And away I go - The Finale!

I would love to say it was smooth sailing (no pun intended) on the return trip home, but then I'd be lying -- BIG TIME! Ha! We had the taxi driver drop us off at the dock for the 11:05am ferry at 10:15am. After about 25 minutes, my uncle realizes something doesn't seem right about the area we are standing in and inquires at the ticket office. Turns out we are at the wrong dock. So we walk (complete with luggage) approx. 1/4 mile down the road to the correct dock for the ferry we need. Once we arrive, we come to find out that the ferry service has been canceled due to high winds and rough seas. The Vineyard Fast Ferry people will be taking us on a 30 minute boat ride to catch a bus that will drive us close to 2 hours it will take to get to Rhode Island where the cars are parked. People everywhere are freaking out that they will miss their plane or train connection. It was not pretty. Due to the new mode of transportation, we are now approx. 1.5 hours behind schedule.

Meanwhile, I got a call from the mechanic first thing in the morning letting me know he was successful in finding the part to fix Jeff's air conditioning. Yay! However, about 4 hours later, I get another call from the mechanic informing me that the part was the wrong one and no one in the area (including 2 Nissan dealerships) have the compressor needed to fit the car. Jeff has a limited edition Sentra and it doesn't take the usual compressor. The mechanic felt bad but told me there was no way the car would be fixed by the end of the day when I would be picking it up.

Just fabulous! This meant that mom and I would be driving back from Cherry Hill, NJ with absolutely no AC. For over 3 hours. Oh joy. This fact alone made up my mind that no matter how late we got back to my Aunt and Uncle's, we would do the drive back to Burke, VA that night. Our best bet for the most amount of comfort was to drive at night, when the sun was down and the cars on the road were at a minimum.

Congestion on the road caused us to go very slow getting back to NJ. By the time we pulled into the service station where Jeff's car was, it was going on 8:30pm. Mom and I stopped at Maryland House for a quick bite to eat, fill the car up with gas and hit the bathrooms. We made good time and got home just before midnight.

Once I told Jeff that the car was coming back not fixed, he quickly got on the phone and called around to see if anyone had this hard-to-find part. Believe it or not, the two Nissan Dealerships in Fairfax County didn't have it, but the mechanic across the street did. I was very skeptical that this was actually the part that no one else was able to locate, but lo & behold, the car got fixed within the same day yesterday. I am still in shock that it worked out like it did. And since the mechanic arranged for a rental car, the kids and I were able to resume our regular schedule for a Tuesday.

The trip to Martha's Vineyard was a complete nightmare, and the trip back wasn't much better. But I am happy I went and enjoyed the time I was there very much. With that said, it will be a very long time before I think it is ever a good idea to go back. Plus, I think Jeff is in the process of hiding my luggage.

My sister Lori (on the left) and my cousin Leslie (on the right).

My mom and I sightseeing.

And away I go - continued

Saturday and Sunday made up for the atrocious trip to get to Martha's Vineyard. The weather was beautiful; in the 70's and no humidity. Too cold to go to the beach, but very nice for walking around the island, sightseeing and shopping. With my birthday coming up in 2 days, every time I looked at something, my mom quickly said, "let me get this for you for your birthday." I made out like a bandit and now have planned to be around her every year near my birthday. :) I had no plans for her to treat me as much as she did, but I'd go up to the counter and she would've already slipped her credit card and paid for it. Got to love it.

Erik's wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was at the beach and the reception was up the road at this very cool house they were staying at. They had a tent set up outside and big, lantern lights hung from the ceiling of the tent illuminating it. Very cool and incredibly gorgeous. The wedding was intended for immediate family and very close friends; there was about 50 guests. It was low key, simple, and very special. The highlight was the best man's speech. The best man, Noah, gave a speech that was hilarious. In fact, at the end of it he got a standing ovation from everyone. When have you ever seen that happen? Tears were rolling down our faces from laughing so hard. At the end of the day, I was happy to have been a part of it. I really am a romantic and love weddings!

More than attending the wedding, I absolutely love being around my relatives. My aunt, uncle, and cousins are some of the coolest people and so much fun to be around. It is one laugh after another, even more so during some of the more traumatic traveling moments. We had a great time.

Our ferry to go back leaves at 11:05am this morning. We are doing the reverse trip back home, but all in the same day. Ferry to Rhode Island, Rhode Island to Cherry Hill, NJ, Cherry Hill to Burke, VA. It is going to be a long day.

