I Suck At Earth Day

Sunday was Earth Day. Happy belated Earth Day! Thank you Gaylord Nelson for being credited with creating Earth Day back in 1970.

And in honor of mother Earth, I did what any enviro-nut would do. I drove all around the South Shore hitting up all the places giving away free reusable tote bags for Earth Day. Okay, so maybe I didn't drive all around the South Shore. I just went to Target and the Disney Store. And might I add, I'm a little disappointed by the Disney Store's bag, if only because it blatantly advertised its upcoming movie about a chimpanzee and not Earth Day. But hey, it was free so I can't complain.

If that were not a sign that I suck at Earth Day, Karen and I drove around even further... to the mean streets of Lowell. Now why Lowell? There's a lot to like about Lowell, or so the Lowellians would have you believe. Truth be told, we actually met up with Karen's cousin (Karlene) and her husband (Tommy).

It was good to see Karlene and Tommy... and the city of Lowell. In honor of Earth Day, Lowell held an event involving Radio Disney. I snagged a Winnie the Pooh mask for my two year old daughter (Briana). We actually did not stay long because it was absolutely pouring out and the event was outside.

But we weren't going to let a little rain dampen our day. After a brief pit stop for lunch at Chili's, we eventually ended up in ice cream heaven: Kimball's (in Westford). Well, I should say Tommy and I ended up in ice cream heaven because we went to Kimball's and brought the ice cream back for everyone else.

By the time Tommy and I returned, Karen's aunt (Denise) and uncle (Paul) had arrived. Kimball's! Yum! It was fun seeing Karen's aunt and uncle. I like to joke around with them, particularly Denise because it's just so hard not to. For instance, Denise mentioned that her mother did not like Paul at first. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you see it, I was privy to seeing a picture of Denise and Paul in their younger days. Let's just say Paul had a lot of hair. So naturally, I inquired if the reason her mother did not like Paul at first was because of his 'fro. Absurd? Absolutely. But fun nonetheless.

Anyway, even though the day poured, it was fun hanging out with Karlene and Tommy, and Aunt Denise and Uncle Paul. And of course, Kimball's! Among the other things that came up during the excursion up North were Tommy's place of employment and coconuts. Tommy happens to be a teacher and while we were out and about, we happened to drive past the school that he teaches at. I must say, the school is huge, or at least it looks that way. Hmm... I wonder if the Lowell public schools prepared their students for life. Just kidding. That was a reference to my friend (Sam).

As for the coconut, apparently Tommy bought an actual coconut because Karlene wanted some for a recipe. Turns out, she didn't want an actual coconut per se, but the shavings inside. Needless to say, it was interesting to watch Karen, Karlene, and Tommy try to crack open the coconut. The YouTube videos about opening a coconut make it look so easy. Tommy eventually was able to open the coconut with a hammer, but it took a while.

Like I said, it was a good time. Yay Earth Day!