Unbeknown to most, this self-proclaimed "city girl" grew up in the small Pennsylvania town of Millersburg (not to be confused with Millersville or Millerstown). This mostly rural community is home to about 2,500 people and includes several Amish communities. In fact, it is not unusual for cars traveling on Rt 209 or 25 to pass at least one horse and buggy a day. The picture to the left is a type of home that is common in Millerburg. My sister Maranda and her husband Shane own this house. They live on one side and rent the other half to my sister JeanAnn. 2007 marked an exciting time in "The Burg" as it celebrated it's 200th anniversary. We missed the Bi-Cenntenial festivities but arrived just in time for Christmas.
Our two-day road trip to Millersburg went fairly well. Napp and I learned that Xylie is an excellent traveler. She normally does well, but I thought that without our portable DVD player we'd have some major meltdowns, but our nearly four-year-old roadster had none. She had a few rough moments here and there but for the majority of the trip her vivid imagination and box full of Barbie dolls and other play things kept her busy. The total driving time was about 10.5 hours, of course when you total stopping times it adds to a trip.
Once we arrived in town we settled into our hotel room at the Harrisburg North Golf Resort
and went to see PapPap for a "Happy Birthday Jesus Party." My mom brought a special cake that PapPap enjoyed more than anyone; and some baby gifts to donate at a local crisis pregnancy center. We also enjoyed seeing my Uncle Dan, cousin Brandon, and Xylie's friends Lydia and Cayden with their mommy (and my new friend) Lauren.
Above: a picture of our hotel room. Below: A view of the golf course from our hotel.
The next day was Christmas Eve. We spent the day visiting family and then attended a candle light service at Calvary Weslyan Church. What made the service most special to us was that PapPap was able to attend. A few weeks ago my mom was able to purchase a Wheel Chair van and a special wheel chair that enables PapPap to leave the nursing home. I know that everyone was very happy to see him at the service and he was thrilled to be there. He looked very handsome dressed up and was able to hold his own candle. Napp, Xylie, Zayden and I arrived at the service very late and forgot to first explain to Xylie the significance of a candle-light service. As the candles were being lit the entire congregation heard a small but loud voice ask "Why do we have fire??"
After the church service we went to Shane and Maranda's home for their annual Christmas eve party. Maranda does a sensational job decorating their home.
Due to "car-lag" my creative juices are not flowing so I will highlight the rest of the trip events with pictures. I'll also have some additional stores and posts to share later this week.
Zayden, not too thrilled to be all dressed up for Christmas Eve, but looking adorable.
Maranda and Jack and Me with Zayden--The boys were decked out in suits from Nina. Zayden's tie was too small for him so he sported a more "Rock N Roll" look than his dapper cuz.
Maranda at the Christmas Eve Shindig 
Zayden on Christmas Morning 
JeanAnn serving Christmas dinner at her house
Xylie playing with Aunt Diane
Pappy, Zayden, Maranda and Jack 
Fulkroad Family Photos
PapPap and Me
Xylie enjoying a cheeseburger at a Harley-Davidson themed McDonald's in York,Pa. We stopped there on our way back to SC.
Doesn't she look like she's in a commercial?
Zayden chomping on a new teething ring. 
Xylie practicing her dance moves at one of the hotels we stayed at along the way
We had a wonderful time on our trip. It was so nice to see family. I will definitely share more stories in later posts. In fact, tomorrow, I will be posting some photos of Xylie's first ice-skating experience.
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