The Return of LBJ...It's All Downhill from Here!

Driving home today, Julia and I had a conversation about snow. She was remembering a recent trip up to Connecticut when we went sledding with Ben and Luke. This was Julia's first time on a sled and I fear that after it, she'll never want to do it again!
As she recounted to me in the car tonight, "It was fast and the snow got all in my face and it was cold!" In hindsight, I probably should have shielded her better!Now Luke had a blast. He must have gone down that hill about seventy times! Meanwhile, after giving a try to the sledding thing, Ben and Julia were more content to just sit at the top of the hill and make snow angels!The entire weekend was such a blast! We literally played all weekend...sledding, setback, air hockey, bowling and even castles and dragons (and who knew Jules would be so fond of dragons!).

After a thorough air hockey a$$ whooping that I received from Courtney, Julia and Benjamin wanted to play. We let them and this may have been the funniest thing that I have ever seen in my life! They could barely see over the table. The game was actually moving in slow motion!
They say that having a child can age you...I disagree! I have never felt so young. I find that Julia and our nieces and nephews inspire me to just be a kid for even a moment! While we were sledding, I felt like I was twelve again! They don't age you! They add years to your life!
Now when I woke up the day after sledding, I felt sixty!

-Andy

Vacation 2010...Part 1

For my money, the Outer Banks of North Carolina is hands down the best vacation that money can buy. I believe it to be the true definition of vacation...you do only what you want to do. No rushing to get to the theme park when it opens, no hustling to make certain that you visit as many family and friends as possible and no wasting gobs of money on eating out and entertainment...that is, unless you want to.

Don't get me wrong. We love that we can take time off to get out and visit family and friends. We wish we could do that more; but those trips are often time far from relaxing. This is a true vacation in that it does recharge you. I'm heading back to work tomorrow and I'm honestly excited about it. I feel refreshed.

We are so fortunate to have a great group of friends to share this now second annual trip with. It's essentially five "couples", although we're prepared to grow once Uncle Louie and Uncle Ben find women to bring along. This group of friends is great in that we're cool if we do stuff together and just as cool if everyone goes separate ways.

This year was especially fun for me. Julia is really just coming into her own and it is so fun to watch. Even though the terrible twos are clearly on their way (we'll have to do a future post on this one), she is generally a good kid that everyone seems to enjoy to be around. It makes me proud to see how much people just love being around her. It tells me that Courtney and I are doing something right in raising her.

Here's a look at our "cottage" for the week. Gotta love the rooftop hot tub. I know we did! Julia was especially fond of the pool. She was getting bolder in the water as the week went on, but Courtney and I clearly need to get her more time in the water.

Jules made a new friend in baby Ashton on vacation this year. Ashton is a year younger than Julia, but they got along great. Ashton was another good kid. Hopefully Dawn and Richie join us for future getaways because Julia and Ashton seemed to have fun together...especially when Aunt Christy was reading to them!

Jules also spent quality time with Aunt Heather and even had her share of time with the boys! I didn't mind her hanging with the boys this time because I was there to keep an eye on her (and the keg)!

If anyone (and I mean you Liz!) ever buys Julia a recorder there will be hell to pay!

All the fun in the sun can tire a girl out. But who better to nap with (or on) than Mommy!

Part two will have Courtney's take and lots more pictures...

-Andy

Wisk Family Christmas 2009

Actually our family Christmas this year took place in 2010, but we were indeed celebrating the 2009 Holiday. It worked out pretty well this year as it was close enough to Christmas to enable the tree to still be standing (although it's health was debatable). It actually almost still felt like Christmas.

We hosted this year on Johnson Lake and went with what turned out to be a pretty Polish menu. Liz brought and prepared pierogis. Papa brought his "special mushrooms" and we made an awesome mushroom soup and I made some kielbasa and sauerkraut. It was really awesome! We grazed for what seemed to be a full day on that food and there was still leftovers for the next day.

One thing that my alter-ego Steffan wanted to mention. You would think that frying pierogis is a pretty elementary process, but I would beg to differ. Somehow, I feel like Liz's taste a bit different and better than I can do...and mind you that this is not easy for Steffan to admit. Perhaps its the exorbitant amount of butter that she uses, but my point is that they are DELICIOUS!

