Our family just returned from a week long vacation in Pennsylvania. Admittedly, Pennsylvania has never really crossed my mind as I considered vacation destinations but this trip was one of the best! During the flight to Philadelphia, we all played the inflight trivia game that was offered on the seat back monitors. It made me proud to watch Lauren beat us all. In fact, she gave Larry in 34C a serious run for his money! Ironically, I wound up standing next to Larry in the men’s room following the flight only to hear him bragging to a friend that he whipped Lauren. He had no idea he was competing with a 7-year-old!
We spent the first day visiting Hershey Park. I was unaware that Hershey even had an amusement park but thanks to Kerry’s impeccable planning, we were able to enter an hour before the park opened and have breakfast with the Hershey characters. Our first ride was “The Comet” and if memory serves me correctly, the girls logged 23 rides on it that day. Kerry garnered the admiration of us all as she was the only one crazy enough to ride The Storm Runner. We stood in fearful amazement as she went from a dead standstill to 72MPH in 2 seconds, then 180 feet straight up and 180 feet straight down!
Other memorable rides were the Coal Cracker, Trailblazer Train, the Roller Soaker, and Shore Wave Pool at the Boardwalk. The girls didn’t want to leave, but after ten hours at the park we called it a day. We ate dinner at Friendly’s and then hit the “hard” pillows at the hotel.
The next morning we checked out of the Hershey Lodge and went to Hersey’s Chocolate World. Talk about chocolate permeating the hotel lobby, it doesn’t even compare to the delectable smells at this place. I think our clothes were saturated with a chocolate perfume as we left the building. The sight of all the candy everywhere lit up the girls’ eyes and there was no doubt that they were in bliss. We went on the Chocolate Tour Ride and learned how they make chocolate from the cocoa bean stage to the final packaging. We then watched the Hershey Really Big 3-D Show, an animated musical adventure with Hershey’s Product Characters. The theatre actually blew water at us to simulate a sneeze, dropped wet flakes from the ceiling to simulate snow, and even had a simulation of a rat’s tale brush against our legs. We all jumped but laughed and smiled a lot. After that, we participated in a Chocolate Tasting Adventure where we sampled different types of chocolate such as dark, milk, artisan, and learned how to view, listen to, smell, and taste chocolate varieties. Upon completion, we each earned a Masters Degree in Chocolate Tasting from Hershey’s University.
Our final adventure at Hershey’s Chocolate World was at the Create Your Own Candy Bar exhibit, where we donned paper nets for our heads and aprons as we entered a small-scale version of the real Hershey factory, where we got to choose fillings for our candy bars, watch the bars being prepared, create our own labels, and walk away with our own chocolate bar. Lauren couldn’t wait to bite into hers the minute we got home. The rest of us put our bars in the freezer and will open them some day when the time is right. What a fun time we had.
After we left the factory, we began our drive to Lancaster County where we would spend the next 5 days on a working farm in Amish country. We arrived at the Eby’s Farm mid-afternoon on Saturday and were greeted by Joyce Eby, the family matriarch. Joyce helped us get settled in our room and then escorted us on a walk along the cornfields to the farm where the girls milked a cow, fed calves, and gathered eggs from the chicken coop. The farm was so much fun for all of us. Lauren fell in love with about eight cats and kittens who roamed around the farm and she named every one of them. There were also two goats and a ferocious rooster.
After the tour of the farm, we went to dinner at The Family Cupboard that turned out to be a favorite. We went there three times during the course of our five-day stay in Lancaster County. The Family Cupboard is owned and run by a Mennonite family and their faith was shared openly as evidenced by the placemats with folded hands and prayers to guide others to pray and give thanks to our Lord. The food was fresh and just great home cooking. Katie took a liking to the chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes, and the rest of us enjoyed everything from buttered noodles, sweet corn, meatloaf, green beans, beef tips in gravy, and on and on.
This was the first time either of the girls had ever seen fireflies. They lit up the yard at the farm and it was a beautiful site. The girls played on the swing-set and in the playhouse that was a real miniature house with a full-sized door, windows, and all. They spent quite a bit of time playing house in there. I pray that they treasure these wholesome activities and a simpler way of life.
