Laura loved Hershey!

Photos of our candy bar making experience!

The finished product,,,,,,,,

Laura truly loved her visit to Hershey, it was the highlight of the trip for her without a doubt.She was excited and very verbal when we got there, at the kiosk the woman was explaining what we could do while at Hershey and she spoke up immiedetly. She told the lady with great excitement that she was going to make her own candy bar. We went on the factory tour ride and made the candy bar.
For Laura the factory tour ride was awesome as well, she did not have to get out of her wheelchair to go on the ride. The had little cars that were accessable, so nice to see. She rode thru the ride with a s ile on her face. When it was over we got our candy bar tickets, they gave us a time to arrive so we went to grab some lunch.
Laura and Daddy worked together to make her candy bar, she choose to put almonds, cookie bits and pretzels, she topped it with sprinkles. This was all done on a computer, she had to touch the screen to make the selections, she did a very nice job. After that she got to watch the machine make her candy bar, it rode down the belt and stopped at the stations the added ingrdients, then went thru the liquid chocolate, she loved watching every bit of it. Once the candy bar was done, she had to design her own cover using the computer again. Laura was interested thru the whole process and very excited to get her candy bar when it was done. The hardest part was getting her to just have a little piece of it. Either way I feel guilty, she should not eat to much at once because she is diabetic. But only allowing her a few bites makes you feel bad as well. The question with her life is always, quality or quanity, which one is best. I am often unsure of the correct answer! Can you make that decision? It sucks saying no all the time, don't get me wrong she gets more than she should but I would just like her to be like any other child and be able to say yes more than no.
Today we are just going to hang out at the campground together. Nothing to do here except be together for one last day with no stress. tom and I both thought of going home a day early but Laura does not want to. She wants to stay here alone with the two of us, just be together. She is smarter than we realize sometimes. Laura knows that if we go home suddenly something will need to be done and she will be stuck waiting for us to do it. Life gets in the way more than we realize. Little things like Aunt Jo needs cat food, the sump pump isn't working, laundry, shoveling, rakeing, mowing, it really doesn't matter what it is just something we need to do that takes us away from her.
So today we are going to make pizza for lunch, play a game, cook some dinner and have a fire, just so Laura is happy! Yeah for her, she spoke up and told us what she wanted! I love her and her Daddy bunches and bunches. Blessed we are just to have each other, someday the work part will be over or at least decreased and I can't wait! Enough is enough! So this will be the last post about vacation, today is for Laura,tommorow will be the drive home and Monday morning the alarm goes off at 5am and we hit the decks running again! It was fun!

Good bye Shenandoah, Hello Hershey!

Well our southern vacation began just over a week ago. We hurried out of New York, heading south to miss yet another possable snow storm. On our first night we made it to Belden Hills Campground just as the sun set. They were scheduled to open on the first, I called while at work and asked if they would mind our spending the night there, and he graciously said yes. So we were off, we got home at 4:30 and were on our way by 5pm. It was a dry drive to the campground. We would have a quiet night but Chey thought she was there to bark at all the deer living in the field around us. She cried and whined hoping to get us to let her out to play with the deer. So sleep was not a part of our stop.
The next day we headed for Lickdale, it was only a few hours as it was supposed to be our first stop. The truck traffic at the campground was noisy, although I did not notice it. Tom said it kept him up! We did not unhook, just got some fried chicken at the store and had dinner and relaxed.
First thing the next morning we were off to Virginia's Shenandoah Mountains. All I can say is what a beautiful area. Not only do they have beautiful mountains, but the farms and valleys are pristine. The campground is woodsy and had a beautiful waterfall,

with a creek running thru it. The only complaint about Shenandoah Valley Campground was that the sites were small and close to each other. It was windy while we were there and we were not comfortable having a fire as it was so close to our trailer. We set up and headed out for dinner, ribs, chicken, shrimp all the things that make you think south. The restaurant was called Rackem Sackem Ribs, very good meal. The next day we were off to The Blue Ridge Parkway, it is full of beautiful views of the mountains and valley below. Laura loved riding with me, daddy calls her our truck puppy, she loves it!

We rode for a few hours and then escaped the parkway to grab some lunch. Our first Hardees ever. It was ok, for fast food. People here are amazingly friendly and helpful. I can't think of a place that when entering with the wheelchair somebody did not help us. Awesome! After lunch we went back to the camp and relaxed. Had a nice relaxing evening.
The next morning we were up early and off for Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park, yet another beautiful drive. Although the mountains are still bare from the long winter it is beautiful! Gives you a differant view. The national park is said to be loaded with animals. Within the first few miles of our drive we met several deer crossing the road. I stopped so Laura could see them. Chey was up and barking at the deer, who just stood there and stared at her. We went about 50 miles of the parkway and spent almost the whole day there. It was awesome but very long at the same time. I don't believe that anyone could drive the entire 110 miles in one day, it was exhausting and beautiful all in one.
I must say this is a place that I would enjoy much more without a child in a wheelchair. A place that needs to be seen from the numerous trails, I am sure we missed the best parts of Shenandoah. Don't get me wrong, I would not give my life with Laura up for this or anything. Let me just say, it is one of the things I miss about my single life. Just to have the ability to chose to hike down one of those trails to see a differant vista or waterfall. What it will it be like, to see the national parks in this country with a child in a wheelchair will be differant for us. Our experience will be from the road side! It is what it is! I am sure we will love experiencing the parks together but I will always feel we may have missed something.
When we left Virginia we were ready to go, maybe not north but we had seen what we came to see. I would love to come back someday when the leaves and flowers are in bloom. The season is late here also, the very nice lady who cut Lauras hair told me that usually by the first week it is in full bloom here. So we leave beautiful sunny Virginia and headed north.
Here we are at Twin Grove Rv park, getting ready for our visit to Hershey today. I must leave now to get that kid ready!

Laura, Tom and I at Shenandoah!

These photos are of the three of us on top of the Shenandoah Mountain range on Skyline Drive. It was a relaxing beautiful place to spend the day! More later!