NYC - part 1

NYC is amazing!!! Took a 22' skiff out around Jamaica Bay on Sunday afternoon, and I got to drive for most of it. In the 1st picture I was driving the boat with Russo's on the Bay catering hall in the background. I have so missed the ocean! It was just like Kodiak. If that was all we did, it would have made the entire trip worthwhile.

Ok, back up. I took the train to NYC on Sun morning, and Mike, Scott, and their friend Marco were supposed to come pick me up. They arrived after I had stood around waiting at Penn station for 45 min wondering what I would do if they didn't come. We took the subway back to Ingrassia's, where I'm staying, and then later Vic came over and took us to lunch at Gino's Pizza (the best pizza I've had yet!), and then out on the boat. Wow!
Yesterday(Monday) we walked down the road to a bagel place, that had lots of flavors, and the cinn/raisin one I had was huge and very filling. Then we left for the aquarium, after which we walked around Coney's Island. We had a great time - no schedule, no hurry, just walk, talk, and enjoy everything around us. We saw the show, where they had the pet sea lion do his tricks. They were actually pretty impressive, to the point of giving 'kisses' to the kids and people in the front row. After a short break when we got home, we headed over to Joey's house for dinner. He is an amazing cook, and makes the real stuff, since he's from Italy and loves to cook. We had a blast. Justin and Marco came over as well. White wine to begin, then salad, red wine, and he finished the meal off with a pasta/marinera dish that was spicy and delicious! Lots of real parmesan cut up for both the salad and the main dish. Mmm. All the guys have a lot of plans for what we'll be up to the next few days. I think a Mets game is in the works as well.
It's a much needed vacation, and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. The family we are staying with is Italian. Peggy and Tony are the parents, Mary is 22, and Steve and Victor are much older than she is, live nearby, and the whole family is very close. I had a chance to talk to Peggy a couple times, and Tony has been quick to make sure we have everything we need or want. Mary played Rock Band game Sunday night, and she is terrific on the drums. The trip has been great so far.

more 'wedding' pictures

wedding day!!

The homeschool gals had a mother-daughter night, where everyone dressed up formally, and Joanna, Mom and I went. They were having a bunch of the girls modeling some wedding dresses, and I was asked the night before to be a part. The wedding dress I wore was over 70 yrs old! I was worried I'd ruin it by moving, but it was a lot of fun walking down the aisle as a bride, in front of the mom's and all the other girls. It was well attended, and so much fun. As all of us girls were in the "brides' room" getting the wedding gowns on, we took a bunch of pictures (of course), so we have proof that for one night at least, we were beautiful brides!

mowing the lawn

Mowing the lawn at the farm is quite the job. Thankfully we have a riding lawn mower. A couple times, Joanna has ridden along with me as I did parts of it. A few scary moments for me when I thought I was about to roll the lawn mower over on top of me due to the steep hill. I had given Zachary, and then Joanna, my camera to play around with, and between the two of them, they took some good pictures. I'm sure I'll get them up soon. She of course had a blast, which was contagious, and we both ended up having a lot of fun.

headed for the big city!!!

I'm going to NYC! I leave tomorrow morning on my first train ride, and it will be headed down to the city to visit some friends from Idaho. I'm so excited! It's been crazy trying to juggle between doctor appts, car rentals, trying to get the shop ready for the week, doing stuff at home, packing (which hasn't been started as of yet), etc. You get the picture. Anyways, I should have some pics up from the trip in a week or so. I'll be gone until Friday, and am looking forward to some time away. The weather here is amazing today - a slight breeze, sunny with a few clouds, a litttle too warm, but the breeze makes it feel great! I just finished working, and as of 5 minutes ago bought my train tickets, and now I'm trying to figure out how I'll get the rental car returned to Brunswick (1/2 hr drive), after just finding out they closed at 12pm, though my car wasn't due back till 5pm. Hmmm. I'll try to be better at keeping up with this blog since I have more time on my hands this week. Right. We'll see how that goes. :) God bless you all. I think of so many of you that I wish I could see as well.