The next morning we had breakfast, prepared by Joyce. She made the kids animal shaped waffles and the rest of us had French toast. After breakfast we sang a hymn written by one of their family members in 1890 entitled “I Owe The Lord A Morning Song”. The Eby’s are not ashamed of their faith and it is such a blessing. They are Mennonites and live as such, although they now attend Community Bible Church of Gordonville instead of the traditional Mennonite church they attended for years. Our family was invited to attend church with them on Sunday and we appreciated the message that was offered as well as the kind people we met.
The rest of the afternoon we relaxed and honored the Sabbath. We sat in Adirondack chairs on the edge of the Eby property that overlooked a covered bridge. We watched Amish families riding in their covered wagons and young kids riding their scooters down the hills. We had a lot of meaningful talks and time to read and reflect silently in this spot and it goes down as a favorite memory for me. I know we’ve all learned a lot from observing the Amish way of life.
Around lunchtime we headed to Paradiso Pizza and had some cheesy and gooey New York/Italian pizza. We don’t get that kind of delectable pizza in Arizona. After this, we put in a CD that contained a drive tour around the Amish country. We started out at an old mill and worked our way to see the old Weaver Schoolhouse, a one-room school that is typical in the Amish culture. We learned about and observed three-generation houses, farmlands, and an Amish cemetery, and then we ended our tour by buying homemade cold root beer from an Amish farm.
Sunday evening, 4th of July, we went to Long’s park, camped on a spot of grass, and watched the fireworks. We, of course, said the traditional “ooo’s and ahhh’s” and were sad that it ended so quickly.
The next morning, Monday the 5th, we packed up our things from the Cape Cod house and settled in at Eby’s Farmhouse right down the road. This home is owned by Joyce and Mel’s son, Mike, and his wife, Lynette. They have four kids, Sara, McKenna, Bethany and Jackson. The older kids were camping most of the three days we were there, but six-year-old Sara was there and Katie and Lauren played with her every opportunity they could get. They went swimming in their aboveground pool and played on the swing set and made their own waterslide.
Monday afternoon we went to Ruth Esh’s farm for lunch. She is an Amish woman who has been friends with the Eby’s for years. She opened her home to us to get a glimpse of an Amish family home and she served us a smorgasbord. We had homemade fried chicken, salad, fresh bread, sweet corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, ham, chow chow, banana pudding, and apple and cherry pies. Almost all the food came straight from the farm and garden. We had hoped to be able to get to know Ruth and her family better and understand the Amish beliefs, customs, and traditions better, but the Esh family was having church in their home the upcoming Sunday and she was so rushed with preparations that she did not have time to spend with us as she has with other families. We’re glad we were invited into their home, however, and walk away with a clearer understanding about how the Amish live.
That afternoon, Kerry and the girls went to Dutch Wonderland, “A Kingdom for Kids”, in Lancaster. It is a small amusement park owned by Hershey, and this became another highlight for the girls. They rode the Kingdom Coaster about 17 times and also enjoyed the Fun Slide, Flying Trapeze, Wonder House, Astroliner, and Duke’s Lagoon. They got soaked sitting in the front seat watching “A Dragon’s Tale” at Aqua Stadium. They welcomed this soaking as it was about 95 degrees and very humid. We ended the night with dinner at The Family Cupboard again and played a game in our room.
Tuesday, July 6th, started out with chocolate chip pancakes served by Lynette Eby in our little kitchen at the farm. We stayed in the “efficiency apartment” attached to the farmhouse. It had a room with bunk beds for the girls, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and another bedroom/sitting room. After breakfast, the girls played with Sara in the tree house and Katie came up with a restaurant, “Katie’s Kitchen Kettle”, where they mixed-up and plated meals made out of dirt, cornhusks, flowers, shells, and whatever else they could find in the bushes.
Late morning we went to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Ronks, PA where we challenged ourselves in a large maze carved out of a five-acre cornfield. Lauren and I formed one team and Kerry and Katie formed another and we competed to see who could find their way out of the maize maze first and fastest. The losers were to buy the winners ice cream after the fact. Well, thanks to the Cub Scout training I received as a boy, Lauren and I were able to emerge victorious! The girls had so much fun they wanted to go through the maze again. If it hadn’t been for the heat and extreme humidity, we would have used our scouting skills again. We spent a bit of time in the Rain Room and playing the Rubber Ducky Races and enjoyed fresh roasted corn.
