Sometimes, all you need is a mid-week adventure to break the monotony of daily life and it’s even better when crowds are at their lowest! That's exactly what happened when Rachel and I decided to spend a Thursday at The Big E, also known as the Eastern States Exposition, to which surprisingly a lot of people I have talked to have never been. With Mason, our furry friend, dropped off at the groomer, we were on our way to see all of what New England has to offer.

What is better than a pizza party? Answer is, add the entire neighborhood to the mix. Since we moved to Pawson Park, apart from everything that the area has to offer, the annual Pawson Park Day is one of the highlights. The first six years for us being the newbies to the neighborhood, Pawson Park Day was more of a traditional barbecue with burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. The rest of the meal was potluck where everyone would bring side dishes and desserts to round out the meal. Coolers were in abundance with beverages of all types. Resolute volunteers took on the responsibility of coordinating the renting of the large tent and gas grills, buying the meat, rolls, corn, condiments and all the paper goods. Each year, as soon as the tent was set up for the event, people would scurry down to the beach with their tables and chairs to claim their piece of real estate under the tent. Neighbors decorated their tables with tablecloths, centerpieces of flowers, candles, and other items. It was an informal competition to see who had the best-looking table.

The past few weeks have been busy in the Morrone house. Back to school season is in full swing and has brought sweeping changes to whatever we can define as ‘normal’ with respect to our weekly schedule. It is also a season of ‘firsts’ for our kids as they embark on new endeavors as they continue to grow. Kyle, now in kindergarten, and Ryan, now in Pre-K 3, are enjoying the flexibility of being another year older. Overall, it has been a good change, and both boys transitioned exceedingly well to their new environment. They’ve also fully embraced the chaos that is day-to-day life, however, little do they that they are the cause of said chaos. In addition to managing school and bus schedules, the kids are now both in their own sports programs and continue to go through life’s many developmental milestones.