Merry Christmas

2012 is closing. We had an adventurous year. This Christmas the kids we very excited to see snow on Christmas eve and then again the day after. We had a blast making snow mounds, throwing snowballs and sledding.

Happy Halloween

We survived the recent Storm Sandy with only minor roof damage. We have spend the recent two days before Halloween indoors because of the storm. We've been cooking playing board games, carving pumpkins and just having a good time. I talked the kids into their costumes a day early to capture some studio photos. Happy how they turned out.

First Place!

We all were so proud of Morgan winning first place today with Sir Dewey Jump in the 4-H Horse Show at the Andover Equestrian Center. She has started riding this year at the Andover Farm and could not be having more fun. She is also involved with the Linthicum 4-H High Riders club. The 4-H is where We meet Dewey the horse Morgan has ridden on this year for the Horse shows at Andover. Dewey is owned by Yvonne and Joe Klug. They have been extremely generous with Dewey and their time and caring nurture towards Morgan and the rest of our family.

Canoe Trip

We went on a trip over the Muddy Creek on an awesome SERC excursion. Dan(me), Andrew, Morgan. Martin, Karliegh, Christopher, Buddy and Faith, along with others went on an canoe excursion lead by SERC's Karen McDonald. She taught us about the work being done by Smithsonian researchers at this fabulous place. We had an awesome time canoeing on the creek seeing Herons and Osprey, the marsh grass nursery and Co2 testings sites.

Sold down the Shenandoah River

We took another adventurous trip with the Rolka family and friends. 8 of us went to rent tubes from River and Trail outfitters located in West Virginia near Harpers Ferry. This was a lazy trip tailored perfectly for the younger ones in our group and still adventurous enough for all us first timers. Morgan said is was the best time she could have. Along the river we encountered a little wave action and a small alcove with a small water fall for a little white water action for us older kids. Tubing is definitely an activity we are putting on our come back to list.

Billy Goat Trail

We adventured out to the Billy Goat trail, around Bear Island again this weekend. It was the first summer trip to the area. Boy did we realize that, 97 degrees is Hot! It was also the first time we did both sections of trail "A" in one day. We hiked for 3.5 hours and 5 miles. At the middle exit marker we decided that we had not gone that far and could keep going. We had just taken a long break at the purplehorse beach (in the photo above) and felt good enough to keep going. What we failed to account for was the next 4 miles ahead. Anyway it was a great time, Karliegh, Christopher, Claire, and Andrew went with Martin and myself. Afterward we stopped by a local place to get ourselves re-filthy but with icecream.

Rick Family vacation

We are visiting Disney again and we really are enjoying it. Dan surprised me with a few Anniversary Celebrations. First, Disney gave us pins to wear that said Happy Anniversary. Everytime a Cast Member said "Happy Anniversary", we would kiss. Then, he had 1900 Park Fare bring us a special, 10 Magical Years, dessert to share. Our first day we went to the Magic Kingdom and had a blast. Andrew got on his first roller coaster with Dad, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it was fun but that was the last roller coaster of this vacation for Andrew.

The second day we decided to go to Animal Kingdom but I think everyone had the same idea. There were a lot of crowds. We were there the entire day and we were only able to get on 4 rides. It rained (poured sometimes) off and on all day. We had dinner reservations in Epcot at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. We dined with I think 5 Princesses. The Kjottkake Norwegian meatballs are Dan's favorite. That night after 9, we went back to the Magic Kingdom. Thankfully the sky cleared up, just in time for the fireworks. We enjoyed a buffet of desserts with the fireworks show then got on a few more rides. We really enjoyed Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. They even used one of Andrew's jokes. Morgan beat all of us at the Buzz Lightyear ride.

On Wednesday we went to Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth, went sleuthing on Phineas and Ferb's Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, Turtle talk with Crush and travelled the World. Andrew even got stamps and flags on his Duffy the Bear fan from most of the countries. After dinner at Le Cellier, we rode Soaring'. Le Cellier has been our second best favorite restaurant at WDW. The steaks are the best. And the atmosphere completes the great experience.

