Cassie's Graduation Party

Yesterday, Uncle Mike and Aunt Lura threw Cassie a graduation party at their house in Cresaptown, MD. Cassie will graduate from Allegany High School this coming Wednesday.The party was for family only - which was nice since we got to have Cassie all to ourselves. Attendees were: Grandma; Jean & Ed; Jeanie, Lee and Allie; Edward, Tina and Lucas; Uncle Chris, Aunt Stacy and Campbell; Uncle Dave & Isaiah; Garney and his girlfriend; Carl and Nathaniel; Mom, Dad and Aaron; Charles and Kitty; Carol; Eddie, Pat, Erin and Mike; Corey and I; and, of course, Uncle Mike, Aunt Lura, Cassie and Seth. We had a smorgasbord of food which included all our family favorites: fried chicken; seven layered pea salad; cowgirl beans; green beans; macaroni and cheese; deviled eggs; fruit salad; veggie tray; macaroni salad; buffalo chicken dip; baked beans; grape tomatoes, onions and fresh mozzarella; vegetable pizza; brownies and chocolate/yellow marble cake.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous for an outdoor party! Perfect weather for swimming or relaxing by the pool, jumping on the trampoline, Ladder Golf, playing basketball, breaking a pinata and/or catching up and visiting.

In addition, Cassie got great gifts for her college journey: an ipod alarm clock; a guardian angel; towels, wash clothes and hand towels; a wooden graduate picture frame; ramen noodles; cash; and a laptop, printer and all its accessories. Congratulations Cassie! We are very proud of the woman you have become! We love you and will always be here for you!

Good luck at the University of Maryland next year!

More pictures can be viewed at: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157720017/a=11808959_11808959/t_=11808959

Girl's Night at Border Cafe

Friday was our monthly girl's night at Border Cafe. Lindsay, Walker, Erin, Allison (Walker's little sister in AST), Tawnya, Becky and I were in rare form to get our drink on. After a long week at work, dealing with kids, etc. - whatever the reason may have been we were definitely ready for a girls night, margaritas, and lots of fun. Unfortunately, the band/group that we stumbled upon last girl's night and loved, Andrex Fox, switched days (now Thursdays) and the new group on Fridays is the Allen Scott Band. Don't get me wrong the Allen Scott Band is very talented and their music sounds like a funky DMB/rock/soul mix. However, they play all original stuff so unless you are a groupie it is hard to sing along. We really wanted to hear cover songs so we could sing along....do you think a girls night on Thursday night would be bad? With that said, the margaritas were tasty as always and the conversation and company was fabulous. Thanks girls for a great night. I had a blast! Here's to next month's girls night!

Favorite Quote of the Week

This conversation took place when Corey, Maddie, Emmet and I were sitting around the table while Maddie was eating her lunch. Corey asked Maddie, "Are you and Emmet pals?" and Maddie answered, "Yes Unc Corey. Good pals."Awww, the love between cousins...even if it is a 2 year-old child and a cat.

Corey's Birthday Celebration #47

Last Saturday Bob, Jackie, Lindsay, Tony and Maddie came to our house to celebrate Corey's 30th Birthday. I know you are thinking how many celebrations does the man get, but I guess when you turn "30" you deserve at least a birthday celebration for each decade.

Bob and Jackie were a bit delayed arriving due to Bob's three hour nose bleed, so we kept the partying and drinking to a minimum for Bob's sake...

Actually, it was a fun and low key celebration - we ordered Chinese food from Wong Kok, Tony and Lindsay taught us a new card game Hand and Foot , and we watched the Mets / Yankees game. Lindsay made her to die for Chocolate Trifle per Corey's request - it was delicious! We put candles in the trifle desert, but while we were singing Happy Birthday Maddie blew the candles out right under Corey's nose. So Corey missed his opportunity for another birthday wish. It was pretty comical.

Corey received new tailgating accessories for his birthday: bbq tools, orange and blue bowls, a UVA Cooler, UVA chimenea and an orange lantern. He also got the DVD Prestige, UVA indoor basketball hoop set, cash and a nifty Visa gift card. I think he did alright for himself - not too shabby!

