The Way It Was

We arrived at my mother-in-law's house on Wednesday evening. I've always thought of her home as one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It was built in 1890 and has had only three owners. First it was a nursery and then it became the home of a doctor. His office was located in what now is the "recreation room". My mother-in-law still has his old x-ray machines and signs.

The front of the house.

The back porch.

The side yard & pond.

The kitchen (check out that awesome sink!)

The dining room.

The living room.

The kitchen on the left, dining room on the right.

Downstairs bathroom.

After eating a nice dinner, Dale and I took a trip to our old ice cream spot, The Cold Cow. Dale got a soft-serve twist in a pretzel cone with rainbow "jimmies" and I got a banana split loaded with all kinds of yummy toppings. I think I'll have gained 10 lbs. by the time we make it back to Missouri.

On Thursday, Dale and I took a trip to my favorite Thrift store in all the world--Red, White, and Blue Thrift.

I could have spent the entire day there. As it was, I only managed to make it through 1/3 of the store. I was able to purchase a black, Gap winter Pea Coat for $7.50 (compared at $130), a Juicy Couture tank top for $5 (compared at $100), a new, tags unremoved, Rampage skirt for $8 (compared at $50), and many other exciting finds. Oh, how I love to thrift shop and Red, White, and Blue is like thrift shop heaven.

Later that day, we had dinner with our wonderful friends...

An old picture from their Facebook page. They have since added another little man to their darling family.

We finally had a decent pizza! Those New Jersey Italians sure know what they're doing!
The kids all played as if they had never been away from each other - and their parents did too. ;-) I think it was close to midnight when we finally left! We had a lot to catch up on. We feel so blessed to call them our friends.

Upstate New York

The first segment of our east coast trip is over and I am left with many wonderful memories, but I miss my loved ones already! We arrived in Hoosick Falls, NY at 11pm on Friday night. We had driven a total of 27 hours between the two days of travel. Overall, it was an uneventful trip except for our two-hour lunch break in Lake Erie, PA. We were able to eat at a cute little restaurant on the Lake. It was a beautiful day and it was my favorite eating ambiance; outdoor seating overlooking a body of water.

 

 On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely morning with my Aunt Missi, Uncle Greg, cousins; Ethan & Ashley, and my Dad. Oh, how I have missed my Daddy! It was so good to see all of them. Later that day, my beautiful cousin, Elizabeth, (who is more like a little sister) got married. It was a beautiful wedding. We all had a wonderful time celebrating the union of such a special couple. I'll be sure to add pics when they are ready.


Sunday, I was able to spend some time with my grandparents. I was especially thrilled to see my Grandmother because she is the best Grandma in all the world. I only wish I was able to spend more time with her. After they left, Dale, the kids, and my Dad went to the largest Walmart I have ever seen. It was two stories tall! It had an escalator! And not just for people-it had a separate one for carts! The kids and I acted like total hillbillies. I was taking pictures like crazy and the girls had no idea how to get on and off the moving stairs. It was quite comical. Dale and my Dad pretended they didn't know us. Hmmph! It's just proof that he needs to take us out more.

The carts get a ride of their own.

Juliette is thrilled to be riding the "moving stairs".

Not too sure about all of this...