One Last Outing...

Somewhat spontaneously (that is to say, within 48 hours) Chris and I made the decision to hit the Boston Children's Museum with the kiddos and then Make our way by T to back bay for dinner. It turned out to be the perfect day. The kids were great, even without naps, the weather was beautiful and the day was easy on our wallets! We'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Rescue Me

Could somebody please come to Seekonk NOW and transport me back to Vermont?! Lake Rescue in VT to be more specific. Even though it is almost four weeks post vacation, I am still mourning our departure from the Towering Pines Chalet we called home for a week in Ludlow, VT. I can't say the week was perfect because we were missing a couple of key players, otherwise known as Katie and Scott, and the weather was a bit rainy for the first few days but it was just what we needed in terms of a get-away and clearly, we'd still love to be doing more of it!

The chalet, Towering Pines, affectionately named by its owners, situated in it's own little cove on Lake Rescue




Dad, Chris and Jen venture to the Birthplace of Calvin Coolidge and (perhaps more importantly) the birthplace of some really good beer, Long Trail!






Doing some Lake time...






Aunties who did some serious overtime...







Making memories...

A Blessing

My Grandmother, Dorothy Rafferty, turned 90 this summer. What an achievement. And thanks to the hard work of a lot of different people, we were able to come together and celebrate her at a beautiful party hosted by the Ariagno Family in Somerset, MA. Although I spent almost all of my time accounting for my children and making sure they had something in their bellies, and hardly spent any time sitting and talking with my beautiful grandmother, I did muscle my way through the crowd and into her arms to drink in her perfume and tell her that I loved her as she sat in the warm sunshine.

A Little T&T Anyone?

This summer, we had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Chris' Uncle Terry and his son, Chris' cousin, Turlough. The perfect house guests, Terry and Turlough fit right into the buzz of our lives and spoiled us with their music, stories and love. If Turlough lived on the east coast, he'd be making a boat-load of money as our number 1 babysitter because he is an absolute natural with children. He spoke to each little one he encountered during his visit, not as if they were kids, but as if they were one of his peers and made each one of them feel like the most important person in the room. It actually taught me a thing or two about how I sometimes deal with my own kids...or don't. Terry, seemed to carve out quality time with each of us that week on numerous occasions and as he always does, made sure that nothing was more important to him than what we were sharing with him at that very moment. Before they departed for home (Corvalis, OR) we vowed that we'd see them again, sooner rather than later, and God-Willing, on their turf instead of ours. Saying good-bye to them, without a doubt, was one of the worst parts of our summer.

Forever Friends

It just goes to show, that sometimes the passage of time makes no difference in life when certain relationship are concerned. After enjoying a mini-reunion with some old friends first founded in Phoenix, AZ, it was clear to me that you cannot forget people in your life with whom you've shared some extraordinary experiences. It was nice to be in the company of these terrific ladies once again and to watch our kids running around together for the night was the trippiest experience I've had in a very LONG time! A special thanks to Dave Darrah for his exemplary grilling skills and even better pyrotechnics! Once again Jo and Dave, you outdid yourselves. Thanks again for making the night a success!