Thursday, we went to Hollywood Studios. We rode Star Tours five times. I was the Rebel Spy on one of them. Star Tours is the best ride ever and I am not just saying that because I am a huge fan. It is different every time you ride it. We also enjoyed Lights, Motors, Action! I want to know how I can get a job driving those cars like that. We had dinner at The Brown Derby and with the dinner package, you get reserved seats for Fantasmic. We thought the steaks the night before were great, but the Charred fillet of beef at the Brown Derby is da bomb. They also help us celebrate with champagne. After dinner we used our Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania and Dan beat us all at that game.

It was then time to get seated for Fantasmic. We got chosen from the crowd to participate down front in a trivia challenge against another family and we tied. It was fun and embarrassing at the same time.

Friday we went to Downtown Disney then had dinner at Whispering Willows Cafe in Wilderness Lodge. They celebrated our anniversary with champagne. Luckily, we aren't a family who uses ketchup because they give all of the ketchup in the restaurant to any table that asks for it. It is funny when that happens because the collection of ketchup bottles can fill the entire table.

The kids went swimming when we got back to the hotel and we started packing up the truck for our trip back home.

Saturday morning we went back to Hollywood Studios and rode Star Tours a few more times. Andrew and Dad hung out at the Epcot world showcase a bit taking the boat ride to the international gateway. Morgan and I went back to Downtown Disney. By early afternoon we started the long ride home. This truly was one of our best vacations ever.

Rick Family Portrait

We stopped in NC to see my mom on our way to Disney World. I took a new family portrait at our favorite spot, the Lazy Five Ranch. We had a great couple days hanging out with mom, talking well into the night. today we took off for the 8.5 hour drive to Orlando Fla, WDW! So glad to finally be here! We are spending the night at a hotel right outside The entrance to the resort. It's not the best hotel but we'll make due and be in the parks first thing in the morning. No more driving tomorrow.

Looking at what is outside WDW you can see all the frustration that Walt Disney would have if he did not built a self sufficient resort. There are a plethora of choices to eat but none look appetizing. Thank goodness we found a Carrabbas.

A year in the life of an Angel

This past year has been a difficult year for Michele. One that we have not hidden but I have not talked about yet. This post will be the place to describe the events of Epilepsy and how that phenomenon affected Michele this past year.

We first noticed the symptoms on Easter day 2011, April 24. We were all in the middle of a countdown to our first trip to Disney World. Michele had a count down app on her iPhone and each day would remind us of the number of days left. On that Easter day there were 132 days remaining.
That afternoon as we were getting dinner ready and expecting family to come over, Michele mentioned that she felt strange at Easter service earlier, she knew she was there but she had no idea what happened. We did not think too much of it at the moment. Later after our Easter dinner guests left, Michele was sitting at the computer and asked a strange question, "What's this countdown to Disney?" I of course thought she was putting me on. and ignored it. She repeated the question with ernest so I followed up with, "What are you talking about?" We had been looking forward to our first trip to Disney with the kids. Michele also had no recollection that we had guests over just an hour earlier. We had the awful realization that Michele was not joking and something serious was wrong! Off to the Emergency room!

The next week Michele was diagnosed with catamenial epilepsy. From our own research we learned that the recurrent "spells" Michele had been having since Andrew was born were termed simple partial epilepsy seizures. Michele's simple partial seizures where in the form of Deja vu and nausea. The worst of them had her in a state of awareness but forced her to pause her current task. Easter 2011 began the first episode of complex partial epilepsy seizure with amnesia. The amnesia events usually followed what is termed an aura, She would loose awareness temporarily and have an amnesia event. Normally the memories came back after about an hour, most of the memories. We are still unsure of why Michele is so much more forgetful now without episodes. She has to take notes for everything. Her initial neurologist had Michele do a week long EEG test using a walk around recorder. She hated the uncomfortableness. After all that the EEG showed nothing abnormal.

A month later it happened again while at Bobby and Michael's 1st Bday party for baby Josh. Michele had a bunch of "spells" throughout the morning, later while sitting down to eat some of Michaels good cooking Michele felt strange and put her head down, when she sat back up she asked, "Where am I?" I answered that we were at Baby Josh's party, Michele responded with, "Who is Josh?" Off to see the Doc again! (Thanks Missy for taking our kids).

