Mom's birthday was 'sweet'!

 For Mom's birthday, Mike, Mom, Dad, the girls, and I traveled to Hershey Park on Tuesday.  Mike and I got Mom a massage at the Hershey spa.  While she relaxed, the rest of us walked around the Hershey Hotel...the only hotel where brown is a very acceptable color!  :)  This is the girls out back on the "Cinderella Steps".

 Heading back in after feeding the fishies...fish.  "No more Maya!!!!"  Then it was off to lunch and then to Troegs Brewery - very cool!

 Leaving Chocolate World.  Cally was so happy; Maya wanted no part.

 We finally made it to the park, but Maya had to get her nap in.  :)

 I can't upload the video, but this is a view from up top the skyline drive ride.  We caught the musical light show just in time.

 The first ride Cally went on by herself...

...which prompted the braveness in her to take on the helicopter ride.  She is the second highest one.  We got her to pull on the lever to raise her up.  She had a huge smile on her face the entire time and was so proud of herself.  "I'm so brave!"

 

Such a fun day!

Smiles (and scowls) for 2013

The Griswold's hard at work?

Early December Fun!

12/2/12 -  Fun at Morris Arboretum with Holly, Steve, and Benton!

The train display was a whole bunch of Christmas, and what's this?  Is that a Menorah?  A Hanuakkah house!  :)

 Good times!

 12/4/12 - Center City, Macy's light show

 After walking through the Charles Dickens Village...instead of a picture with Santa, we got a picture with this cool dude!  :)

 The girls were so good to and from the city on the train!

Fairy Fashion show in the evening.  Cally said that she was Tinkerbell and Maya was Periwinkle.  :)

 

 

December has started off to be an exciting month!  This past Sunday, the girls and I met up with Holly, Steve, and Benton to see the holiday train display at the Morris Arboretum.  Today, the girls and i took the train down to Center City to meet up with Pop-Pop (Mike's Dad).  We went to Macy's to see the Christmas light show.  This brought back memories.... Aunt Linda and Uncle Pete took Kelli and me out to the city when I was in middle school for dinner and to see a sympony perform a Christmas concert.  One stop was the same Christmas Light Show, which was performed in the same building but was probably called Wanamakers at the time...

 

Christmas Light Show
Christmas Light ShowIn 1956, the Philadelphia Wanamaker's premiered a Christmas Light Show, a large musical and blinking light display several stories high, viewable from several levels of the building, but with the best viewing on the central ground floor. Its popularity with Philadelphia parents and children, as well as tourists, ensured a continuous run, even after the building was sold to different business interests.
For decades, the "voice", or narrator, of the show was John Facenda, known to Philadelphians for decades reporting the news on radio and television. To American football fans he was the original voice of NFL Films. His voice made "Christmas in the Grand Tradition" come to life.
The Wanamaker Light Show is continued today by Macy's, who is actively working on its restoration. Beginning in 2006, Julie Andrews became the show narrator. Also, the Santa Express Train at the top of the Grand Court returned in 2006, while a brand new "Magic Christmas Tree" will return in 2007 and holographic projections of the old fountains will return in 2008...

 

 

...I remember thinking how cool the show was when I first saw it.  Today, I thought I heard Julie Andrews narrating it; I was right.

 

Good memories yesterday and today!