Zucchini at Large

So my employer and his wife bought a home on the Vineyard last summer and one of their new favorite pastimes is growing yummy vegetables in their garden in the island. With so many vegetables and so little time (and tummies) to enjoy them, the staff at our office often times reaps the benefits of such delicacies! Last week, as I turned the corner to my cubicle, the first thing to greet me was a zucchini. This was not, however, your average zucchini. But rather, a zucchini to rival all other zucchinis. A zucchini with its own area code. I took a moment to enjoy its grandeur as I doubled over with laughter. My eyes had never before (and may never again) seen a zucchini as massive in size as this one. For those of you who harbor any suspicions concerning my story, I present to you two pictures: the zucchini and the zucchini with a point of reference.







We broke into the zucchini last night as a sauteuse of ratatouille simmered away on my stove top. Only a third of the zucchini was harmed in the making of this dish. For the other two-thirds of the zucchini? A world of possibilities awaits. A huge, and I mean huge, bit of thanks to my boss and his wife for the generosity in sharing the bounty of their labors. They certainly set a standard that I doubt any market will match!

Road-Trip Wedding

Husband entry number one. I've been asked to provide an account of a recent road trip. The pressure is on for 2 reasons. Bridget's entries are great. Secondly, our friend Teresa's entries on her blog are really great, not to mention a beautiful account by Teresa's husband Pepper on the birth of their second child. Hence the pressure on this husband to write, and make it good!

The invite arrived a few months ago. One of my high school friends, Rick, was getting married. I hadn't heard from Rick in years. Calls went out. Doug and his wife Ally can go... Ted and his wife Sara can go... Bridge and I will go.
Soon enough the wives were out for various reasons, except for Ally! I found a new date, my good friend Chris Paci (a good friend of Rick's also) and we were on our way to Maine. Doug and Ally were going to stay in Boston after the wedding so Chris, Ted and I would drive separately.
3 hours, 1 pee stop, 1 stop to put on dress clothes and we were there. Beautiful drive down a dirt road, past the pond, and parked. We walked under the tall Maine pines to the service on the banks of the pond where we spotted a rope swing hanging from 2 huge pines. After about an hour (or two) at the reception, a beer (or two) a shot (or two) we discussed the rope swing. The "locals" said one person had done it last year and swung far enough out to land in the middle of the pond. "Sounds good, Mac... one person is a success story... give it a try." "Okay" I said. A boost from my friends... up the rope... barely hanging on. "Let him go,"... I think I swung out about 20 feet, I wasn't even over water so I couldn't let go. Swinging back I couldn't hold the rope. Burning hands... thud! Roots up close, dirt, bleeding hands. Nice wedding dance. Sorry Rick.
It didn't put a damper on the party though. We celebrated for a while with Rick and his bride Jessica, laughed about old memories, and new ones. And luckily Ted drove home, while we laughed...and slept.

This report has been edited for family and responsible friends. No names have been changed.

The Ladies Who Brunch

Yesterday, Eileen and I headed to Charlestown where we were treated to a delightful brunch hosted by our good friend, Jen Meaney, who is newly engaged to her beau, Marco Tieri. Marco and Jen live in a gorgeous condominium right near the Navy Yard in a complex known as Parris Landing. We spent several hours catching up on wedding plans between Eileen and Jen as well indulged in quiche and french toast casserole. Yum! We are already looking forward to the next "sisters gathering" and look forward to updates from the brides-to-be as they make their wedding plans! To true love!

Long Lost Pals

We've had the pleasure of hosting our old family member, Jake, for the last couple of weeks while Chris' Dad is away on the West Coast. Maeve is enjoying it thoroughly, probably more than Jake, and I caught her spending some quiet time with him out in the back yard...

