Hockey, Coffee, and Bears ... OH MY.

A last minute invitation brought us to Hummelstown, Pa., this weekend. Which, of course, we are always agreeable to staying at The Hershey Hotel's satellite B&B: Chateau de Sider. We arrived with enough time for Uncle Jeffery to drive us through a famous holiday staple here: Hershey Sweet Lights. Acres and acres of Christmas-themed lights. Our favorite part of the journey? The 12 Days of Christmas. Jeffery and Stephen sang (pretty well, mind you) the duration of that particular light demonstration. (Oh, did I mention I forgot to bring the camera? Darn it.)
Next, we rushed off to the Hershey Bears hockey game at the Giant Center. Last night's game included a philanthropic "teddy bear toss" in an effort to give local underprivileged children a little bit of holiday cheer. All attendees are encouraged to bring teddy bears and throw them onto the ice after the Bears scored their first goal. More than 6,000 teddy bears were collected for this wonderful cause.
Pardon the intrusion for a brief sports commentary:
At the 14 min mark of the first period, Maxime Lacroix stuffed home a rebound giving the bears their first tally and opening the floodgates for the traditional Hershey teddy bear toss. -Stephen M. Vereb
At approximately the 15 minute mark, Eli had a meltdown as she watched the two Christmas bears with whom she had become deeply acquainted with for about 5 minutes hurled onto the ice. I'd like to say it was a learning experience, but I don't think she understands. In her mind, there is absolutely no reason to throw two perfectly cute bears onto the ice never to be seen again.
Thankfully, Stephen brought his cell phone with picture-taking capability. So, we had a means to document this event. (See below.) Now, it is Sunday morning, and we just feasted on a wonderful breakfast and fantastic coffee. And, we're taking the opportunity to lounge around and watch Eli and Mariella play together. They are awfully sweet together.

Turkeys and Toboggans

We're celebrating Thanksgiving in Erie with family and lots of snow. The Thanksgiving feast was delectable (especially the rhurbarb pie!) and we took a moment to give thanks for our fortunate lives.
Some of us were thankful for the cold weather and accompanying snow, which gave us the opportunity today to take out the old toboggan (finally fix it, thanks, G-pa) and head for the snowy hills. The day started off with a visit from Aunt Marsha and lunch (and much needed coffee) at Panera. We headed back home and donned appropriate sledding clothes, paused long enough to build a small snowman, and prepared for the mile long hike to the sledding hill that Stephen used as a child.

I much prefer to take the photos then be part of the action, but I crumbled under the peer pressure, especially when my 2-year-old assured me that it would be "lots of fun." It turned out to be slightly enjoyable for me; but, more importantly, Eli, G-ma, Stephen, and Lemon had a blast. And I have the photos to prove it. (See below.)

Flashback ... To The O.C.

It is not December yet, so technically I'm only 2 months delinquent in posting a blog for the final day at The OC. (My sincerest apologies, Adam.) So, as I try to think back to our last day of our mini-vacation with the Pierces, I remember the cloudy sky, eating well, and the dreadful feeling of "our vacation is over." However, before we left the beach, we drove out to see the wild horses of Assateague. And, I believe that the pictures will reveal descriptions far stronger than I would be able to tell. Enjoy!

Finally, we say goodbye to our good friends and head back to Virginia. Thank you, Pierces! We had a fabulous time crashing your family vacation. Maybe we'll get invited back next year.

Guest blogger - Aunt Jenine

Sharon is forcing me to be a "guest blogger," basically because I just heated up a slice of pizza for her and she is now too busy to blog herself. I am not really Eli's aunt, but am proud to pretend to be, as she is the cutest kid ever in my totally unbiased opinion. Eli is so well-behaved that I am convinced Sharon hired an adult actor to play the role of a child this weekend. We were walking down the street, and Eli noticed one of those coin-operated rides on the sidewalk. We put her on it after she said she wanted a ride. The thing started up like the Concord and Eli got scared. Did she cry like a normal kid? No. She just put on a face of mild annoyance until we finally noticed she was miserable and took her off the ride. She is such a good sport.

