New Hampshire bound...

A couple weeks ago we headed up to New Hampshire to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Meghan and Rob.  In an effort to break up the trip we decided to head up Thursday afternoon and stopped over in Tarrytown, NY for the night.  It was a great excuse to pop into my office in NY so that my co-workers could meet Adam (most had met Andy) and to show the boys around the town I visit every six weeks or so.

We stayed at the Marriott that I normally stay at and Adam was loving the long hallways and the thrill of staying in a hotel.  I know I once felt enthusiasm, and to be honest, I still do sometimes, but only when my family is with me! 

For dinner we headed into Hastings on Hudson to dine at the Rainwater Grill, probably one of the best restaurants I've ever been to.  Even though there was a chill in the air, we decided to dine al fresco.  We had a fabulous dinner, and I was happy to introduce Andy to the unbelievably good lobster grilled cheese.  Yes, lobster. grilled. cheese.

It was a great evening and a great start to what would be a memorable weekend!

Party favors...

I love that Adam's birthday kicks off autumn.  It's the start of my absolute favorite four months of the year.  It's all I can do to make it to September before lighting my fall scented candles (Autumn Wreath, Spiced Pumpkin, Sage & Cinnamon, to name a few) and there is nothing better than hanging my fall wreath on the front door.  So when it came time to come up with a party favor for Adam and Ava's birthday party, I knew it had to be something that would help their friends welcome in this wonderful time of the year.

After throwing out a few ideas, we settled on mini-caramel apple kits.  Everyone went home with an apple, lollipop stick, caramels, and an assortment of fun toppings to roll their gooey caramel apple in. 

I loved how they turned out and I hope everyone enjoys this fun fall activity.  With the leaves starting to change colors it's a sure sign that caramel apples, pumpkins, and all those yummy smelling candles are ready to make their grand entrance! 

Adam & Ava's 3rd Birthday Party!

If you ask Adam who is girlfriend is, he'll tell you, "Ava!" It's a young romance, but it is oh so sweet.  They have been in school together since we were counting their age in weeks and their birthdays happen to be just two days apart.  So what better way to celebrate turning 3 than with a joint party!

We held the party at Ava's new house and her backyard proved to be the perfect spot for the kids to run around and the perfect spot for the petting zoo!  We hired a company called Squeals on Wheels and while there were some timid kids (ahem, Adam) the cute bunnies, ducks, and chicks were a great addition to the celebration. 

We set up an ice cream sundae bar and cup cakes in lieu of a cake which was the perfect treat on a sunny afternoon.  Adam and Ava did a great job blowing out their candles and they gobbled up their cupcakes, but still left room for a sundae (that's my boy!) :)

It was a great day surrounded by lots of family and friends, what more could you ask for?

Happy birthday Adam and Ava--here's to many more celebrations together!

Bucket List...

There are lots of things on my bucket list, playing Augusta National, visting all 50 states, hitting all 7 continents, playing golf in Ireland/Scottland, and the list goes on and on.  Through the years I've crossed some items off of my list, safari in Africa, watched fireworks from a boat, went to the golf verison of the US Open and the other night I crossed off the list, the tennis version of the US Open!

I was up in New York for work and it just happened to be during the tournament (funny how that works, wink wink) and my boss was able to score quarterfinals tickets to the event.  I would have been happy to see anyone play and actually the day before I thought it would be the Andy Murray match, but as luck would have it, it was Roger Federer that we got to see play!! 

Giddy doesn't come close to describing how I felt and I loved every second of the entire experience.  The stadium grounds are amazing, filled with displays from the various sponsors (hello gorgeous Mercedes convertible) and tasty cocktails (Grey Goose, melon liquor and honeydew melon balls? umm, yes please!) and all the tennis swag you could ask for (scored myself a Roger Federer Nike visor).  The views of the city in the distant were breathtaking, I swear as many times as I've seen the city skyline, it never gets old. 

Our seats were fantastic and we got to see Serena Williams play as well.  In the stadium watching along with us was Aretha Franklin, Ryan Lochte, and my favorite, Pippa Middleton!  Pippa got lots of attention and even a few marriage proposals shouted out to her throughout the match. 

Pippa is in the stunning yellow dress...love her

Sadly Federer did not come out victorious, but he fought hard (or at least fought hard in the 3rd set) and it was fun to be able to cheer him on in person for a change.  It was a great experience and my bucket list is now one item shorter!

Happy 3rd Birthday Adam!

Our little buddy turned 3 on Monday and we spent every last minute of it celebrating.  The morning started with birthday bagels from Bodos in Charlottesville on our way home from Wintergreen.  Adam had his favorite, blueberry!  
 

He then got to watch "Cars" on the ride home and once home got to reacquaint himself with his trains that he had missed during our beach week. 

After a nap he awoke to a birthday wonderland, and as a bonus, had Erica and Blake there to help with the celebration!

He was gifted with lots of great things from puzzles to a Lightning McQueen and Mater car, to the big surprise, his first official set of left handed golf clubs and bag! 

I'm not sure there is anything cuter than our little golfer strutting around with his new bag on his back...oh wait, I know, what's cuter, our little golfer strutting around with his new bag on his back whilst wearing a VT jersey!!

After gifts it was cake time, he had requested chocolate ice cream cake, and it was a good thing he had all that sugar at 7:30 as it helped to keep him up and running around cheering for the first half of the VT home opener (there is a slight amount of sarcasm in that last part...goodness that boy was hyper, haha)! 

To cap it all off, the Hokies gave Adam a victory over Georgia Tech as one last present.  Not too shabby for a 3rd birthday! 

We love you Adam and what a great 3 years it's been!

Fun in the mountains...

We had a very relaxing weekend in the mountains.  We did a lot of lounging and football watching, but also found some time to get out and enjoy the fresh mountain air. 
 

Adam had fun playing at the park, which we were suprised to see had been re-done.  I was feeling a little nostalgic as the old park had been the one I grew up playing on, but I suppose after 30 year (eeks!) it was probably time for some new equipment. 

We enjoyed some great food, some local brews, and look forward to heading back a few more times this fall.