Return of the Kano

It has been over a week since my last posting. I have been away on a much needed and far too short vacation.

Every other year my family gets together in the Outer Banks for a semi-family reunion. I say 'semi' because not everyone is always able to attend. This year my sister and my cousin weren't able to make it because of their jobs.

The house we rented this year was pretty nice, but definitely not as nice as the homes we had rented in previous years. I did enjoy my room and bed, however - despite not having our own bathroom (which really didn't end up being a problem). The bed was very large and comfortable, and for the hours I was able to sleep each night, I slept pretty well.

I thought the overall layout of the house was pretty nice, but a few tweaks may have made the house even better. The pool, for instance, was way too small for the size of the family we have. In years past we were able to jump into the pool, horse around - but this year you would be looking for a serious injury. In fact, I smacked my foot on the ladder once just trying to turn around in the pool.

Also, the night that we all get together two of my uncles head out for a massive grocery shopping. In years past, we have always had an extremely large fridge, or perhaps two fridges. This year, we had one medium sized fridge, which wasn't large enough for everything that we had purchased.

But, those were my only negatives of the trip - that and that it takes so long to drive there and back (more on that in the conclusion).

Kasey had a blast on his first trip to the beach. He truly has no fear - which is nice, but also scares the crap out of me. He ran right out into the ocean each time we took him to the beach. He also believes that the sand is for swimming, because he constantly did full body dives in the sand. When we were in the pool, he loved 'jumping' in to our awaiting arms. Jumping wasn't really the word, as many times it was a side step which almost smacked his butt on the pavement.

He got along really well with everyone there, and I think they all loved him as well. I have another cousin who has a son, Grayson, and my aunt has a six-month old daughter, Kelly. He got along very well with each of them - which delighted me because he doesn't get to be with young children that often.

Kasey was amazing the entire trip, and it just cements how lucky we are to have a kid like him. We had another exciting day where Erika had to go to the hospital, and was diagnosed with a kidney stone - still waiting for that to pass - but she was a trooper and didn't really let it bother her week.

It was difficult to leave as we had a very nice time there - and we both knew that work was lurking around the corner.

We left on Saturday at around 9 a.m. and traveled the entire trip home - arriving at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. Again, Kasey had a pretty solid go at it - being in the car for 16 hours will make anyone crabby, but for a 21 month old, it could be dreadful. But, he only had a few meltdowns, the last of which was because he was so tired and could not get comfortable in his car seat. The only other setback was that he peed through his diaper twice on the trip back - which also meant his car seat got wet and his pants. But, we made it work and we made it back in one piece. I was so glad that car trip was over.

Overall, the week was amazing. I don't get to see my extended family too often as they have spread out all over the country - I have relatives in Houston, Seattle, Kansas City, Chicago, San Antonio, Pittsburgh and Plattsburgh (us). Also, it was my first vacation in over a year - and it felt great. But, the trip back took a lot out of me so I am exhausted again.

I need a vacation.

P.S. - While I was away Nick at R2D2 has marked me for the 12 Movies Meme - and although I am not a complete movie blog, I do delve into my thoughts on movies from time to time - so I will give it a whirl and have something within the next few days. Thanks for including me R2D2.

Family Reunion Vacation

Unfortunately, for my millions-upon-millions (read: three) of devoted readers, I am off to the great state of North Carolina and the Outer Banks for a full week of fun in the sun.

Every two years my grandmother rents a huge house in the Outer Banks for my entire family to get together for a family reunion-type vacation. This week will be the third time we have traveled to OBX.

The first trip happened in 2004, I had just graduated college and was working in Plattsburgh, but Erika had to stay in Pittsburgh for her final semester. So, my travel arrangements were to fly into Norfolk, Va and my parents were picking me up for the rest of the car ride to our rented house. It was a fun week, despite having to sleep in bunk beds.

