In honor of my daughter’s birthday, I thought I would share the birthday invitation she gave to her excellent and understanding friends. I had to admire her snark and their sense of humor.
CONGRATULATIONS
You Have Been Invited to
Darla’s 15th Birthday Party!On Saturday, November 12th, this 2011 year, you have been invited to this very formal birthday party. It will be a sleepover, from Saturday at 4:30 pm to 10:00 am the following morning.
Late guests will be ignored and left at the front door.
Early guests will be faced with death by guillotine.We will be secluded in the basement all night, playing my new Just Dance 3 game and drinking soda. Pizza is for dinner (we have cheese pizza for certain vegetarians) and for breakfast we have fancy waffles. (The special kind that has syrup.)
My mother and I argued for a long time, but apparently I have to feed you, and it isn’t an option. I am, however, charging $8.00 a bottle for water.
Please RSVP through call or text.
Note that invitation criticism is strictly disallowed.
Failure to be present at this party will result in death by Alyssa’s mysterious school lasagna cheese.
P.S. My mom says $8.00 water falls in the refusing to feed category… so I guess I will share…
All guests were greeted with a clock and a stern look 
Happy Birthday!
Our final stop on the way home from NYC, was at the Indiana Dunes National Seashore. Needing a break from the road anyway, the Indiana Dunes offered an excellent opportunity for us to play in the water and have lunch.
Located near otherwise-unimpressive Gary, Indiana, the Indiana Dunes are a welcome haven for families wanting to enjoy the sun and waves. We were impressed by the apparent cleanliness of the beach and the water as well, since the park is located so close to industry. One of the favorite activities is to run full-speed down one of the dunes, toward the water. One teenager was even using the slope to do flips as he ran down the hill.
After a two-hour stop, we were back in the vehicle for the final night of our trip – in a hotel on the West side of Chicago.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
Niagara Falls
After visiting Manhattan, it was time to return home to Wisconsin. We only had a few days to get back, and we knew they’d be long, but a stop in Niagara Falls was a must.
On the way to New York from Wisconsin, we’d figured out by about Ohio that we’d forgotten our passports. Since our research showed we’d have a better view from the Canadian side, and since we’d planned to cross Ontario to get to Detroit’s Ford Museum, it baffles me how it never crossed our minds to take our passports. Nevertheless, we didn’t, and we knew we’d be stuck with whatever the American side had to offer.
Luckily for us, it offered a lot. The town is nothing, but the National Park and facilities are excellent. It was a gorgeous day, the views were spectacular, and a family of four gave us their tickets to Cave of the Wind! We had only planned to take the Maid in the Mist tour, so this was an unexpected bonus.
Niagara Falls never fails to impress, and the kids were as amazed by it as I was 150 years ago:)
Tips:
* Bring your passports (duh!)
* Put your camera in a sandwich bag when you climb the steps to Cave of the Wind. You will get seriously wet!
* If it’s hot, don’t put your plastic poncho on until you get on the boat.
* If you get an online deal for a three-star Millenium Hotel in Buffalo, ask to stay in the main hotel – they try to put the third-party online reservations into the super-crummy (one star!) part of the motel.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
Niagara Falls
