Senesac Girls Visit to NYC

June 27th - June 29th

The Senesac girls (Selena, Cathryn, Anna, Angela & Gracie) made their annual NYC trip this year - with a couple of additions - Penny and Lauren!  They decided to stay at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in downtown Manhattan this year instead of traveling in on the Metro-North from Tarrytown.  Selena asked me to join them in the city.  

They arrived Friday afternoon - and after enjoying some of the birthday cake they brought for me, we headed down to the hotel via public transportation.  The Metro ride wasn't the tough part - it was getting the girls and all of the luggage through the streets from Grand Central to Penn Station and the subway station there and at Chambers Street ... but we did it!  After dropping the bags, we grabbed a bite to eat, and strolled through downtown a bit along the Hudson River.


Saturday morning, we got in line for the Statue of Liberty - something Aaron and I never even did over the two years we lived right by it.  After standing in line for almost an hour, we got on the boat and headed out.  It was a nice (hot) day and worth the wait - she doesn't seem to big until you get out to it and look up.



After that, we walked by Ground Zero, headed over to Pier 17 to grab some lunch, take in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge (and the waterfalls that were put up along the East River) and stock up on some sugar at the candy store!  And then we were off to Times Square to see the night lights and for the girls to go on the ferris wheel in Toys R Us.  Then we all crashed after the hot and busy day.



Sunday wasn't the greatest weather-wise ... and we ended up in the middle of the Gay Pride Parade on Fifth Avenue!!  But it was a NYC-packed day regardless.  Penny and Lauren went up to the top of the Empire State Building as the rest of us headed to where else but the American Girl store!  After each of the little ones picked out some new outfits and accessories for their dolls, we watched a bit of the parade in the rain as we waited for Penny and Lauren before heading up to FAO Schwartz and Central Park.  We didn't get the weather we hoped for to relax in the park, but we did decide to see the park by riding in the horse-drawn carriages.  That was a new experience for all of us as well.




It was time to head back to Tarrytown - where I went back home to discuss the offers Aaron had been given for the new NH job, and the girls stayed in the nice renovated Double Tree for the night before headed back to VT.

Another weekend in the big city gone by!

Finger Lakes Weekend

June 20th - June 22nd

Our friends Chuck and Amy (from our Syracuse days) invited us down to their family camp on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes for this weekend.  We were so excited to get back down to this area and spend some time with them.  We arrived at the camp - and saw that they had their big dog with them ... I didn't think I was going to be able to get out of the car let alone spend a weekend there!  But in the end, Satchel and I were good pals (I was even taking him out for his "breaks"!)




We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Stonecat Cafe (where I tried a fried pickle!) and then headed to Wagner Vineyards for some beer and to listen to their Friday night band on the deck as the sun was setting.  The band was an older woman, Alice Detrick, who sang some old and new country - it was actually pretty good.  


Saturday, Aaron and Chuck went out for some golf while Amy and I hung out at the camp.  It was relaxing to wake up to the water and just hang out with a good book.  After that, we hit the wineries!!  We stopped at 8 wineries on the east side Seneca Lake and west side of Cayuga Lakes.  Chuck and I got our faces painted at the first stop! We had a great time and Aaron and I were able to stock up on the wines we're not able to buy in New York to fill our wine reserve.  After that, we made a big meal at the camp and relaxed on the back deck.  




Sunday morning, Chuck and Aaron set off for another round of golf while Amy and I hit up some antique shops.  We did make a pinnacle trophy for the winner of today's golf round - and went to the course to watch their last few holes and present the trophy to the winner - it was Chuck Love!  (Yes, that's his real name!)


After a relaxing, laughter-filled weekend with them, it was time for Aaron and I to head back to New York.  We said our goodbyes and stopped at Taughannock Falls on the way home. We were bummed we didn't have time to hike down, but said we'll do it "next time."


Chuck and Amy are ready to visit us in NH this year and we hope to keep the visits going and are looking forward to the wineries again next year!!

Weekend in Boston

June 12th - June 15th
Now that it's been official for a while, I can actually post this with the real reason we were in Boston this weekend in June.

