Out for the summer - part 2

Back when I first got out of school for the summer, I wondered how I was going to spend the next 10 weeks. I know that there are many people out there who wish they still had the summer vacations they had when they were in school, but really...10 weeks gets a little long when you have nothing to do. Let me update you on what I have been doing this summer. My last post was about my job as a nanny - that took about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. Blair is a great kid and I really enjoyed my time hanging out with her. Other than that, I...
me at Old Bedford Village
...left Dallas on July 3rd and flew to Chicago then to Washington D.C. and finally to Altoona, PA. It was a very long day - just the right amount of time to change terminals and get back through security in Chicago and about 3 hours too long in Washington D.C. where all I could do was walk up and down the terminal or sit at the gate. On July 4th, I went with my aunt, uncle and cousins to Old Bedford Village http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com. We walked through an old town with houses and other buildings that had been moved there for restoration to their original form. We saw a lady spinning thread in an old house; walked through an old church; ate lunch in a tavern (I had sausage on a potato roll and a cream soda out of a bottle); went to the carpenters shop, the chandlery, the blacksmith and the whitesmith and two schools. On the 5th, we had our family reunion down at the farm and in the afternoon, my uncle loaded most of us (probably 60 - 70 of us) into 2 hay wagons, attached us to the back of the tractor and took off down the highway. On the 6th mom, pop, my brother Chris and I went over to the Bedford Springs Resort http://www.bedfordspringsresort.com to look around. The last time I was in PA, the Springs was in shambles but now it has been restored and is up and running for business. It is beautiful!
...Mom, Pop and I began our trek back to TX on the 8th and made several stops along the way. On the 9th, we stopped at Jackson's Mill in WV, http://jacksonsmill.wvu.edu, the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson. We walked through several cabins and 2 mills.

Inside the original mill

pictures of Stonewall Jackson
As we continued on our journey, our next stop was the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in KY, http://www.shakervillageky.org. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill was started in 1805 and the last Pleasant Hill Shaker died in 1923 - the shakers would be considered a cult by today's standards as they lived basically in communes as brothers and sisters - there was no husband and wife - and they tried to live a perfect life before the Lord. They are known as the shakers because of the body movements used during their "meetings" which we would call church. The same day, we got into Paducah, KY which is the home of the National Quilters Museum and many antique shops. We only had about 30 minutes before the shops closed, so we rushed through town looking at antiques - even bought a few treasures. We got back to Dallas on the 10th, had dinner, went grocery shopping and the next afternoon headed to Lake Whitney for another family reunion.

...today, I decided to ride the Trinity Railway Express http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org from end to end - I hopped on in Irving and went west to Ft. Worth stayed on and went east to Dallas. I jumped off at Dallas Union Station and walked a few blocks to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza http://www.jfk.org. This is the location where Lee Harvey Oswald stood on November 22, 1963 and assassinated President Kennedy during a motorcade through Dallas. There is an audio tour as you walk through and look at pictures and memorabilia as well as short informational movies you can sit down and watch for additional information. This was a very moving experience - and creepy to stand almost in the place that Lee Harvey Oswald stood.

Well, it's been a pretty busy summer so far and it's not over yet. I wonder what the next 4 weeks will bring...I'll keep you updated on my adventures.

Nanny

For several weeks this summer, I worked as a nanny for an almost 4 year old little girl. I gained a new respect for parents through this experience. I have been around kids in different avenues for the last 17 years: babysitting, working in my church nursery, working at a preschool and a daycare, teaching, younger siblings (my youngest sister is 14 years younger than me), younger cousins, and my niece and nephews. However, I have never been solely responsible for their moment by moment daily life.
I enjoyed hanging out with Blair and I tried to do as many fun things with her as possible, as well as just running simple errands. We went to a couple of parks, the Dallas Zoo, the Science Place in Fair Park (a great children's interactive museum for those Dallasites with kids of all ages) and we watched Happy Feet at the Studio Movie Grill. I took her with me to get my tires rotated, to get a new cell phone after I demolished mine and school supply shopping for when I head back to teaching.
I fixed breakfast and lunch; gave baths; cleaned so the house wasn't totally demolished at the end of the day; tended to boo boos; put together puzzles; colored; played hide and seek; and even had to put her in time out some. I was tired at the end of each day - but it was a good tired.
For you parents out there, I only got a sneak peek, but I applaud you because it's a tough job. But as tough as it is, I look forward to the day when I can join your ranks. I thank Blair for teaching me all she did about being a "mom".