Visit with Ethan and Aaron

Yesterday afternoon, Ryan and I went to visit my sister and her husband and the "little monkeys" (as I call them): Jodi, Jon and our nephews, Ethan and Aaron. Aaron recently had a pretty tough surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and is now recovering and getting used to the frame he will be wearing on his left leg for a bit. He is such a strong little guy, it never ceases to amaze us!



Ryan and I visited with both kiddos and then took Ethan to Griffin Park in Windham while Jodi and Aaron relaxed for a bit at home. Ryan and Jon played football and Ethan met up with some buddies and had fun playing with them and his new heelies. I just enjoyed watching everyone on an amazingly beautiful and warm October day! We then stopped at Klemm's Bakery and brought back donuts and coffee for Jodi and Aaron.


Griffin Park....can you see the beautiful fall leaves in the background?



I borrowed this photo from my sister's blog. We were lucky enough to see Aaron walk around the living room while we were there. He did such a great job! The fixator is pretty big for a little guy but he keeps going. He really is quite an inspiration and big brother Ethan is a great support for his little bro.


We had such a great afternoon and can't wait to visit again very soon! See their link below on the last post for the latest on Aaron's progress.

Cloud 9

Since we have no kids yet, we tend to spoil Coodie rotten. Hence the very soft pewter colored bed on the top of our cabinets that he sleeps on every day. He climbs up around 8:30am and does not get down until after noontime. Ryan bought this for him on eBay and it has been the biggest hit! As soon as Coodie gets on the bed, he starts to knead it with his front paws and purr like crazy (also known as his "bubble purr"). It is hilarious! It's things like this that have led my father in law to state that he would like to be reincarnated as Cood because he has such a comfortable life. I think I agree!

Here is our view of Cood. Most of the time, all we can see is a set of ears or sometimes his tail poking out.
We are headed off to see our nephews, Ethan and Aaron, tomorrow morning so hopefully I will post an update after that. Please see my sister's blog for the latest updates on Aaron's surgery:

http://teamcoppeta.blogspot.com/

The Cattery

We love our cat, as you all know. So, recently Ryan and I have talked about getting a friend for Coodie...which led us on our little adventure this weekend.



We did some research and had decided that Coodie may be part Maine Coon Cat, with the "M" on his head, tiger stripes, mane and fuzzy tail. So, we researched some area breeders and found one in Francestown, NH. We had some breakfast, hopped in the car and headed out for the adventure. We ended up on this beautiful farm with breathtaking views and met a fantastic woman who had a barn full of cats. Not just any barn...one that was converted into mini cat condos, where they had an outside space and inside complete with climbing trees and beds (not too shabby). She took us around and introduced us to all of her cats - many of which were champions of cat shows and very sophisticated (too funny!) - and they were also made up of a few different breeds. We held some kittens and heard the stories of some of the cats, how she ships them overseas and how she breeds and socializes them. Needless to say, all of these cats were super friendly, cuddly and extremely well behaved.



The coon cats ended up being a little too large for us (they may eat Cood after all), but we fell in love with the British Shorthair:

They look and feel like little teddy bears! They have the friendliest disposition, too. We are now debating whether to get another cat or not. After all, we don't want to mess up a good thing we have going on with the three of us....



Regardless of whether we end up with an addition to the family, after a tough week at work for both of us, spending a few hours with this wonderful woman and her adorable fuzzy friends was just what we needed! Animals can truly be food for the soul.

Fabulously Relaxing Mini-Vacation

Well, my birthday weekend (notice how I say "weekend" and not just birthDAY) is over....but, we had an amazing time! Ogunquit was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We slept in every day and took many walks on the beach and along Marginal Way. Then we started dreaming about living up there all the time because we love it so much..... we are planning on winning the lottery so we can make that happen.

Here is a little preview:

On the first night there, all Ryan said was "Bring a nice outfit and be ready and dressed by 6." So, here we are trying to capture the moment of us being all dressed up. Classy photo in the hotel mirror! Notice the new necklace...one of my gifts that match my earrings from Valentine's Day.


Ryan actually planned all of this because I keep asking to get dressed up and go out. Well, he really took that and ran with it...



Here is a photo of the entrance to my surprise....Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit. This place was named the 14th best restaurant in the country by Gourmet Magazine and I concur. Not that I actually eat gourmet all the time, but for those of you who know how picky I am...I ate duck and it was delicious. So, that should tell you something!
Here are a few photos of the grounds after dinner. It was so romantic because when we got there for our seating at 6, the garden was our view and it was full of flowers and these crazy plants I didn't know could be grown in Maine. As it got darker, this is what we were looking at from our table.

And another view...





A very happy birthday girl and her thoughtful and wonderful husband!



