My Sweet That's Bitter

I had been too nervous to write anything about the Phillies since they won the division - a little superstitious, so I waited until today. You see Brian and I watch the Phillies all season long. I'm the one who cheers out loud, jumps out of my seat, and provides the positive reinforcement to the team through the television (it really helps). Brian's the one that laughs at my cheering, sits quietly watching, and goes to bed early if they are losing. While I knew the Phillies would go all the way, Brian just couldn't let his heart go there because of the fear of it being broken. That apparently is the result of a long time Philadelphia fan.

So, Brian and I sat watching the last 3.5 innings of game 5 in our house. Nothing was different. I was still cheering, jumping, and telling the team how good they were doing through the TV, and Brian sat with a smirk on his face (smirking at me) - and I could sense the doubt coming from him. But then it happened...THEY WON! The Phillies are 2008 World Series champions! We were so excited. We could hear all the horns from cars passing by and on TV you could see the mobs of fans filling the streets of Philadelphia. What a moment!

But then it hit us. That very moment we realized there was going to be no more baseball until next season. Bittersweet.

GO PHILLIES!

10-22-05

It was a magical day 3 years ago. Surrounded by our family and best friends and of course - all attention on us. It was great! We cherish the day and the memories. But is isn't only about 10-22-05...we celebrate being together everyday. Thanks to all for your cards, calls, emails, and texts yesterday.

Sushi Time

We decided to head to Blue Fin for dinner on Saturday night. Best sushi in the burbs! It's a BYOB so we brought some Heineken - which we found goes really well with sushi. We had miso soup, wasabi shumai, and from top to bottom - spicy tuna roll, marlee roll (crunchy spicy yellowtail with tuna on top), dragon roll. Mmmm.

NO DOGS ALLOWED!

While the actual sign wasn't there, it was clear that Val's favorite spot on our weekly hike is now off limits. Over the past few months they have been upgrading the trail, but we didn't think they would take this spot off the map. We maneuvered though the bushes, shrubs, and down trees to get there, but upon arrival, we realized it wasn't worth it.

But, once Val sees water, there is no stopping her. She ran to a nearby spot and plopped into the water head first. As you can see below our gifted dog is carrying two large sticks in her mouth while treading water.

Dinner with Kappas

My Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters that live in Philadelphia are starting a tradition of a monthly dinner in the city. Last month we went to Valanni for restaurant week and this month we visited Mercato - actually right across the street from Valanni. Mercato is located on the corner of Spruce and Camac. It brought back lots of memories as it was a block up the street from my first apartment in the city. I used to walk by the vacant building that now is Mercato everyday on my way to work. It is a BYOB so we brought Chimay (my drink of choice) and some wine. The food was delicious. Mercato is a combination of old world Italy and new Italian American cuisine. We started off with a combination of artisan cheese, cured meat, and olive oil. We then each got a different meal - all very special and flavorful, and then we topped off the night with dessert. If you are ever in town and want an enjoyable BYOB - try Mercato (http://www.mercatobyob.com/). Pictured above are my friends - Katie, Devon, Kelli, and Jamie is pictured with me.

A Blissful Weekend of Nothingness

Sure, we like to have plans, get together with friends and family, and attend an occasional celebratory party, but sometimes there is nothing like a weekend of no plans or agenda. It was a beautiful weekend in Philly - crisp and cool with lots of sunshine. We had no set plans but filled the weekend with all that makes us happy.

Friday night it was beers, pizza & Phillies with our next door neighbors. Ending the week with a series win of 2-0 over LA definitely put a skip in our step for Saturday.

On Saturday, we did our weekend walk around town, got our fresh squeezed lemonade from the pretzel shop and headed to the farmers' market to pick up our favorite things. Look to the side of this post for a link to "Favorite Candles and More" to see what we picked up. We washed the car, drove around with the top down on the Jeep, picked up mums and pumpkins to decorate our front, and then gardened. We ended with a dinner date at Los Sarapes - mojitos, margaritas, and the best Mexican meals topped off our night.

Sunday we took Val for a long walk. We call it our cross country walk around g-side. It is about 7,000 steps with tons of hills. We prepared stew (recipe below - so good) for dinner, apple crisp for dessert and relaxed the rest of the day with a bloody mary in hand. Mr. Kenney and Pat joined us for dinner.

So now are sitting in front of the TV and are watching the Phillies fall apart in the first inning and hoping for a come back.

FIVE HOUR BEEF STEW
2 lbs. boneless chuck cut up in cubes
1 large onion chopped
1 cup chopped celery
4 potatoes cut up
6 carrots cut in 1 inch pieces
1 cup peas
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can tomato soup
1/4 cup Burgundy wine

Layer all ingredients in a roaster. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the top. Combine tomato soup and wine and pour over the top. Cover and bake in a 250 degree oven for 5 hours. So rich and decadent.