I am officially announcing Corey's birthday month has come to an end....
AND
mine has begun! HAHA!

Wyoming Inn, Jackson Wyoming

I wanted to give the Wyoming Inn some free publicity - even if it is only on our blog. But hey the best advertising tool is word of mouth by customers and referrals, so here we go - Corey and I give our word that if you stay at the Wyoming Inn you won't be disappointed. The hotel was absoultely incredible - the staff were very friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean and beautifully decorated, breakfast, cookies and soup were delicious everyday, the price was very reasonable - just an all around great place to stay! I never would have been able to pull off Corey's birthday surprises (resturants, whitewater rafting, birthday cake, champagne, etc.) if it wasn't for their help, recommendations and advise.
Here are pictures of the lobby and our room:

We will definitely be back to Jackson Hole in the near future and we plan on staying at Room #116 Wyoming Inn again!

Rafting on the Snake

Yesterday we went rafting down the Snake River with Jackson Hole White Water. The morning session was a 13 mile scenic trip on calm water, and there was plenty of wildlife to be seen, mostly of the bird variety.


After a lunch break and time to change into wetsuits, we loaded on a bus for a 30 minute ride further down river to the canyon section of the Snake where the rapids are located. AJ was a little nervous about the idea of white water rafting, but we ended up having so much fun and would both love to do it again! I even took a voluntary dip in the 35 degree water, but the Polar Bear Club probably has a rule against wetsuits:) Sorry, no pics since we didn't get a water-proof camera, but here we are looking pretty sexy afterwards...


AJ had dinner reservations at the Snake River Grill in Jackson Town Square. Food, wine and atmosphere were excellent. I thought the evening was winding down until we got back to the hotel room, and AJ had another surprise up her sleeve...


Today we'll do a little shopping around town and have lunch at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, a famous landmark in Jackson. Our flight out isn't until 4, so we have most of the day left to enjoy. This has been an incredible trip and a wonderful birthday. Thank you so much for all of the thought and planning you have put into this AJ, I love you and couldn't have asked for anything more!!

We'll post plenty more pics when we get home...
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157722183/a=11808959_11808959/t_=11808959

Happy 30th Birthday Corey!

Corey's the big 3-0 today! Happy Birthday, baby! I love you more with each day passing. This birthday trip has been amazing! I love experiencing new things and places with you! Can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you...though this one is going to be tough to top.

Corey's giving his new gang sign above - "30".

Yellowstone

Yesterday we made the drive up to Yellowstone. The south entrance to Yellowstone is about an hour drive from Jackson, and then another hour(after 20 photo opp stops) brings you to the 'southern loop' of Yellowstone. The southern loop is a 100 mile circle of road that includes stops for Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone among other things. If you haven't been, one of the best features of Yellowstone is the abundance of 'turn-outs' along the road. You can count on a 30 meter long lane every 1/4 mile or so, giving you a place to swerve when you slam on your brakes after spotting wildlife or yet another majestic view.

The extent of geothermic activity in Yellowstone is amazing. Geysers, hot springs and sulphur springs for miles and miles, but the lovely rotten-egg smell that accompanies the sulphur springs gets a little old...


As for wildlife, we have now seen chipmunks, marmuts, squirrels, mule deer, elk, antelope, moose, bison and a grizzly bear!!

I was standing about 50 feet from this guy for a few pics, and told AJ I think I'll shoot for a new career with National Geographic:)

Good thing AJ was staying alert behind the wheel...

Today we'll be on a whitewater rafting trip. The morning session is in calm water so we can take pics, then we break for lunch, and then the afternoon in Class 3 rapids. Should be a blast!

Howdy from Jackson Hole!

Since AJ has gone through great lengths to plan my 30th birthday trip, the least I can do is make a guest appearance on the blog! We've arrived in Jackson Hole Wyoming, and I don't possess the vocabulary to do the beauty of this area any justice. The pics can speak for themselves! We spent yesterday afternoon on an 8 mile hike around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, which is just up the road from Jackson. Today we are making the drive to Yellowstone(about 2 hours each way), and I'll post more details and pics of our excursions later on...