So, check out the website, if you are interested. At Arrows, 90% of their produce is organic and from their very own garden on the grounds. Pretty neat stuff.

http://www.arrowsrestaurant.com/index.cfm




Moving on to the rest of our trip...




Here is Ryan glued to the window of his favorite shop. They sell amazing pottery and copper pots, which Ryan has recently started collecting. They are everywhere in our house!
This is my favorite shop...some neat and well priced finds (think Abacus but with prices that are reasonable). We have bought several photos and paintings here in the last several years.

The view looking out to the beach from Marginal Way.


And to the other side...

The beautiful flowers along Marginal Way...we were able to capture some great photos...

We had to give a shout out to our favorite local pub where we always watch the Red Sox games and meet some great people. Unfortunately, they were closed while we were there and reopening the day we left, which was a bummer. We'll be back, Maxwell's!And the Cat 'N Nine Tails Country Store. Ryan loves to tell the story about how he used to get a breakfast sandwich called the "McCat" there and pick up subs for the beach when he was a kid. We do always stop there for something. Sadly, they no longer sell the "McCat".

Here we are, headed across the bridge back to NH. Until next year, Ogunquit!

Thank you for the best birthday ever, babe!!!

I LOVE my birthday!

So, today is my birthday and I LOVE my birthday! I love getting all the emails, cards, phone messages, everything. I don't even need gifts, I just love the birthday wishes.

So far, this weekend has been fantastic! Ryan arranged to have my car detailed inside and out. When you travel 35 miles each way to work, this is HUGE! But the best is yet to come...

Every year for my birthday, Ryan and I go to Ogunquit, Maine. We have had this tradition since we first started dating. So, my official birthday celebration starts tomorrow when we go....I will post later once we have the photos.

I was looking through some photos tonite from this year (when I wasn't posting all that often) and thought I would share some cute pix from Ryan's birthday in April. We went to the Red Sox game and stayed a night in Boston, which is always a good time. What I love about our birthdays is that it is more like our own private holiday. We always do something fun that the birthday gal/guy prefers but we both end up having such a great time. Seriously...we have created some of our best memories on our birthdays...

So, here we go... April, 2008 - Detroit vs Boston at Fenway.

We both had to remember my Great Uncle Harlan, he was a huge Tigers fan.



The Birthday Boy! Do you see how happy he is??Just the beginning....
I swear Wally is looking right at me!

I dig Tim Wakefield. I was so excited he pitched that night!Aahhhhhh, Fenway. Uncomfortable seats and overpriced beer....but, you just gotta love it! You really can't beat that Fenway atmosphere!

Ryan's got a new job!

So, we got some scary news last month that the Auto unit (i.e. Ryan's group) at Ryan's company was being centralized to Massachusetts...2 1/2 hours away. Not so commutable. Panic ensued ...but I told Ryan I just had a good feeling about how this would turn out. Everything happens for a reason, right?



So, within a week - an opportunity presents itself in the form of the NH Sales Executive. Who does not believe that Ryan was NOT made for this? So, he interviews through 3 or 4 sessions in a row....and he gets the job!!! WOO-HOO!!! He just started this past week and is loving it so far. Not only does he get the new job, but a company car......







Ryan's employer's logo... The new company car...Chevy Malibu. Or, as I call it...the 'bu.



With all that great news came also the end of an era. Yes, it's true... Ryan sold the '02 VW Jetta on eBay. He is a master at this after selling his '84 VW Rabbit back on December. We are now without a VW! Crazy, I know.
Ahhh, the bunny.


The coolest thing about selling the Jetta... was that it went to a really cool kid from Burlington, VT. He was so excited about it, he had his friend drive him down on a weeknight to get it.

Good stuff all around.

10 Tons of Pellets

Ryan and I traveled up to Maine this weekend to visit my parents .... and to also move 10 TONS of pellets. You read that correctly, 10 TONS! In fact, when my dad asked last month for Ryan's help, I thought it was 1 ton...which sounds bad enough. But, when we got there and there were 10 tons...oh boy!!!

In the end...no problem! My mom, dad, Ryan and I all rolled up our sleeves and sweat it out for about 4 hours and moved all the pellets into the basement...enough for my parents to heat the house for the winter. More importantly, they won't have to spend a ridiculous amount of money on oil heat. After all that work, we had a nice trip to Hodgman's Frozen Custard (yum...) and did some shopping at LL Bean. All in a days work...



Ryan is ready to go...
He still has a lot of energy, this is the first bag.
My dad set up a system, We grab a bag from the pallet and push it down his man-made slide.
Proof that I did help out. My biceps are killing me!
Done...and DONE! As you can see, there are rain drops on the cement. Huge rainstorms came in right as we finished that washed out several roads in my parent's town.

Ryan and my dad are finishing up...