Borrowed Motto: Enfield, NH...The Way Life Should Be

So basically, we spent the first half of last week just counting down the days to the second half of last week which was a trip up to Enfield, NH to spend a couple of nights with Brian, Michelle and Audrey at the summer home of Michelle's sister, Melissa and her husband, Walt. We have made several summer trips up there now and the 2008 trip ranks right up there among the best. We were also joined (or I should say, we joined) our first night, but Michelle's mother, Sandra and her boyfriend, George which was a real bonus, as we don't get to see them very often and we were welcomed by them and ate a delicious meal Sandra and George made for our first night there. After putting the kids to bed, Brian and Chris made the (early) decision to retire as well to rest up for their 9-hole golf game the following morning. Michelle and I tried to rally as best we could under the circumstances and chatted away for a good hour or so with her Mom but eventually we realized that the kids, Maeve and Audrey, would show no mercy in the morning and our dreams of sleeping in were pretty much non-existent. Our second day/night there, July 4th, was again, perfection from start to finish. The sun shone bright all day long and we again logged some serious time lakeside with the kids. Audrey reminded me of a little motor boat each time her legs hit the water. She would motor along, grunting and screaming, having the time of her life. Maeve on the other hand was a bit more timid and basically wanted to be clinging to someone at all times but it was a good experience for her and we'll try to get her some more water time before the summer is out. We cooked up some grilled pizzas for dinner and then watched some fireworks fly across Mascoma Lake. What is better than that I ask? Maeve was again somewhat nervous and therefore, clingy once the fireworks show started but overall I think she enjoyed it and it reminded her of a scene from one of her favorite Olivia books. It was honestly difficult to leave for home (reality) on Saturday after having such a spoiled time together but it certainly allowed us to appreciate the chance to sit back and relax and take a break from all the day-in, day-out stuff that occupies us so intensely. Three cheers for Enfield, NH and thanks again to the Wylands for making it all possible! Here are some pics and some lake footage...

Big vs. Cute

So as many of you visitors to our blog probably already know, Chris and I are expecting our second child, due in the beginning of October. This pregnancy is a new animal for me because I am pregnant during the opposite time of the year that I was pregnant with Maeve. This presents some new challenges for me, the least of which would be dealing with the heat and humidity. My wardrobe was certainly lacking in the summer maternity clothes department but I've had many family members and friends step up to make their donations to the cause. We hosted Jen and Katie and Katie's boyfriend, Jon for dinner last night and Jen brought with her a belated birthday gift for me. Probably, the cutest maternity dress I have ever seen. It's the "little black dress" for all the prego women out there. Anyway, I tried it on before Jen left to be sure everything fit correctly and that nothing obscene was falling out. It fit pretty close to perfect and I instantly felt cute, semi-attractive again and somewhat hip if I do say so. I strutted my stuff into Maeve's room where I found Jen and Maeve in the rocking chair reading a few bed time stories. I stood in front of my discriminating audience and asked "isn't this dress super cute?" Jen immediately responded with great satisfaction and poured on the compliments. And when Jen was through I turned to Maeve, seeking her approval which I was pretty convinced I'd get considering how much she loves to dress up herself. Her response? "I don't know about cute Momma, but it's big."

Potty Progress

These last few weeks have been nothing short of intense as Chris and I (and our fearless day care provider, Pat) forge ahead in the great big (scary) world of potty training. I have felt so bad for Maeve who seems like much an innocent victim in all of this but at the same time, the star of the show (if she wants it bad enough). I remember a few weeks ago telling Pat when I dropped Maeve off at Rocky Hill Day Care that Chris and I had started the potty training process. Pat just looked at me, smiled and asked, "how often are you putting her on the potty, Bridget?" I inhaled, pushed my chest out a little and said proudly, "oh at least 3-4 times a day." Pat smiled gently, nodded her head and and said, quite simply, "oh no, Bridget, once you officially begin potty training, it's all or nothing." Meaning, every 30-45 minutes, put Maeve on there, whether she wants to or not and see if she'll go. I felt, slightly deflated, knowing we were off to somewhat of a start, but that Chris and I had our work cut out for us. Three weeks ago, I bought Maeve some "big girl underwear" and some pull-ups and it's been potty boot camp ever since. Actually, there were a handful of random (lucky) times, that Maeve produced both #1 and #2 on her potty for us, but over the last couple of weeks she has preferred to reserve the #2 experience for her underwear instead. I've tried desperately to read her cues (the strained, reddish face when she's ready to do #2) and have tried to get her on the potty before anything actually comes out, but she simply changes her mind, waits until I've taken her off and then slips away into a more private area of the house to take care of business. This morning, however, I'm feeling as though we have made significant headway. The pull up which we put her in at 7 PM last night remains completely dry as I type this entry. And several times over the course of this morning Maeve has said to me, "Momma, I have to do tinkles and poops." Since 7:30 AM this morning we "tinkled up a storm" on the potty and then, around 11:30 AM, she looked at me, very upset and said, "Momma, I have to do poops. Can you carry me to the potty?" I grabbed her and whisked her away to her throne and within 10 seconds, heard the resounding thump. The eagle had landed. She recognized the need to do it and got the job done. So those pull ups we put on last night? They're as dry as ever and Maeve is two stickers richer on her potty "wall of fame."