WOW can you believe Summer is coming to an end soon, not so much in the weather and calendar sense but in the back to school for the kids sense! Last week we took my two step-daughters out for "back to school" shopping. It was pretty easy, but we ended up going to three or four different stores and probably spending more than we planned on! I still can't get over these graphing calculators that are a "must need", even for a Chemistry class, and they aren't cheap...they cost about $80 or more! We were thinking of getting one online, but when you look at the ratings and feedback of the sellers and then you add in shipping costs you really just want to be safe and be able to take it back to the store if anything happens to it.

So the day after having so much fun doing back to school shopping, we went on our first family camping trip at Knoebels Amusement Park! The park has a very old time feel and a very family and even pet friendly atmosphere! There were dogs everywhere, I guess when people go camping for a few days they like to take their pets with them. We had a great time on the rides, roasting marshmellows by the fire, and just hanging out with our close friends who brought some of their family members along as well. The little kids and our daughters had such a great time. I have to tell you this park had some great food that really impressed me as far as amusement park food goes. I ate some of the best white pizza I've ever had...yum!! We also had some great tasting pierogies and refreshing slushies too! OMG...and they have the craziest wooden rollercoaster you have ever been on! Every time the coaster went up a hill or around a corner my butt was in the air! It was fun, but a little scary too!

What is everyone doing to celebrate the end of summer? Here are some fun photos from the park!

PS what are some programs you use to make your photos look more interesting on your blog?

Sister's Bridal Shower

This passed weekend was my older sister's bridal shower, which was at the same restaurant where mine was last year! We all knew she wasn't surprised, but she still loved that it was all about her...who doesn't! We had cake, watched her open wonderful gifts, and played some games. It was a really nice time and I can't wait for her beach wedding in two months! I can't believe she has 11 people in her bridal party; 8 bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids, and her flower girl...who is so adorable and excited to be in her soon to be aunt's wedding! Her flower girl is the daughter of her soon to be sister-in-law, her husband-2-be has three sisters and a great extended family. I'm so happy for them, they hope to soon start a family of their own.

How was your weekend? Doing anything special before the summer comes to an end?

Cake!

I put some seashell stamps and a cute couple on the gift bags!

The bride (center), my mom (left), me (in back), and my younger sister (right in pink)

Who came up with this ribbon hat idea!

The sweet couple! CONGRATS!

(All photos taken by me and a family friend!)

Vacation...

We had never gone down to the beach for vacation during a holiday before, especially for the 4th of July holiday. Let me warn you, it can get very crowded and don't ever try to leave on the 4th of July after the fireworks! We were there from Sunday to Friday last week so we didn't have any problems with holiday traffic...but from our hotel roof top balcony we could see the line, very long line of people leaving after watching the big firework show. It was the best show I've ever seen in person and it just worked out so well that it fell in the middle of our vacation. It also worked out that we were able to just go up on the roof top of our hotel and watch the amazing show! We love going to Ocean City, NJ with the kids, its such a great family beach to go to. There are no groups of drunks walking around, no gangs of Snookies or tough Jersey Shore wannabes trying to act cool, and no kids walking around with their pants hanging down trying to be gangster! It's a little old fashion mixed it when a little new school. There are kite flying events, family night on the boardwalk with mummers strutting their stuff, and beautiful sand sculpting contests. Our favorite thing to do as a family when we're down there is mini-golf, last year we ended up playing every night...this year we only played once...but still a great time!

It was very relaxing this year, no worrying about when to get up or when to go to bed. We just let things roll and didn't worry about planning anything. So where do you like to go on vacation, the beach, the mountains, overseas, fishing, just hanging out in the backyard, going for a train ride to the next city over, roadtrip, or just down to the local pool?

Click on Vacation title for more photos...