Thanksgiving Eve

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will be cooking my very first turkey. Michael and I are having his Mom and Sister (Loren) and her Family over for Thanksgiving Dinner. Our modest dining room will hold 5 adults and 2 children. I have done extensive online research on turkey roasting. I chose a recipe from the Food Network website. For the main seasoning, I acquired 'Herbes de Provence' from the Albany Co-Op. Mike will be making the mashed potatoes and I will be preparing the frozen corn and Pillsbury crescent rolls (whoopty-do). I keep worrying that our turkey will turn out like the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Oh dear.I'm sure it will turn out fine. Just in case, I have plenty of beer and wine to numb the void. At least there will be Rice Krispies Treats for dessert (my fav!). Mike is very excited at the thought of leftover turkey and all the things we can make from it. For that reason, we got a large, 16 lb. bird. Good luck to everyone out there who is cooking - may your turkeys be moist and your families sane!

Hide Your Children

No, I don't have any children, but a friend of mine does... muh-ha-ha-ha! Luckily my good friend Lydia (or BFF for short) has no misgivings in my interaction with her children. I always have fun with them and I think they have fun too. A couple of weekends ago, Lydia and her daughter Adelaide came over for part 2 of our Anne of Green Gables marathon. We watched 'Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel' on DVD. Lydia and I shared tears by the end of the movie. Adelaide sat in between us and gazed up at each of us wondering why we were crying. We ate chips, pizza, and ice-cream and all slept in the living room. It was a blast!

Adelaide and Me

Here is a photo of Filo and me at the 6th Annual Fall Camping Trip in October at Lake Taghkanic State Park. [What a great influence I am.]

Me and Filo

Interview with the Photographer(s)

Even though I'm not done with the the caterer vendor selection, I'm ready to start the next vendor selection - photographer(s)! There are so many to choose from! Luckily I have recommendations from friends and the photographers' creative websites to browse through. My former roommate, Nicole, got married a couple of months ago and absolutely loved her photographers. They were Paul Grupp & Brenda Tompkins of Upstate Photographers. I met them last night at a local Starbucks and discussed with them my vision and plans and options and budget. They told me a little bit about themselves and their philosophy. I find their work beautiful and perfectly aligned with my vision. I love how they photograph all the wonderful details of the day.

Tonight I will meet Kiera Lemonis of Kiera Lemonis Photography at a local Panera Bread. Her website is very creative and fun and the work she has done so far looks great! I do not know anybody she's worked for but I'm sure she can provide references if I ask. stay tuned.

Higgins & Roche Wedding

This past Saturday was the wedding of Paul Roche and Kelli Higgins in Skaneateles, NY. It was a perfect day, sunny and brisk. The ceremony was held at St. Mary's of the Lake and the reception was at the Skaneateles Country Club.

Paul and Kelli actually met at my Pimps and Hos Party in June 2005. Oh, how far we have come.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Roche! Enjoy your honeymoon in Arizona.

Couple Time

Ahh. The holiday weekend is over and it was a great one! Michael and I got a lot done and had tons of fun too. Friday night we rented a DVD and ordered a pizza. We watched M. Knight Shyamalan's "The Happening". I would describe this movie as an apocalyptic thriller, borderline horror film. IMBD states, "It's a paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity." We both really liked it. I knew it affected me when I had a nightmare about it Sunday night. Freaky.

Saturday morning I slept in. It was glorious. Then I went outside and took photographs of the dogs frolicking in the backyard. Check it out: The top dog is Shadow. The middle dog is Tyson. The bottom dog is Daisy.

Saturday afternoon, Mike and I went to a 50th Birthday/Housewarming party at Mike's Accountant's house in Round Top. Mike and the company he works for helped build her brand new dream house. This party was extravagant! It was catered by Mod Gourmet Cafe in Catskill. There was a chocolate fountain, a pumpkin-painting table, luminaries lining the long driveway, open bar, a huge heated tent, and flower arrangements in big pumpkins. I even indulged in the "Bouncy Bounce". We were some of the last guests to leave (who can blame us?). One the way home we spontaneously decided to stop at the Blackthorne Resort for a beer. Well, of course we had to go to the Massacre Mansion while we were there. The Massacre Mansion is the on-site haunted house that the Blackthorne Resort hosts every year [since 1997]. This was my fifth straight year attending. My group of friends used to go to the Massacre Mansion and the Blackthorne Resort during our Annual Fall Camping Trips (in the three years we went to North South Lake in Haines Falls, NY). Although we don't go as a group anymore, I've been able to attend since I now live 10 minutes away. "Michael the Irish Bartender" was there and all three of us downed an "Irish Car Bomb" [for old time's sake].

