A sweet weekend

This past weekend Ly and Alan went to Hershey, PA. Ly was excited because her dad had told her numerous stories about a magical place he went to as a kid known as Hershey. Apparently this is the chocolate capital of the world - the smell of chocolate drifts down the streets, you can hear kids laugh and scream on roller coasters at Hershey Park and even the lamp posts are giant Hershey kisses.

The other (and perhaps more important reason) why Ly was excited for her weekend away was so she could visit with her good friends Scott and Nancy. They are expecting their first child - a little girl - next month so Ly wanted to go see them before she was born - and also so she could see how cute Nancy looks as a pregnant lady in person =)

The weekend was everything the Lee's envisioned and more. They embarked on the Great American Sweet Tour of 2009. First stop - breakfast at a fancy donut shop. Ly doesn't even like donuts but she had an awesome time making her own donut. It was tons of fun -- Ly had one with mint frosting and Oreo cookies while Alan had one with peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups. They were more of a dessert than a breakfast meal.

Second stop - Chocolate World, aka the Hershey Chocolate Factory. Ly was very excited to visit the chocolate factory. Imagine her surprise when instead of going into an actual working factory she got on a ride that explained the chocolate making process. It was still fun though and she even got a free sample of chocolate after the ride was over. And in true disney fashion, the ride ended in the middle of what has to be the largest chocolate store in the history of choclate stores. After much debate, Ly decided to buy some cinnamon chips for use in the infamous oatmeal cookies.

Still wanting to tour a chocolate factory, Ly and Alan continued with Scott and Nancy to the 3rd stop of the Great American Chocolate Tour of 2009: Wilbur Chocolate. This chocolate is very creamy and excellent. While there was no factory tour, there was a chocolate musuem and a significantly smaller (yet equally tasty) store.

Stuffed full of chocolate, Ly and Alan followed Nancy's (or maybe the baby's) lead and went to Five Guys for lunch (or dinner in Ly's case). After this they made a quick stop to Amish county to visit a few farmers markets and then drove back to Hershey.

All in all the weekend was relaxing and just what the Lees needed.

"Camping" on the Outer Banks

This past weekend the Lee family journeyed to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Ly was excited for the following reasons:

1. She had never been to North Carolina and would finally get to check it off her list.
2. She discovered an Alligator Refuge which promised visitors alligators, bears, deer and other wild animals.
3. The Outer Banks = a beach. Ly loves the beach.

Alan was excited for the following reason:

1. He convinced Ly to camp (yes, in a tent) on the beach for the weekend.

This was by far the worst/most adventurous camping trip ever.

Exhibit 1: Weather. It was very warm and sunny most of the time. There were the occasional torrential rain storms and 30 mph winds. These lovely winds were so strong they tore our lovely tent limb from limb - and ripped open the zipper beyond repair (and believe you me - the Lees spent quite a long time trying to repair that dang zipper)

Exhibit 2: Due to subsequent lack of a tent the Lees were forced to "camp" in Ly's car. Good thing Panda came through. And now the Lees need to go buy a new tent.

Exhibit 3: Alligator Refuge. Let's just say that there were zero alligators, bears or any other four legged creature. There were, however, tons of bugs and the Lees have the bites to prove it.

Exhibit 4: The Outer Banks beach is nothing like a sunny California beach. The sand isn't soft - rather when the wind blew the sand felt like a sandblaster against the skin - and there weren't really any places to hang out to enjoy the waves.

Despite the negative aspects of the trip the Lees discovered beautiful Kayaking paths, a few lighthouses, ate an awesome pancake breakfast, and drove along part of the infamous highway 12.

At least now Ly has been to North Carolina.

Snapshots of Spring

After much searching, the Lee family finally found spring....in Pennsylvania nonetheless!

The travel bug

Living in the Mid-Atlantic region for the first time gives the Lee family a myriad of places to explore. From beaches to forests, historical sites to amusement parks, friends in the South and family in the North - Ly and Alan will certainly not be at a loss for things to do. And with Ly's love of lists you better believe one has already been made for places to explore while living in the DC area. Highlights include trips to visit friends/family in Pennsylvania and Georgia, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Shenandoah, and of course the second happiest place on earth (Disney World). As always suggestions on other places to add to the list are more than welcome.

Anyway on to more exciting things. A few weekends ago Alan, in an effort to placate Ly's demanding need for Spring/Sunshine decided to get in the car to drive to track down the illusive season. After a few hours, the Lees found themselves entering Shenandoah park. Ly was beside herself with excitement - she couldn't wait to photograph flowers and see baby animals. Nature had other plans, however as evident by the following photographs:



Yup. Fog. Lots and lots of it.

Oh well, it was rather mysterious/romantic...and while there were no baby animals to be seen, Ly was fortunate enough to witness a deer who stuck his tongue out at her:


In case you were wondering, Ly promptly stuck her tongue back out at the deer.

Gettysburg

This past weekend the Lee family jumped in the car with a few of their closest friends for a road trip to Gettysburg. A more detailed post will follow. Eventually. We promise. =)

Life After the MCAT

After months of hard studying Alan finally finished the MCAT. He's happy to report that even with a mild freak-out over the physics section he feels confident about his performance. The best thing about finishing the MCAT is that Alan once again has free time. He is rediscovering what it feels like to not study every second of every day and is loving spending more time with Lyanna. Alan's projects at work are once again recieving much needed attention and he is determined to figure out exactly what those cancer stem cells really do and where they like to hide out.