The neurologist decided that testing further was too hard to get good results and at this point did not matter much. He started Michele on Kepra. A small dose but said that this was something that Michele needed to take daily from that point forward. All seemed to go well with the medication.

Life was good again. We went to Disney later that summer. All of us were having a good time. It was Thursday (the fifth day in Disney) Michele had woke first and leaned over to ask, "Dan, where are we?" Michele had forgotten to take the Kepra the night before. Fortunately as usual the amnesia only lasted for part of that morning. Michele had recalled most all of our first trip to Disney.

Since then we have seen a catamenial specialist at Johns Hopkins and we are waiting for the specialist and Michele's OB to get together and talk about the next steps in her treatment. This has been frustrating, it seems Docs are working at their own pace, Michele saw the specialist in February and we are still waiting for the docs to exchange information and get back to us. No one is making any promises but Michele and I are of course optimistic.

Update May 2nd:
Got a call from the OB's office and they have scheduled the hysterectomy for May 15th. Michele will need to follow up with the Hopkins doc three months after the surgery. He will start to reduce the Kepra until she is completely off of it. If Michele has any more seizures then she will be on the medicine for the rest of her life. If she doesn't have a seizure then she can remain off of the medicine and the surgery had an impact on the Epilepsy.

Keys' Family Portraits

The Keys Family asked me to take photos of there newest eddition to the family and their entire family portraits. We met at Patapsco Valley State park near Gun Rd at a section that doesn't see many visitors.

We met the Key Family, at Susan Ina Dance Studio. If you follow this blog you'll know Morgan has been dancing at that school since she was two. The Key's children also go to the same school as Andrew and Morgan, St Philip Neri in Linthicum.

Bike Trails of Washington DC

My wife Michele is terrifically understanding. Who else do you know that would put up with not only all the mulla spent on photography equipment but also put up with all the pictures I take but then only keep some of them. Its the later that she "comments" on the most. All in All Michele has been very supportive on my relatively recent new hobby photography. Too bad I've decided to start a photography project. It will keep me away from home more than ever.

I want to capture the Bike trails of Washington DC. I've been riding them for the past two+ years as a method of commuting to my Georgetown job from Union Station. The beauty of the trails is a big reason I've not yet tired of pushing the pedals everyday. So I decided to grab my newest camera, a Canon PS G1X, and try to capture the beauty of the trails. I hope you'll follow the link in the photo above to see all the rest of the series.

4-H Variety Show

Tonight was the annual 4-H variety show in Millersvile MD. Morgan was able to get her english riding outfit last weekend to wear in today's show. She is excited about her budding friendships and hanging out with her friends tonight after the show. 4-H is a great club for girls (and boys too). The group has a rapport with each other over studying hippology and their common experiences riding

Morgan's Kindergaden Shadow Photo

Morgan came home from class this week with a note asking to bring to class a picture depicting a shadow. I remember going all out when I took Andrew's shadow picture for kindergarden class. I was convinced to do the same for Morgan. So I broke out all the camera gear again.

Morgan has been in dance since she was two (wow, a long time). I created an outline of a dancer doing an arabesque, I lighted the outline as a silhouette against the background wall and then lighted morgan separately in this seated foreground pose. She is holding her dancer dolly, Debby. I hope she will like this picture as she grows up, remembering all her hard work and good times dancing.

Morgan brings home Leo the Lion for a visit.

It was a busy weekend for Morgan and Leo. Friday night they went back to school for Parents Night Out. Leo was on his best behavior Mrs Maryann told us. Saturday morning we went to Karleigh's 8th Bday party at Build-A-Bear. Leo then accompanied Morgan to Dance class. Her Tap Class will be dancing to "The Lion King" so Leo felt right at home. Later that night we went to a 40th Bday party for Pan-Pam. Sunday we went to Logan's Bday then to Pony Pals where Leo meet Scooter, the horse Morgan rides. Leo had a great time visiting the Rick Household for the second time.

2nd Place. Good Job Kiddo!