Eli is definitely her mother's daughter. She glares at me when I do something wrong, then erases the damage with what I like to call the "Bhagwandin sass," which consists of an adorable shoulder shrug and how-could-you-not-love-me smile. OK, you got me, Eli! I will play the casio keyboard with you for four hours straight!

She's also a smart little cookie. After we told her lights out and said we wouldn't put the lamp on for her, she just turned it on by herself with no instruction. Like she purchased and assembled the lamp herself.

I sort of wish she was my roommate. I hope Eli will come back to NY soon and visit me and bring her mom with her, too.

The ER

At long last ... the dreaded pictures of the ER. So, a simple attempt to wipe Eli's nose turned into her suffering from "Nursemaid Elbow." Basically she couldn't move ther right arm because I accidently dislocated a really important piece of loose cartilage that holds the major arm bones together. My bad.
So, as I described earlier, the ER visit in its entirety was less than 30 minutes, the doctor fixed her right up, and I was not arrested by the police or questioned by social services. Unfortunately, I didn't have the wherewithal to take a photo while she was in triage or on the gurney, but I did snap a few shots with my camera phone as she and Stephen were in the waiting room after the entire incident and I was still filling out paperwork. And as we were leaving the hospital. Doesn't she appear to be fine? (Notice the bandaid that early on we thought might fix the problem. Along with a bag of ice.)
She apparently still remembers the ordeal, as there are times when we are wrestling that she says, "Be careful Mommy, don't break my arm again" or "I don't want to go back to the doctor because you hurt my arm, Mommy." What other words would a mother want to hear?

Halloween 2008

Several ideas and costumes later, Eli decided that she wanted to be a butterfly. Thankfully, it was in just enough time for her godmother, Mitze, to fashion some spectacular homemade wings (and send them in the mail in time for Trick-0r-Treating. Thank you Aunt Mitze!).

Eli spent the evening with her friend, Claire, and they trick-or-treated in Claire's old neighborhood, which is right up the road from us. They made out like bandits. Claire's mommy, Michelle, was unable to join in the festivities as the day before she welcomed Claire's baby brother to the world. Welcome, Cade!

(I know, I know, I still haven't made good on my promise to update the other stories. If you're curious about the ER story (Melissa): Eli suffered from nursemaid elbow, which precipitated from wrestling with me because she didn't want me to wipe her nose. I knew there was a problem when she wasn't moving her left arm ... and the loud popping noise. But, Dr. Pat in the ER was familiar with the ailment, fixed her up, and off we went ... less than 30 minutes in the ER. Can you believe it?)

More later.

To my disappointed reader(s) ...

G-Pa (and Aunt Betsy): (and any other Chasing Eli blog readers)
I'm terribly sorry for my lack of posts. It hasn't been quite a month, but nearly. Not there is any excuse, but my life has been a bit chaotic, and I'm obviously doing a horrible job of balancing all of the external factors with my family life. I can only hope that it gets better.
With that said, a few items of interest took place in the past month that I will be updating during the next week or so. Here is a teaser:

• The Last Day in the OC (including saying goodbye to the Pierces and pictures of the wild horses!)
• Eli's trip to the Emergency Room (my fault)
• Penn State vs. Illinois game/camping weekend
• Soccer Tots (with Eli's friend Claire)
• anything else that was photographed (my memory fails me)

Stay tuned for the pictures and brief descriptions.

Day Two in the O.C.

Sept. 15 - Well, technically, it is Day 3 in the O.C., but it is the second day of pool/beach time. We've been on the go all day: up at 7 a.m. for our 5 mile walk on the boardwalk; back for lunch (pork chops and corn. Thanks, Stephen!) Off to the beach for wave jumping and sand castle building, and then back to the pool to Eli's water slide fix.



We learned that men and women ultimately come to the same solution when the group splits up and can't find each other: the guys parked, got out of the car, and waited on the boardwalk; the girls drove around looking for the other car, drove back to the house to see if the guys went back, drove around a little more, finally parked, got out of the car and waited on the boardwalk. The guys found us within 5 minutes. It didn't help that the girls didn't have a cell phone. Oops. Either way we had an enjoyable 5 mile walk on the boardwalk (after we had coffee). Lunch, again, was delicious. I think I know why we get invitations to join others on vacation. We provide the cook :) One thing is for sure, no one leaves hungry or thin after Chef Stephen takes control of the kitchen.