Aaron had been called a few times by a recruiter about a position in NH - and he kept saying "no thanks".  Well, since we'd had quite the year so far, the next time he called with an offer, Aaron bit.  We headed up to Boston on a Thursday evening and Aaron had his interview there on Friday morning.  He left the interview being told he was going to receive the offer, and with a compliment of being "very polished".  So, it went well and all we had to do was wait.  We enjoyed that Thursday evening with a stroll through Boston Common and by going to a nice dinner (on his possibly-future bosses request) at Houston's.  Aaron loved the crabcakes and I enjoyed a big, juicy filet mignon - we had also read rave reviews on their spinch-artichoke dip and didn't know how it could be so different than others ... until we tried it! We can't wait to eat there again.



On Saturday, we hit the New England Aquarium - I think we spent a few hours in here checking out the penguins, sharks, jellyfish, turtles, stingrays, etc.  It was awesome.  After that, we walked to a handful of the sites on the Freedom Trail to learn some history, like the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, King's Chapel Burying Ground, and the Boston Massacre site.  Lots of walking!  We checked out of our hotel, had lunch in the Quincy Market Cheers, relaxed a bit in Boston Common, then decided to stay another night and checked back into the hotel for another night!



Sunday was a bit rainy, but we got out and walked the Freedom Trail up toward the North End - we hit the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church and Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  We walked down to see the Cheers on Beacon Hill, which inspired the TV show.  Then it was time to head home.  Our legs wouldn't walk anymore if we had wanted them to.


It was a great weekend and we can't wait to stay again and see more of the sites we missed.

Mary Sharon MacKenna Lewis

Not a good start to updating our blog, but I wanted to add a post about Aaron's mother.  As most/all of you know, she passed away on May 31, 2008 after battling a brain tumor -- at only 52 years old.  

We are very happy that Aaron and his brothers were there in Dallas when this happened - this trip had been a planned and was the first time that all three of them were together with her in years.  They arrived at different times, and though she had taken a turn for the worse, she greeted each of them with a big smile.  They were able to sit with her for a couple of days, and she passed away knowing they were there.

Aaron did a great job with all of the arrangements - there was a private burial on Tuesday and a Memorial Service on Wednesday with friends and family.  One thing Aaron found that Sharon had held onto for years were old family photos dating back generations ... we had a nice lunch going through some of those and hearing stories from her brothers and sisters.  

Sharon was very strong and left us all with some wonderful memories.

I know ... I know ...

So I'm a little behind on the blog ... but things are just now settling down since before Memorial Day.  A lot has happened and a lot has changed since the last post - even I can't keep it all straight in my mind.  I will refresh my memory by checking out my iCal (for those non-Mac users out there, this is the handy calendar provided on all of their computers) and adding new posts throughout this week.

Keep checking back soon ...

VT City Marathon

For the past three years, we've headed up to Vermont for the KeyBank VT City Marathon to join the team for the marathon relay.

• Our first year, it was Dad, Shawn, Aaron, Shelley and myself.
  
• Last year, it was Dad, Shawn, Uncle Pete, Shelley and myself on one team and Aaron put a team together which fell into the "Holstein Division". (We beat them) :o)
  
• This year, Shelley was automatically out because she was 7 months pregnant. I was iffy about it this year and jumped at the chance to give it away to our friend Darrell when he asked for a leg. Uncle Pete was still in but wasn't able to run due to an injury. So this year's team was Dad, Shawn, Kristy's brother-in-law Michael, Aaron and Darrell. They beat our time from last year - so next year, it's on if we can get more teams going.
  

We had a good time hanging out in Burlington for the day since the weather was cooperative this year. Here's a picture my mom captured of Aaron during the race - must have been close to the start of his leg since he looks so happy!


Until next year ...

Arthritis Walk 2008

This past weekend, Aaron and I joined the local Arthritis Walk.  During the month of May, National Arthritis Month, there are over 300 walks around the country raising money for Arthritis research.  We were very happy to walk to help out - in memory of my Grandmother.  Thanks to family and friends, Team Purple for JB raised $475!!!  Thank you to those who donated - it means a lot.  

Sandwiched by a rainy Friday and a rainy evening, Saturday morning brought perfect weather for a 3-mile stroll through a beautiful park ... for a good cause.