To view more pictures: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157725092/a=11808959_11808959/t_=11808959

Corey's Birthday Clue #4

CLUE #4 - The states of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia would all fit inside this state's borders.


Corey should at least have it down to 39 states (50 minus the ten above and Alaska) now...

Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday we went to Grandma's to celebrate Uncle Dave and Corey's birthday. There wasn't much time for celebrating due to the large amount of work needed to be done on the farm. Baby turkeys were delivered early Saturday morning and turkeys in the second stage needed to be moved to the third stage. I brought a chocolate cake (7lbs) from Costco. Corey has been eye balling this cake for months now - so I was hoping it would live up to his expectations. A large glass of milk was needed for a very small piece of cake because it was so rich and yummy! I should have taken a picture of it, but I forgot.

Sunday, we went to Sandra & Myron's wedding in Charlottesville, VA. The wedding was beautiful, tasteful and classy - just like the couple. Sandra was absolutely gorgeous in her off the shoulder coral color wedding gown and Myron looked handsome as always. The wedding was held at Sandra's family church - Hinton Avenue United Methodist Church. The church is also where Sandra and Myron met thirteen years ago so it has a lot of sentimental value. The reception was held in the Solarium and Garden of the Colonnade Club at UVA. The weather was a perfect spring day for an outdoor reception. The wedding cake was the best wedding cake I have ever eaten! The cake was yellow cake with buttercream icing filled with preserves (blueberry, cherry, pineapple, raspberry and strawberry). It was incredible! The wedding was lots of fun! Congratulations Sandra & Myron! We wish you the best!

More wedding pictures can be viewed at:

Corey's Birthday Clue #3

Clue #3 - This town was the first ever to elect an all women's executive council.


In addition to the clue Corey received a Camper/Hiker's survival kit. The kit consists of a water bottle, compass, survival blanket, whistle, and first aid kit.

CHUCK-IT

My grandma's dog, Brasco, is obsessed with playing B-A-L-L. He would play fetch for hours if someone would continue to throw the ball for him. Unfortunately your arm gives out before he does. I am sure you are thinking this is common for a lab; however he is so obsessed that you can't even say the word ball or spell it out without him barking continuously until you go outside and play fetch. He will bark for 20 minutes if you refuse...he is relentless when it comes to playing ball.

Corey and I had seen someone using this great tennis ball throwing gadget on the lawn of UVA a couple of times, but we never knew exactly what it was or where you could purchase it. I am sure I could have found one at PetSmart or Petco, but we don't make it to either store too often. Even when we do make it to PetSmart or Petco I forget to look in the doggie aisle - remember CAT family here. AnyHOO, I happen to stumble across one the other night at Target and instantly put it in my cart. It's call a Chuck-It. What an amazing invention...

Brasco went crazy over the Chuck-It. You can really launch a tennis ball with that thing. I think between Corey and everyone else we lost about 5 or 6 tennis balls because it takes some getting used to. With the flip of your wrist you can make a tennis ball soar 100 - 140 feet easily. After we were done playing ball (which was probably a good hour or two) Corey placed the Chuck-It on my grandmother's porch behind a chair. About ten minutes later Brasco went and found the Chuck-It behind the chair on the porch, carried it with his mouth and dropped it at the feet of the next person to play with him. So I am taking that as Brasco giving the Chuck-It two paws up!

This Weekend...Busy Bees

This weekend we are heading to my Grandma's to celebrate Corey's (May 13th) and Uncle Dave's (May 6th) birthdays. My brother's birthday is also May 6th but he will be celebrating at the WMZQ Fest at Nissan. On Sunday, we have Sandra & Myron's wedding in Charlottesville, VA. Should have lots of pictures to post after this weekend...

Corey's Birthday Clue #2

CLUE #2 - The state motto is, "120 miles to the next rest area".

Any guessses out there??? Keep them to yourself for right now - Corey checks the blog for comments.

Corey's Birthday Clue #1

The only rules of the game are that Corey is not allowed to Google to find the answer or get help from anyone. So please keep your guesses to yourself! If you help...I will track you down!

CLUE #1 -
Over 15 films have been made on location, including one of the Rocky movies.