Next, we headed to the beach. We loaded all the beach accessories into the cars and drove over to the Hilton and unloaded. Eli was overcome with happiness when she saw the ocean and the sand. She was in sandcastle-making heaven. She stayed out of the ocean after she was quickly knocked on her dupa by consecutive waves. We buried the children in sand. Unfortunately for Jameson, he was unable to dig his way out. Wailing, however, works. After a while, you just felt sorry for him. Although, in Adam's defense, he did equip him with a bucket hat. Jameson also tried out the boogie board. Not bad for an amateur.

After we were hot, sweaty, and sandy we decided it was the perfect time to go for a dip. We have become regulars at the Hilton's pools and we didn't disappoint today. Courage took hold of little Eli and she braved the water slide by herself! All was well until Daddy went to the bathroom and Mommy took over the catching-Eli-as-she-comes-down-the-slide duties. I wasn't quite Johnny on the Spot. However, she was fine and still blamed Daddy. "I fell into the deep water and Daddy wasn't there to catch me," was her story. And that was about the time everyone agreed it was time to head back to the house.

We just ate like kings: Filet Mignon Oupoivre with Hashbrowns (and some asparagus). We're off to take another walk on the boardwalk to get Eli some ice cream!

The O.C.

No, we're not in California ... just Ocean City. The Pierces (Tara, Adam, and Jameson) graciously invited us to join them on their family vacation. We agreed to disrupt only the beginning of the week. The accomodations are fantastic ... and we were all estatic to see (hear) Bike Week come to an end. Though, it provided for some interesting people watching.
We hung out at the pool today. Couldn't ask for better weather. Low 90s, breezy and sunny. Eli really enjoyed the water slides. I think she went down the slides at least 184 times. I'll update more tomorrow!

Hershey Park (and camping, too!)

This past weekend we traveled to Hershey, PA, for some camping and amusement park fun. It was a gorgeous weekend and we had a delicious time! Who came: Eli, G-ma, G-pa, Aunt Amber, Aunt Desi, Aunt Michelle, Stephen, and Sharon; Dogs: Lemon, Pacino, Bella, and Kegan.

We all convened at a local Hershey Park campsite. Michelle and I, being the latecomers (and workaholics), arrived at midnight on Friday and conveniently enough, our campsites were perfectly established. All we needed to do was get comfortable in our sleeping bags! (Thank you, Stephen.) Eli stayed awake to kiss me good night and we all fell asleep to the sound of crickets chirping.

The next morning we woke and Eli reported, "It's bright and tunny outtide (she's can't pronounce "s" yet)." And she was correct: the perfect weather to have breakfast outside (thanks for the yummy cinnamon french toast, G-ma!) and get ready for Hershey Park. Logistics aside (showering, packing ... should we take our swimsuits ... I don't know if I want to carry a bag, etc.), everything went smoothly and we arrived at the Park at the early hour of noon. There, with 40,000 of our closest friends, we carefully meandered through the crowds to watch Eli get on her first kiddie ride. She didn't seem amused. (See picture on green dinosaur.) But, she came around. Eventually. A little bit of pink ice cream in a huge waffle cone pretty much did the trick. And two quarters. (She loves money.) Next up: trucks. Maybe influenced by her Uncle Sider? (See picture with truck and inappropriately-sizedDaddy sitting on top.) Still haven't found the ride for Eli. Next door to the big trucks, we happen upon Frog Hopper. That did the trick. Smiles all around and maybe even a squeal of delight. (See picture with Eli and inappropriately-sized Daddy in the chair next to her.) Now what? We checked out the sea lion show (just so-so) and made our way to The Boardwalk at Hershey Park (water park). See picture with appropriately-sized Daddy carrying little one on his shoulders.) The water park, in my humble opinion, was mass chaos. By this time it was about 4 in the afternoon and there were thousands of tired, wet people/children milling about. Eli, Stephen, G-ma, and G-pa all changed into their bathing suits and headed into the brisk, crowded waters. I graciously stayed behind to watch the stroller, which was no longer being used to tote Eli around. Instead it acted as a luggage carrier ... similar to one that you would find at an airport.

