Dreams are Made at Camp Concordia

Yearly we head north to Camp Concordia, which is a Lutheran campground at the far northern part of Kent County. We really enjoy the time there and share great memories of swimming trunks that need better elastic and capsizing boats that are unable to be re-boarded. Camp Concordia is a great place to gather for Psalm sings and responsive readings. Aaah.

Maggie is a well-loved pal of Anna and Owen, and Anna used this time to snuggle up with her after a swim in Twin Lake (is that what it is called?).
Owen also got to join in at the lake. His contribution was allowing his impetigo to roam free in the waters so that last minute campers may take it home as a souvenir of their summer camp experience.
Pastors Lanning and Zyelstra were both there, which always makes for a great combination of laughter and great discussion. (I will be filling Pastor Zyelstra's pulpit in the end of September.) We sang Psalms around the campfire and had a great discussion on tyrannical rule- whether parents, husbands, or civil governments. I seem to be the more liberal one in the conversation.
Here are the ladies being covered in smoke. It took two days to remove that smell from off of my clothing and person. I guess that it is part of the experience.
And of course James. Oh, dear James. He was glad to get a signal on his phone so that he could talk to all of his MySpace hunnies. We do love him despite this. For more on Camp Concordia from another camper's perspective check out this post. But if you want to laugh about the rhetoric of Mr. Birn, click this one!

Jersey Junction

East Grand Rapids is known for its fabulous shops and great curiosity stores. There are many places to go and many things to experience. 'East', as the locally preferred jargon, is a place of beautiful homes, great city-scape, Reed's Lake, and high taxes- but most importantly, East GR is home to Jersey Junction.
Jersey Juction has been open in East since the 1960s. The original owner was Cris VanAllsburg who is was the mother of the writer of Jumangi as well as Polar Express. There is a great large scale train that runs across the top of the store. It is very fun to watch and makes you want the wait for the ice-cream so that you can watch it longer!

Boys Are Gross

We had to take Owen to the doctor (well, actually we saw a physician's assistant). He began to have some sores on his chin and some different sores in his mouth. Dr. Lydia looked at them and thought that the sores on his chin was impetigo, but I told that was not true because we are clean people and our children are not sucking snot off of the floor of some daycare.
When we got the doctor's office, we found out that the sores were impetigo, and he also has thrush in his mouth.
The thrush may be from the fact that when he had croup he was on an antibiotic, but we are unsure.

For those who have 'good stomachs' I have linked the google image for both problems. Have fun!

Impetigo
Thrush

November Isn't THAT Far Away...Is It?

Calvin College Book Store now offers John Calvin bobble heads. I cannot think of anything more inspiring for my study desk than this. I am sure that I will go from an A- student to an A+ student overnight as well as be able to prepare sermons and lectures that would make your head spin...or bobble.

I am getting excited just thinking about it.

Stroller Derby

If anyone over five feet tall has pushed an umbrella stroller- you know what a disaster it can be. The back aches and the wheels get kicked every other step. Quite annoying.

We are both 5'10" which does not qualify us for the Nephilum, but it is tall enough to know that this is quite obnoxious! We feel sorry for our loved ones at Wendler Cottage who are respectively, 6'9" and 7'10". I am sure that they feel the pain way more than we do!

So our search began for the perfect fold-up, store in the car, and use at the mall style umbrella stroller. Immediately our earthly desires turned towards the best that the UK has to offer. The MacLaren. We cannot even afford one on ebay!

We then heard about the Peg Perego, but we do not know Italian so we could not learn about them from the material that the company sends out. They are supposed to be the best in Italian strollers, but to me they look like the cheap styro-wheeled junk that you get at WalMart complete with cup-holder for you 64 oz. Mountain Dew. I have a hard time believing that the Italians, who designed the Lamborghini, could have made something that costs so much and looks so cheap. My theory, and I should have had the NotLiberal family check this out while in Italy, is that they are conspirators who are attempting to steal the dumb American's money by selling over-priced items that they refuse to use. Just a theory.

