Vacation days!

 The snow took 3 hrs or so to shovel a path down the driveway last night. They wouldn't let Steve or I help, since we both have injured shoulders/backs. It took till late in the evening before the plows had even come through on the roads. So it's beautiful now, the sun is shining, and Sharis and I are hanging out waiting for, well, not sure. This afternoon I think we're going to do some grocery shopping for their Christmas dinner with Steve's family. We all realized last night, or rather, this morning when we went to bed at 6am, that we've been in Long Island for 5 days instead of the original 'one' we had planned. I was going to take a train back up to Albany last Fri or Sat, and now it's Mon down here. It has been sooo worth it to spend some extra time with Steve and Sharis. Kelsey and Mickey like to sleep with anyone who will let them, and since the couch in the "man's cave" downstairs is so comfy and big, no one minds.

While cooking, the smoke alarm kept going off, so Sharis and I had a routine down pretty quick - one of us would fan the smoke alarm with a towel while the other one used the door to the garage as a fan. The dogs weren't sure what to make of it, and Kelsey was so scared he was shaking. Poor little guy! As the picture shows, he, Mickey, and Tito come running and wait anxiously whenever any food is involved.

Did Someone Say Snow?

The Ingrassia's (Steve and Sharis) have decorated their house beautifully, and I love it!


This is insane! This afternoon Sharis and I headed out to do some errands, and then picked up Panera Bread for lunch on the way back. It had started to snow as we were at Walmart, and on the way home we did a 180 on black ice. Thankfully we were going slow, but it was definitely an adrenaline rush for me, as we came to a stop a few feet away from a telephone pole after fishtailing all over the road. We made it home with no further incidents, and it was a good story to tell the others.

Needless to say, I am staying with Steve and Sharis at least one more night (it's 1 1/2 hr drive back to their parents' place). Besides, I wanted to stay anyways, since we are having plenty of time to hang out and have fun. These are some pictures of their house. Steve has a 3 screen setup for his video games, as well as a big screen tv right in front of him and one behind him. The three dogs, Kelsey, Mickey, and Tito came running when we opened the cupboard. Smart dogs - they can open the doors, etc.
The snow hasn't stopped, and when I went outside at almost 10pm, the snow was all the way up to the top of my knees! One of the dogs tried to go out, but promptly sank in over his head in the snow, which was pretty funny. Poor Kelsey. It was at least 18-20" last I checked, and still snowing. We're going to be snowed in tomorrow, and possibly Monday. Not sure yet. I don't mind all that much; Sharis and Steve have fast become very good friends of mine. Here are a few pics of the snow at the house.

I've missed having someone so close to my age around. Sharis is 28, and we've done everything from Christmas shopping to wrapping gifts, to having tea while watching Sat morning cartoons. Steve has been telling me all about his favorite game, World of Warcraft. It's way beyond me, but I've been enjoying watching him play, and he doesn't mind in the slightest talking me through what he's doing as he plays, which makes it interesting for me to watch, and keeps my mind off the pain. 

NYC lights at Christmastime

The tree at Rockafeller Center was impressive, though the skating rink seemed pretty small. The lights are incredible.

As we walked towards Macy's, we passed some huge ornaments, as well as gigantic Christmas lights. A picture by Radio City was a must, and then after 10 or 15 blocks, we reached Macy's.

They went all out decorating the windows, complete with the miracle on 34th St. Inside, the arches, and the ornaments hanging from the ceiling made it pretty cool.

It was chilly, but nice, and the streets weren't very crowded, so it was really an ideal evening for it.

First Snow of the Year!

My little sister called me on Dec 5 to come help decorate the tree at my parents' house. I arrived, and as we were listening to 'Winter Wonderland' and working on the lights, it started to snow. Not just a little, but big, wet, beautiful snowflakes. She ran outside, no coat on, and started catching snowflakes on her tongue. Oh, the joys of the first snow! We went into town to get some ornaments from my apartment, and took a few pictures on the way. When we got back, we finished with the tree and she and Zachary went out for a snowball fight.

Christmas Tree Comes With Christmas Mouse!

We went to get a Christmas tree a couple weeks ago at a friends tree farm. The one we chose turned out to be a huge one. When we got it in the door at the house and laid it on the floor in the kitchen, the cats were curious, and Socks climbed up in the tree. A few minutes later I saw a little mouse on the kitchen floor, so I called the kids to come see. We caught the little guy in a tupperware container, and were talking about how cute he was, when he jumped up the side of the container. Joanna jumped back, I shrieked and jumped, Isabeau screamed, Gabe jumped, and the cats saw the mouse on the floor and leapt after it, chasing it back into the tree. It all happened in about 3 seconds, but it was hilarious after the fact. We had a Christmas mouse! A few days later, I woke up to find the Fajita (the other cat) playing with the dead mouse, and then she and Socks proceeded to eat it. Ugh. No more Christmas mouse. The cats still think the tree is their personal playland, and they toppled it over a couple days ago.

In NYC with the Ingrassia family

I'm in NYC for a few days! Tonight we're planning on heading out to see the Christmas lights. It's so nice to relax and just hang out with friends. It's chilly, and going to get worse, but the sun is shining and it's a great day. Last night Vic, Mary, and I went out for dinner at a place called Frenasia. I loved the atmosphere and the decor - dim red lights , red candles on the tables, and it overlooks the water - very nice. This morning I had a chance to chat with their mom, Peggy. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed our morning visits last time I was here. I hope to take some good pics tonight, so I'll put some up soon.

Adoration? A Crush? Love At First Sight?

Since I began staying with Joanna and her kids, Gabe(12) and Isabeau(4), I've taken the kids over to my parents farm several times. They and my siblings, JJoy(11) and Zachary(15), enjoy hanging out, playing with Smoky(JJoy's kitten) and Rusty(the dog), and doing pretty much anything. Zachary and Gabe share a love of video games, strategy games, and many other things such as bball, etc. Isabeau loves anything having to do with the big kids, and has been able to pick my sister and brother by name out of any picture since the beginning.
Another development has been that Isabeau has fallen head over heels for Zachary. All he has to do is smile at her, and she's gone. He and Seth came over to watch The Unit with me, and as soon as she heard he was coming, she informed us she would be waiting in the kitchen until he arrived. She was miserable when she found out she had to go upstairs instead of spending time with him. Several hugs later, and she went up, only to come down to get good night hugs from him a couple more times before staying upstairs. I took her to my parents house the other day, and she literally threw herself into his arms as soon as he asked for a hug. She hates leaving, writes notes to him during church (and delivers them to him in the back), talks about him a lot, and constantly wants to know when she can see him. She loves JJoy as well, and all 4 of them are awesome together, but she quite obviously adores him. It's really funny.

Thanksgiving Day!

God is so good. A friend of mine and her two kids were able to come over to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a bunch of relatives, and even my brother who has been activated for deployment to Iraq shortly. Lots of laughs. Our little miss Isabeau (4) has fallen in love with Zachary, and spends as much time as possible in his presence. All the kids took off after dinner up to the barn where JJoy and Zachary introduced us to 'Extreme Bowling'. They had a lane set up with 2x2 lengths of wood, complete with a side strip for rolling the bowling ball (nerf ball) back to the bowler. Plastic pins finished out the bowling alley. Zachary, Gabe and I also tackled the ping pong, which I had not even attempted in years. When the adults joined us 'kids' up there, Joanna and I challenged each other as well. Everyone enjoyed the day and between mom and Joanna (my friend) there was plenty of food and some to spare.