Wisconsin - July 15th-19th - Day 1 & 2

Our next big trip was a joint Wisconsin/Chicago/Michigan City trip in July.
We left for Madison Wisconsin and the MCM Sale (An American Girl benefit sale put on the Madison Children's Museum. They sell seconds and returns at somewhat discounted prices from American Girl).


Waiting in line to get in.

The first day, the 16th, we had tickets to get in. We were expecting to spend 2-3 hours inside the warehouse...we were in and done in less than thirty minutes. Which kind of stunk. The last time we went was in 2008 and there were two huge rooms filled with American Girl stuff. This year, there was one, part of a room, filled with just dolls, books and some minimal clothing. I got the 2 dolls I really wanted, plus some books and clothing. Mom got Elizabeth.


Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Predjudice


Rebecca Rubin

Then we realized we had a whole rest of the day to do stuff, so we went to New Glarus, Wisconsin. It is a very nice little Swiss village that the economy has obviously taken it's tole on. But there was still one very nice antique store that had American Girl stuff in it...and tons of other amazing things. I could have spent a longer amount of time in there. We went to a couple other shops and I found a little AG-sized Swiss bell. I also had fun looking at some of the German things in one of the stores, since I am 3/4 German. One of the shopowners had a German accent that was fun to listen to and I was talking like her after we left the shop.


Lunch at Deininger's Restaurant


The fun antique shop.


Elizabeth Bennett showing off one of the AG German outfits and the Swiss bell.

By that time I was dying (not really) of heat exhaustion...it was very hot...so Dad and I headed back to the van and waited while Mom explored one more shop she wanted to look in, and then we headed back to the hotel and (I) played with my new dolls.
We went out for dinner that evening, and then came back and hung around the hotel until it was time to go to bed.

PA Trip #4 - Breakfast and heading home

Monday morning, we all got up and met for breakfast at a little "Kountry Kitchen" local restaurant down the road.
And funny thing was, we actually ran into two members of the band "Scythian", who were also performing at the Celtic Fling and are actually quite a famous band, by my understanding. We had met them (sorta) when we were at the Fling.
I had quite the even MORE stuffy nose on this day and sounded quite like a pig all day. But ah well.

Afterwards, we took our obligatory group picture together.




Got these pictures of the outside of the Ren fair grounds. It was kind of sad seeing everything all closed up and boarded up...waiting for the fall Renaissance fair to come.





And then we headed home!

Foto Friday - Sunset

Well, I didn't even KNOW that the Foto Friday theme this week was "Sunset" but I had taken a picture of a very pleasing sunset that set an orange glow over the whole yard last weekend.
Sooooo...
for your viewing pleasure:





And taken at the same time:



Click the Foto Friday picture to visit Rebecca's blog and see more Foto Friday entrants.

PA Trip #3 - Second Day of the Celtic Fling

On Friday evening, Greta Gothard had asked me if I would be interested in helping them film a music video on Sunday morning, before the Fling officially started. I, of course, said yes. :)
So Monday Morning, after about six hours of sleep, I was up at 7, and discovered that a combination of the rampant cigarette smoke and the cool night air at the ceilidh had made my cold worse, so I had to deal with a slight sore throat and stuffy nose all day. Which wasn't fun, but I muddled through, sounding somewhat like a pig at times when I talked. Anyway...I met the Gothards down in the hotel lobby. We had breakfast at the next door restaurant...


(Solana and I at breakfast...you can tell I'm tired...)

...and then handed for the fairgrounds. We were slightly worried they might have some trouble getting me in since I didn't have a security ID and might not be able to get in the Fling early, but there ended up being no security guards or workers by the back gate and we had no trouble.

Filming part of the video in a scenic locale.

Mom didn't want to get up that early so she came later around when the Fling officially opened. Somewhere after the Fling opened I went and and "snuck" out the front gate and came back in the "right" way, getting my ticket checked and my hand stamped, since I had pretty much come in 'illegally' earlier in the morning.
Then we (Greta and Solana came with me) headed back to their stage to watch Irish Blessing's first show and the Gothards got ready for their first show.