Andrew won 1st place in his Den and 2nd place overall at the SPN Cub Scout pinewood derby competition today. He worked hard on his car. Andrew drew the design and carved it, he painted it and stuck on the weights. I helped some but it was kept in the spirit of a dad helping his son. Andrew was very proud of his car. While he saw other boys playing with their cars, Andrew proved his patience and protected his car in a ziploc bag until the race.

Andrew is already is thinking of a better body design for next year.

Snow Tubing Finally!

We were not able to go snow tubing or learn to ski during the Christmas break. It was so warm the local snow resorts could not make any snow and kept the resort closed. I thought we were done trying to go. But Aunt Pam (aka Pam Pam) talked me into making the trip this weekend. I'm glad she did. We left the house before 8am stopped at McDonald's for pancakes and got to the tubing place by 10am. The weather was still cold enough that the tubes were the fastest I've ever seen. You had to drag your feet to slow down at the bottom. As it warmed up the snow turn more to slush. I got the camera out and started taking photos. Andrew later commented that the tubing was fun but getting "lame". But everyone had a blast, we'll be back next Christmas!

Happy Holidays

The Rick Family wants to send out a warm happy holiday wish. This year we neglected to put together an updated address list in time to get holiday cards out. We promise we will try harder next year.

We spent the Christmas Eve at the National Aquarium at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Afterward we went across Pratt St to PF Chang's restaurant. PF Chang's is Andrew's favorite and became so after a previous Christmas eve visit. I think todays activities will become a tradition. The kids are more excited about Christmas this year than I can remember. Its great to see them having so much fun.

Morgan's favorite present was the Hello Kitty build a bear that Santa brought. Andrew had a blast with the Healies that grandmom Sue bought him. He spent Christmas day walking as if he was wearing high heals. Michi loved her Pandora Charms she got and her new Ugg boots, "They're so soft and comfy." Dad loved his new shoes.

Morgan, Andrew, Dad, Aunt Pam Pam, Bud and Faith are going snow skiing on Dec 27th. With all the warm weather we've had, our favorite nearby spot Whitetail is not yet open, so it will be off to Bryce ski resort. This is the first attempt at this winter sport for all of us. I'll try to take pictures and post an update on that trip.

We Bleed Blue!

Saturday Dan and Andrew, and the Rolkas - Martin, Karliegh, and Christopher went to DC to see the Georgetown Hoya beat down of the NJIT Highlanders 84 - 44. We got scalp tickets then went to Mings restaurant, the kids had sushi, and wasabi for the first time. After the game we went to the Natural History Museum, The Kids were getting worn out but Martin was having a good time.

I don't need to say anything more about the parking or getting lost on the way home.

Thanksgiving 2011

Today everyone in the Rick Family understands all we have to be thankful for. Our day started with some last minute straightening up and watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, Michele mentioned she wants to go to New York one year to see it live. While Michele and Dada started cooking I took Andrew Morgan and Karah (a neighbor) to the long gate park to play. Buddy, Faith, Pam, Stephanie, and Rick came over later for dinner. We had a apple wood smoked turkey this year and man was it good. Michele and Dada made all the extras including a traditional peach cobbler and pumpkin pie for dessert. We had a great time hanging out together, something we don't do as much these days. It was a great Thanksgiving!
Happy thanksgiving all!

2011 Winter Show

This was Morgan's 3rd Winter Show for the Susan Ina Dance Studio. This was also the first year Susan put a tap number in the show. In Morgan's first Winter Show she was a skunk with Braelyn and Makenna so this year Dan took a picture of them again. My how they have grown!

Biking to Annapolis

I like to bike to work between Union Station and Georgetown Mon - Fri. Usually when I say that to someone, they assume its a direct route, about four miles. Following Massachusetts Avenue to DuPont Circle then over the Q St Bridge to Georgetown. Actually I reverse this and go direct when heading home from work. But most mornings I enjoy Washington DC's Bike routes. From Union Station I head to Jefferson's Memorial, from there I can take one of several routes. Rock Creek to Capital Crescent, or Mt Vernon to Four Mile run to WD&O to the Custis Trail. On average I bike ride 17 to 20 miles, sometimes as much as 30 miles. However I don't like rain or snow and ice at all. I'll drive in or take the bus or metro on those days. On average I should be getting 3400 miles annually.