On Sunday, Mike and I arose early (much to my hangover's dismay) and drove to East Rutherford, NJ for the 1:00 PM New York Jets football game. We arrived several hours early and tailgated in the parking lot. Mike successfully negotiated with a T-shirt vendor in the parking lot: a tie-dye T-shirt of Brett Favre (for me) for a sausage sandwich, a beer, and $7. This was my first Jets game. Mike was giddy with excitement at seeing his favorite NFL team. The New York Jets beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-14. Yay! Check out the progress on the new stadium.

Monday was a packed day of household chores and errands. Mike and I went to East Berne and Greenville and drove through Westerlo too. The foliage was at its best. I gave Tyson a trim and bath in the afternoon. I also drove up to the Windham area to get water from a mountain spring. I brought home 9 gallons. I took a relaxing bubble bath. Then I drew a bath for Mike and he did the same. As we ate an omelet dinner, we started to watch the New York Giants game. After some police presence on our street regarding our neighbors, we went to bed.

Caterer Interview

Yesterday I met for the first time with a potential caterer. I brought my Mom with me and we drove to the caterer's office/facility in Albany. Although we had to wait almost 15 minutes past our appointment time, we were offered (and gladly accepted) cold drinks (apple juice and diet soda). I had prepared a list of questions based on online guidance and personal preferences and concerns. Our planner, Kathy, was polite, knowledgeable, and patient. This catering company has done many weddings at the Pruyn House before and Kathy was very familiar with the layout and grounds. She had many good ideas and advice for us. For the purpose of Kathy preparing us a detailed proposal, my Mom and I picked-out specific menu items and food selections. This caterer, if hired, would be able to take care of the tent rental, linens, dining supplies, and even the cake. To check out Classé Catering, click here.

Now I am waiting for them to prepare our proposal and e-mail it to me. I'm prepared for a high price. My parent(s) and I plan on meeting with a few more caterers to fully research our options.

My old apartment-mate, Nicole, married her long-time boyfriend, Pat, two weekends ago here in the Capital District. From the photos I've seen (and I've seen hundreds!), it looks like it was a beautiful day and lovely event. Check out Nicole's blog for photos and info.

I love Nicole's choice of hydrangeas, roses, and seeded eucalyptus.

Photo by Upstate Photographers

Girls' NightS Out

I have one weekend to go in the 3-week streak of fun, girlie weekends. This past weekend was Kelli's Bachelorette Party and the weekend before was the New Kids On The Block concert in Montréal, Canada.

The trip to Montréal to see the New Kids was awesome! Katie and I drove up the Northway and picked up Kelly in Keeseville, where she left her car at a friend's house. When we arrived in downtown Montréal, we checked into the Residence Inn and strolled Peel Street for a few minutes before choosing our dinner destination. We ate at Carlos & Pepes, a Mexican Restaurant and Bar. Delicious.

After a good night's rest, we spent the day shopping. We covered a lot of territory with street shops and the underground mall system. Each of us made a purchase (or two or three). At afternoon's end we headed back to the hotel to relax before the big show. Katie and I went to the grocery store and bought beer and brie to enjoy back at our room.

We did a NKOTB mad libs in my old activity book and pinned old NKOTB buttons to ourselves. We were ready for a nostalgic night of pop music and screaming. We reached the Bell Centre right at 8 PM. We had just enough time to grab a beer and find our seats when Natasha Bedingfield came on stage as the opening act. She sang well and was a fun performer but our anticipation was growing stronger and stronger for the quintet we know and love. Finally the New Kids came on stage. Their entrance was dramatic and exciting. We screamed our heads off the entire show. To read a great review of the concert from a Montréal newspaper, click here.

This past Saturday night was Kelli's Bachelorette Celebration. Like the chic woman she is, the night mirrored such a theme. Seven of us met out on Lark Street and had dinner at "A Taste of Greece". After a delicious meal and several bottles of wine, we crossed the street to the "Wine Bar & Bistro". We sat outdoors on their back patio surrounded by dim lights, fountains, and foliage. There we enjoyed several more bottles of wine (and candy necklaces). One of us had to leave and then the bar closed, so six of us then walked down the street to DeJohn's. We ensured Kelli always had her favorite drink in hand, Bombay Sapphire & Tonic. Kelli briefly indulged in adorning herself with the silly bachelorette accessories we offered her. As the time approached closing hour, Kelli and her friend called it a night. Then, the four of us scurried to the Lionheart where we had to beseech for one more drink. Even though we missed "last call", the bartender gave in to our polite and persistent request for "one more". By 4 AM we were quickly finishing our last drink and being corralled towards the door.

There will be more girl fun this weekend when several of us head out to the Finger Lakes Region of New York for Kelli's Bridal Shower and wine tasting this weekend.