(First Show)

For their 2nd show of the day, Mr. Gothard asked me if I wanted to film the whole show with their other camera, from a different angle, while Mrs. Gothard operated their other camera. So this picture was taken by Mom.

(Second Show)


(Irish Blessing's last show)

Their last show I didn't get any pictures, except one slightly blurry one of Greta. After their last show, we helped with getting sound equipment, instruments, and everything else put away. Then we headed up to the Ceilidh area with the Gothards. Since they were better prepared for what to expect tonight, we weren't in too much of a stressful rush. We waited by the fountain with them again, and then went and claimed seats in the grass afterwards. The Ceilidh was fun, though by that time, I was beginning to feel more sick with the stuffy nose, still rampant cigarette smoke, night air AGAIN and being very tired compounding everything. I was okay, just kind of annoyed that I couldn't be feeling completely up to par for the event.
Afterwards, we waited around a little bit while the Gothards got all their Ceilidh affairs wrapped up, and then Mom discovered I was missing my lens caps for my camera. My first thought was that I had left them in the backstage area at the Gothards' stage. So we went back there with them, and after we couldn't find them, we hurridely ran back to the Ceilidh stage, and found them right where we had been sitting. Then we headed out and met again at the 24 hour diner for dinner. Then we headed back to the hotel to our rooms and promptly fell fast asleep.

PA Trip #2 - First Day of the Celtic Fling

Yeah, I know I said this was coming on June 30th...sorry about that! Better a month late than never.

We got to Lancaster/Manheim, PA Friday evening. After getting the luggage and whatnot into the hotel, we went out to dinner with the Gothards. Then Mr. and Mrs. Gothard went to the concert at the Renaissance Fairgrounds, Mom went to relax in our hotel room, and the Gothards and I went to the pool for a ltitle bit, then came back and played cards till about 10pm.
Saturday morning, we got up and got to the fairgrounds about 11:30. After getting thoroughly confused trying to read the map, we finally made it to the Gothards' stage, and got to see a little less than the last half of Irish Blessing's first set.



Then Mom and I walked around for a little bit, I got a celtic knot ring I've been wanting and came back just in time for the Gothards' first show. There weren't any seats left so we stood until some people left and then we sat down.



The rest of the day was spent walking around, watching the Gothards' other two shows and stuff like that. Nothing too exciting.






After the Gothards' last show of the day...

... it was time for the Ceilidh. Since they didn't know exactly what they were doing, they hurried (ran) to the big stage where the Ceilidh was being held. (In case anyone is wondering, Ceilidh is gaelic for party...and the 'dh' on the end indicates it is a music party.) I tagged along, carrying a bodhran. After realizing that there was plenty of time, we sat backstage for a little bit, then went outside and sat/stood around the fountain until it was time for them to go in. Eventually Mr. Gothard and I made it back out to the front of the Ceilidh and watched. Mom and Mrs. Gothard showed up a little while ago with a lot of the instruments and suitcases and stuff after discovering that they were going to lock up the backstage area and they had to get everything they could carry out of there...now.
After the ceilidh was over, we headed back to our cars, and met at a 24 hour diner for a late supper. It was a little after midnight by the time we got back to the hotel. I was in bed by 12:30 and asleep by 12:31. :-)

~ Foto Friday ~

Well, I didn't really have any "Cloud" pictures this week either...so I will subsitute with my favorite picture of the week.

Which, you might be able to guess, would be this one...


Visit Rebecca's blog to see more FF contributors.

~Amy

Can I just say...

this brings tears to my eyes...

To go from this...the very first picture we ever had of Katya...



To this...the very first time Mrs. Dueck ever saw Katya in real life, on the Little Loaves and Fishes 2009 Missions Trip...



To this...the first trip Mr. and Mrs. Dueck took together, after all the hard work half a world away to bring her home...



And finally THIS...she's home, safe and sound in the U.S. with her family...and won't know for a long time just how much she is loved...from one end of the world to teh other.



Welcome home, Katya.