Never looking back again

The Battle of Gettysburg.

A somewhat appropriate title for our whirlwind 36 hour mini vacation and American history expedition. 

Here are the top 3 takeaways from our latest Live Your Life adventure!

3. We would never have made it as soldiers at Gettysburg.

 (except maybe Danielle...that girl does not stop!)

Danielle and the Monrobies going to check out the Union camps

The "high water mark"- we watched the Pickets Charge  walk from here

The kids with a civil war surgeon reenactor

It was rainy. Then scorchingly sunny and hot. It was HUMID. The children were hot, tired, and at times very crabby. (maybe I was too) There were several plaques that said things like "The 5th Vermont Battalion marched 32 miles overnight and then had to immediately cover the battle from the top of Little Round Top."  Yeah, I started melting down emotionally when I had to wait 10 minutes for the shuttle. 

2. Even when hot, tired and crabby, those Monroe kids take some cute pictures! 

They are so cute, right? SOOOO cute. 

Their very first time jumping on hotel beds

Elly and Katy (super excited to be in traditional civil war dresses)

1. It's really cool to not just observe and remember our amazing American history but to be part of it as well.

Elly with the Union soldiers, waiting for Picket's charge 

A plaque to the women of PA

Pickets Charge (see the confederate flags?)

Not an unusual sight yesterday in Gettysburg

The PA memorial. It was beautiful and sad. 

Even though I know they don't appreciate it right now, I hope that this trip will be part of who my sister's kids become. I hope they will be proud and grateful Americans. 

Yesterdays trip; while exhausting and insane, was a moment for me to recognize and remember how very lucky I am to be an American. 

 Happy Fourth of July.

Lori Ann

p.s.- Tomorrow's topic will be Amish country and how stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful Pennsylvania is.

No telling where it will take ya

You guys,

We've been to Philly.

 We've conquered NYC

And now, the next city to feel our wrath  (I love that phrase, I can't explain why)

Gettysburg!

(just like NYC, only rural. And smaller. And the site of a major civil war battle. And no hot dog vendors.)

Everything about this trip is already awesome. Between staying in a shady hotel in Amish country, to the kids extreme fascination with the idea that there might be ghosts, to the Miley Cyrus heavy playlist I created for our roadtrip.

This is going to be the most epic trip yet, I can feel it!

Lori Ann

I've got homies

My weekend so far. The picture version.

 This was me on Friday. In the middle of my 7 appointments in a row. Look at my eyes. Completely glazed over. 

 Then Elly challenged me to some soccer in the backyard. The picture after this is Elly crying and asking me for my autograph. (or perhaps its of Elly blocking me from scoring....again)

 The Monroes' are having weird and fancy dinners at their house like every night. I don't know what to make of it but it feels a little like betrayal. I felt the same way when they bought a house and got retirement plan and all that. I don't understand that kind of fancy living:) 

 I took Jack "I've read more books than you", James "Kayne speaks to my soul", Elly " The Olympic soccer scouts are calling me already" and Katy " I feed my stuffed animals human food" Monroe out on the town for a little while this morning. We started at Payless. Then made the next logical stop... 

 The fireworks tent!

Then for a secret club meeting at McDonald's. 

Since that time I have been watching shows about people murdering other people and getting into minor squabbles with the cats. 

La la la. 

Lori Ann

p.s.- I did see "the heat" with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock last night. (in a pouring down thunderstorm). I give it a 6/10. Funny but worth waiting to rent. 

I don't care what my dad says..I think Chief Justice Roberts is hot!

You guys,

Thanks to the Supreme Court's rulings today it won't be long until us eternally single people get the legal recognition we deserve.

Today began the slippery slope towards full, country wide marriage "equality" (I put equality in quotation marks because gays and straights never address the inequality they are subjecting us singles to).

First, all marriages; regardless of gender of couples will be recognized.

Then, all marriages, regardless of number of participants will be recognized.

AND FINALLY...after all the "we're special because we have a sexual relationship" people have been recognized by the Courts, the rest of us will finally get what we deserve.

Marriages (or civil unions..whatever) will no longer be the sole province of those who are sleeping together.

How could anyone call that fair?

I may never find a husband (or wife) to get into a sexual relationship with.

Should I be denied the tax benefits of filing jointly with someone?

Should I be denied the ability to be on someone's insurance if I lose my job?

Should I be denied the social acceptance I crave?

Etc, etc, etc.

Whether it's a friend, a relative, or whatever, I look forward to becoming legally joined with someone (without the discriminatory requirement of a sexual relationship) and reaping the financial and social benefits that this country has to offer.

Well done, SCOTUS. Well done.

Lori Ann

Oh my me my

I was home sick from work today.

This is the result.

You're Welcome.

Lori Ann 

We both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter

I've been sick all weekend.

And by sick, I mean your average cold. Not sick enough to justify taking the next few days off of work, but sick enough to feel blah, skip church, and spend too much time lazing around. 

I've only gotten one thing on my weekend to do list done.

 I haven't worked out in 3 days. 

And I upchucked some tator tots today. 

So, all in all, it's been a festive few days for me. 

I'm putting this on my blog because I suspect that many of you think of my life as some kind of fairytale. I know you are used to seeing pictures of me, walking in fields of daisies or hearing about the latest proposal I turned down from a wealthy, emotionally needy Italian man.

But I'm just like you. I'm human, people. I can't live on the pedestal you've placed me on, ok? 

ha ha ha

Lori Ann

Ray, the next time someone asks you if you are a God, you say YES!

Sometimes, when I get bored at work, I go back through my own blog (like a narcissist) rereading and laughing at previous posts and tearing up at all of my heart felt tributes.

All of that is true- except the tearing up part- I'm not that much of a narcissist.

Anyway, today I decided to rummage through my sister's blog and see what she was doing 4 years ago around this time.

 I found this!

It's Gozer the Destructor and the One Sock Bandit!! Arent' they precious?

I loved Elly at this age- she had such a squeaky voice and was starting to show her super competitive, crazy side.

 I feared Katy at this age. This was when she started to be able to break me. I would babysit for an hour or two and she would destroy so much, so fast, I usually ended up laying on the floor, crying like a little girl.

Sometimes I have the thought that they are still out there.These smaller, crazier versions of my nieces and nephews.

I just have this feeling that one day I will go to Walmart and find 3 year old Elly hula hooping, baby Jack smiling that blindingly perfect smile, baby James; with his large head, lolling about in the cart, and little Katy, knocking stuff off the shelf and shrieking with glee.

Anyway, my point is that this picture made me smile AND realize how fast time is flying by.

Lori Ann