What a delightful weekend of not biking. It was not the no biking that made it delightful, but it was delightful none the less. I spent the weekend in Little Falls, NY, a quaint little town along the Erie canal that is home to my sister Andrea and her family. The last time I saw my sister was about 1.5 years ago at Christmas at my parents house. In other words, waaaaayyy too long ago. My niece Elizabeth is now 2 years old, and as cute as a pail full of kittens and my sister seems much happier and less tired than when I last saw her. I also got to see my parents who were visiting at the same time. This was fantastic since I may not make it home this year and was worried I might not get to see them at all. It was so nice to have everyone together again.

Some highlights of the weekend...

- Seeing Elizabeth's grin when she pulled the stuffed Elephant I gave her for her birthday out of the safari gift bag and hugged it. In fact I think Elizabeth's grin in general was the number one highlight of the weekend.

- Delicious Strawberry Rhubarb pie made by Andrea... yumm....

- Leisurely walk through the woods with my whole family in the gorgeous forest right behind my sisters house.

- Becoming the favorite peach cutter upper

- Fireworks and relaxing at the sailing club. It was so nice just to be by a lake with green trees and clean water and fresh air. Lakes are something I miss a lot... almost as much as empty beaches.

- Carousel ride, Gee Willickers, baby ducks, dinner and running around and around and around and around wih Elizabeth in Saratoga.

I could probably spend all night telling delightful Elizabeth stories, but then my blog would become a novel, so I'll just add a few pictures to illustrate how adorable she is.... and one of me and my dad.

Elizabeth and I sharing a peach

Elizabeth and her Mom in Saratoga

Trying to pull the rock out of the ground on Moss Island

Elizabeth and I touching foreheads


Elizabeth and my mom looking at the Goldfish in Saratoga

My Dad and I at the Sailing Club in Cooperstown

This weekend I learned that 2 year old's are amazing little beings, and was reminded that family will always make you feel warm and relaxed, and that simple things like spinning around in circles and reading stories can be just as emotionally exhilirating as barrelling down a mountain at high speeds. I took a deep breath of fresh air this weekend and gathered enough happy thoughts in my arsenal to fight off all the big bad monsters out in the working world.