My husband, children, and I try to go on some sort of vacation every year even if it's only a weekend or day trip. We have gone to Niagara Falls for the day to go on the Maid of The Mist, went camping at Stony Brook and Allegany, and taken a long vacation to Florida. The important thing is to experience different things that are connected to our surroundings and environment. We are not much into "theme" parks but more into nature. While we definitely are not adventurists, we do not really like too many places that are "commercial". Of course there are exceptions, but we really try to keep our children connected to the environment and the natural world around us.

Another big part of my life is my extended family. I have two older brothers who are married and each have two children. Their children are older than mine, and it is interesting to see the changes and phases of life that they are experiencing as they get older. I don't know if I dread my children growing up or if I look forward to it. Of course I do look forward to it! They are learning and growing every day. It makes me reflect on things I was doing and experiencing when I was their age and how much fun I was having.

Seeing my children grow reminds me of the wonderful friendships I had and still have today. My circle of friends definitely has shrunk over the years, but the friendships that remain are much deeper. It doesn't matter the quantity of friends I have now but the quality of the friendship. I only see my friends a few times a year, but we still act like we did when we were nine or ten years old. The closeness is still there even if we aren't spending every day together.