I love to use the Single Speed I bought from Buddy, My brother in law. It's a Chrome Alloy one geared bike. The current gearing is a 3:1 ratio, a high end ratio for on-road single speeds. The simple bike benefits me because its very strong and low maintenance. If I had an expensive bike it would last maybe two years. With this Raleigh Rush Hour bike I can consistently punish it and yet depend on it everyday.

This weekend I did what I love most with biking, I went on a long ride group ride. Saturday I went down to DC to get the bike and spent a little while taking photos like the one above. Sunday I met up with Buddy at Marley Sta Mall. I went north to BWI, around the loop then we went back south all the way to Annapolis, had lunch in Annapolis (it was pretty good shrimp with spicy brown rice) then back to Marley. All total about 48 miles. Here is a link to that ride, broken into two segments.
Segment 1 (Strava) or (Endomondo)
Segment 2 (Strava) or (Endomondo)

Billy Goat Trail

After Soccer we went to the Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls MD yesterday. I tried to get Morgan to go with us this time but she would hear nothing of it. Andrew asked Karah, a neighbor, and school friends Karliegh, Christopher and their Dad Martin to go with us. The trail to Marker 2 took us two hours to complete and Andrew took a dive in the water after slipping on a rock. He was fine and luckily it was close to the trail marker 2 exit. After that we all went for ice cream.

The Rick Family's First Disneyworld Vacation 2011!

We spent a wonderful 7 days in Disney this September of 2011. Dan was able to plan everything in advance including making sure that Michele got onto Star Tours (a Star Wars ride) first thing when getting to Disney. Michele ended up getting on the ride a total of 12 times during the trip. Our last night at Disneyworld, we actually closed the ride.

When we got to our hotel, (we stayed at the All Star Music Resort) we didn't have to wait to check in. We where chosen as the Family of the Day and were escorted to our room with balloons, flowers, pins and they even took our picture. I guess someone told them it was Andrew and Morgan's first visit.

Morgan was able to get all dolled up at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique in Cinderella's Castle then Morgan and Mommy attended the Perfect Princess Tea with Rose Petal and Princess Aurora. Most of the girls wore a princess costume but Morgan wore the dress Faith used for Vince and Meredith's Rennaisance Wedding. Everyone at the Magic Kingdom and the Grand Floridian were very impressed with how pretty Morgan was in her heals, dress and pink diva hairdo.

While Mommy and Morgan were at the Perfect Princess Tea, Andrew and Daddy were busy at the Pirates League where Andrew was made up like a pirate with a skull face. You couldn't even recognize that it was Andrew under all that makeup.

The other favorite ride everyone enjoyed was Soarin'. We got on that ride several times also but the wait was always too long. Mommy beat Daddy at the Buzz Lightyear ride and we also loved the Toy Story ride.

The dinning plan was a great idea. Dan planned several dinners for us that included the characters. Le Cellier and 1900 Park Fare was out of this world. The character dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway was another great dinner. Andrew got kissed by all of the Princesses who left many a lipstick mark on his cheek. Morgan also got many autographs by her favorite characters. Dan was able to get a picture with Donald and Andrew decided that Goofy was his favorite character and will be Goofy for Halloween.

Andrew was also able to take part in the Star Wars Padawan Training Academy. There he learned to use a lightsaber and actually fought Darth Vader! The force was strong with him.

One special note: Andrew is the same age (7) that Michele was when she first drove down to Disney with her parents.

We had a great time and we hope you enjoy our pictures!

Good Bye 2010

Here is the last photograph of 2010. This was taken at 7:20am on Thursday Dec 30. That morning I caught the 6:09 train to Union Station to get the sun rise light on the capital. But before the sunrise, during the twilight, I captured the above image. Its my favorite of the morning. I especially love the different colors of light in this photo. A little later after getting photos of the east side of the Capital during the sunrise, I was back on the train and back home by 9am.

We at the Rick Family wish everyone a healthy and happy 2011!