The second journey to North Carolina was a much longer one - Erika, my sister and I traveled the 14-plus hours via car. The longest part being stuck in New Jersey during rush hour. Being from such a small town - traffic and I do not get along too well. But, we made it and had another exciting time - and we even got our own room. Kasey was just a few months away from being born.

This year will be Kasey's first experience (outside the womb) of Outer Banks. I am looking forward to seeing how enjoys such a big house, the beach, swimming for a week, etc. He is so fun when he is experiencing new and exciting things - so the week should be a fun time with him - I expect to be even more tired after vacation than before. The trip down, starting tomorrow, I hope works out - we are traveling 10 hours tomorrow to Virgina, then the final four on Sunday. Hopefully, we won't have any hiccups along the way - I am hoping he behaves himself for the trip. He'll have toys, books and movies - but for 14 hours, it'll be tough to keep him satisfied.

So until August 4th (unless I sneak onto a computer during the vacation, which is doubtful) you must survive with out the ramblings of one Kano.

Here is a countdown to help you through this difficult time:

Top 10: Things to Look Forward to this Summer

I apologize for missing the Top 10 last week, obviously I had another blog that I wanted to write instead.

I have to admit, it is getting pretty difficult coming up with these Top 10 lists each and every week. But, I will continue to try and do my best.

This week's is a little different. Summer is my all-time favorite time of year, despite the ungodly heat and the amount of sweat pouring off of my body. But, when you live where I live, and winter consumes about eight months out of the year - you learn to love the heat.

This Top 10 list is in honor of the things I am looking forward to for this summer - some have actually already happened, but I still include them.

10) 4th of July
Explanation: Each year we have a big to-do at our house for the 4th of July. It actually was just this past weekend. Rouses Point has a parade that goes right by our house, and fireworks follow at dusk. So, we invite friends and family to the house for a nice BBQ.

9) Green Grass
Explanation: Living in the frigid North, the grass is usually covered with a thick blanket of snow. So, when the summer months finally do come and the grass is allowed to grow, there is nothing prettier than a perfectly mowed lawn with no weeds or brown spots (which mine currently is filled with).

8) Barbecues
Explanation: I am pretty decent on the grill. I am not much of a cook on the inside of the house, I leave most, if not all, of the cooking to my wife. But, when it comes time to grill I actually enjoy it. And who doesn't love a nice cooked burger or steak off the grill?

7) The Sun
Explanation: This is an oddity, because I am a fairly skinned person (OK, I am see-through), so actually enjoying the sun is pretty difficult to do. I guess I don't really like laying out in the sun, but having it out really brightens (pun intended) up your day.

6) Cold Drinks
Explanation: Now obviously you can enjoy a nice, cold drink any day of the calendar year. But, how nice is that ice cold drink on a warm day? I love coming in from the warmth of the outside and enjoying a nice cold drink.

5) Summer Basketball
Explanation: As I have stated in previous blogs, I am playing on a summer basketball team. I have always enjoyed the game, and miss playing competitively. So I enjoy when the summer finally rolls around and I can enjoy playing at least once I week.

4) Outer Banks Vacation
Explanation: Every other year my entire family on my father's side gets together in the Outer Banks for a family reunion. This will be the third year we are going, and the first for Kasey. I am pretty excited to see how much he enjoys the beach - because I know he'll love the pool.

3) Anniversary
Explanation: June 4th was our 3rd anniversary. Still starting out, we didn't get to do too much, but we spent a good amount of time together, which is pretty rare nowadays. We went to Lake George for the night, and went to the Great Escape for the day.

2) Friends
Explanation: No, not those friends, but my friends. During the summer months there seems to be a little more time, and a little more to do, to spend with your friends. I have a handful of really close friends who I wouldn't trade for the world.

1) Family
Explanation: Family is very important to me, and during the summer months you can actually get out and do a lot more. My son absolutely loves the outdoors, and spent a good amount of time outside this weekend. Although we don't do a whole lot outdoors, it's nice to know that when we want do that we can.