So the Flowers actually stayed in Seekonk with us Thursday night, to break up their trip from NJ, which worked out great and as a bonus, the McNamaras scored our own private stash of Doug's confectionary delights! Then we hit the road Friday morning around 9:30 AM, making good time with a respectful arrival by 1 PM to the Marriott Residence Inn in the Scarborough/Portland area, just off of Route 1. We quickly received our room assignments and the McNamaras headed up to Floor 2 to our "suite." We couldn't have been out of the car for more than 15 minutes and as soon as Maeve saw that our hotel room had a kitchen area, living area, big bed for Mom and Dad and bathroom, she exclaimed, "I LOVE MAINE!" So basically, I think we could have stayed in our hotel room for two days straight and not a peep of a complaint would have been uttered by our two-year-old. That, in part, was due to "the hiding room." The hiding room, was a broom closet in our room with a skinny door, which Maeve immediately figured was a Maeve-sized door, and so, took full advantage of all the closet had to offer, which basically meant a temporary get-away from her parents. Luckily, there was no way for her to lock herself in there, but even still, with no light inside the closet, you would have thought the thrill of it all would have been short-lived. We're still talking about the hiding room a week later and occasionally, Maeve will entertain conversation about all the other things we did while in Maine (keep reading) when we weren't shutting ourselves inside broom closets. I'm still debating filling out a customer survey for the Marriott and how "awesome" their hiding room in unit 225 is. Below is a glimpse into Maeve's hiding room world:
The Flowers and McNamaras were able to squeeze in a dip in the indoor pool at the hotel and then it was off to the Sheas for some yummy take out from Ken's Place (you must stop here for a bite when in Scarborough) and some catching up, Stonehill style. The kids, did well, getting (re)acquainted with one another and us parents, basically didn't see our kids at all until it was time to pack up for the night and get some shut-eye for Saturday's activities.
Although, the forecast was a bit "up in the air" if you will, our trip to Scarborough beach ended up being pretty close to perfect and despite the water temperature not being the most inviting to people, the kids kept themselves busy making a huge sand-castle thingy with the help of some very adept adults: Dave Glynn and Kevin Deiboldt. And speaking of Mr. Deiboldt, Amy had better keep a closer eye on her spouse whose affections were stolen that day by a certain girl in a yellow bikini who happens to like twizzlers just as much as he does.
Being at the beach, kind of allowed the girls, to catch up a bit which can only be one to a certain extent via e-mail. Being together allowed for the sighs, the laughs, the extreme facial expressions, etc. This kind of time together is certainly something we wish we had more of (and I know I can speak for all of us) so when we do get the chance, we take full advantage. Here are some beach shots for your perusal:
The beach also brought a special visit from Cindy and Jim Hideriotis, who have a place on Old Orchard Beach. Having not seen them for over a year since their daughter's wedding we had a lot of catching up to do in our discussions with them about their new granddaughter, Maya. Congratulations to them both and we'll hope to see them again strolling the beach!
After the beach outing, it was back to the hotel to freshen up and to give Kevin some extra time to finish mowing his enormous lawn. We invaded the Shea home for a second time around 3 PM that afternoon and once again, they outdid themselves without even breaking a sweat. And by the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big hello, to the newest Shea, Benjamin whom I (stupidly) didn't get a photo of. Had I done so, the photo surely would have also included Jodi's left hip. So, I very deftly stole this photo instead from Jods, just so y'all can see what a irresistible bundle of yumminess he is:
We feasted on burgers, dogs, sausages, pulled chicken sandwiches and homemade pickles. Jodi WOULD NOT give up the secret pickle recipe no matter what kind of threat came her way, so instead a group of culinary geniuses (Dave Glynn, Kevin Deiboldt, Amy Deiboldt, Larissa Flower, Dave Preneta and myself), under the watchful eye of Kevin Shea (whom I think Jodi sent out to the deck as a spy) tried to piece it together, somewhat unsuccessfully. The pickles are just about as mysterious as the hiding room I suppose. After the bellies were full, Jodi wowed us once again by pulling out her clues for a cleverly devised scavenger hunt for the little ones. Here is the line up, sans Ben of course: Joey, Meghan, Connor, Maddie, Caroline, Riley, Maeve, Matthew and Sophia:
I had every intention of taking family portraits of all those in attendance. Here's as far as I got, but isn't it lovely?
Lastly, the token posterity shot of the girls (again, sans Jen) with a couple of pregnant babes thrown in the mix. We are already looking forward to a return trip next August (if the Sheas are smart, they'll make plans to be out of town for the entire month of August) and if it matters at all, we have first dibs on "the hiding room."
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