I am already looking forward to the next adventure with this crazy wonderful family of mine. With November and Thanksgiving fast approaching, it is good to be reminded once again of just how much I have to be thankful for.