Model in the Making

I Couldn't resist posting this. Emily and her friend were helping me practice with my new camera yesterday and we really had a good time :) Emily was hesitant at first and didn't want to do it but once her friend was doing it, Emily jumped right in. I think we have a model in the making :) And with me as her mother, there are sure to be plenty more shots like these :)

Our New Grass

This year we have grass :) We have always lived tucked in the woods surrounded by trees, dirt and leaves. Never really had grounds to keep in a pretty way. Here we are in our new home and have a huge lawn in the front that we need to take care of. You would think that we'd be fighting over who is going to do it, like we do with the rest of our responsibilities. Well, we are fighting but we fight because we all want to do it (haha). Jim swore he wouldn't want to do it but he keeps hopping on the mower trying to show us how it's done :) And I just knew it would be something I'd love to do from the start because I love being out in the sun for whatever reason, well unless there are bugs attacking my face then you can forget it (haha). We never expected our usually lazy daughter to be anxious to take on this responsibility :))))))) She wants to cut the grass when the grass doesn't need to be cut. And yeah, it's pretty clear why she wants to do it...........haha, who wouldn't want to drive a motor vehicle before you are actually sixteen :))) I get it!!!! I guess we can save on that ATV we were considering (hahahaha)..........but don't tell her (ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!) We can just let her have fun cutting the grass for now :))))))))))))

5 Boro Bike New York

We did it...........and we did it with 30,000 other cyclists. That is The 5 Boro Bike Tour in New York City. This is the second year we completed this ride. Michael, Jim, Gayle, Tom, Ashley and I were the riders this year :) We did it last year too and the excitement of biking through the streets of Manhattan, soaring through Central Park, bopping over city bridges and all of that without traffic was just as amazing as it was the first time. I love going into the city and I never tire of it. I like getting a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, grabbing a bite to eat at South Street Seaport, and doing all of that with family and friends. It's a very memorable day and I already look forward to doing it again next year. It's a lot of miles (close to 30 even with the short cut) but every mile is just as fun as the next, well, with the exception of the upgrade on the bridges (ha.........really burns the muscles :) Check it out, you might want to join us next year :)))))

Ode to Oreo

In Memory of Oreo.......

Oreo came into our lives about 3 years ago and he was a Christmas gift for Emily in hopes to fill her need for a puppy :) I think it worked because Oreo cuddled and liked attention. I never had a guinea pig before and I think Oreo was the coolest guinea pig ever. There was one time when he bit me on the forehead and well, that wasn't cool at all. It really wasn't his fault........I was carrying him in a way that freaked him out and he bit me. Let me tell you that was the most painful bite I ever felt. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't make a practice of biting, thank God. We lost Oreo after a battle of Upper respiratory infection and we will miss him much. Emily insisted we bury him in the backyard since she was so unhappy how Jim through Spunky in the trash (ick). Spunky was our other guinea pig. He looked just like Oreo and he died of the same thing just a few months before Oreo. Our zoo over here is dwindling and getting a lot more manageable.