And Time Passes So Wondrously

I think I've truly found paradise on earth. I love everything about this area of the world. I love the peace. I love the purpose. I love the people.

The last few days have been low-key, rural PA days.

The kids discovered a "fort" in the trees and they've spent hours in it, even crawling through the culvert that passes under the road. I wish I had a video of Lily when she came out and lifted her hand, only to find an enormous spider underneath. As Hyrum says, "Lily totally freaked out!"

So many sticks. So little time. Stick are bows and arrows, swords, light sabers, walking sticks, pokers of siblings, tree whackers, friends. I never realized how few really cool sticks there are in AZ. And how many really cool sticks there are in PA.

Today we took some time to walk down Main Street Towanda, PA, population 2,815. We found a cool antique store where I fell in love with a fabulous dresser. Wish I could figure out a way to get that darling thing back to AZ.

We took an emergency potty stop in the courthouse, which heralded from its patriotic bunting and banners that it is Bradford County's 200th anniversary. The courthouse was beautiful inside, and outside we had to take pictures with the Civil War monument before it started raining. I love how it rains here for 30 or so minutes, then the clouds blow through and it's clear and beautiful again.

Then we drove another 20 miles to Mt. Pisgah State Park, where we found a beautiful lake to throw some sticks into. Our excitement at the beauty of the lake was short-lived, however, when Evie, who has loved picking raspberries every other day we've been here, popped two red berries of questionable origin into her mouth before anyone could stop her.

I love Dr. Google at moments like this. I couldn't find the exact berries, but I did find out a good way to test if berries are poisonous, you just have to be willing to take the test--squeeze a berry until it pops, then rub the juice over your lips, wait 30 minutes, and if they tingle or feel numb, the berry is poisonous. Normally I wouldn't be too willing to be the lab rat, but since there wasn't a single soul at the lake to tell us about the berry bush, I volunteered my lips.

Nothing.

We watched Evie closely for the next 30 minutes. Nothing.

I called poison control, and they said that unless she was already symptomatic, she would be fine.

Whew. That was a close one.

I let the kids continue playing in the most beautiful sand I've ever seen--and since it had just rained, it was like clay and they made sand balls and sand diapers (which made Evie giggle that her siblings were wearing diapers like she was) until I forced them to brush every single grain of sand from their bodies before getting into the Suburban. (You may recall my sand hatred. It's real, friends.)

A quick stop at the store before we headed home, and this was going to be the perfect trip (minus the berry scare). I was holding Evie's hand as we walked through the glass doors, but somehow she didn't judge where she was walking accurately, and she rammed her head smack into the steel door frame.

It took all of 23 seconds for the Towanda city goose egg winner to arrive on her cute little forehead. I asked for a bag at the food station, which I filled with ice and she held it to her own head until she pronounced "Owee all better!"

Not really. But the swelling is going down.

And the cap of our virtually perfect day? Rainbows and rainbows.

I love it here.
Have I mentioned that already?
The random factory picture? Micah saw that factory and exclaimed, "That's the coolest looking roller coaster ever!" Sorry, Mikes. Factory--not so cool.