Everyone Needs Help

This is going to be a serious post, and though it isn't the most uplifting, I don't think it should get any less attention.Just because it is sometimes necessary, I would like everyone to know that the world is a wonderful place. It may not seem like it sometimes, but there are always things out there to amaze us.

Please know that there are always people out there that love you. I love you, and I don't even know you. There is always help, and there are all sorts of diseases, I don't see why some are treated and some are not.

If you need help, call the suicide prevention hotline. 1 (800) 273-8255

Do yourself and all the people you love a favor. There is no reason to put people through the loss of a loved one. There are so many things that would not have happened if someone had given up or felt hopeless, and there is no way to imagine all the things we have lost by losing one person.

And since there are too many to choose from, here are many things that many me happy.

Be hopeful and happy. Each one has a special memory attached that I would not give up for the world. I know I keep going on this, but whoever you are, you are loved, far beyond what you know. If you ever do not feel like you have anything else, just give some one a call. It is horrible losing someone, and I don't want anyone to go through that.

Wandering the Woods

It seems like everything was happening in the woods this week. I promise these were different woods.

Follow the train tracks that run through the main street of my town and you'll come to a State Park.

It has camp sites, barbeque area, and trails galore, which is what we all came for on this sunny, hot day.

We took the pups as they had had a ball before, and the boys for some sense of adventure (you'll see).

We wandered down to the river (down in the ravine),

And then to the rail tracks and tunnel.

We had a ball, punctuated by a few scares. The almost-brother in-law crossed the river and I swear almost got eaten by a water moccasin. Or at least saw one huge one eating his noon-day meal.

We were terrified. and then he almost fell all the way in the river on his way back over (with phone and other electronics in his pockets; that's the most terrifying).

Then it was up many hills. Steep hills. Hills I actually fell over on while trying to get a photo (you're welcome).

And back to the car, heading home for some much needed refreshment (or puppy naps if you were the little guys).

Drunk in the Woods

No really, everyone was, not just us.

So Wine in the Woods is basically the biggest wine tasting ever. Invite a few thousand of your closest acquaintances to the woods, bring food and wine for everyone, play some music, and that's basically what you've got.

( http://www.wineinthewoods.com/ )

I easily go to a wine tasting a week, not some hoighty-toighty affair, but just where there are new wines, and ya taste them. I like them, but they are usually pretty heavy pourers, so it's a good evening all around.

This place was better (not many heavy pours, but a lot of little ones). There were dozens of different wineries. All Maryland wine, but goodness, I didn't realize the variety that was at our disposal.

So anyway, this was our first time there, so we took a couple of the parents, packed a picnic basket with every type of cheese we could nab, and headed off.

We didn't want to arrive right when it started, so we got there a couple hours in. That might have been a mistake (but i haven't been there previously, so no idea how early it gets crowded).

But we got our tiny taster glasses, our wristbands, and a map of the grounds.

Lines, lines everywhere.

And we kept seeing people wearing the most wonderful wine lanyards, so we headed there first.

They were great, until you got the least bit tipsy. They weren't so great when you are trying to fill them, or when they were full.

Anyway, we wandered around for a while (waiting in lines mostly, honestly, there needs to be a faster way of getting the wine into everyone's glasses).

We found a great sangria that I'm pretty sure everyone there was in to.

But after a while our feet were barking, so we swung by the butterflied potatoes cart, and headed back to our picnic blanket to grab some our noshes.

And after that we started right back at it.

 They really push it on you (not that we minded).

But man, what with the heat, wine, and good food, even the beautiful scenery and music wasn't enough to keep us awake. So we packed up and headed home. Thank you to our wonderful parents who put up with all our antics that day.

And then on to our local wine tasting that evening :)