Being in Maryland, Liz, Nate and the boys had to make their second trip down here in just 8 days! A part of me thinks that they are nuts. The other part of me just really appreciates them doing that, especially since we haven't been up there in a while. The way our jobs go, November through March are really challenging for Courtney and I. We barely get a meal together, let alone a trip to CT.

The kids picked up right where they left off on the last visit. They are quite a trio. Most times they are nauseating balls of energy, but they get along so well and really seem to enjoy their time together. I think that even Nana had her fill of the super-trio LBJ! Here are some of the calmer pictures of them hanging out.



Liz and I...now that's another story. Here we are settling a dispute with a little Wii Boxing!


Clearly the highlight of the holiday was our present to the boys. Almost from the moment that I found out that Liz was pregnant with Luke (I think that was in a room at the Hampton Inn in Salisbury) I've wanted to do one thing...buy him a drum set! Well now it is twice as good because I know Benny will love it too! He's a little young, but he'll grow into them.


I can hear Luke's first single now...titled "Uncle Andy is the Best"! Everyone seemed surprised when they opened the box and actually saw them. I don't know why. They all knew it was coming. I think Papa's comment summed it all up..."Andrew, you should be tortured and killed!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

-Andy

A Great Labor Day...with the Girls!

With the exception of a fantasy football draft and poker game, I'm really grateful to have spent every minute of this long weekend with my girls! The ladies even came up to Chestertown for the draft, but hung out with the other wives and children in the league.

As always, the reason for Fantasy sports is to connect with some old friends. I really wish I could've made it to the CT and Chestertown drafts this year, but CT just wasn't in the cards. Hopefully next year will be different.

Possibly the highlight of the trip to Chestertown was spending a couple hours on the corner of the bar at the Blue Bird Tavern with Thad and Louie. I haven't been there in forever and that place just never changes and that's the best part about it!

On Sunday we spent the day in Cordova at Pop's birthday. Ma Jones, Mickee and Carrie put together a light lunch for us all consisting of BBQ Beef, Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Coleslaw, Zucchini Casserole, Baked Beans, Stuffed Croissants, Fruit Salad, Cake and Ice Cream (why do I feel like I'm missing something). Every bit of it was delicious.

Last night we had some friends over for BBQ Beef ourselves. I tried a new potato salad recipe that went over pretty well and all the food came out decently, in spite of Mother Nature raining on my smoker all day. It did delay the meal a bit because it was tough to keep the heat up, but it turned out OK. It was great to see some good friends!

If you're a regular blog reader, you know that we just recently replaced the floor in our kitchen and by doing so, raised the height of the fridge, forcing us to remove a cabinet. Well today I fixed that project, cutting some ornamental moulding and adding a shelf. Still needs to be painted, but I was fairly impressed with myself. I really didn't think that I had the skill or the patience to cut the moulding. Check it out!

-Andy

I'm Walkin'!

It seems that every time Julia spends time with Luke and Ben that she comes away with some new skill. Well, lately she's been teetering on walking...taking a step here, a few steps there. Well we just got back from an awesome visit to Connecticut and Julia will never be the same.

It seems that she's earned a new nickname...Ms. Rita at daycare calls her Frankenstein...because of what she looks like when she's walking! It is too funny. I'd show you a video, but they're too large to post. I'm going to have to figure this thing out.

We had a great time up north. Although I'm still a little upset with myself that I fell short in the Whiffle Ball Home Run Derby at Liz & Nate's Memorial Day Party, it was a great time. We managed to visit a few folks, although there's not enough time to get to see everyone when you're only there for a couple days.

Julia got along great with her cousins. I think Luke really likes her. She definitely lights up when he's around...good thing we don't live in West Virginia.

The car ride was even pleasant. Traffic was light in both directions (relatively speaking), so I guess we'll think about heading up there again next Memorial Day. Besides...I need another shot at the title!

-Andy

At the Corner of Cloverhurst & Cloverhurst

I'm not really sure what happened to Spring, but it seems that we went straight from Winter to Summer. It's ridiculous to think that we took a seven hour (in each direction) road trip on one of the hottest weekends of the year...and it's still APRIL!!!

