Weekend Summary
I suppose the best point to begin writing at would be Thursday, when we (me, Nadia, Connie [my mother-in-law], and Karen [my cousin-in-law]) set out driving down to Massachusetts.
Thursday
The drive went smoothly, and we arrived around 4:30pm after leaving at approximately 7:25am. We had dinner, enjoyed some relaxation outside with a small fire, and picked up my cousin-in-law Wendy from the airport arriving from South Carolina. She would stay with us for the duration we were there as well. Got home, got to sleep.
Friday
The girls got up early and set off for the Wrentham Shopping Outlets, and ended up spending the day there. They had a great time (of course), and they all bought lots of things. Nadia even got me a couple of new shirts! Meanwhile, my Dad and I started the day around 8:30am as the rental guys came to setup our big tent in the backyard. It was nice to have them do it for us, so we would only have to setup the chairs and tables. We got that setup and done, jumped in the car and drove to Cindy's Drive-In for lunch. Holy crap did I eat way too much there, but boy was it worth it. We made a few errands and drove back home, spending the rest of the afternoon in quiet relaxation. That night, we all went out to a nice dinner at Tavern on the Hill. I had a local beer called Otter Creek Stovepipe, it was a very nice dark beer. The steak was very good as well.
Saturday
The big day. The morning was spent shopping at the Holyoke Mall with my brother Chad and my sister-in-law Sarah, Nadia and Karen (more shopping?). We came home, had some lunch, and relaxed a bit until people began arriving for the reception. The reception was flawless, beautiful weather and fantastic food thanks to a great caterer my parents hired. There was a delicious cake as well, and you can see a photo of me enjoying it quite nicely. Once again, as was the case May 3rd the first time around, I was absolutely stunned by everyone's generosity. All I wanted was for people to show up and enjoy the weather and the company, I would have been entirely satisfied. What everyone did for us is beyond words of thanks, and beyond general kindness. The party wound down around 10:00pm or so, as people lazily left the comfort of the fire to get to the comfort of their own home. What a day, indeed.
Sunday
The worst day of the trip, only because leaving your family behind in another country really isn't very pleasant, but I'm confident that we'll see them again quite soon, and definitely before the end of the year. We left around 9:20am, and got in around 5:00pm or so. We dropped off a few things at the house, and checked out the new lights that were installed by an electrician while we were gone (they looked great, pictures to come). Then we all joined up with my father-in-law to go out to dinner. I think we finally got home around 8:30pm, and we slept incredibly well that night.
Yesterday and today was spent cleaning up things at the house, and finishing the paint in the master bedroom. I also installed the pot lights in the family room, and the light bulbs in the new chandelier in the living room.
I also want to give a congratulations to my former co-worker and friend Laura, who recently bought her first home with her husband! You can check out her blog here: Laura's Arthouse.
Alright, that's all for today. More to come soon.
August 28th, 2008 - 14:43
Brian, you are too great. I’m glad you had such a great time visiting family…isn’t it a great feeling?
It was also good to see you again at the office, albeit in a new location. Hopefully you’ll be able to join us again!