Ups & Downs

Last week was full of ups and downs. The down: my grandfather's health steadily declined over the last part of the week. We went to visit him on Friday, before we headed out of town. He later passed away around 1:30 in the afternoon. He was 82 years old and will be dearly missed by his family and all who new him.

All of this made things stressful for our trip to Cincinnati for the annual Ohio River Paddlefest. This event was one that my mom and dad started attending together in 2005. That first year, Sean and I also went with them, but we weren't able to go the past two years. After my dad died in 2007, I made a promise that I would take Liam to Paddlefest as a way of commemorating dad and his love of the water. We had practiced with Liam in a canoe and a kayak before going, so we knew that he would be good about sitting in a boat.
The trip went pretty well baring a lack of port-a-pots, a thunderstorm, a diaper "incident", and strong winds. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Liam discovers body art.


Riding on mommy...and daddy, at the expo.


Grandma's bed is softer! (Liam's first time camping).

Look at all the boats! (Daddy and Liam in center).


Where's the water?


My grandma is buff!


We made it! Three hours and 8.2 miles later!