Jeff's car is at the mechanic my aunt and uncle use. We dropped it off on Thursday night as soon as we got to Cherry Hill. I found out it needs a new compressor to get the AC fixed. The mechanic was not sure he'd be able to get the part in by the time we need to pick up the car on Monday. Jeff has said he'd be okay with my mom and I staying another day to wait for the car to get fixed, but I can't see myself doing that to Jeff and the kids. I already feel bad being gone as long as I have. I will find out at approx. 9:00am if the part is available. I need air! In fact, I am known by some friends as getting in the car when someone else is behind the wheel and saying, "Air. Me. Now."

My mom got Dramamine for the ferry ride back. Hopefully this will start the journey back on the right foot. Jeff has had a heckuva time back at home with Samantha. She didn't get one full night of sleep and her naps were inconsistent at best. I know he was put through the ringer and still counting down the hours until I return. I know the minute I walk through the door, I'll be put on the midnight shift (and the 1:00am, 2:00am, 3:00am shifts too!). It's a good thing I miss her. It's another good thing she is so darn cute.

And away I go (again)

I am currently in Martha’s Vineyard for my cousin Erik’s wedding. For those keeping score, this is wedding #4 since October. Three of which required traveling to another state or country. I had no plans on going, by my mom asked if I would travel with her and I felt I needed to oblige. I will be gone for a total of 4 nights (Thursday thru Monday). We are returning home around midnight on Monday. I would’ve loved to have Jeff and the kids with me, but logistically and financially, it wasn’t possible. Nor, if this was the one trip we would take, Martha’s Vineyard would not be the place we would pick to go.

Jeff has been amazing in helping me go. He offered to come home early on Thursday, so my mom and I could get an early start driving to NJ. We would get to NJ, spend the night at my Aunt and Uncle’s house and then continue traveling the rest of the way to Martha’s Vineyard with them.

So far the trip has been one traveling snafu after another. We’ve hit endless amounts of construction and car accidents on the road. I drove for at least 40 minutes in blinding rain and a severe thunderstorm. The kind of blinding rain when you can’t even see the lights on the car in front of you. Furthermore, upon entering into the state of NJ, the air conditioning on Jeff’s car completely stopped blowing cold air. So while it got hot very quickly inside the car, it also fogged up the windshield and created more vision problems.

Day 2 of the traveling on the Friday wasn’t any better, actually worse. Despite having 90 minutes of extra time built into the schedule, leaving at 5:15am wasn’t early enough to get to Rhode Island for the 12:00pm ferry. We barely made it, with a minute to spare. Forget getting there 45 minutes in advance like they recommended. My uncle had to drive 95mph to make up for the lost time sitting in standstill traffic. My mom freaks out when I go 5 miles over the speed limit; you can just imagine the scene in the car with my uncle doing 95. But if we missed the 12:00pm ferry, the next one wasn’t until 4:30pm and we would’ve missed the rehearsal dinner. The ferry ride was rough, rough, rough. It made me incredibly nauseous and my mom got sick. Once we got to the hotel, changed our clothes and headed back out for dinner, the cab driver got lost and didn’t know where the restaurant was we had to go to. Oy!

I was looking forward to having a break from a very exhausting-to-be-around-certain 2 year-old I know, but right now, I’d like to just catch up on my sleep and not get stressed going from Point A to Point B.

Jeff is counting down the hours until I return. I think I am too!

And to my wonderful husband, who when I called last night to say good night and was having a heckuva time getting Sam to go to sleep, I am sorry. Really, I am. Please know, I have no plans to be gone again for a very long time.

Getting gas in the dark

I was coming back home from book club and decided to surprise Jeff and fill his car up with gas. I got to the Exxon station, located in the shopping center across the street from where live at 10:48pm. The lights at the gas station were on and I got out and started pumping. About 2 minutes into filling up Jeff's car, all the lights go out. Every single one! It is pitch black!! I am now looking around, wondering what is happening, and then notice a car leaving the gas station.

Did what I think happen, just happen?!?!?! Did the guy running the gas station decide to close a few minutes early and couldn't wait for me to be done getting gas? Did he think it was acceptable to turn off all the lights and leave me to finish pumping gas in the dark?

Dude!! What is the world coming to? Once I got done laughing, I became outraged. How completely rude!

A night with Harry

This past Tuesday night I got to see Harry Connick, Jr play at Wolf Trap. And when I mean see Harry, I really saw him. From the likes of the 5th row, dead center of the amphitheatre. It was wonderful. My friend, Jenn, who recently moved back to the area, had 4 amazing seats through her work connection and extended the invitation to sit with her.

