Family Visit

Collision Calamity

My new little Honda of only a few months has met its demise. I got in a wreck the other day with my two little ones while running errands. It was purely an accident, I was pulling out of a gas station parking lot on a crazy intersection with busy traffic and didn't see a big truck coming fast out of no where. I'm quite lucky because half a second different and he would have T-boned me on the driver side.

It's the first real accident I've ever been in (as a driver) and I was very shaken up. The air bag deployed and my seat belt kept me very firmly in place... So firmly that I am developing bruises across my hips. Thank God the boys were buckled safely in their car seats so they were both unmarked.

The other driver just had a small dent and scratch on his truck and was very kind and helpful, as was everyone who came to our aid. A woman who lived right there brought us drinks and offered to cancel her appointment to stay with us! I called Nick at work and he showed up as they were towing my broken car off.

I'm so glad we are all OK, I know it could have been so much worse. My insurance company was awesome with the claim and arrangements were easily made. I didn't have the optional rental car coverage on my policy so I do have to pay for that.

I went in to work that night and they were kind and gave me a good pt assignment in the ICU. Thankfully I'm off for a few days now so I can try to rest and take care of business.

Life is just full of surprises for us!

Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole

This easy and delicious casserole is a family favorite! It is classic comfort food that the kids will love and you can whip it up in no time with things you already have in your pantry.

1 box Mac and cheese
1 can peas drained (or 1c frozen)
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2c shredded cheddar
1 can tuna drained

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare Mac and cheese according to directions. In 8x8 pan combine all ingredients except cheese. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Bake 20min until cheese is melted.

If you like, you can also add something crunchy on top for a fun texture, like potato chip crumbles or French fried onions! So yum.

Independence Day in the Empire State

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4! Our family tradition for almost a decade has been to go out to my dad's house for a cookout and fireworks until late into the night. It was so fun, and over the years more and more family ended up joining us. This was our first year to be completely on our own so we made the best of it and headed out to the spot where our town was having their display.

It was at Niawanda Park in Tonawanda about 3 miles from our house. The park is along the Niagara River, just south down the river from Niagara Falls. We got there around 7:45pm and staked our claim on a prime waterfront spot looking west toward Grand Island. We set up our chairs and let the kiddos run around until firework time at 9:45pm. This was 2 hours past their usual bed time, but they both did great!

The atmosphere was so good, and the weather could not have been more perfect! It was warm when we got there but as the sun went down it cooled off to the low 70s. If there had been a breeze it would have been chilly! There was live music and people everywhere enjoying themselves. It definitely had a great small town feel. The firework display started shortly after dark, and lasted about 30 minutes. The kids loved it!

 

We missed our family, but now we are on our own and it's time to make new traditions with our little family! Hopefully some of them will come visit soon so we can share how amazing our new location is.