My Birthday Wish List

I know...I know..my birthday is not until June 17th but for some reason or another I have a large birthday wish list this year. Usually, when asked I can not think of one thing I want. So I am not sure what is up with me this year.

I am really tempted to go shopping sometime this week and pick up the stuff I want - but if the role was reversed I would get really ticked off at the person. I absolutely hate it when people go shopping before their birthdays, Christmas, etc. and buy something they have been asking/wanting for a while. So, I will be patient and wait until my birthday and hopefully the people who are planning on buying me birthday gifts will see this list...hehe - so sneaky.

So here it goes-

• Harry Potter Books 4, 5, and 6
• Dear John and/or Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
  
• Grey's Anatomy Season 2
• Light weight robe for summer months
• Cute flip flops in size 9 or 9 1/2

Lindsay's 27th Birthday

Yesterday, was Lindsay's 27th Birthday! The family got together (Lindsay, Maddie, Tony, Bob, Jackie, Corey & I) to celebrate with a bbq at Bob & Jackie's house. Bob and Jackie fixed all of Lindsay's favorites: london broil, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, salad and sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was delicious!
For dessert Maddie made her very first birthday cake with lots of help from her Daddy for her Mommy's special day. The lines in the cake are where Maddie was tasting the icing while decorating the cake. The cake was awesome! There were only two pieces of cake left when we were finished with it. I think Tony has found his specialty when he decides to retire from his route.
On to the gifts:
Tony's Parents (Tina & Terry) stopped by and gave Lindsay a New York Yankees beach towel.
Bob & Jackie got her storage bins (per request of the birthday girl), a nice candle set with a wooden tray, coir door mats for Spring and Summer, a gardening tool set with a cute carrying purse, and a Happy Home slate.
Corey & I gave Linds a brown leather laptop carrying case/bag from Liz Claiborne.

Happy 27th Birthday Lindsay!

Additional photos can be viewed at: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157400052/a=11808959_11808959/t_=11808959

Girls' Night - April 2007

Last night was Girls' Night! It was much needed after the week I had. This girls' night was extra festive since we had two special birthdays to celebrate- Lindsay's & Lori's. We went to dinner at Carrabas in Centreville. The food was very yummy; however the wait staff could had used some additional training. For example, within five minutes of receiving our salads two gentlemen (not our original waiter) came to our table carrying our main entrees. There was no room for the men to put the food down since we had our salads and two appetizers on the table. One of the gentlemen shoves one of the "HOT" plates in Lori's hands and states that the plate is TOO Hot for his hands and to hurry and take it; even though there was still not a place on the table for Lori to put the plate down on or was it her entree that she ordered. I guess it is better for the customer to burn their hands than the server. We complained to our waiter who apologized but that was about it - don't worry his tip reflected his counterparts mistake. However, I will say the Lobster Ravioli was phenomenal - my favorite from the menu. For dessert, we all decided to split this delicious chocolate thing - the only way I can describe it is as a Little Debbie's Swiss Role but more upscale and maybe even on crack!

We decided after dinner that we were all too full to go watch a chick flick so we decided to find the nearest bar for some alcoholic beverages. Next door to Carrabas is Border Cafe a Tex-Mex restaurant and we all know that Tex-Mex = Margaritas! I had a yummy strawberry margarita (or two) with sugar on the rim of the glass. It was very refreshing and tasty! We were pleasantly surprised when this awesome band started playing around 7:30/8:00. The band played everything from Motown (Al Green) to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Alicia Keys and even the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song. It was awesome! Here's the MySpace page for the place and band - http://www.myspace.com/bordercafe
I think this place will become a regular hot spot for girls' night!

Overall, it was a fun night catching up with the girls! Happy Birthday Lindsay & Lori!

Next girls' night is Friday, May 25th at Border Cafe in Centreville for anyone who wants to join us!

Hoos for Hokies!

We received an email titled "Hoos for Hokies" with the following pictures attached. The pictures brought tears to my eyes. We are proud to be a WAHOO fans and we are HOOS for Hokies!

Happy 2nd Birthday Maddie!!