In any case, watching little children visibly shivering from the cold water, wind and setting sun, I felt victorious in my decision to stay dry. But, it did look like they had a lot of fun. Until, Eli clung to G-pa for body heat. (See self-explanatory picture.) It was time to leave the water park for warmer activities. Mommy's pick: how about the swings? It measured a "satisfactory" rating. There was definitely a smile, but no requests to "do again." (See picture.) Also on the agenda was the kiddie-version of the log ride. G-ma and G-pa stood in line to take Eli on the ride, but when the log rounded the corner, I was taking photos of Stephen, G-ma, and Eli. G-pa must have known about the wet seats. I was honored with the request to accompany Eli on the truck ride. We patiently stood in line (see photo) ... to ride truck number 2. Eli did a fantastic job steering. I was happy to be a passenger.

The day ended with another couple of rides on Frog Hopper and the finale -- the adult version of the Log Ride. Eli rode with her aunts Amber and Desi. They got a really cool photo that captured the moment. It was a great day and a wonderful weekend. See everyone at the Penn State game!

Smith Mountain Lake

So, I'm a little late with this post ... last weekend (two weekends ago, now), we visited the Barnharts and the Mayhews at their lake house in Smith Mountain Lake. We had an absolute blast spending time with the Emma, Sarah, Michelle, Erik, Osie and John (and Jessie and Jack). Even if we weren't staying at a lovely house right off of the lake with a pier, a boat (with tube), a ski doo, perfect weather, etc., (basically all the luxuries of life on a lake) we would have had a lovely time. (The toys sure were fun, though, and we did take advantage!) Michelle and Ocie started the weekend off with a spectacular "Slow Country Boil" dinner that left everyone happily stuffed and ready for an evening boat ride. Stephen ended the weekend of gourmet dinners with fabulous hamburgers and grilled pork (and hotdogs!).

Eli had an awesome time with Emma and Sarah. They welcomed her as if she were their long lost sister. Hugs, giggles, tears and all ... Eli became quite familiar with the Barnhart's new kitten, Jack, who I have to say, was awfully tolerable of Eli. But, sometimes, enough is enough, and Eli has the scratches and playfu

l bite marks to prove it. :)

I can't end this post without saying that Lemon had the most enjoyable time. Whether it was non-stop ball chasing, leaping off the pier or taking a morning swin, she was in her element and slept soundly for several days after we returned.

We hope to make this an annual event ... Did we just invite ourselves back? :)

It's Been A While

Stephen said I would eventually slow down in my blog-posting when it was no longer a novelty. I didn't want to believe him. Alas, he was correct. Not because I have lost interest, but because there isn't enough time in the day. I'll be better. I promise.

So, since the last post, much has happened.
Timmy and Simoni moved to Florida. We are sad to see them go, but they seem quite happy with their new life living near the beach and enjoying the sun. We can't wait to visit them.

Eli (and Hamma) went kayaking for the first time. On a random Monday (or Tuesday?) evening this month, Stephen hoisted the kayaks on the truck and we all drove to one of the Reston lakes to enjoy some time in the water. It was a beautiful evening. It was peaceful, relaxing, and we were close to nature. Some of us got even closer - Michelle and Eli flipped their kayak and ended up in the lake. Luckily, our very brave 2-year-old was undeterred and immediately got back in the kayak for more. (See array of pictures.)


Amber and Desi visited us during the whirl-wind trip to the DC-Baltimore-Annapolis area for a Rascal Flats concert. Always good to see them! I introduced them to Baja Fresh. They, too, are now fans.

Last week, we spent a relaxing weekend in Harrisburg, PA, with the Siders. It was a rough visit -hanging out at the pool at their country club. Nevermind the illegal kayaking and the run in the boys had with the local water conservation authority. Just remember: always wear your life jacket, register your kayaks, and DON'T take 14 cans of beer with you ... at least not all of the same brand, if you are going to claim that you picked them up along the way ...

Summers are always full of adventure.

We are looking forward to visiting the Barnharts this coming weekend at Smith Mountain Lake and seeing G-ma and G-pa (and the rest of the Vereb clan) at Hershey Park in a couple of weeks.
More posts and pictures to come.

