Once again the Farrell's have made it to Atlantic City, minus our brother Bob, who was celebrating his 40th Anniversary. We had alot of laughs that's for sure, especially moving from one casino to another and doing it without the help of a bellhop. As usual we improvised by using Maggie's wheelchair to load 6 people's stuff onto it and of course I was the one who had to push it thru the crowds, which was no easy task. We made it to the elevator that they use for wheelchairs only to find it wasn't working (Farrell Luck) and when the man said he would call Security to escort us down a hall to get to the lower floor I heard my sister Pat grown and our 93 year old mother say, "This is bullshit, I'm not coming here anymore". I said to the guy that's not necessary, we'll go down the escalator. At that point I don't know who thought I was crazier the man fixing the elevator or my Mother. Annie (who looked like a packmule and who was still in her robe & swimsuit from the beach) was going down the escalator for the second time, when I turned to Mom and said, "Get up Mom, I'll take your wheelchair down first and then come up & take you down". At that point she had to much stuff in her hands to hit me, so I took my chance. Needless to say Mom was grumbling that we all looked like a bunch of immigrants but we managed to get some oceanfront rooms in the old Dennis Hotel that was newly remodeled with fantastic beds and 52" flat TV screens.....we we're living high on the hog now. When we were on the way up to the rooms, Pat & I (with the wheelchair full of stuff) had to take a separate elevator and this couple got on and the man looked at me and said, "You have anyone under all that stuff?" I laughed and said, "I made my sister get out of the wheelchair so we could use it cause there were no bellhops available", he turned and looked at Pat and asked if it was her and I said, "No not her but she's about ready to use it too". Those people must of thought we were all nuts. We did have a great time and boy the food was out of this world. We ate at Virginia City Buffet and even Mom stuffed herself. I laughed and said, "There's not one Farrell coming back from the dessert bar without 2 desserts in their hands." We would gamble at night (of course I was the big winner).....I always loved that Slingo! The next day we all finally got down to the beach and Mom got to put her feet in the ocean. Of course we had a visit from Tarus (the fudgie-wudgie man) and got our ice cream on the beach. It was hard to believe how calm the ocean was, we even got Pat in up to her waist. We always enjoy Atlantic City and it's not about the gambling but more about the ocean and the beach and the fun we all still have just being together for those few days. It's amazing when you think four generations of Farrell's have been to Atlantic City, starting with our Grandfather who was an Engineer and brought his kids down here on the train. Then Daddy brought Mom & us here every summer for vacation and we've been enjoying it ever since. I know a few of the grandkids came when they were younger and it would be nice if one day they brought their kids down also. When Pat & I came out of the ocean and we were making our way up to our chairs we seen kids running in the sand and I said, "We use to run in the sand like that.....imagine long after we're gone our footprints will always remain under this sand forever". With that I will leave you with a quote I have always loved, "I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, our sweat, and in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came." --Pres. John F. Kennedy
The trick here, is not to win it. If you win, you are in charge of hosting the following year. So every Labor Day, we buy store bought sauce and and boil the taste out of the ribs before grilling them. 
Before heading to the lake for Labor day weekend, I had the kids picking tomatoes in the garden, when they found an adult Owl who had parked itself under a nearby blueberry bush. 
Per tradition here at the Farrell house, the kids get to help make their own birthday cake. Liam mixed his own icing which turned a strange color of green. It was very good with ice cream.
Liam got lots of nice toys for his birthday. Thanks to the family and friends who sent cards and gifts. One of Liam's favorite gifts was Lego's Star Wars (video game) and another web-kin.
Hard to believe they're going back. Gilly's in 4th grade, while Liam starts 2nd. Tristan gets another year to stay home and play, although he'll go to day care 2-3 times a week while Sam goes off to work.
This past weekend, Sam's family had a chance to come up to the lake and visit for a few days. Jana brought Ethan, Bethany, & Baby Lucca; while Adam brought up Adian, and Andrew. After dinner we all went out to Yummies for ice cream, and a walk down by the boats at sunset.
Of course the real attraction was the beach, and everybody enjoyed fighting the massive waves. The kids got to go to Bingo, ride bikes, visit the playgrounds and watch movies in the back room at night time. Everybody had a great time, and we hope to have them back next year.
"Ah Christ, you're as cheap as your old man."
Aunt Erin, Uncle Colin, Gram Ma, and Pap Pap all pitched in to buy Liam a new bike. Now he won't get made fun of by the local kids for having a "Little kid's" bike. :-) Liam really enjoys the drink holder and water bottle that comes with the package. Here is a picture of him with his new wheels.
Samantha is finishing up her last week at the community center. For almost 7 summers in a row, she has been the director of VBP's Arts & Crafts program. She has juggled this position and her regular job back home all summer long, and just can not continue to keep up. Today I snuck down during story hour to snap this picture.
Every summer, my old college room-mate, Ed Yauger and his family tend to get together with us and go to a local amusement park. In the past few years it has tended to be Idlewild in Westmoreland County, but this time around we figured the kids are getting big enough for some roller coasters. Here is a shot of the group after we all get soaked on the Raging Rapids ride.
We had perfect weather, and packed lunches for the afternoon. The kids really enjoyed the Raging Rapids, the Racer, and the Log Jammer. Tristan was still a bit too small to ride all the fun stuff, but he had fun in Kiddy-land, and was still able to do most of the things we did. Kennywood was recently bought out by a Spanish company, but we didn't notice any major changes, other than the price which seems to have gone up a bit.