Our niece, Maddie, turned two today! I can't believe that she is two already - where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday we were anxiously waiting for nearly fourteen hours for her arrival into this world. It's amazing how such a small little person can bring so much joy and laughter into one's life - but she does. We love hearing the daily/weekly Maddie stories and it's especially priceless now that she is beginning to tell us on her own about her day. Sometimes it's jibber jabbish but we can usually make out a word here or there and figure out the story. She is becoming more lovable, fun and entertaining with each day that passes! I can't imagine what it will be like when we have our own child.

So enough mushy stuff and on to the party details! Attending Maddie's Birthday Party were: Lindsay & Tony, Grammy & Poppy (Lind's and Corey's Parents), Nona & Grandpa (Tony's Parents) , Aunt Tamara & Matt (Tony's Sister and Boyfriend) and Uncle Corey & I . The theme was Fisher Price Little People. Maddie loves Birthday Cake! She loves it so much that she calls it Happy Cake and will do almost anything for it (even if that means taking a nap). So as you could guess, Maddie loved that her birthday cake was decorated with all of her favorite Little People friends' heads. She ate Maggie, Eddie and Michael's heads - yes that equals three pieces of cake (I guess one for each year and one to grow on!)

Maddie received lots of nice gifts! Grammy & Poppy got Maddie her very first doll house by Fisher Price and some adorable outfits. Aunt Tamara and Matt got her two Elmo dvds, Sesame Street sing-along books and a dress. Nona & Grandpa gave Maddie money for her college fund and a car organizer for her toys, books and crayons (hopefully this will clean up some of the mess in Linds' car). Uncle Corey & I got the practical gifts, six outfits for this summer and Sesame Street hair ties and clips (I think Linds was happier with our gifts than Maddie). Hopefully, we won't always be the aunt and uncle who buys clothes for gifts but right now Lindsay & Tony's house is exploding at the seams with toys.
Happy Birthday Maddie! We love you! You're our little stinker!



















More pictures can be viewed at http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157340802/a=11808959_11808959/fromupload=true/t_=11808959

Hoppy Easter!

Michelle's Baby Shower - Alliyah Jade McNair

Kellie Jo and Aunt Jackie threw Michelle a baby shower on Saturday, April 7th at 2:00 at the Summit Bank basement in Franklin, WV. Michelle is due in May and is having a baby girl, Alliyah Jade McNair. Kellie and Jackie came up with some creative games that I had yet to see at a baby shower:
1) "My Water Broke" - They froze small plastic babies in ice cubes and each drink was served with one ice cube. The goal was for the ice cube to completely melt and have your baby floating in your drink. The first person to yell, "My Water Broke" won! It was hilarious seeing the older ladies (my grandmother's age and older) pouring hot coffee in their drink or holding the ice cube in their hands to help it melt. Cheaters - haha!
2) Designer Onesies - Everyone got to design their own onesie for baby Alliyah.
3) Stork Bingo

We had a great time visiting with everyone and are anxiously waiting the arrival of our new little cousin, Alliyah! Jackie & Kellie you did a great job - thanks for the invite!

More pictures from the baby shower can be viewed at: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=157299934/a=11808959_11808959/fromupload=true/t_=11808959

Corey's turning the BIG 3-0 (Yikes) on May 13th!

Yep the subject line tells it all! Corey's turning the BIG 3-0 or 20 plus 10 whatever you want to call it on May 13th! If you ask Corey he will tell you he is 23 and will be turning 23 this year(his age for eternity) - but he's not fooling anybody! So, I asked Corey what he wanted to do for his 30th birthday and he told me he wanted to spend it just me and him! So, I have decided to whisk Corey away for four days (May 11 - 14) for his birthday - the location is a surprise! Corey will receive one destination clue each day the week before his birthday. I will post the clues on here, but no one is allowed to help him out!

It's been a while...but we are back!

After reading our friends' Laurie and Heather's blogs I began to feel guilty that I have dropped off the face of the earth with blogging. I have realized that a weakness of mine is that I seem to have a problem finishing an effort with the same amount of enthusiasm and initiative than when I started. So I am back to the grind with this blogging thing! I will try to catch everyone up on where I left off, I believe that was October (wow!). Not much has happened but we do have a lot of exciting plans for the next couple months (will fill you in later).

So, stay posted!