Almost Out of Gas

Just a few more hours of this fiscal fast and I'm runnin' on empty. Literally. The you-need-gas light is illuminated and I may have enough gas to get to a gas station tomorrow morning.
Other than that little hiccup, I'd say this was a success. In fact, not only did we not spend any cash, we made money by taking Stephen's swimming trunks back to the store. We prematurely rewarded ourselves by going to Costal Flats for an early dinner yesterday (after the victorious merchandise return) on gift cards. (That doesn't count, right?)
Now we're on our way to a lake in Reston for last minute weekend activity. Again, I'll promise pictures and videos at a later date.

Another Two Days To Go

It's been a couple of busy weeks. Last weekend Timmy and Simoni drove to Florida. We found out they were moving the previous week ... it all happened so fast. Simoni has relocated permanently, and Timmy is following the last weekend in July. We sure are going to miss them, especially Eli. I have pictures and video, and will try to post this weekend. This week we started the fiscal fast and we have two LONG days to go. It's been difficult, but an eye-opening experience. I was ready to give up on day one - getting pants hemmed and in dire need of a pedicure. In some ways it makes you plan ahead and think about the amount of unnecessary spending, but in other ways I've found it to be counter-productive because I'm just compiling of list of things to do for next week when I am allow to spend money. Oh yeah, I've also become quite good at getting co-workers to pay for me and telling them "I'll get you next week ..." The challenge will be this weekend.

Fiscal Fasting

My good friend, Tania, writes a shopping blog for the Washington Post. Recently she wrote about living a frugal life, and why it is hard for Americans to live within their means. Great topic. Good tips. But, she recently challenged all her family and friends to go on a week-long fiscal fast - go 7 days without spending a dime. She will be experimenting with her own fiscal fast beginning July 7 and has asked for volunteers. We've decided to give it a go. Stephen said, "Sounds like fun!" I'm not so sure ... better stock up on the diapers. We'll let you know how it goes.

Country Feedback

I've heard through the grapevine that my blog post on Saturday regarding the Leesburg Beerfest was disappointingly critical. Initially, I thought ... whatever. Reflecting, however, I have changed my mind. (Not flip-flopping, actually changing my mind.) It wasn't as bad as I reported. It was hot. The music was just so-so. But, we were with our friends and that is the most important thing. Honestly, put us in a cardboard box and we would make the best of it. So, I apologize for my quick judgement. If we our friends were to go back, we would go with.

Backyard Fun

Good news. It was not user error. It just takes a infinitely long time to download some videos. Especially on our home computer. Here is the recent video that Stephen shot of Eli and the sprinkler.

Trial and Error

Technical difficulties ... I can't post the recent home videos. Frustrating.
But, here is a blast from the past. One of Eli's first swimming lessons. I think she is 5 months old. That dates this as May 2006. Enjoy. Maybe I'll be able to figure it out ...

hmmm ... no videos yet

Not sure what I did wrong ... but, apparently, as you can see, there is no video link. Please bear with me. I'll figure it out.

Download the videos!

I finally read the directions and downloaded the home videos since Eli's birth. (Well, I think we purchased it when she was a couple of months old. Can't remember anymore.) I didn't realize how many videos were living on the camera's hard drive. I didn't have a choice ... we couldn't shoot anymore video until we made some room. Anyhow, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Swimming lessons, a Penn State game, Thanksgiving, Christmas, her second birthday. Here is the most recent video captured a couple of weeks ago by Stephen.

A hot, sweaty Saturday (and Beerfest, too)

We went to the Leesburg Beerfest on Saturday and met up with some friends. It took Eli about an hour to wake up (aka not be crankypants), but once she did, Uncle Jason and Aunt Amy became her very best friends. We also saw Eric and Kim Paradisi, who were with some other friends. Eli painted an umbrella (for the reasonable price of $8), but it provided chairs and shade for our chilidogs. Probably won't go back to the same festival, but here are the highlights: Music was mediocre, watching the keg throwing contest was mildly entertaining, beer sampling was memorable, but watching Jason run around with Eli and with sweat streaming down his face and back was worth the trip to Leesburg. (Not to mention, we were so close to the Leesburg Outlets, it would be a crime if we didn't stop ...)