Chocolate World

Hershey Park -- located in Hershey, PA -- has been a part of Jen's and my life since we were youngsters. I can personally remember coming to Hershey on at least a couple of occasions when living in New Jersey to attend Regional Conferences of the LDS Church, which were held in the hockey arena where the Philadelphia Flyers' farm league team usually played. I remember Ezra Taft Benson speaking at one of these events (he must of been President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles at that point, and he subsequently presided over the church). Later, I remember (more clearly) meeting Elder Russell M. Nelson (also of the Council of the Twelve) in the lobby of the hotel (I believe the Hershey Lodge) where many of us where staying.
As neat as these experiences were, truth be told, we were much more excited about Hershey Park, a Hershey-brand theme park featuring all of the usual theme park amenities -- but with a little touch of Hershey sweetness.

Jen didn't go to Hershey Park for Regional Conferences (she was in a different Region -- probably including New York). She went just for fun (go figure). She remembers visiting the Park at least a couple of times in her younger years, and camping out both times. (I believe we also did this once as a family, although -- if I have my family history straight -- I think I experienced the event in utero.)

As a family, we have been to Hershey Park itself only once, in August 2006. (As luck would have it, work beckoned and it was consequently a relatively brief trip with active blackberrying and cellphoning.) But we have visited Chocolate World -- which isn't really in the park itself although it sits at the Park's entrance -- on numerous occasions. The latest of these was on the Martin Luther King holiday. The facilities have been upgraded a bit, but the "ride" through the "chocolate factory" remains the most significant attraction. Admission is free, it's not that far of a drive, and there is lots of chocolate. We'll probably be back in a few years.

Surprise Saturday with Grandpa Kelly

Jen was out of town this weekend, as she and a handful of friends went to Deep Creek (in Maryland's panhandle) on a little retreat sans husbands and little ones. However, as Jen was en route (and while the children were in the temporary care of their ever-gracious Willis grandparents, who live about 72 seconds away) she received a rather unexpected call from her father who, it so happened, was in our driveway.

This came as somewhat of a shock, as Jen's father lives in Bountiful, Utah (which is far away) and lately has been spending much of his time overseeing one of his company's projects in western Florida (which is a bit closer, but still pretty far). It turns out he was more-or-less in the area and decided, to our delight, to stop in for the weekend. Of course, this left Jen with some mixed emotions, as his plan was to leave on Sunday morning, prior to her return home. But father convinced daughter to follow through with her original plans, and son-in-law ultimately convinced father-in-law to stay an extra day so he could see his daughter and spend a little more time with the rest of us.

In the meantime, grandpa has made his always appreciated "monster pancakes" and two batches (and counting) of his near-famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. He also took the children (with the help of their father) to the Dutch Farmer's Market in Burtonsville, Maryland (run by a group of Amish farmers from Lancaster, PA), where, after years of searching, I finally found a cream-filled doughnut like those offered at Peter Pan Bakery in Moorestown, New Jersey. After the market, we were off to the playground at Peter's preschool.

It was a wonderful weekend for four grandchildren (and their parents) who only wish they could see their Kelly grandparents more often.



Not a bad picture, considering Abby took it.

The Dutch Farmers' Market -- before the doughnuts.

Air & Space Museum II

One of the many things that makes the Christmas/New Years season so special is that it allows us time together as a family. Whether Christmas caroling, participating in family feasts, reading books, or just watching movies, it's our view that Christmas time should be about family time.

We continued on this theme after Christmas, embarking on several small family outings during the week prior to New Years Day, including our first visit to the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The biggest hit, however, was the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center, which, unlike its much older cousin, is not located on the Mall, but out close to Dulles Airport in Virginia. A must-see for anybody interested in seeing a lot of airplanes, many of which are simply too large to fit in the museum's downtown location (such as the Enola Gay, Concorde, Blackbird, Space Shuttle, etc.), the Center is well worth the $12 parking fee. (As with other Smithsonian museums, admission is free, although that could be changing.) Some pictures follow.

Christmas Morning

So much going on between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so little time to blog about it. But we won't be accused of leaving out the important stuff. Here are some pix of Christmas morning at the Willis household.

Living Room/Dining Room Transformation

Since moving into our home in the Fall of 2004, we have wanted to do something with our living room and dining room. Both rooms had great wood floors, but they needed refinishing. Also, the living room walls had a certain, um, "dated" texture that we felt had to go. Lastly, there was an arch between the rooms that, although unique, was not necessarily to our liking.

After much talking, Jen eventually took matters into her own hands and demolished the arch (while I was away on business -- I saw the initial pictures from a hotel room in Huntsville, Alabama). Jen then ripped out all of the drywall in the living room (the drywall in the dining room was not afflicted with the same texturing). Our friend, Jeff Shaw, then replaced the drywall and put in some of the moldings (particularly the crown moldings, with which, unlike other moldings, we had no previous installation experience). After Jeff's excellent work, we (almost all Jen) painted and then had the floors redone. We thought the result was overall quite an improvement.

Thanksgiving Traditions

I thought it would be fun to make a list of some of the things that we do during the Thanksgiving holiday. Some of them are traditions on purpose, others somehow became that way.

• Thanksgiving feasts and programs at preschool and elementary schools. Link to Alex's kindergarten program: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/stonegatees/2007-2008/GradeK/Ha/HaHome.shtm
• Grant participates in a "Turkey Bowl" with his brothers (and usually re-injures his knee) Thanksgiving morning.
• Jen makes a whole lot of something yummy for dinner.
• Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Willis's home.
• Many, many pies.
• Full bellies, warmth, and friendship.
• Football games (now in HD).
• Early morning "Black Friday" shopping trip for the ladies, ending with a "Happy Birthday" lunch for sis.-in-law Andra.
• Turkey sandwiches for dinner Friday night.
• Saturday morning "Turkey Burnoff" 5 miler for Jen and and sisters-in-law (Crystal, Andra and Jessica). For results see: http://www.mcrrc.org/racing/race07/20071124TurkeyBurnoff.htm
• Having fun just being together.
• Sad realization on Sunday night that it is all over and we must get back to the routine Monday morning.
  

Halloween 2007

Peter as "Woody" (stirrups not pictured).



Abbigail as a Renaissance Princess.



Alex as "Superman" . . . being charming . . .



. . . and doing disco.



Ben as a wounded giraffe (see entry below).



The entire crew, before the sugar rush.