Family Vacation

Family vacation for the summer finally arrived.  The week came and went quite quickly.  Last week, we spent the week at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  This was different than our usual vacation.  Usually, you can find the Wood family at Ocean City, Maryland on 71st street.  Mom was ready for a new place, so Aunt Vonda contacted friends of hers.

Aunt Vonda's friends own a condo in North Myrtle Beach.  The condo is Xanadu 4.  It was a smaller building with only 16 units.  Our unit had three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and living room, along with an ocean-front view.  It was a cute little place.  Mom and Dad had a room, Aunt Vonda and Uncle Bob had a room, and I had a room.  There was just enough space for the five of us.

My schedule for the week was to be on the beach from about 9am to 4pm every day.  We took a break for lunch each day.  The weather was gorgeous.  It was sunny every day, but there was just enough wind that you didn't notice the heat.  We all spent a few hours each day under the umbrella when it did get really hot.  The ocean water was like bath water.  I would have preferred it a little cooler, but that was something I could not control.

I enjoyed the week reading "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The DaVinci Code."  Evenings were spent doing a variety of activities.  We went to a Steelers bar called Oscar's on our first night.  They had typical bar food, but the TVs everywhere were playing the Steelers preseason game.  There were tons of people with Steelers gear.  You would have thought that we never left Pennsylvania.  I felt slightly out of place, but I wasn't about to put on an Eagles jersey and get hassled!

We spent nights shopping, eating seafood, miniature golfing, and we even saw a show.  The show was spectacular.  It was sort of like Cirque du Soleil.  It brought back memories because I used to be able to do all the tumbling before I got hurt.  We met up with Mom's friends, Chuck and Cherie, one night.  We all went out to dinner and Mom and Chuck did a zip line across the river.  I thought about it, but it was a little too high.

It rained during the night on one or two days and in the morning on Friday.  We spent our last morning going out for breakfast and reading/relaxing in the condo.  The afternoon brought about more sun, so we all changed and down to the shore we went.

It was a really nice time.  It was just too long of a drive.  The traffic was not especially great.  It took us 12 hours to get down and 13 hours to come back.  I spent my birthday in a car taking naps on and off for 13 hours...I only got nauseous once!

Backyard Wildlife

Last week, Marc was putting some drywall up in the kitchen when he suddenly called for me.  I thought he screwed something up or got hurt the way he yelled.  Everything was fine in the kitchen.  He pointed for me to look outside, and standing in the backyard was a big 'ol doe.

Seeing the deer in the backyard made me think of a time when I was eleven years old.  Mom, Grandpa, and I went camping to Prince Gallitzin with Aunt Vonda and Uncle Bob.  We were cooking out dinner, minding our own business, at the campfire.  All of a sudden a fawn and a doe start to approach the campsite.  We were surprised at how close the deer got to us.  Aunt Vonda quickly (and not suddenly) grabbed some carrots.  Grandpa and I each approached the deer with carrots, and we fed them for a good fifteen minutes.

The camping trip was a first for Grandpa and I.  We created a lot of good memories on that trip.

Baseball, Fireworks, and Family

The Phillies were in town this past weekend!  Marc was excited, so we had tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings games.  I became a Philly fan by default on this one.  The Phils lost the game on Friday night, but they came back strong on Saturday beating the Pirates 12 to 4.  It was fun watching them hit home runs and scoring all the time.

After the game on Saturday, PNC Park sponsored a firework night.  We stayed after the game for the display, and they were beautiful.  The fireworks were all red, white, and blue because of the Fourth of July holiday.  There were some in the shape of hearts and stars.  The stadium played American themed music throughout the display.  It was very fitting, and really enjoyable!

On Sunday, Marc and I headed up to Brookville with Aunt Vonda and my cousin Rick for the annual Racchini Family Reunion.  We enjoyed the day with good food and great conversations.  People took naps in the shade, played cards, and entertained little children.  My cousins Heather and Joe did not make it to the picnic this year.  Heather gave birth to their third child, Alexandra Lorraine Racchini, born on July 2, 2010.  The happy family was enjoying their first day at home with the little bundle!

Although the day was a happy, we all still thought about Grandpa and how it wasn't the same without him.  According to my Great Uncle Skip, the Racchini's have been having a picnic like this for over 60 years.  The very first one was held at Skip's house in the 1940s. 

Marc's Living Room

Saturday was devoted to putting Marc's living room together at his house.  In the morning, he finished most of the painting.  Areas that still need painted are higher than Marc can reach, so we need to find/borrow a ladder.  Since he was in a painting mode, he also finished the insides of all the closets.  I have already the master bedroom's closet, the guest bedroom closet, and the linen closet.  There are still two additional closets that could be used for storage as well as the basement.

