Lancaster

We were all a mess after losing Aspen on Sunday.  Monday brought with it reminders of her absence and it was almost too much to bear.  I was so thankful that the boys and I could get away with Grandma for a few days to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a bit of a retreat.  And Grandma had quite the itinerary planned!  Lancaster is known for the Amish and the boys loved spotting their horses and buggies (of Boogies as Mason called them) or the kids on their little scooters (Gavin thought they dressed like leprechauns).  We even went to a place that teaches you about how the Amish live and had an Amish home, farm, schoolhouse and blacksmith.  One of the perks of being so close to the Amish is being able to buy the food that they cook, it is amazing!  We went to a bakery and bought pie and cake and sticky buns and gained about 10 pounds.  We also went on several factory tours including Turkey Hill Ice cream factory, Wilberbud chocolate factory, and Julius Sturgis Pretzel factory.  In the ice cream factory the kids could make up their own kind of ice cream (yum, chocolate salsa flavored!) and even design the packaging and create their own commercial.  They loved that place and I think we could've stayed there all day long, playing in the ice cream truck, milking the cows, and eating all the ice cream we desired.  We sampled Wilberbuds at the chocolate factory which are shaped like Hershey Kisses but 100% better.  At the pretzel factory we learned to twist pretzels just like they did years ago and had fantastic soft pretzels.  The kids enjoyed every minute, mostly because they were with grandma and she spoiled the pants off of them.  It was just what we all needed to get our minds off of our miserable weekend and put smiles back on our faces.  We came home recharged and refreshed.  Thanks Grandma for being the perfect hostess and for showing us a great time!