Fun...Fun...and more Fun! I think.....

Fun...I just read Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Blog (The 3 kinds of fun) and it got me thinking about what kind of fun my family has. I've always thought of having fun as just that....having fun!  You smile, you laugh, you enjoy yourself and you have fun.  After reading this, I've realized that we have all different kinds of fun in my house. My family definitely has their share of fun!

She explains the 3 kinds of fun as:
Challenging fun - "Challenging fun takes patience, time, energy, perseverance, and a long time horizon."

Accommodating fun - "Accommodating fun takes a lot of energy, organization, coordination with other people, and, well, accommodation."

Relaxing fun - "Relaxing fun is practically effortless.Relaxing fun is relaxing. It takes little energy. You don’t have to hone skills or take much action. There’s very little coordination with other people or preparation involved."

I initially thought that relaxing fun would be the best kind, but when I am having relaxing fun...I usually fall asleep or get bored. I am doing something for me and only me, that involves no effort or planning.....like watching TV or reading a book. It's great, but I get little satisfaction from it.

I never thought I'd be analyzing fun, but to sit back and look at your family and think about these things really can bring some joy to your crazy life.  We all need a little joy right now!

So let's look at some Rahn fun over the past few weeks:

My trip to NYC with my mom and sister: definitely accommodating fun....I had a blast, but it was a challenge to get motivated - and I did it (initially) more for my mom and sister, but as it got closer I was as excited as they were. When it was all done and over, and I was back in Purcellville, I was so happy.  I had great memories with my mom and sister and a great day to do things for me.  Would I have chosen to do this and plan it? Nope.....but it was so worth it afterwards.

Getting the new puppy: I think that would be a mix of challenging fun and accommodating fun.  We are not choosing to get less sleep; we are not necessarily wanting to constantly be entertaining an almost 5 month old puppy, but he brings us joy.  We do these things and we laugh, and we smile and we share in the craziness that this puppy brings to our house.  The challenging part is finding new and creative ways to entertain him and wear him out; finding ways to keep him calm while in the house.  Don is doing most of this work, but the fun is being felt by all of us. When Junior is finally worn out and sleeping, the feeling of achievement makes it all worthwhile and makes us happy!

Zumba: I'm trying to do a Zumba class once a week with teachers from school.  I would call this challenging fun.  I think of all the other things that have to get done, but then when I make time to go to this class, I have FUN!  Learning the moves, keeping up with the instructor are all huge challenges, but when the hour class is over, I feel a sense of accomplishment and I'm happy!


Sitting in front of the computer: for me this is my relaxing fun...I have my favorite websites that I visit. I catch up on Facebook.  I research vacations. I learn about new technology projects. I network with other teachers around the world.  To me, this is relaxing.  This is my mindless time. I'm doing it for me and only me.

Planning Vacations: definitely challenging fun....trying to find the right hotel, airfare, adventures, restaurants. I love it and love the satisfaction that comes when the big vacation finally happens.

All of the upcoming Holiday festivities: Fun, Fun, Fun...we've got family parties, friend parties, Christmas shopping, more decorating, tree trimming, cookie making, wrapping presents, waiting for Santa, and the list goes on. A lot of people look at those activities as "chores."  I love every one of them.  Do they make me tired?  Do I get a little stressed? Do I wish I had more time to get everything done? Do I feel challenged and like I am working to accommodate other people?

You betcha...but as Gretchen Rubin says, "Challenging fun and accommodating fun, over the long term, bring more happiness, because they're sources of those elements that make people happiest..." 

So, rather than relax and find time for just myself, I shall embrace the craziness and be happy!

Will you join me in looking at the chaos of the holiday season as a good thing, and go forth and create your own challenging and accommodating fun?

Until our next crazy Rahn adventure, have a great few weeks and hope for snow!!

Stay tuned for more as our holiday festivities continue...

No travels...but LOTS of adventures!

Columbus Day was a while ago, and I finally am MAKING time to update on what's going on in our lives.  Let's just say that the past 2 months have not been boring!  We've been joyously busy.....in that "something to do every day, and no time to breathe" kind of way.  But, hey...that's was we signed up for right?

