Summer Memories from 2012 - Hershey PA

When I was a kid my family took a lot of vacations. We went camping mostly and did a bunch of trips to Florida and a few coast to coast trips as well. I remember when I was about 9 or 10 we went to Hershey, PA. I remember that the whole place smelled like chocolate, there was a ride through the factory and the street lights were made out of Hershey Kisses!! It was utopia for kids as far as I was concerned.


This year, for our family camping trip, we (OK, I) decided to head back to Hershey. The kids were ecstatic, though I was worried that I may have oversold it just a bit. I think they sort of expected the streets to be paved with caramel and the fountains to be spraying chocolate. Kelly couldn't believe that she had gotten roped into the whole damn thing. I will admit, it's "kitschy", but in a homey, "sweet" kind of way.

We pulled into the campground late (around 11:00pm) and in the midst of a thunderstorm. Lots of fun setting up that way. Not. Always nice to see the other campers peering out their windows watching you scramble around trying to get hooked up while they sip their beer. I know it's what I would have done had the situation been reversed.

The campground was great. Two pools, an arcade and a cute store full of, what else, chocolate stuff. The kids rode their bikes around and Mom, Kelly and I took turns chaperoning at the pool. Lots of cooking over the fire and late night bonfires. Kelly even brought out the Eukele for a sing along. Good stuff. 

The next day we went to Chocolate World, we took the trolley ride (complete with sing a-long which the kids and I LOVED) and we went to the amusement park. The kids had a BALL. Loved every minute of it! Everywhere you go people tell you to "Have a Sweet Day". It's kind of their schtick. "But it's CUTE", I kept telling Kelly as she continued to roll her eyes into the back of her head.

Chocolate world is exactly what you'd think it is. A giant store filled with more chocolate, candy and other chocolate related stuff than you can imagine. Christmas ornaments, stuffed toys, coffee mugs, etc. It was enormous. There was also a "ride" inside that you could take to see how they make the chocolate. And there were singing cows on the ride. Talk about an "ear worm". Couldn't get the damn song out of my head for WEEKS. Their subliminal tactic worked. I bought a coffee mug with the stupid cows on it. 

The next day we went to the amusement/water park. It was a great park with lots of fun roller coasters and shows. They even had a zoo in there! It was hot as hell though so that was kind of a bummer. Especially on the day that someone (not naming names) forgot to wear deodorant. Dear God. I searched every gift shop to see if they were selling it but, apparently, that's not a common enough problem for them to stock it. To save ourselves we just went to the water park early...

When we were at the water park enjoying our lunch, something happened. I think that's the point where I lost Kelly completely. We were sitting near a "stage" area and all of a sudden this loud music started blasting out of the speakers. We all looked up and I KID YOU NOT a dancing Hershey Syrup bottle and a dancing Reese's Peanut Butter cup came out. Kelly was in shock. I think they were doing the hustle. It was all a little surreal now that I think back on it. Like, your mind couldn't quite process what was happening. But then the absurdity of it all kicked in and I was hysterical. I even made Emma and Zoe go and dance with the characters. 

Kelly was beside herself. 

But the trip was SO MUCH FUN. It really was. Aside from all the chocolate and "sweet" days and all, it was FUN. All the kids loved it and so did I. If push came to shove, I think Kelly might admit that she loved it too. I am so incredibly blessed to be able to do things like this. To create memories for my kids, to raise them side by side with their cousins, to have family so very involved in their lives. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Even a chocolate one. 

Death of a Llama

Monday was a very sad day at our house. Our faithful, sassy and somewhat misunderstood llama (Manny) died. It was really a pretty horrific thing if you want to know the truth. It involved him getting caught in some wire fencing and getting trapped. I completely freaked out when I found him and called my dad to bring over wire cutters. We got all the wire off but he just wasn't coming back around. He was still breathing but looked to be scared and in pain.

This is always the worst part about pet ownership. The responsibility of playing God and deciding whether an animal will live or die. It's never an easy choice but it's one that has to be carefully considered. After a thorough check and careful consultation with the vet, we decided that the humane choice would be to put him down. I laid on the ground, still in my work clothes and held his head in my lap while the vet gave him the lethal injection. I stroked his ears and kissed his nose. I spoke quietly to him, told him that I loved him and that I appreciated the time I had with him.

The goats were inconsolable. They kept running down the hill, sniffing him and then running away. I don't think they knew what was happening. Although the one goat, Blue, had an altogether different and wholly inappropriate response to the situation. As Dad was on the ground, massaging Manny's neck trying to encourage him to get up, Blue walked up and peed on Manny's head. He also hit Dad's arm. I guess his grief got the best of him. Or he's just a jerk that way. Hard to say with goats.