After the corn maze, we went to the Doll Outlet where they have over 5,000 dolls in stock and clothing for every kind of doll you can imagine. Katie and Lauren were excited to hear that they could pick out three outfits each for their American Girl dolls as well as a pair of shoes and an accessory each. One hundred and fifteen dollars later, I hope the girls really appreciate the doll clothes they chose.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on the farm playing, taking walks, and capturing photographic memories. We went to Jakey’s Amish Barbecue for dinner and then dropped by Dutch Haven next door for a free sample of Shoo Fly Pie. It was a first taste test for all of us and we loved it. The girls purchased little Amish dolls dressed in dark pink and purple dresses and black aprons and prayer caps. Katie and I went back the next day to buy three more of these dolls to give as gifts to her friends. These dolls are meaningful to Katie and Lauren now after having observed and experienced the life of the Amish.
The last full day of our trip we relaxed around the farm in the morning, read, played, and took in the sights and smells. Acting on a tip from the lady at Dutch Haven, Katie and I went to Irishtown Hats together where I bought a straw hat made by hand from an Amish man. He custom-fitted the hat and hand sewed a black ribbon around the rim as we waited. The Amish man said his wife normally does the sewing but she wasn’t available just then so he gave a hand at it. What a great find.
That afternoon, we drove to a town called Strasburg and saw “Joseph” at the Sight and Sound Theatre. This was a musical and acting production of the life of Joseph as told from The Bible. The story of Joseph was brought to life for our family and it touched us in such a way that we all shed tears as we experienced the powerful message of forgiveness.
Our last evening in Lancaster County was spent walking around the farm, playing, and then going to The Family Cupboard for dinner one last time. Kerry wants to learn how to make buttered noodles. Yum! That evening as we were all settling into bed, the air conditioner threw a bearing and started howling like an Indian. Even Mike and Lynette Eby heard the sound through their walls and came over to try to fix it. With no luck fixing it, and no air conditioning to get us through the extreme heat and humidity, Lynette found us a room at a nearby hotel. We packed up one bag in order to take showers at the motel in the morning and slept there. In the morning we headed back to the Eby Farm, packed up, said our goodbyes, reluctantly, and headed for Philadelphia to catch a direct flight back to Phoenix at 1:15. We stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts along the way. Katie ordered a box of 25 chocolate donut holes saying she could eat them all, and ended up only being able to devour about five or six of them. The rest of us had a few and then took the remainder on the plane for a snack.
The girls watched the movie “Amish Grace” on the flight home, Kerry read her “Woman After God’s Own Heart Book”, and we all reflected on the trip we had taken. It was more than a vacation. It changed the way we view life, family, and faith. There is a peace and joy about these people that only comes from deep faith, clean hands, pure hearts, and clear minds. I pray that the girls were changed by this trip to Amish Country as well and that we don’t forget what we have seen and learned.
The big day finally arrived for Lauren to celebrate her eighth birthday. She had been planning and anticipating this big day for the past six months, so Kory and I made ample opportunities to celebrate it with her. The festivities started out with cupcakes being delivered to her class, upon which all of her classmates circled around Lauren at the front of the room and sang “Happy Birthday” while dad took pictures. She was all smiles.
The following Saturday came Lauren’s big bubble birthday bash with eight of her friends joining in the fun. They arrived with bubbles clouding them as they made their way up the walkway, thanks to the mega bubble blower we rented. We also had polka dot balloons hanging throughout the house and yard which complimented the “bubble” theme. Lauren chose baby pink and turquoise as her colors, so all of the table cloths, streamers and other accessories kept in line with this theme.
We had an experimentation table set up where the kids could use different household instruments and supplies to try to create bubbles (slotted spoons, paper cup with a hole cut out in the bottom, strainer, spatula, etc.). The kids also made their own bubble art. We had four bowls of colored bubble solution laid out and the girls dipped their wands in the colored bubbles and blew the bubbles onto white craft paper. It was a bit messy, but the results looked like tye-died shirts and the kids really enjoyed creating art masterpieces.
