I Suck At Merrimack

On Saturday, Karen and I celebrated my son's (Braden) birthday by taking my two year old daughter (Briana) and my six month old daughter (Bridget) out. Had my son survived, he would have been four.

Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan and Braden passed away. And as a result, we started taking our children out to honor his birthday around this time of year. Two years ago, it was Plymouth. Last year, it was Norwell's Picnic on the Common. This year, it was Merrimack.

Too bad I suck at Merrimack. On the agenda in Merrimack: the Anheuser-Busch factory. Sure, it seemed odd to take a two year old and a six month old to a brewery. Truth be told, we didn't go for the beer. We went for the clydesdales.

Briana was hesitant at first when she saw the horses. But after a while, she came to absolutely adore the majestic horses. We got to see the trainers give the clydesdales baths after their workout. And all Briana would say afterwards was how she got to watch them give the horses a bath. Needless to say, she loved it.

Of course, the fun was not done after the brewery. Right around the corner from the brewery is the Merrimack Premium Outlets, which is essentially the Wrentham Premium Outlets... only in Merrimack. The one major difference, aside from the food choices, is that Merrimack has a Disney outlet. Naturally, we bought a few things at the Disney store. Truth be told, I enjoyed the Merrimack outlets. It was our first time there and even though the place is smaller, I liked it more than Wrentham.

Anyway, the fun did not stop there. As we were in the great white north, we decided to stop by and visit my favorite cousin-in-law (Karlene) and her husband (Tommy) in Lowell. We hadn't seen them in some time. And as everyone knows, there is a lot to like about Lowell... or so they will have you believe.

Interestingly enough, I found out that Tommy was in the hospital for hurting his back. As a result, he can't do many activities like lifting. Hopefully, physical therapy will help him. And as I like to joke, it just goes to show that after the age of 40 the body breaks down. So I'll probably be doomed in a couple of years.

In addition to hanging out with Karlene and Tommy, we ended up at our favorite ice cream place, Kimball Farm. Kimball's was definitely a great way to end the day before driving home in the torrential downpour.

For some time, Karen has been wanting to try dinner at the Outdoor Grill and Seafood Shack located at Kimball Farm in Westford. Luckily, Saturday provided us the opportunity. Needless to say, the food was quite delicious. I had the fish and chips. And I must say, the fish was nicely breaded and cooked. It was not greasy at all. And it tasted really good.

And of course, we ordered ice cream afterwards. I had the apple crisp with pumpkin ice cream. Yum-O! Of course, I may have overeaten... but it was so worth it. Like I said, Kimball's was definitely a great way to end the day.

All in all, the day was long, but quite enjoyable. I had a great time and I think everyone else did too. Thank you, Little B. I hope you enjoyed watching over us. I love you forever and ever.