We'll start with Carleigh's first attempt at Volleyball - she LOVED it and did extremely well.  Her team ended season play in 4th place out of 25 teams.  She's looking forward to playing again next fall and finding a few summer camps to improve her skills.

We also are proud of Carleigh for auditioning for the her middle school's musical, Annie.  She perservered and got  a part! She will be playing Duffy, one of the orphan's with Annie in the orphanage.  She will have a solo in one of the songs and is having a blast with this new adventure.  The show will open the weekend of March 2, 2012 - look for more info as the date gets closer!

Katie had a great fall rehearsing and performing in our 4th grade Music Program - Revolution Rewind, 1781.  She was excited to "dress like a grown up" as she portrayed a newcaster interviewing key players from the American Revolution.

Katie has also had fun with Girl Scouts and got to spend an entire Saturday with the Society for Women Engineers - learning about the engineering career field and doing different activities.

Halloween came and went.  Car dressed as "Souper Girl" for her school's costume parade and then as a mime for the evening events.  Katie was a "Duct Tape Cavegirl" - she made the costume all by herself.

Katie then traveled back in time as her class went on a field trip to the local one-room school house in Waterford, VA for the day.  Each student portrayed a character from 1880 and dressed like them for the day.

Our most recent adventure just happened a few days ago as we adopted another dog - but...not just another dog....he came to us from the same agency/friend/foster home that we got Lily from and he is Junior (as in Jack Junior). He is a 4 month old  yellow lab/husky mix and he is adorable.  He has been a joy so far, and has a lot of the same traits that Jack had, so he is a happy addition and is adding joy to the empty space that was still there from when Jack passed away in May.

Looking ahead to December, I know that the month will fly by!  Katie has started basketball.  Carleigh will be in full swing with Annie rehearsals.  Don and I will be moving along - one day at a time - as we look ahead to the holiday season!

Coming up next weekend is my next adventure.  I am going to New York City for the day with my mom and my sister, Patty.  I can't wait.  It will be the first "3 adult girls" trip that I can remember - just a day trip to take in NYC at Christmas and have a little bonding time!

Still making plans for next summer and looking forward to whatever lays ahead!

Stay tuned.....

Venturing into unknown lands....Columbus Day Weekend with the Rahns

September means the beginning of school and the beginning of the "boring" time for the Rahns. This September was really no different, after buying our two new cars...the month flew by relatively uneventful.  Though, as you all know we love a good adventure... and we had a GREAT one this weekend.

First...our Columbus Day history.  Columbus set off to explore new lands and have new adventures. He was successful and hence, a holiday named after him.  Here in the Rahn house, we take that holiday to heart and for the past 5-6 years we have made it our goal to have a NEW and different adventure on Columbus Day weekend. If we are staying home, then we will take a day trip to a different and new place, but we have been lucky over the years to plan adventures to "distant places" over Columbus Day weekend. This year our travels took us to two new states for the girls, while at the same time celebrating with friends and family.

We packed up on Friday morning and headed northwest with a final (first) destination of Perrysburg, Ohio (right outside of Toledo) to celebrate the wedding of Jamie Weber and Emily Small.  Jamie is one of Don's many cousins from Erie.  We have been very lucky to be invited to 3 Weber cousin weddings over the past few years and getting to spend time with the Erie family is always a fun time, and this adventure added to the great memories.

Carleigh and Katie have started "collecting states," and were thrilled to be able to add Ohio to  their list this weekend.

 And we've got the picture to prove it.

We arrived at the hotel about 8 hours later and immediately saw "family."  The weeding fun had started.  I had been told by Emily (the bride) that the hotel was situated within walking distance of a great little shopping center, and she didn't disappoint.  I'll tell you, the economy of Levis Commons  was stimulated this weekend. Beautiful weather, a quaint outdoor shopping center with restaurants and fun stores, plus no big events until 5:30 on Saturday evening left many hours for exploring and just a little shopping. :)

After dinner and some visiting, we went to sleep because we were spending Saturday morning adding ANOTHER new state to our list - Michigan!

Since we didn't have to be anywhere wedding related until 5:30, we looked at a map and realized that the Michigan border was only about 45 minutes away.  I asked Don if we could figure out a reason to venture into Michigan and it turns out that his high school friend Rhaea and her family live in Tecumseh, right over the border. Plans were made and we headed out.....