We did hit the road to see Kenny and Amanda (Aunt Amanda and Uncle Kenny, if Julia is reading) down in Winston-Salem, NC. I realized a couple things on the ride. First...it still kinda cracks me up that when you cross into Virginia on the Eastern Shore, there's a big Confederate Flag Billboard that reads, "The South Starts Here"...just to prove to all of you that we actually live in the Northeast.

The other thing that gets me is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. I've now been over it probably 6 or 8 times and I'm never any less in awe. I always have the urge to stop, fish off the pier, take lots of photos and watch the ships go by. That bridge is truly awesome. I'm waiting for two opportunities. I can't wait until Julia is old enough to share my awe of the bridge and I really want to take my dad over it.

So travel across that Bay Bridge-Tunnel and take a right at Virginia Beach. Travel west-southwest for a while and eventually you come to Winston-Salem, NC in the heart of ACC Country. As a Big East guy, I felt like I should be doing something to sabotage the ACC, like Luke Skywalker visiting the Death Star, but I refrained.

When you get into W-S, NC you will come to the Cloverhurst neighborhood. Seriously...every street is a Cloverhurst. You start our on Cloverhurst Way and take a left onto Cloverhurst Blvd. Follow that to Cloverhurst Avenue and then a quick left onto Cloverhurst Street and there you will find Kenny and Amanda!

Julia made a new friend this weekend. He's just her size and boy did he like her. His name is Ripken and he's a Shorkie. It was absolutely priceless when Julia went upstairs to get a bath and he sat at the bottom of the stairs and just barked. I guess he missed his new buddy.

Julia and Ripken hung out, played, chased each other and even shared toys. At times it seemed that anything Ripken put in his mouth, Julia would too. (And sweetheart, when you read this, I hope you are as grossed out as Daddy was this weekend). They shared a beanie turtle, squeeze toys, ice cubes and probably most hysterically...a pacifier!!!

We hoped that Julia would be taking her first steps in NC this weekend, but sadly she's still not quite ready. She was taking half steps at one point, but never did follow through with the other leg. We have tempted her with everything...food, toys, cans, bottles and TV remotes, but she's just not quite there.

All in all, the trip to visit the Becks was in a word...short. I think I can speak for Courtney in saying that we really miss having them around. I'm just happy that things are going so well for them. They have a beautiful home in a great area of the country. Amanda has just gotten a new job and they have a super cool puppy (and that means a lot, considering that I'm really not a dog guy).

Uncle Kenny and Julia seem to be pals now too. We knew that Aunt Amanda would do just fine, but I wondered what Kenny's interaction level would be like (having been recently petrified of infants/toddlers myself). Well he took to Julia like the Red Sox taking to Yankee relievers. He did great!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip. Many thanks to the Becks for their hospitality and friendship! We didn't get the chance to play Settlers, but there is always next time. In fact, I would say that the only downer from the whole trip was the fact that I'm actually sore today from our Bocce World Series yesterday!!!

-Andy

No Stopping Us Now!

With the onset of Spring, you expect all sorts of new growth and I feel like Julia too has stepped things up to keep with the season. We are actually getting to the point where her incredibly competitive Daddy (I know...I hide it well. You probably didn't know that about me.) is really starting to compare her development with other kids and I must say...she's kicking ass!

It wasn't too long ago that we were hoping that she'd be crawling when we head down to North Carolina to visit Kenny and Amanda later this month. As it turns out, she may be walking by then! She is currently pulling herself along and letting go without much regard for safety. And she just so happens to be a world champion speed crawler. She'll be competing in the infant olympics later this summer...wait a minute; that could be a real money maker!

Anyhow, yesterday Mommy had the fantastic idea to take Julia to the YMCA to go swimming. About a week ago, Mommy had signed us up at the Y. Apparently we need a little help losing the baby weight...no, not Courtney...me. She's done great. I'm the one that still looks pregnant.

So back to the pool, where Julia and I are sitting and waiting for Mom to change and join us. Looking at a pool crammed with about 20 kids in the shallow end yelling, splashing and playing around, Julia starts balling her eyes out. I figure that this will be a quick trip. But then Mom comes and takes Jules into the pool and she's as content as can be. She slowly did more and more, discovering the water and her surroundings and they spent about an hour in the pool.

Julia has also pushed for her Independence on the eating front. She likes feeding herself and fights things a bit more when we try to feed her. Of course as far as I'm concerned, she can keep on feeding herself.

