Vacation at Poland Spring Resort ---

We spent a week at the beginning of the month relaxing and doing as little as possible aside from having fun, thanks to Daddy Poppie and Naughny. Poland Spring of Maine was the perfect place to do so. The Resort was built by the founder of the Poland Spring bottling company, Hiram Riccar, as people used to travel far and wide to come to Poland Spring to buy the water there. There's a lot of history at the Resort, which we enjoyed learning about.

There was a lot of overcast weather while we were there but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. The girls got at least one day of sun in the pool which they enjoyed. Even when it rained, however, it was still nice to just be able to sit back and not worry about anything. There were game rooms, arts and crafts, and a variety of entertainment to be enjoyed. The all-you-can-eat buffets for breakfast and dinner were also wonderful.

Ella Grace and Eliza took to the place and we received a lot of complements on what good children they are! Daddy enjoyed teaching Ella how to play pool, she picked it up quickly. In the "cottage" we stayed in (it was more like a house, to be honest) we found a small library of old books, including a couple printed by the Society back in the 50's and 60's. We also found an older version of the Gideon Bible that still retained Jehovah's name in it's proper place.

The congregation in Poland Spring is very nice and friendly, and Daddy Poppie enjoyed telling the family how much they had seen the congregation grow in the last 13 years they've been visiting. In that time they watched the Kingdom Hall need to be replaced by a larger one that still looks brand new after almost 10 years. We received several invitations to visit with our brothers and sisters the next time we visit, as well as a couple of jars of preserves prepared by one of the local brothers.

Eliza found a giant mushroom she enjoyed looking at every day until it was mowed down close to the end of our visit. Ella Grace enjoyed being able to play board games with the family every night. Daddy bought a book on the history of Poland Spring and enjoyed not have to think about work for a whole week, but was ready to get back to it by the end of the week, a vacation of perfect length.

On the way home we stopped at a local amusement park right on the coast. Ella Grace spent almost all day on the log flume ride, Eliza loved the kiddie rides (the log ride not so much), and Mommy and Daddy had a lot of fun being able to act like kids for a day!

Pictures are here.

Groton Day 07 ---

The family enjoyed an afternoon at Washington Park for Groton Day. Naughny-Na, Daddy-Poppie, and Auntie Ann were also there for hamburgers, hot dogs, and moon bounces. We collected a lot of freebies from the various kiosks of local companies. The free sno-cones were much appreciated on the hot day! We left as the mosquitoes came out in force but Ella, Eliza, and Daddy snuck in a ride on a horse drawn wagon first.

Follow the Christ! District Convention ---

Sorry! No pictures! We forgot the camera a couple of times this past week. On Wednesday we took our annual STA trip to Six Flags and for the most part had a great time. Daddy was becoming ill with some kind of respiratory infection and had a splitting headache which kept him from the rides, to his disappointment, but he got to rest by the pool with Daddy Poppy and enjoy some good conversation. The kids enjoyed the pool greatly and later on in the day went on rides, Eliza enjoying the new Wiggles section of the park, enjoying the kiddie rides. Ella Grace got to run around with the big kids for awhile go on big rides that she loves so much.

Thursday it was on to Amherst for our Convention. Things were not going well at first as Daddy Poppie became ill and missed the convention, but our prayers were with him. Daddy also became more ill Friday night and ran a high fever as his lungs seemed to try to hack their way out of his chest. But Jehovah provided, Daddy woke up on Saturday feeling much better and was able to continue the convention. The convention itself was one of the best we'd ever been to, it really emphasised Jesus love for humanity and for each one of us.

The girls of course enjoyed the pool. It was outside and freezing but they didn't seem to care. The children did very well all weekend and made their Mom and Dad proud. They got to spend time with cousins Emily and Dillon who sit very nicely. Dillon did get lost at one point but Daddy found him in bathroom, apparently he had to go and then waiting for someone to come find him! :)

Rodgers On The Move---

Jannai picked up a remote controlled car the other day, something she'd been wanting for some time now. Ella Grace seems to be enjoying it more, though, as she tears up the parking lot with the big-wheeler, jumping curbs on and off the sidewalk with it. Ella Grace has also been spending time at Naughny's and Daddy Poppi's, last night completing her third consecutive sleep-over, making good use of her time off of school.

Eliza has taken her long-distance running up a notch as she enjoys running away from her family at almost every opportunity. She seems to like being chased, and so far no amount of reasoning with her is disuading her from the activity, so she's had to be quarentined inside for intervals of time to get her to stop. She is cute when she's caught, however. As she's walked back to the house by hand she droops her head low in a look of defeat.