At any rate, we made our decision and we found something that we can use that does not make us look as though we are hunched-over freaks pushing our child through the mall. It is called the Chicco and it is a perfect balance between aesthetics, practicality, and value. They are also Italian made, but would be more in line with the Fiat than the Maserati!

Golf 101

So I have been asking some of my friends to golf with me. Brian Anderson and Adam Vedra are the only ones who will take me up on the offer. Nevertheless, I have a second shift work schedule and they both have real jobs that allow them to work during the day light.

It seems that I have been golfing alone; having a nice time, but still golfing alone. The invitation still stands- golf anyone?

Tuesday Night Concert Series

The Tuesday night concert series at Meijer Gardens has begun. Last Tuesday we strapped the children to the car and headed to the Gardens. We met a bunch of fellow bloggers including the Vedras, Paige, Tanya, Brian, the Pickerings, and saw a few others there as well. Anna and Noah enjoyed the tunes and danced away.
Tanya enjoyed holding Owen as well as giving us all a few laughs.
Here is Seth, Noah, and Anna in the Radio Flyer ATW. There was this older woman in front of us who did not appreciate the sound of the wagon being danced on and crawled over. She had a grumpy face.
It looks as though Shawn joined us as well from Albany, but this is actually his better looking brother- Brian. Look closely- is that Shawn or Brian? Brian or Shawn?
What Lydia enjoyed most was the sun setting so that it was 10 degrees cooler. Me too.

Another Shawn Sighting!

Alger Heights' Loss

Alger Hardware burned last night. This is very sad news for those who know and love Alger Heights. We hope that they can recover and come back better than ever!

The Kitchen Aid

Anna is the proud new owner of her very own kitchen. She has been having some problems sharing the kitchen with her mother, so we thought that it would be best to get her one of her own. This one is great!
It comes complete with sink, refridgerator, stove, and oven. We are excited to see what kind of meals she will make.
Next stop is Mr. Birn's house to learn some gourmet cooking.

Perfecto!

This place is off da hook!

Another great thing that we did while in Pennsylvania was go fishing (or fishin'). Owen was not sure what to do other than use the rod as a weapon of mass destruction (I hope GW does not read this...he would bomb Grand Rapids).
Anna caught about 5 fish with the help of her loving father. She was terrified when we reeled them in. She would go hide by the park bench that her grandmother was sitting on. Owen was always ready for the action.
Here she is waiting for a bite. Notice that the tree in the right-background has a duck nesting under it. How scenic.
Here we are showing off the catch of the day. Click on the picture to see what a look of excitement she had!

Great fun. Now whenever we go by a pond or a lake...like the one next to Rivertown Mall- Anna is ready to 'go fissin'.

French Creek Tavern

As I have described French Creek Tavern to a friend here in Grand Rapids who was visiting south-west New York State:
When you have hit the next dirt road and you get this creepy feeling that you are very lost- you are almost there. In highschool this little known hole in the wall was a place where we regularly would go for the greatest and hottest Buffalo Wings that you have ever had. French Creek was built and founded in the 1930s and there are still a few guys hanging around that seem to have been there for the laying of the cornerstone. As noticed in the top picture, the ceiling has begun to cave so papers have covered it (as if nobody notices).
Here is my dad, Owen and me in front of the place. Now let me tell you that it has been recently remodeled. The brick is new and the fact that there are no trees growing out of the gutters or off of the roof show the newness of it all. In 1981 the ownership was transferred- I guess they thought that 25 years was enough to fork over a few bucks for some aluminum siding.

This game thing has been here from the beginning as well. The table gets lots of use, but I still do not know how to play it. One of the great things about French Creek is that in the winter if you pull into the parking lot you will see 3-5 cars and about 50 snowmobiles in the parking lot. It is much easier to get there via the fields in the cold and snowy winter.
Here is a shot of the tasty morsels. They sell them in 8,16, or 32. One of the classic ways to eat them is over some hot rolls and when you are finished you eat the rolls that have acquired all of the drippings. Quite yummy although not heart friendly.

Would you like another cup of gut-rot?