The interesting thing for me with all these developments is that the first five or six months seem so far in the past. I remember so many days thinking what the heck have I gotten myself into!?! That thought is long gone and replaced by what is she going to do next!?!

-Andy

Luke, Ben, Julia, Rock Band and Orthopaedics

A couple weeks ago now, Julia made her first trek up north to visit family and friends. Thank goodness that she is not yet at the age where you get hysterical stories about car rides. See Liz's blog if that's what you're looking for.

No, pretty much she just slept and slept and then slept some more. The drive was pleasant. Well...except for the CT traffic. I could really complain about that, but I won't.

It was great to see a lot of family and friends, but the highlight had to be the surprise party for Nana. We got her good! She had no idea that the surprise was coming. The girls and Ben went shopping in the morning (Ben...when you get older, we won't let you get sucked into that) and came back to a visit at Dawn's house, where everyone was waiting.

I think she was really surprised and I hope everyone had a great time. Nana just needs to remember that when the time comes for retribution, the entire thing was Julia's idea!

Now one of the highlights of a visit up there is my man Lucas. He is just SO fun right now. I really can't wait for Julia to ge to that age...just ask Court. His day is comprised of three activities. 1) Playing Ball. 2) "Nackling" People 3) Chasing anyone around the house.

The little guy wore me out! And then, during one of Luke's monster nackles, I felt something weird in my knee, but really didn't think anything of it. We keep playing and later that afternoon, Nate asks Liz if he can go buy rock band. Much to his surprise, she agrees.

The four of us proceed to spend the next 4 days playing rock band in between feeding and changing diapers! You really need to stand up to play guitar well and I spent a lot of time on my feet. So my knee starts feeling worse and worse and worse. By the time we get home, it hurts so badly that it's keeping me up at night. It hurt so bad that I agreed to schedule a doctor's appointment!!!

Then mysteriously, under the care of my fantastic Athletic Trainer and wife, the pain went away. So I cancelled the appointment and everything has been normal since.

But I haven't thrown away the doctor's number. Upon returning home, we bought rock band. Inevitably, one of these nights after Julia goes to bed, we'll rock out hard enough to put me in the hospital!!!

-Andy

Birth Control

We have been truly blessed in adding Julia to our family and I think that Auntie Liz would say the same about Luke and Ben. But after this past weekend, I think that Auntie Liz would also agree that any fleeting thought about future family additions is securely on hold. That's right, last weekend was the our first chance to unite what I am now calling the "Trio of Terror" or L.B.J. (Luke, Ben & Julia...not just a President anymore!).

These little munchkins lived up to the billing. Two infants and a toddler under one roof is far too much for me to handle! At times, it was pure unadulterated insanity!!! We (and by we I mean mostly Liz and Courtney...I was pretty frightened most of the weekend) would feed one and another poops himself. Then while cleaning up the poop, another starts crying. While you're settling down the crying one, the one you just fed spits up all over herself and the swing that she was sitting in. It was crazy!!!

It wasn't all bad though and I really think that Liz, Nate, Courtney and I will have quite a few fun memories in the future, whenever we get L.B.J together. Liz has posted some really entertaining stories about her trip (Luke is priceless!) on her blog. Click here to read her saga!

One of the best points of the weekend was our picnic on Saturday. It's rare, but great when we have the opportunity to be with both of our families at the same time and that is what we had here. It was great to get a chance to see everyone and spend good time together.

Let's all do it again soon!

-Andy

Momma's Take

So Andy has done a pretty good job of keeping everyone up to date with what has been going on. But I figured I'd give my take on the whole experience anyway! Our first nurse was great! She was very friendly and comforting. So the contractions really weren't that bad...at first! So before they got bad, I asked at what point I could get an epidural. I didn't know if there was a specific time frame it had to be done in or what, but if there was, I didn't want to miss it! She asked if I was ready for it and I said that I wasn't sure, because the contractions were still bearable at that point! So she was looking out for me because she came in and told me the anesthesiologist was coming up to do someone else's and that I should just get it while he was up there. PERFECT!!! Except for that whole emergency thing Andy mentioned earlier! By the time he got to me, she said he had a long list of people waiting on him...but I was first! (Thank goodness!!)