 

 After a quick drive into Michigan, and meeting up with the Miller family, we headed out and added another new Rahn Columbus Day Adventure to our list....The Tecumseh Appleumpkin Festival!

Yes, the picture to prove that we were there:

The Appleumpkin (yes, I still chuckle at the name) Festival was no different than some of the Loudoun County small festivals/fairs that we have here, but we were in Michigan...so it made it all the more fun.  We had to explain to the girls that we had no time for moon bounces, slides, rock climbing, but we did have time for "Dog Food Sling Shot" practice sponsored by the Boy Scouts. :)

We also saw the camel rides (been there, done that at the Loudoun County fair) and the diaper wearing monkey...sorry no pics of him. We wandered a bit, had a great brunch at the City Limits Diner and a nice visit with Rhaea and her family. Then it was time to head back and begin the showers/wedding prep.

Jamie and Emily had been married the night before in a private ceremony, and were celebrating with their friends and extended family on Saturday with an incredible reception at a very incredible building in downtown Toledo.  We were all picked up at the hotel by chartered buses and taken to the Toledo Club - about 30 minutes away.


The Toledo Club was an amazing building - being the teacher geek that I am, I had to find out the history of this "Club."  It was built in 1879 as a Premier Men's Club in Toledo.  Over the years it opened up to women and was frequented by many U.S. presidents, but maintained it's original building with additions being built on.  We spent the evening on the 3rd floor of the original building and it was beautiful and elegant.

Here we are with Jamie and Emily -

We had a great time with all of the extended family on Don's side - and as always, many antics were involved...though also trying to get some "NICE" photos of everyone dressed up.

 Rosie, Chrissy and Gwen:

 Don, Rosie and Chrissy - siblings.....:)

 2 sets of Rahn sisters:

 Don's cousin Dave and his family:

Carleigh and Katie were the only younger children in attendance, and I will admit that I am so proud of them. They can be obnoxious and crazy at home, but they know how to hold it together and act "so grown up" when it's necessary.  They had a great time and of course, danced the night away with all of the cousins and Aunt Rosie, Aunt Chrissy and Nana and Bubba.

Bubba enjoyed sitting in the "special chair" - We called him "King Bubba!"

Lots of dancing fun:

We took the bus back to the hotel and then woke for a wonderful post wedding brunch in a ballroom at the hotel.

And of course as Don said, we couldn't leave without getting a traditional picture of the "Shiny Head Mafia."  Jamie (the groom - on the left), his brother Matt and Don.

Also, the 3 Rahn siblings with their cousin, Jessie - who came in from Alaska for the wedding:

We then said our goodbyes and began the long trek back to Virginia.

Yes, we felt like Columbus....venturing forth to uncharted territories, claiming victory and achieving success at our destination....then having to return back home, to share with those that had been left behind.

And like Columbus probably had a few mutinies or near mutinies on his return trip - so did we!  We had to convince the girls that - "No, you cannot stay at this rest area in Maryland, YOU HAVE TO get back in the car for the last 2 hours of this drive."  (True story - Katie stood against her door and refused to get back into the car, while crying that she was done driving and didn't want to sit in the car ANYMORE!), once we got moving I told them to go to sleep and we would get there sooner  - how many of you have tried that one?  I was shocked, but it worked..

....we woke them up when we were 5 minutes from home....Thank God!!

It was a great weekend, and was it worth the almost 18 hours (round trip) in the car? You Betcha! So much fun to see everyone and enjoy the company of the Pennsylvania family.


So...what's next? Well....nothing planned for the near future. I've updated the vacation tickers on the right - our annual beach trip to North Carolina in early July. Then we are planning our BIG vacation for next summer - back out west to the Tetons and Yellowstone for 2 weeks, but we are also adding Idaho and Montana to Wyoming.