While in Corry we were accused (not always verbally, but ya' know I'm right) of being coffee snobs. I choose to neither deny nor affirm this charge, although we do enjoy a good cup of Starbucks Sienna Organic whole-bean roast.

It seems that the good people at Folgers are also coffee snobs. They too now realize that their product is less than satisfying to the palate and/or stomach. They have just released Simply Smooth which is designed to not leave that upset stomach feeling that their coffee leaves. In layman's terms- this coffee does not give gut-rot.

I may just try it- or I may stick to the Starbucks beans that are hand picked from the Pacific Isle of Sumatra.

Erie Zoo and Breakfast with Unka Shawn

Despite the resemblance, this is not Unka Shawn. This is a huge monster of a gorilla. Some 'scientists' claim that we descended from these creatures. I believe that man was created in the image of God and that neither me nor my children are related to this beast. If I were related to it- it would be unjust to keep it in a cage so that hundreds of people could stare at it and take pictures. *disclaimer* Some people choose to act as this creature, but it does not make them a monkey's uncle.*
So we went to the Erie Zoo to visit all of the creatures. It was about 300 degrees, but fun nonetheless.
Here we were watching the polar bears. They were swimming in the cool waters kindly provided to the arctic creatures who are stuck in the hot sun. Notice the monkey- Anna did not kidnap that- we brought it with.
Lydia was proud of this picture. She thought that this lion was very handsome. We laughed about that movie called Second Hand Lion where a couple of old men purchase an old lion so that they could shoot it. We chose to let this one live.
Lydia inquired about this 1960s Land Rover. She was quite sure that this was what she wanted to tool around town in. Classy!
Here is a shot at the entrance of the zoo. The picture to our left (your right) is actually a mosaic. I would comment on the ascetics of it, but deacon Jeff would say that it was impractical to waste all of that time on a picture.
I am not sure if Owen was trying to show off his Calvins or what. But he sure looks posh in this pose.
Here Anna shows off her George the monkey (No relation to the Wendler Cottage George).
Only in Erie County PA! We were pulling out with our delicious Starbucks Iced Mochas and noticed this ACTUAL hearse. Another one...pure class!
Shawn, Tammy, Lydia, and I discussed church polity and other theological items of interest over yummy-buttery-Little Black Sambo-style pancakes. We had a really great time. It is always very nice to see them and to be able to talk about things that interest both of us. Shawn always has a challenge that is worth discussing.
Owen was less than thrilled with the conversation!

Visitors in a CAAR from ChiCAAgo

Before we left for our vacation we had the Chicago family come to visit. It has been a while since we have seen them- between trips to Florida, England, and Germany it has been difficult to get all of our schedules aligned. But, we did it!

Opa was glad to get to see Owen again. It is amazing how much he has grown since they have seen him last. Owen was glad to see him as well. He cannot wait to be his fishing buddy! Here is the Malysa clan. This picture will probably be deleted by my loving wife- so save it to your hard drive now!
Here is Oma and Tante Heidi with the children.
Anna loves her new 'night-time dress'. She wants to wear it out, but we will not let her until she can get her hair up in curlers to complete the look.
Owen got a new book that plays polka music. What one year old does not love polka? They all enjoyed it together.
Opa played tea party with Anna and Owen. Anna always serves coffee at her tea parties. Why? Who knows.
Here are the two Malysa girls sucking up to Oma. She surely keeps them in line- and they need it!
Here is that Polka book again. Larry enjoyed it as much as Owen.

Owen showed off his new sweatshirt from London. He knows that a hoodie is really needed when playing in our house...even in August!

I am sure that we will see them again soon. It is our turn to go there next.

Sneakum Peakum

If I were Mrs. Steve Birn I would write, "There I posted" and receive 100,000 comments. But I am not. Here is a sneak peak of exciting things to come at Life On Union Avenue:

-A visit from Chicago's Oma, Opa, and Tante Heidi
-A golf outing with my dad
-Days and days of swimming fun
-Lydia catching a bass
-The Erie Zoo
-French Creek Tavern (culture shock to come!)
-Many visitors to the Smith Street Ranch including Uncle Shawn!