While the paint was drying in the living room, we took showers and got ready to go out to lunch.  We did a quick lunch at Bob Evans (I'm obsessed with their crepes!) then headed down to Pirmanti Brothers on the South Side.  The USA soccer team was playing in the World Cup.  Since Marc doesn't have cable yet, we had to go somewhere to watch it.  We met up with some friends, sat around the bar to watch the game, and had a few drinks.  I was really surprised with the amount of people that were there.  I cannot tell you if they just jumped on the bandwagon for the occasion, or if they were truly soccer fans like Marc.  Unfortunately we lost, so the World Cup is over for USA.  Marc is still interested though because he likes some of the other teams that are still going.

After the game, we stopped at Home Depot before returning to the house.  Some small items needed to be picked up for the house, so we thought we would give the paint some more time to dry.  We got home, took naps (yes, we still like to nap), and then began to fill the room with furniture.  We decided that once the bigger remodeling projects are completed in the house (kitchen and bathroom), we will be replacing the couch and coffee table that Marc's dad had given him.  The couch looks like it stepped out of the 1970s, and the coffee table is an all glass top.  I absolutely can't stand the coffee table, but it works for now.  We decided to look for a wooden one that will match the end table and entry-way table.

Below is a picture of what you see when you enter the front door and go up the set of steps.  This long table is one of my favorites, and it is decorated with items that we both had.  Of course, Duke has to be displayed front and center.  Marc didn't mind!

The second picture is the view of the living room.  The only thing missing is the giant TV that we do not yet have.  My TV stand will be coming from my apartment to go in the corner opposite the couch.  Marc is hoping to get a 46-inch flat screen in the near future.  We have other TVs that will suffice for now.

Company Picnic at the Zoo

Last Friday, we had our annual Sisterson Company Picnic.  This year, we decided to change things up a bit, and it was held at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  We were given the off (provided we showed up) and spent the day with good food, fun animals, and some quality conversation.  It was a very, very hot day, so we were thankful for the rented pavilion we had so we could stay cool in the shade.

In the morning, we were split up in groups to take tours of the zoo.  It lasted about an hour, but we only say the larger animals (lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, and elephants.)  We had to go on our own if we wanted to see everything else.  After our tours, we came back to the shade to enjoy lunch.  It was a nice array of hamburgers, macaroni and potato salads, chips, pretzels, waters, and sodas.

After lunch a bunch of us went back through the zoo to see everything and take our time.  Below are a few pictures of what we saw:

Cruise Miscellaneous

Each night after we got back to our cabin, Marc and I found the bed to be turned down with a friend on top.  We got a different towel animal each night.  Below are a few pics.

Here are a few shots of Marc and I throughout the week:

At the dinner table on formal night

After a few drinks... and Marc is still going!

Outside with the sunset (it was a little windy).

Sunset from the deck!  It was so pretty!

We actually lucked out and got put at a dinner table with really good people.  There were six of us all together. 

Front: Marc and Me, Kim and Chase (from Dallas)

Middle: Our waitress, Teresna (from Costa Rica)

Back: Erin and Randy (from Denver)

Nassau, Bahamas

Our last stop on the cruise was Nassau, Bahamas.  This port resembled a United States city the most.  There were taller buildings, concrete roads and bridges, and several fast food chains (we saw McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts). 

We chose the Clear Kayak Adventure for our excursion.  It was a little different than we were expecting.  The kayaks were more like clear plastic canoes.  It was very hard to see out of the bottom of them, but we still have fun paddling around and checking out the area.

On the boat ride out to the reef, we got a historical tour of the island.  We also passed huge mansions that are owned by Chuck Norris, Oprah, Nicholas Cage, and Tiger Woods.  The houses were gorgeous!  I have a picture of one below.

After our excursion, we went into the city and visited many of the shops.  Tourism is Nassau's main source of revenue.  They have a huge white tent that they call the Marketplace.  There are several vendors set up, and you haggle prices on the items you want to purchase.  I purchased an all wooden coffee mug with "The Bahamas" carved in it.  It was something different, and since I'm quite the coffee drinker, it will be useful.

The city of Nassau from our ship.

This is not Marc and I, but it is a picture of the clear kayak that we were in.

One of the gorgeous mansions on the Nassau coast.

Nassau was a busy place this day.  These were all the ships docked at the port.  From the left to the right:

Carnival Sensation, Disney Wonder, Carnival Destiny (OURS), and Carnival Fantasy

On the boat ride back to the city.