Snow Tubing at White Tail Resort

This year, Dan, Michele and the kids all had off during the week after Christmas. We saved up all of our change through out the year and it paid for our snowtubing adventure. The first day, Monday, Michele, Dan, Andrew, Faith and Morgan all went and Dan and the older kids went on the big tubing hill while Michele and Morgan stayed on the smaller hill. After a while, Michele and Morgan were finally convinced go on the big hill with the rest of the gang. Morgan did fine but Michele did not like it. It was too fast! The next day just Dan, Andrew and Faith went and they really enjoyed themselves. We also made plans with the Phillips' to have Joey spend the night and go snow-tubing on Wednesday. This was the first time Joey had ever had a sleep over. Dan and the boys had a great time and Joey didn't want to leave. We plan to just chill the rest of the week and on Friday night we are having dinner with the Phillips' to celebrate their 9 year wedding anniversary.

Christmas 2010

This year's Christmas celebration was a good one. The kids woke early and saw what Santa had left and then opened the rest of their gifts. Santa brought Andrew an Elephant Pillow Pet and a Mini Husky Pillow Pet. Santa brought Morgan an American Girl Bitty Baby doll which she takes everywhere. After all the presents where opened, we got ready and headed up to Pam Pam's for Christmas Breakfast. After Pam's then Michele got creative and made a Ham and a Gratin (from scratch) for dinner. She got a mandolin slicer for potatoes and it was fun and quick to use. Once dinner got started we ran over to Kevin and Missy's to exchange gifts for the kids then hurried back and ate a delicious dinner. We all crashed that night from all of the excitement. Santa treated us good.

Christmas Snowflake

The Susan Ina Winter Show was on my birthday this year. Morgan was in two dances. During the SnowFlake dance, Vinnie had to lift her and spin her around and he didn't drop her which made me very relieved. Dan took pictures of Morgan in her costume at home and had her do some poses. There was one point where we had her blow on some fake snow. Well needless to say, I am still finding it all over the house. Looking forward to Thanksgiving!

-Michele

Back to the cliffs

Aunt Pam-Pam, Cousin Faith, Andrew and Dad headed back to the Billy Goat trail. This time we had enough time to tackle the west second half of the trail. Poor Faith had stomach problems from her kidney medication she stated again on Friday. But all said it was a great hike. Andrew may look scared in the pic above but he was a trooper the whole way.

That might Pam and Michi and Da-Moma headed out to Longerberger Basket Bingo. The Kinds and I stayed home and turned off all the lights ate popcorn and watched How to train your dragon.

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2010. Here's my Captain Rex and Padme. The kids had a blast Trick or Treating. They filled up our cauldron with all of their loot they received.

The kids actually got to wear their costumes 5 times this year. Andrew changed up during our Church's Cars O' Candy and was Bobba Fett. I had gotten that costume last year at Tot Swap and it was way too big for him then. This year he went through a growth spurt. I had him try on his Captain Rex costume 3 weeks ago and it was too small so we ran out and got the next size up. We got our monies worth this year with all of the functions we went to.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Michele

Family Portrait 2010

Buttons & Morgan

Morgan got to bring her PreK class mascot home this week. She was VERY excited. Buttons and Morgan had a great time together. He got to stay with us for a week and was a very good house guest. Buttons also joined us while we went to the Corn Maze and helped Morgan from getting lost in the tall corn. We took a hay ride which was lots of fun. Buttons also went with Morgan to dancing school and watched Morgan take her Jazz class. The Rick Family will miss Buttons but we are sure that he will enjoy his next adventure.

Billy Goat Trail

I took Andrew, aunt Pam, cousin Faith and her friend Rebecca to the Billy Goat Trail on Saturday. It was a tough 3 hour hike. Andrew had fun showing the best way across the bolder fields. Here is a photo of Rebecca the bravest of all.

Something that surprised most was the lack folks wearing hiking shoes. It seemed everyone had tennis shoes. The terrain is not a walk thru the woods, well it is but with many large and some sharp boulders thrown in. Also I was surprised that given the terrain and the abundance of sneakers that I did not see anyone sitting on the side with twisted anckles.

Lets see if next time I can get Michele and Morgan out there.