Weekend activities

One of the many impressive rocks at appropriately named Rock State Park

The Molyneux, Bishop and Slivoskey Kids

A Maryland Crab smothered in Old Bay Seasoning

The newspapers are spread out, crabs are stacked up and we're ready for some eatin!

Here is a Steelers linebacker missing his two front teeth

One of the great things about living in Maryland again is the plethora of things to do, especially on the weekends. Many of the things that we find ourselves doing here are the same things that I did as a kid growing up in Western Pennsylvania. There is seemingly an abundance of festivals now that fall has settled in. In the past few weeks, we had the Swan Harbor festival, First Fridays in Havre De Grace, and the Apple Festival. We get our fill of football on the weekends with Kodie's games and then some Steelers football on Sundays. I still haven't had a chance to watch a high school football game, but we are planning to head to Pennsylvania on Friday night to watch my alma mater play. I just realized that the players I will be watching tomorrow night weren't even born when I played my last game for the mighty Wildcats of Latrobe High!
One of the best parts of last weekend was getting the chance to see my uncle and cousin from California and my grandparents from Pennsylvania. They made the trip to Maryland for a visit and we had a grand time. My Uncle David always provides a lot of entertainment for the kids and this visit was no different. He has the ability to make kids feel like they are the most valuable creatures on the planet, and kids really love hanging out with him and Aunt Meg. He is a very kind person and quick to think of others before himself. My grandparents really amaze me too. The are in their mid 80's now and still very sharp and self-sufficient. They can still do most things that anybody half their age can do, and they are people of exceptional faith and strong character. They have been a beacon of support, strength, and consistency in my life and our family feels very blessed to have them in our lives. I know Kodie was really excited as well to have his great grandparents see him play on Saturday.

After my side of the family visited, we finished up the weekend with a little crab feast with my wife's sister Angie and our brother-in-law Jim. They bought some Maryland crabs from a local seafood shop. We had a nice time learning the techniques involved with breaking apart the shells and eating these tasty crustaceans. This is a rite of passage when you live on the eastern shore of Maryland and I have a feeling we'll be doing it again before too long. Jim and Angie are really easy to be around and we're happy that we now get to see them and their daughter Natalie on a regular basis. On Sunday, we watched a little football and Estalita spent a good portion of the day working on one of her indexes. We took a break for a few hours in the afternoon to get some homemade ice cream from a local dairy farm and then we went hiking at Rock State Park with some new friends from our neighborhood. I've included a few pics of the weekend activities.

Before I log out, I just wanted to thank those of you who have been voting for me for the Good Mood Blogger contest. I appreciate your votes.

Lights Out.