Rehobeth with the girls!

So I haven't spent a week at the beach with "the girls" since Senior week! And I can't explain how much more fun this was!!


The first night was spent at the house but things got a little crazy as we got to know each other better. I met a couple new girls, whose sibling I actually taught. How ironic! Brewster wasn't shy about trying to catch me up with them since they had started a lot earlier than I was able to get down there. Her specialty pitchers came rolling, and on, and on, and on; you get the picture!
Needless to say, that night I got lost on the way back from the bathroom, without any help from Judy, who was also sharing the room, as she laughed at me for not being able to get comfortable. Brewster got an unexpected bed buddy, with a little snuggling too! She protested the next morning at breakfast, but she liked it. Everyone needs a little cuddle time; it's good for the soul!
"GILF" Judy did make a fabulous breakfast, or two, and hurried us all off to the beach. That night we searched out some karaoke at the Frogg Pond!
For a Sunday night, it definitely lead to some interesting pictures, oh, and not to mention quotable quotes for our "memory book" of the week. We'll never forget scary Mary and how much she loves her brother, or how afraid we were of how angry she seemed when she thinks about her partner! Tracy started a conga line, which drew in some more straight people from the street, but they didn't stay long. The bartender practically begged us to stay, actually she bribed us with shots, but it's all the same. The night did end with some guests on the bar, but I'll keep the names to myself!

The beach we went to, inside the state park, was awesome with very few kids and no crowds. I also have to admit that I felt like we were the most well-prepared beach goers there with our cooler, our chips, magazines, games, umbrella, you name it! A BIT of a difference from the beach with Matt's buddies, rugby guys in OCMD, but that's another blog!

I stayed for a few more beach days and also fit in some Me time by taking the ferry over to Cape May! Lots of fun, just the whole process of loading and unloading the Jeep. Then I bopped around town thinking about the wedding. (I checked out some more rooms at The Chalfonte and visited Henry's, which is the rehearsal dinner site. I also worked on a list of things to do for people who have Saturday afternoon free.)
To sum the week up- it was a ridiculously awesome time!! I freakin love you guys! Thanks for a great time! I already can't wait for next year!

Couldn't be more proud!!

So, this past weekend, before leaving for the beach with some girlfriends of mine, I headed to my sister's in NJ. She had asked if Matt and I would be coming up to watch she and her husband compete in the Franklin Lakes mini-triathlon. I thought it would be awesome and volunteered to help with the kids since they had to get up so early to be at registration. Well, while Lydia eventually got bogged down with all three of the kids, as you can see, I had to write about what an awesome job my sister did!


Matt and I arrived Friday afternoon to hang out with my sister and her husband since I didn't know much time we'd have together on Saturday. Erin and I ended up taking her oldest, Zachary, to a birthday party then running out to Sports Authority to replace her bike helmet that she had cracked up in a bad spill a few weeks prior. We also picked out a nice running top, at which point it began to settle in with me just how serious this whole event would be.

After dinner, some serious starches to fuel them up for the big day, Jason began doing final checks on their bikes, in the living room. My dad and Lydia also arrived, just as Erin was putting the kids to bed and we all sat around talking and catching up on details of the event. Finally, we went to bed, not quite early enough for what they were going to have to do.
After they got up and left at 5:30am (!), her youngest, Paige, woke up crying so I stepped in as "mom" and brought her down to sleep on the couch with me. To my surprise, it worked and I settled her back to bed. Then we were all up, chasing kids, dressing kids, running in and out of Dunkin Donuts to provide breakfast!

Between the four of us, we got the three kids to the lake in time to see Erin finishing her swim as she ran to her bike in her fancy triathlon wetsuit! WOW! Then was the wait for part two - the return from the 17 mile bike ride. My cousin Kim came in first, followed by Jason and Erin. The turnover time was amazing as some men started coming in and were off running in seconds, literally. They pulled their bike shoes off while riding, ran to park their bike, threw on shoes and off they went!
Smiling proudly Erin got off her bike and got ready for phase three - a five mile run. She hydrated, changed, stretched, then off she went, too!


The kids waited patiently again for the end of phase three. We erroneously picked an open spot next to a overly enthusiastic lady who warned everyone else to make way for the runners, but stood in the middle of the path herself. Although I must applaud her unwaning cheering kept every else moving away from us, so I got some good pictures!
Two of my other cousins had created a relay team, so they did come in first. Then Kim, doing her first triathlon at forty, finished! She was followed by Jason and then Erin. Even down the home stretch Erin smiled proudly as we cheered her on.
Congratulations to everyone who participated, but Becky, I couldn't be prouder of you! You did a great job, and maybe at thirty-three, after a few years of swim lessons, I'll join you!

30, for real this time!

Ok, so this time, it's for real. I'm officially 30. Last weekend was a blast, the surprise party, the cards and cake, hanging out - loved it.

This weekend however, well, there's not much fun behind the official date arriving, but I must say that my other friends did make it awesome! I headed to FL for the weekend to attend a Tiki Party. Not just any Tiki party, but Roger's! Roger, Rachel, Matt, and I did some, ok, a lot of partying in Japan together on my JFMF experience.
You see, Rachel celebrated her 30th with us in Fukuoka and we were all having such good times together that Roger invited us to his annual party, for a little reunion you might say. It just so happened that the weekend of his party was also my 30th birthday! So, 7 months later, we all followed through and ended up somewhere in Florida, 20 miles from Gainsville, back a few dirt roads, at a house on Gillis Pond!


As evident by some of the photos there was so much more to the weekend than Tiki-ing or my birthday, and it was great! Rachel and I learned something about the domesticated life by finally spending some time in the kitchen! Although I don't know that we were always cooking, but we tried.

Matt got a few bugbites putting some hard work into party preparation! Oh, and he also got to be the honorary flag raiser for the party. And I think Roger and Donna got to see what three people our age can do to their sleeping schedule! Most imortantly, we got to appreciate the wonderful relationship the two of them have for Donna to have lovingly welcomed Roger's crazy "friends from Japan" into their home. Overall, it was too great to describe but I think the idea is clear.

You guys are great friends that I feel lucky to know, and I can't wait to hang out again! BTW, Rachel, when's that wedding? hah! Thanks! Lots of love!

Surprise!

Last night Matt and I went to dinner for my birthday, even though it's not until this Friday. I'll be heading for Florida to meet my FMF friends at a Tiki Party reunion and he has a busy week with class, so I thought it was nice of him to squeeze my birthday in a little early. He offered to take me to Musashi, the Japanese restaurant I had just gone to on Thursday with my students, and since it's a rare offer on his part, even though I was just there, I thought I'd savor the opportunity!
Good thing I didn't put up a fight, I don't know what he would have had to do, because... Lucky for me, it was a party - for me! Most of my best friends were all waiting in the back room! Yippee!
I so love him, and them, of course!
After a fun dinner we all headed back to our house where a few more people dropped by and everyone got the chance to hang out some more! It's a great time when friends go out of their way to show they care, so thank you to everyone who came, it meant a lot to me! Lots of love back at ya!
Buckie