Val Beach Shots

It's no surprise that Val loves the water. Below are favorite beach shots from this year in Stone Harbor.

Alana Beach Shots

Alana loved the beach and the sand. We had to chase her all over the beach as she explored. She would plop down on the sand and just pick it up and let it fall through her fingers.

Alana & Val

Best friends in the making.

The Wetlands Museum

I took the girls (Grace & Marissa) to the Wetlands Museum in Stone Harbor. We investigated all the exhibits - aquarium, turtle museum, overlook, and the wetlands. Marissa kept asking me what 'investigate' means. I said it was like being a detective - then she asked me what a 'detective' was.

The highlight for me was the octopus in the aquarium. For Grace, I think it was that she figured out her tooth was loose while she was there and she couldn't wait for it to fall out and the tooth fairy to come. Marissa seemed to enjoy it all - the bird's nest, showing Alana some of the exhibits, and getting her feet muddy in the wetlands.

Gracey gracefully catching fish at the aquarium.

The McGinnis' pretending they are birds in a nest.Uncle Charlie & Baby Brendan at the top of the Wetlands overlook.The Morse's at the terrapin exhibit.Alana checking out the fish in the aquarium. My dad is still trying to get either David or me to get an aquarium like we had growing up. Grace, Baby Brendan, Uncle Charlie, and Marissa on the salt path.

Sweating Like a Whore in Church

I'm sure you need an explanation for that subject line. This year we played charades at the beach. We split into two groups (the old fogies vs. the youngsters), developed categories and tried to outsmart the other team with something creative and challenging. One of the categories was a phrase, so we used one of Brian's famous ones, "Sweating Like a Whore in Church." We thought about keeping it clean but decided it would be more fun to stick with this one. Here is my dad playing out the word, "whore." You'll have to turn your head to see it. Surprisingly they got the phrase. And even more surprising, the old fogies kicked our young butts!

Nonnie's Pizza @ the Shore

We all wanted to eat dinners together as a family so this year a family was responsible for cooking dinner for all 20 something of us. One of our nights was Tuesday and since Aunt Tina and Kathy were in, we decided to make Nonnie's pizza including pepperoni rolls and onion bread. Aunt Tina made most of it but made sure to supervise what we were doing. It reminded me of my Nonnie advising me when we would make pizza together. We also had a competition to see whose onion bread was better - the winner would get the "blackened pan." My Nonnie always said that the dark pan makes for a better pizza. Aunt Tina won of course.

Stone Harbor 2008

It's only been one day since we ended our vacation in Stone Harbor and I'm already looking forward to next year! We had so much fun this year with lots of visitors - October at the beach is the best. We did our traditional activities on the beach - bocce ball, castle making/crushing, reading, cryptogram & puzzle solving, walking, relaxing, and riding in those waves. Below are captions to all the pictures.

Ryan & Dad playing bocce ball - notice how we are converting my dad to a Phillies fan. We keep gearing him up on Phillies attire. Brian & Brendan playing bocce. Brian and my dad were on the same team and seemed to sweep everyone the entire week. My Aunt Tina & cousin Kathy came for the first part of the week. They all sat together doing the crossword puzzle each day. Marissa, Katherine, and Kristen enjoying the beach. Mom & Alana.Jessa & David - it was a cool & windy day but didn't seem to keep the boys (and Aunt Charlene) out of the water. Uncle Charlie & Aunt Charlene.Barbara and my Uncle Rick came down for the end of the week. Me and my Goddaughter Alana enjoying the beautiful weather. John & BrianGrace enjoying her grapes on the beach.Baby BrendanThe Morse Family (David, Alana, and Ellen + baby to be)Bob & Ava. Bob, Mary, Ava, and Luke came down for a few days. This year Ava enjoyed the beach and the sand. Aunt Marilyn & Sam - this was the cool day on the beach and neither of them wanted me to take their picture. Brian, Josh & Ryan.Alana and Dad - or should I say, Dad chasing after Alana. Alana loved the beach and made us all get our steps in since she wondered all over the beach plopping down here and there to play with the sand. Again - notice Phillies gear on my dad. Go Phillies!

Quigs & Rory's Wedding

Brian's good friend Jim Quigley (Quigs) got married last Saturday (September 27th). Quigs is a good man and Rory, is a lucky girl to be his wife. While Quigs and Rory may have known each other for much of their lives because Rory is Quigs' good friend's (Tom) sister, they got much closer after Tom's 30th birthday party 3 year's ago. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. We wish them a life of peace, love, and happiness together.

Quigs and Brian right before the wedding.Rory & Quigs after they tied the knot.Jean & Tom (Rory's brother) - our really good friends.

Bragging Rights

I knew Brian wouldn't be disciplined enough to post about how the Eagles beat the Steelers on Sunday night. So, I'm finally getting around to posting. We put my Steelers shirt on Ava and it looks like her head is bowing in sadness due to the Steelers loss.