family fun fest

Posted in let me let me update ya, Travels by ElaineMarie

ok, so we’ve been doing a lot of living life instead of blogging about it, so, i’m going to try to catch up. a lot of cool awesomeness has transpired.

like many people, i have been blessed with a wonderful family. i mean, they are all REALLY cool. one of my cousins got hitched last weekend so it meant full-fledged family reunion. we made quite a weekend out of it.

the weekend consisted of: cousin reunion night out, great lake swimmers, late night karaoke, vintage store shopping, family fish fry & june birthday celebrations, the marion county fair, wedding wedding wedding, hotel party with a baby and sunday funday pool party. mike, darla and i then continued on to cincinnati for yeasayer on sunday night but that is all for another post.

pics!

looking forward to doing this all over again in 6 weeks. i love you, family!

16Jun2012

cleveland town

Posted in i dig music, Travels by ElaineMarie

we spent the eve in cleveland town for destroyer. i’d like to spend some more time in that city. we had good eats, good drinks, good tunes and great times. we’re very lucky to have some very lovely friends who show us phenomenal places to sup.

we dined at momocho and then took in destroyer at beechland ballroom. i will return to both. hopefully soon.

1. signage 2. my new luchador profession 3. mmmmm momocho 4. pretty venue viewage

30May2012

there

Posted in let me let me update ya, Travels by ElaineMarie

i’ve been pretty bad at removing myself from life to snap photos as of late. i don’t think it’s altogether a bad thing. here’s the very few pics i managed to get in DC:

as you can see, we did lots of walking. it was the only time i would stop and think “hey, i should get a picture of this.”

for a weekend it felt like we had our feet firmly planted in two different places. DC still feels like home. maybe it was because we got to hang with a bajillion of our friends and it felt like old times. i miss everyone so much.

thanks to everyone for the hangtime this weekend. we loved every minute of it. except darla, who says meeting the penguin at the yogurt shop was her favorite part of the weekend. that picture is the truth proof.

26May2012

District

Posted in Travels by ElaineMarie

We’re sweating it out over here in the district. I love this town.

24May2012

missing my family

Posted in Momma Needs a minute..., Travels by ElaineMarie

mike took darla on a two-day baseball extravaganza up to pittsburgh. i am waiting at the door for them to get back. i miss them both so much. mike sent these pics. looks like they’re having a grand (slam) time. PNC Park makes the 7th national ball park darla has visited thus far. how many more to go?

sorry about that unfortunate pun earlier but didn’t that last picture make up for it?

i cannot wait to see that little girl.

ps. i’m happy to see that mike and darla didn’t sit too close to the field. if we sit any closer than the nosebleeds i spend the whole entire game trying to cover my face every time the ball is hit b/c getting hit with a baseball is no joke people! here’s what i’m talking about.

momfearz.

22May2012

recovery

Posted in i dig music, Kiddie Hangouts, Travels by ElaineMarie

it takes a few days to recover from these weekends away, don’t it?

we drove on to athens on friday before heading to camp, then it was all nelsonville, all the time.

the weekend was a fine display of music. sunday was my favorite day, mostly because darla actually settled down for a nap on me so i was able to sit peacefully in the shade and listen but also because Dawes and M. Ward put on pretty excellent sets. Shovels & Rope were there and i’d say they won the hearts of just about everyone in attendance. I have a feeling i won’t be able to catch them in a venue as small as Rumba again.

i really love this festival. the people behind the curtain had a vision and i’m 100% a converted member of their church. darla spent hours in the kids’ tents and walked away with a handmade canjo, bluesband harmonica, tutu and she got to participate in a parade. i think the true aim of the festival is to make it a family and community event.

this is an excellent way to weed out all the douchey people we often come across at other festivals. no one is there to be seen in their wild, spandex hipster outfit. everyone is just there to have a good time. and be free.

as family friendly as it was, it was still A LOT of work to merge the wants and desires of a 3 year old with a camping, music festival weekend. DO NOT attempt this unless you are willing to weather tantrums, breakdowns, whining, crying and spasms of craziness. Oh, your kid might get a little upset as well.

still…

i’m ready to buy our tickets for next year.

17May2012

packing for nelsonville music festival

Posted in i dig music, Travels by ElaineMarie

our tent is up airing-out in the garage and we’ve got the car packed. i am pretty amazed at the fact that we’re proactive about our trip to the Nelsonville Music Festival this year. i think we’re getting better at being grown-ups.

i’m really excited for the weekend. we’ve got good friends to hang with, some yummy food packed, the promise of absolutely gorgeous weather, and our destination spot is in the doorway of appalachia.

i have such found memories of our first Nelsonville Music Festival experience. darla was 16 months and she had a blast running up and down the pathways between the tents, just checking in on other folks’ campsites. i was having mini heart attacks that she was going to run right into someone’s campfire but that, of course, didn’t happen. momfearz.

hmmm maybe that should be momjeanz sister tumblr site. just a list of all the irrational momfearz i’ve had since darla was born. because every mom freaks out that she’s going to accidentally drop her child down a storm drain, right?

i digress.

anyway, the nelsonville fest holds a special place in my heart. i think it was the first time i said “you know what, ohio, you and i may have some things in common.” if you’re looking for a fun event for the weekend i highly suggest making the trip down. the music and food are sure to leave you fulfilled.

i also advise packing bubbles. mike and i brought bubbles the first year to keep D entertained and I ended up being some kind of bubble pied-piper. at least 50 kids swarmed and had a huge bubble party when i broke them out. yes, it was a good time.

let’s hope this year lives up. i look forward to sharing our photos with you when we return.

27Apr2012

in the indiana

Posted in let me let me update ya, Travels by ElaineMarie

just a few pics of indiana stuff last week. darla sure loves spending time with her grandparents.

nap time with grandpa

baking with grandma

pink skies

balance beam on garden plots

and of course treats for willow

and just a little bit of normal life back here at home:

13Apr2012

vacation time share, redux

Posted in Kiddie Hangouts, kiddie-do, Travels by ElaineMarie

here’s the rest of darla’s vacation. i say “darla’s vacation” because there is a noticeable lack of any photos of me, meg or my lovely girl friends. just darla, cory and elsa. it looks like they all had a great week together, huh? oh well, jussgonnahavtagoback!

THIS is a mike wright smile

i love these last two pictures. darla was trying to argue with me about something probably inconsequential and then she was trying to be indignant. it’s pretty hard to take an indignant banana seriously… i can’t wait to put these pics on a graduation announcement some day.

we had lots of adventures, a good deal of which were not captured on film because i was trying to put the camera down, have conversations and be present some of the time.

i would say darla’s first trip to “Lost Angeles” was a success.

11Apr2012

vacation time share

Posted in Travels by ElaineMarie

oh what a play on words. i just amuse myself so much. i can’t get my mind out of LA. we just had such a good time. I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote lately: “Actually the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures…” I hope that darla will feel she had a very adventurous life when she is older. here’s some of why i can’t mentally leave that city and our friends behind yet:

literally ten minutes after being reunited. old habits die hard.