A pepsi ad?

No, but it could be! We all rode the smaller train through the park....barely fitting on the kid size seats:) 

Haunted Mansion!

 

A haunting exit...

Dabria and Brian emerge from the haunted house....the picture says it all! Brian had bruises where she dug into him and hung on for dear life! 

Terrified!

After her ride through the haunted house with Daddy....not her favorite! I must confess...I rode through ahead of them by myself, and kept my eyes closed most of the way- it really is scary...and long! I have been through it before (again, while dating Brian Knoebel...and lets just say the ride isn't so long when you are a teenager who is sucking face the whole time- he he!) I don't think Dabria will be lining up for this ride for a few years! Note to self: she will not be allowed ride through with boys when she is a teenager!! 

In all the right directions...

The infamous sign leading to the campsites! 

Home Sweet Home...

Our sleeping quarters for 2 days...barely accomodating 3....a 6 X 10 tent! (It wasn't so bad- except for the sub-degree temp. at night) Can anyone say...claustrophobia??? Note to self: have a valium prescription called in next year! 

Getting it up!

With a little help from Mom and Chris, Brian got his thing erected....uh, tent that is! ( i know- shame on me and my dirty little mind) We had our own little comune of tents lined up....had we known that Mom's snoring was loud enough to call in all the bears of the great north, we would have put a little more distance between our tents!( Note to self for next year: pack earplugs!) 

Family Circle...

We had our campfire circle set up....ready to make smores and hamburgers and mountain pies....yum! One of the camping perks! This is where we hung out when it got dark...by the fire in our family circle! 

This clown has got his hands full!

Dabria, Gunner, Emma, and Jansen sit still for a split second....thank God I have an action mode on my camera...this is not an easy feat! And, they all have smile on their faces! (No, we didn't bribe them and say no rides until you sit there and smile...really, uh....we didn't do that at all....would never...uuhhh...even think about it..) :) 

Kozmo

She didn't do it....she was "framed!" Dabria says cheese for the 400th time that day! I think her cheeks were hurting as much as her legs from all the walking! 

Clowning around!

Brian and Dabria clowning around...yes, she had to honk the clown's nose, that's just her! I have pictures of myself as a child on this exact same bench- it has been there a long time! As you all know, I take advantage of every photo op! 

Carousel!

I don't think this was as exciting as riding aunt Chris's real horse, but she gave it a whirl...round and round she went! 

Hop,hop,hop!

Dabria riding the frog hopper! She loved the rides and is getting more daring...she will be riding the Phoenix with us before we know it. also, notice she was the only one on the ride? No waiting, no lines...another wonderful asset about going to Knoebels mid week! 

Just the two of us...

I really look forward to spending time with Brian on vacation. He works so hard, and with school and everything else going on- I feel like we never get a moment together with just the two of us. (This could also be why we get along so well- we never see each other!) But, I love spending time with him and with family...and the few and far between moments we get to share together, I really cherish! This was a self portrait on a bench in the park while we were waiting for Dabria on a ride...just me and my man! 

Sisters!

Although Darah and I get to see each other all the time, I really look forward to spending time with my sisters...all three of us! I'm happy to say that Danise, Darah, and I really have a wonderful sisterhood! I can totally be myself with them- which is sometimes good and sometimes bad! They just "get" me! We can tell each other anything, and know that we are not being judged. I truly value my relationship with my sisters...they are my very best friends! I love you both! 

Our vacation disaster...which could have been much worse...

I will spare Mom, and not post the pictures I have of the paramedics checking her out (you owe me one)- but I guess we can't ever get through a vacation wothout at least one disaster! Mom was using a campstove which ran on butane cannisters, heating up our soup for dinner (while the rest of us were sitting around the campfire, unaware of what we were about to see- one of the scariest sights I have ever seen) All of a sudden, a huge fireball exploded right in front od Mom, and when she turned around, her head was literally up in flames! This fireball shot about 8 feet in the air, and although it was only for a few seconds, it was just unbelievable to see. We immediately soaked Mom with towels drenched in ice water...(surprisingly, Denise stayed very calm and rational- NOT!!) Mom had clumps of burned hair on her head, and managed to burn her face, lips, nose and eyelids, as well as her hand. When the paramedics arrived, her skin was red, but not blistering which was a good sign. Although painful, Mom endured and was able to proceed with vacation (she didn't want to go to the hospital) She just had to stay out of the sun, and she had the lips of Angelina Jolie! Her hand actually got burnt much worse than her face, and over the next few days, her hand looked (and still does) look horrible. Thankfully, her face, although it did blister, won't be scarred, and her hair will grow back...in fact, for as much hair as she lost, you really can't tell by looking at her! We are so thankful that, although terrible, this could have been much worse. We think the stove got too hot, and ignited the can, which exploded. Very scary! It does give you some respective on life- don't sweat the small stuff! We're glad your o.k. Mom! 

Riding or walking?

Gunner, perched on his cycle along with a walking stick can't decide...to walk or ride? That is the question.... 

Play tent...

Since we had our own little secluded section of the campground with 5 campsites, we opted to set up a play tent for the kids! It was a great idea- it gave them their own little place and we didn't have to worry about them dragging dirt and daddy long-leggers into our sleeping tents! Play on! Here, Dabria and Emma color pictures for us, which we hung on the clothesline with clothes pins! 

Twister! (And a headache inducing ride!)

This is the newest wooden coaster at Knoebels...and it lives up to it's name! While the Phoenix is also wooden, it is a much smoother, enjoyable ride! The twister was a little rough on us (me and Brian)...or maybe it's just becuase we aren't teenagers anymore- but the ride was really popular! We must be getting old! 

Bridging the gap!

This is the bridge that separates the park from the campground! Through the years , we have made many passes on this bridge, and it is one of the memorable elements of my childhood trips to Knoebels! (Not to mention that I once dated the owner's son, Brian Knoebel) what is it with me and "Brians"??? I'm happy to say I finally found the right Brian for me! 

Slide Winder!

This is Brian being ejected out of the water slide...it was so fast! I'm glad he talked me into riding down with him- it was awesome! And at only 80 cents per ride, it was affordable! One of the best attributes of Knoebels is their family friendly pricing! Everything is really reasonable! 

Pool Day!

Knoebels has a huge pool- the picture doesn't do it justice...but it is one of our favorite places there! So, we made a day of it, and the new kid pool addition was really neat! It opened late that day because of a chlorine problem, so we spent most of the day at the big pool and the waterslides! You can see in the picture how Knoebels is kind of nestled between the mountains! 

Having it made in the shade!

After the scary burn episode the night before, Nana made sure she stayed out of the sun, and found a perfect spot in the shade! Luckily she was able to enjoy the rest of our time there.... 

It's Cccccccoooolllldddd!.....

Even though the pool was freezing, it didn't stop us from taking an icy dip! It took some getting used to, but we had almost the entire pool to ourselves! Dabria insisted the water "vent" on the pool bottom was a snake, and refused to go past it...but after some intense coaxing, she took my hand and walked with me while I stepped on the "snake"- which was proof enough for her!

Grandpa's girls....

Emma, Grandpa, and Dabria chillin' by the pool! (literally speaking- the water is spring water from the mountains, and it was ccccoooollllddd!