The epidural was one of the most amazing things I've ever felt! We could see my contractions on the monitor, but I couldn't feel a thing! Although I think the nurses get a kick out of getting you the epidural and then making you turn on your side or lift your butt up when you can't feel anything and it is dead weight!! You feel yourself trying to lift up, but nothing is happening. Very bizarre, but amazing!

So the day was very long, as I think Andy also mentioned. They had me hooked up to the fetal monitor so we could see Julia's heartbeat and my contractions. Well there was also a computer in the room with all of the other rooms and their monitors that Andy was able to see. So he enjoyed comparing my contractions with all of the other rooms. You know Andy...Mr. Competitive!! So he would make comments like "Oh, I hope she's had an epidural already!" or "You've got a long way to go compared to Room 7."

After we got to the Mother/Baby section, we were put in a semi-private room. Luckily we didn't have a roommate because Andy would have had to leave if that were the case. Lucky for me, Andy took right to being "Daddy of the Year" as he calls himself! As I was pretty much stuck in bed, getting up only to go to the bathroom (which was a process in itself!) he took care of Julia all night. I realized that on Wednesday afternoon, I still hadn't changed a diaper! Andy had changed them all! I was so impressed with how he just took over and was so patient and loving!

We have also been attempting the whole breast feeding thing. I'm pretty sure I've decided that it is for the birds! Julia's first nurse didn't help me one bit. I even asked for her help and she wasn't that responsive. Her second nurse was very willing and eager to help and show me exactly what to do. This was helpful. The lactation consultant also was very helpful. I thought things were going well...until we came home! I have never seen a child scream bloody murder when her mom tried to feed her. She will suck on her hands, a pacifier, a bottle, even on Andy's shirt, but not on the boob! I try to feed her, she screams her head off, Andy takes her, she calms right down, he gives her back, she continues screaming!!! She is definitely a daddy's girl!! He has the magic touch that momma can't seem to find! So I'm pretty sure we are switching over to the bottle. She has had a couple already and seems to be more responsive to those. I just can't take anymore of the screaming everytime I feed her and wondering if she is getting enough to eat!

All in all, this has been one of the most amazing and unbelievable experiences I've ever had. Seeing this beautiful baby makes everything better....even if she is screaming! It's all worth it!!

So we are going on our first road trip tomorrow to Grandmom and Pop's, which is an hour away, so we will see how that works out for us!

~Courtney

Weekend in New England

It was a short visit, but we were glad to get up there. Time really seems to fly lately and Benjamin is already at the ripe old age of three weeks. Before you know it, we'd miss his youth entirely and he'd be off to college! So we packed up the family truckster (10 pts if you can name that movie) and headed up to CT for what amounted to a one day visit.

We hadn't seen Lucas in a few weeks either and he's up to about 6'4" and really getting good at dunking the basketball. I'm serious here folks. Nate's got him watching too much Sports Center because now when we play hoops in the living room, all he does is throw 'em down and hang on the rim! So we decided to take him outside and see what he could do on a more challenging hoop.

Then there was little Benjamin, who has clearly mastered three of the most important things in life...eating, sleeping and pooping. Giving Courtney and I a short glimpse into what we are headed straight into, this was a pretty enlightening weekend. We need to be ready to provide total care all the time.

One thing that I paid attention to and found fascinating was how Lucas related to Benjamin. Luke seemed to barely recognize that he was there. I don't think this is malicious, more just an out of sight, out of mind thing. Ben is obviously not very active and has yet to develop a personality, so Ben really doesn't affect Luke on Luke's level. It should be interesting when Ben starts to make his mark.

Luke, on the other hand is Mr. Personality. The kid is hysterical. He does not stop talking (except for when Toy Story is on). He loves to flirt, whether it's with Auntie Courtney or the waitress at breakfast. He breaks into spontaneous song and as Nate says, has an entire song set ready for Randy, Paula and Simon in his season 21 audition. Songs in that set include The ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider and some duck song that he sang at breakfast today that I really didn't recognize. I can just here Randy now..."Lucas, man...you brought that Itsy Bitsy Spider and you rocked it out! Yeah Dog!!!! Let's just say that if Benjamin develops 1/2 the ham-factor that Lucas has, Liz and Nate shouldn't stop laughing for about the next 20 years.