And hopefully this month - I will be planning our Summer, 2013 vacation! I know... laugh if you want, but if you are reading this, you shouldn't be surprised. :)  While we were in Alaska on the Disney ship - we booked a "Dummy Date"  to get incentives and discounts on a future cruise. We are hoping to switch that dummy date to a European Mediterranean Cruise for Summer, 2013.  My Disney connections tell me that the 2013 dates will be released in October.  Hey why not, we booked the Alaska cruise 22 months in advance! :)

So...stay tuned.....who knows what Autumn and Winter hold in the Rahn house, after all it's "Seldom A Dull Moment" here in the Rahn  house!

No Mid-Life Crisis here! Just beating the clock!!

 Time to get organized and take care of those nagging things that I've been thinking about for months!!

What do you do when you are trying to organize your world? (As I was trying to do this weekend) You start checking things off of your to do list and making a plan on how to attack the rest of your list that is bigger than just a checkmark!

So that is what we did - here's the backstory of our 2 "New" cars!

Our driveway a few months ago with our 2 minivans: 

(notice the oil leaks and ignore Aunt Chrissy and Carleigh)

2 years ago at Disney World - coming out of Test Track - they had the Chevy Traverse in the showroom there.  We fell in love with it and loved the 3 row seats and the crossover status.  I came home and researched the car and realized - what fun it would be, but totally unnecessary.  We had a perfectly fine 2005 Dodge minivan that had no problems. My practical side won out - no Chevy Traverse for us.

1 year ago - Don had to go to Pennsylvania by himself for a funeral.  "There is no way our second car - Don's 2000 Gold ManVan was going to make it to PA and back without some kind of problem."  We took it to the shop to get a trip check and make sure it was road trip worthy - fully expecting many issues and lots of $$$. In the back of my mind.....now I get my new car - we trade in Don's Man Van for a Chevy Traverse! Lo and behold...there were no problems with the Gold Grand Caravan and off Don went to PA.

I continued to think about a 3-row crossover and started researching the others that were out there....Subaru Tribeca, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX9....this year at the beach in July we decided that we would do it soon! And...trade in my 2005 minivan to get a better trade-in value and then get a 3 row crossover.   Lots of vacations later and lots of researching....and

Suddenly the gods told us it was time.....

Blue Van: automatic door stopped working, power locks stopped working, headlights on/off had a  mind of its own, unidentified oil leak identified by my brother-in-law...the list was starting to get longer

Gold Van: horn stopped working, air bag light wouldn't go off, driver's side window would go down, but not up, clicking sound in transmission intermittently.....

All of the above problems showed themselves within 3 months of each other!

We started school, we got our VERY SMALL pay raise, I redid the budget and decided that this was the weekend that I was checking things off of my to do list and these two cars would be on my list permanently if we didn't do something about them so...

Laura before:
Dodge Caravan - 2005- blue

Laura after:
Toyota Highlander - 2011 - sandy lighter blue

 The Highlander was the easy one - it had been 2 years in the making and we had to get rid of the blue van quick before anything else started failing (or else fix the things that were failing). After 4 hours of haggling/test driving/paperwork we drove out with the new car.  Our new family road trip car - to be christened over Columbus Day weekend as we head to Toledo, Ohio for a family wedding.

Our second purchase was a bit more of a surprise - Don casually mentioned that whenever we decide to get rid of the gold van - he wanted a Jeep Wrangler.  Well, I casually went to the Carmax website and searched "for fun."  I slid the price requested slider very far down and searched - and found the ONLY Jeep Wrangler that they had.  It was perfect for what Don wanted, low mileage, low price and on site at the Dulles Carmax. A perfect around town car and fun family day trip car. Did we go and do it?  Did we wait and be practical and plan and research some more?  I left it up to Don....he said go and we did!

Here are the results:

Don before:
Dodge Grand Caravan - 2000 - Gold

Don after:
Jeep Wrangler - 2004 - Red

Our new driveway:

Are we having a mid-life crisis? Not really, but maybe these purchases will help prevent one! :)

Did we go crazy and make some crazy decisions? Not really - basically 2 years in the making.....sort of! :)

Are we the Rahns and we don't just think about doing things, but do it?  Absolutely!!!

Remember.....Seldom A Dull Moment!

School is off to a great start and everyone is happy - if all maintains, then our next big event will be our first road trip in the new car to Ohio over Columbus Day weekend!

Stay Tuned.....