Before finding out about these rockstar tickets, a big group of us (11 in total) had bought lawn seats to enjoy the concert under the stars. This is one of the best things about Wolf Trap and even if you don't spring for the inside seats, you can still have a wonderful evening enjoying yummy food/wine and hanging out with good friends. It is a great way to spend the evening.

About 2 weeks ago, the email came from Jenn to join her in the 5th row. I was torn! Do you instantly accept the rockstar seats and ditch my friends, who I personally invited to come join me on the lawn, or do I remain loyal and say, no way, jose...if there aren't enough seats in the 5th row for all of us, then I'm not going! Ah, what a dilemma to be in.

Before the big night arrived, I had made my decision to stick with my other friends on the lawn and not be tempted to view the show from what had to be the closest I will ever get to Harry Connick Jr in my entire life. But once we listened to a few songs (some of my all time favorite ballads -- Harry did mostly cover songs to promote his album "Your Songs"), I was easily persuaded by Wendy to go with her down to the front. And, what a view!! It was an amazing show. Harry Connick, Jr is funny, very funny. He was heckling the latecomers and made small talk with some of the people in the first few rows. He was charming, fun to watch and even better to listen to. What a great performer!

What a night! In the end, I got the best of both worlds....I went down to the 5th row for about 35 minutes and hung out up on the lawn for the rest of the time. It was an absolutely beautiful weather night (no humidity!! and in the 70s) and despite the sold-out crowd, we got a pretty good spot on the lawn. Thanks to Wendy for that!!

It's nights like these that make me really appreciate the area we live in and that a place like Wolf Trap is just a 30 minute drive away.

To the best there is....

Happy Father's Day to the guy I married. I am beyond blessed at the father this guy turned out to be. He is a most dedicated, caring and loving father to our two kids. Jeff can be firm and a softy, all at the same time. He loves to give hugs, kisses and say I love you for no reason at all. He will go that extra mile and continue being a fabulous parent, when others may have thrown in the towel and turned on the tv.


It is so wonderful seeing Jeff in action; working with Ian on his letters and reading, trying to teach Samantha her alphabet. And, I am not sure who is having more fun when Jeff and Ian are playing a wii game together. Jeff can play dress-up with the best of them and understands Sam's need to pick out her own clothing -- something I haven't quite mastered yet. And, I challenge anyone to find a better father to play play-doh with.


I am so fortunate that I married a guy who truly loves and enjoys being around his kids. He makes sure he is home for dinner each night and is constantly looking in to fun activities to do with the kids on the weekends. Jeff gives me the freedom to go out with my friends or away for long weekends and seamlessly takes over without complaint.


Happy Father's Day Honey! I absolutely love and adore the father you are.

Ready to start over

The first thing out of everyone's mouth when they walk in our house is, "Wow, it's quiet." Yes, I know. That's because there is a huge void inside these four walls, left by a pretty big German Shepherd, Bailey. Oh, how I still miss him. It's really bad and I am not sure where I am in the grieving process, but I still expect Bailey to trail behind me from room to room or be there when I open the front door.

For the first time in 5 years, I've got Ian and Samantha in a program (camp) on two days of the week, for the same 4 hours. This is 4 hours when I could be in the house and be the only one here. 4 hours of no barking, no tail wagging, and complete silence. It is really hard for me during this time and I'll do whatever I can to run errands, go to the gym or meet friends for lunch. Anything that keeps me away from the house when I would be the only one inside.

I want another dog very badly. I want a puppy to put my time and energy into. I want this new little creature to take up a lot of space with his bowls, toys, bed, and body and help me forget what used to be there. But I don't think that is fair to the new dog. Like long-term relationships, I think if we get this next dog too soon, it would be the "rebound" dog. It's shoes would be too big to full and this new little puppy couldn't stand a chance. I do believe its in our best interest to wait at least a year before diving in again. Wait until the time is right and the family has had a chance to heal. Although, at this point, I think it is just Sam and me that still miss Bailey terribly.

Every now and then we'll be driving in the car and the conversation will turn "what to name the new dog we get". I have one stipulation; that we chose a name that starts with the letter "B". I'd like this new little guy to be named after Bailey. In the Jewish culture, it is an honor to take the first initial of a deceased relative and name the newborn with a name that starts with that initial. Bailey was named after my childhood dog, Brandon.

Some names that have been tossed around are: Bone, Ball (both submitted by Ian). Barney, Bob (Jeff's contributions). Ian did add "Bill" into the mix, but Jeff nixed that idea, saying we already have enough bills. :)