Hiding the frisbee

Cole loved playing in the water. Here he is playing frisbee with Charles. He loved hiding the frisbee under the water and pretending he couldn't find it.

Port Clinton- Part 2- More beach time and minature golf

Trip to Port Clinton- Part 1

As I'm looking through my pictures in order to update the blog I realized that most of them are from the little family vacation we took this Summer. We decided to stay close to home and went up to Northern Ohio to Port Clinton.

We stayed for week up there in a hotel. For some reason my kids love staying in a hotel more than anything in the world. Cole requests going to a hotel at least once a week. "I want to go on Vacition (yes he says it that way). I want to go to a hotel." He does flush the hotel toilet about 10 times a day (a favorite Cole pass time). And of course both children enjoy the all time joyous childhood vocation of jumping from double bed to double bed. The hotel pool is also a favorites.

So here are some pictures from day one.

We had some amazing ice cream at a little local place. As I recall mine was black raspberry and was delicious.

Then we went to a little playground and a local beach. The kids really had a lot of fun by the water.

Family Pictures

Playing in the Rain

More Spring Pictures

A Few Pictures from the Park

I thought that I would share some pictures I took of my wonderful husband and kids at the park earlier this Spring. We've still been enjoying park time, but we don't usually need sweaters and long pants these days.

Is it just me or is there a lot of good out there...

Every where I look there is some story about horrible cruelity, abuse, evil. It's in the news every night, it is in the novels I read, it is even in personal stories I have heard other people tell me. But when I look at the experiences of my life I see not this great evil and human cruelity, but kindness and human goodness. Really, I have known so much goodness in others, that the alternative seems unreal to me.

Am I tremendously lucky, or are there others out there who've experienced the world in this way? I've been so blessed by loving family members and friends. I have tremendous parents and grandparents. But also when I go out into the world, I am usually met by the kindness of strangers. Strangers have often helped me when I've been in need, and countless times have been open and friendly, sharing a smile, a kind word. When so much goodness seems apparent, it is so hard believe in the evil.

Have the people in my life been perfect? No. Have they shown goodness? Yes, sometimes in astonishing amounts. I know the bad is out there, and I don't intend to seem flippant toward it or those who suffer. In fact, I feel so strongly for those who are hurting because I know it should and could be so much different. But, oh, the goodness is out there, and I will never take my eyes off of it, never.