So after a short visit full of playing ball, shooting hoops, mowing the lawn (we brought Lucas a bubble mower and I think he and I mowed the entire 3/4 of an acre at least 6 times on Saturday) and Town and Country (I'll have to craft an entire post devoted to T & C sometime...it's that good!), Courtney and I got home this afternoon, picked a movie on demand and promptly passed out! I guess only time will tell how we will keep up with one of our own!

Here are a couple shots of Ben being held by Auntie Courtney and Uncle Andy. Note the Red Sox Booties...totally AWESOME!!!

-Andy

Pork & Beer... & Life is Good!!!

Last weekend was the Annual Pork in the Park BBQ Festival here in Salisbury. This is an event that our office manages and has become so successful, it is incredible. It's a BBQ competition, sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society and it has grown to become the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi...right here in little ol' Salisbury.

It's a lot of work, but man is it a good time. Over the weekend we had 20,000+ come through the festival and enjoy music, entertainment, vendors, kids rides, frosty beverages and great food!

In other related news, we've been busy not preparing for LBMF (and speaking of MF, have you seen how hot Manny Ramirez is so far this season?). We are getting ready take a trip up to CT to see Benjamin and of course Lucas!

I talked with Luke the other night and told him that we were headed up to visit him this weekend and he was pretty excited. Well apparently, Luke doesn't yet have a good concept of time (not that I expect him to) because Liz mentioned that he was running around yesterday saying that Aunt Courtney and Uncle Andy are coming up today.

It appears that Courtney will be rivaling Liz soon in belly expansion. She is growing pretty quickly now. All that time when it barely looked like she was pregnant is long gone! I will say though that she is still doing great and aside from maybe tying her shoes, doesn't seem to be struggling too much yet. I'll get a pic up soon.

However, I'm thinking the over/under on pee stops on our road trip is at least 6...what do you think?

The last piece of the nursery will be here in early May. We're also putting in new windows and I just got word that they will be here by May 2nd. I just hope LBMF likes this room!!!

-Andy

A Bun In The Oven & Hittin' The Road

Take a look! This is a mystery pregnancy! Those of you who have a keen eye might be able to figure this one out, but I will give you one hint...it's not Courtney! As you can see though, it is pretty far along. In fact, I'm no doctor, but I'm thinking it's twins!!!

It is a BEAUTIFUL night on Delmarva! primarily because we are off tomorrow, but even if we weren't, the Storm of the Century is bearing down on the area and we are certain to get at least 3/4" of sleet / snow! There is little doubt that schools will be closed tomorrow. In fact, I'm thinking that much of the area will just shut down! I used to find this really amusing, coming from New England, but now that I have a child on the way, I really don't want to put my kid on a bus with these drivers in wintry conditions. These people really have NO CLUE how to handle it!

I have an amusing story from last year. We had a storm coming in and we were scheduled to get 2-4 inches from it. This was a significant storm by Delmarva standards. The New Englander in me set the alarm early and was determined not to let 4" make me late for work! It should also be noted that this was my first "snowstorm" as a home-owner!!! I was bound and determined to do my home-owner duty and clear my property and not be late for work!

Well, the alarm goes off early and get up, fired up and head downstairs to clear our walks and driveway, only to discover that we had gotten about 1/2" of snow! I take one look, turn around and head back to bed. laying in bed, I'm unable to fall back to sleep as the sound of my father's voice is echoing through my head saying "get your lazy a$$ up and shovel the damn snow!!!"

I fought it as long as I could, but eventually, I had to give in to my father's demands and head out to clear our property. It should be noted that we were the only house on the block that didn't choose to let it melt. It should be further noted that when we moved in, I purchased a snow shovel and ice melter and that morning remains the only time that I have used either!

Now as Delmarva prepares for the blizzard of '08, Courtney and I prepare to hit the road to visit Amanda and Kenny in Winston-Salem, NC. As others around me were stocking up on milk and toilet paper in the grocery store, I was loading my cart with beef jerky and pretzels for the road. The new Englander in me hopes that these southerners are frightened by the weather and stay off the roads. That will make for an effortless 7 hour trip!

And for the record, we will be officially heading into the south. In fact, as you cross into Virginia on Delmarva, you pass a nice big neon Confederate Flag. I'm betting on no traffic for this trip! Certainly much less than we will see next weekend when we head up to CT.