Watching the World Cup in Williamsburg

A bunch of us got together to watch the America v. England game at a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was so much fun. Can't wait to watch the next game.

Small Party at Heather's

We had so much over Memorial Day weekend that I decided to try to recreate it in my little studio apartment last Saturday. I frantically cleaned my apartment on Saturday and threw together some appetizers.

I was very proud of my appetizers. I made cucumber-mint tea sandwiches, spinach dip in a bread bowl, veggies and dip, artichoke-olive crostini and had hummus and pita chips. I could only invite 8 people because my place is so small. We were all crowded around my giant coffee table.

Despite the limited space, we ended up managing to have a little dance party. Not everyone could dance at the same time, but we did our best.

The party went on longer than I anticipated, but no one complained, luckily. Teva and Jeff stayed over and then we went out for brunch in the morning. It was fantastic!

Shara's Visit

Shara came into town and I got to see her when I got back from the farmhouse. We went out for a drink and she crashed at my place before heading back to Illinois. I wish she was still living in NYC.

Weekend in Milan...New York

For Memorial Day weekend, a bunch of us went up to Milan, NY where a friend of mine has a farmhouse called the Feather Farm. We go up there from time to time to breathe in the fresh air, listen to the frogs, eat fantastic, fresh good, sit around the bonfire and fend off mosquitoes.

Last time I was there was in March, and it was still very cold. We mostly stayed indoors around the fireplace and cooked and ate a lot. It was very relaxing.

This time, we were able to hang out outside and go for walks. Well, we only went on one walk late at night to see the "haunted house."However, we got about 10 feet from the house when something moved in the bushes and we screamed and ran back to the house.

We arrived on Friday night and while the others were at the grocery store, Bill and I washed the herbs, prepared a cheese plate and opened a bottle of wine. Larry, everyone's favorite Boston Terrier, followed us around the kitchen hoping for scraps. Then, we headed to the front porch to wait for the everyone and help carry in the groceries.

The menu was worked out ahead of time and emailed to all of us, so we knew what excellent vittles were in store for us. We ate sausages, burgers wellington, ribs, egg bake, pork tenderloin, potato salad, coleslaw, artichoke dip, bruschetta, strawberry shortcake, cupcakes, cream puffs, etc. It was amazing.

During the day, we hung out on the porch and talked. In the evening, after dinner, two of the boys would make a bonfire and then we'd drag the Adirondack chairs up to the fire pit. The first night was hilarious. Teva had us all singing and laughing for hours. Jeff recorded some of it. Andrew sat on a cream puff. We imitated the frogs and tried to visit the haunted house.

The group got along really well and we had a blast. Teva and Jeff had to leave early, which made me sad, but we rallied on. After they left, cousin Jeff came to pick me up so that we could go visit Uncle Jim in the hospital. I was hoping that Jeff could stay for dinner with us, but it was late and none of the food was vegetarian.

On Monday, we cleaned everything up and packed up the car and left. We were all sad to leave because it was so much fun. Can't wait to go back!

AIDS Walk

This year, a bunch of us got together to form a team for the AIDS Walk in NYC. Though it is only 6.2 miles, it is really tough due to the crowds and the heat and the stopping and starting. It took us most of the day to walk it.

Near the end of the walk, we were dehydrated, hungry and a little giddy. One of my friends said something extremely funny and I started to laugh so hard that I cried. This happened exactly when we were walking past the finish line, so it looked like I was crying because we made it. I'm sure I'll be part of the brochure next year.

After that, we headed to the East Village for brunch at around 2:30 or 3. Usually the are food and drinks along the way, but it was all gone by the time we got there. Needless to say, we were starving!

Our team raised a bunch of money for the cause and it was a very memorable day.

Mark's Memorial

My cousin Mark passed suddenly about a week or two ago. We were all shocked and sad to hear the news.

We gathered at Pete and Liz's house and then drove to

the beautiful little white church near their home for the service.

It was a beautiful day

and the service was held outside in a little, private garden inthe woods next to the church.

We stood in a circle while the reverend gave the sermon. I, along with several others shared some memories of growing up with Mark. I had fun with him as a kid and remembered some funny stories from then. I didn't mention it, but later realized that he was one of the most dedicated readers of this blog. I guess it helped to keep him up to date on our goings on in the US since he was so far away.

At the service and the lunch afterwards, we all got together and caught up and shared stories. It's always nice together, but I wish this was under happier circumstances. In addition to Kathryn, Jim, Jeff and Pete and his family, Patty and Kitch were there along with lots and friends of the Asheys.

I was thrilled to finally meet Nancy and Neema. Nancy, although

clearly upset and sad, was very sweet and nice. Neema, who is 3-years-old, is the cutest little thing. She is friendly with just about anyone and loves to play and run around.

Jill and Paige are nearly all grown up. Jill and I played with Jeff's iPad for a while after he read the Cat and the Hat to Neema. In the afternoon, Paige was off to wash, Chief, her horse with her friend. She got all of her equipment ready for a rally she is having soon.

After leaving the Asheys house,we visited Patty and Kitch at their hotel. We had some appetizers and drinks and continued to catch up. We wished they could stay a little longer.

Visit to See Cousin Sue in NM

I just got back from an amazing trip to New Mexico to see my cousin, Susan. We had a blast. It was a perfect trip.

I left my apartment in NYC at 4:45 am via a shuttle to get my 8 am flight to Dallas at LaGuardia. I felt like a zombie. I made it in plenty of time for my flight. I switched planes for the flight to Albuquerque from Dallas. Sue picked me up at the airport and I'm sure I looked pretty exhausted. I perked up when I was outside in the beautiful warm and sunny weather.

After dropping off my bags, we went out for a snack and coffee and chatted for a while. Later, we went to dinner, stopping first to have a drink on the roof and enjoy the sun. Then we had some delicious greek food.

The next day, I spent the day in Santa Fe and loved it. Armed with my Lonely Planet book on Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, I took a walking tour of all the museums, shops and sampled some food and local beer along the way. The Georgia O'Keefe museum was small, but very good. I met Sue for a drink at the Coyote Cafe and then dinner. We stopped at Borders to look at some books, too.

On Saturday, we headed to Ojo for a yoga class and soaking in the hot springs. Our yoga class was held in a yurt and you could hear the frogs croaking outside. It was amazing. Our teacher, Deanna, was soft spoken, patient and kind. The other women in the class traveled from Santa Fe to take her class. Everyone was very nice.

After the class, we changed into our swimsuits and headed to the hot springs. We tried all of them and they were amazing. We tried to get into the hot tub, but it was way too hot. When people came out of it, their skin was read up to wherever the water stopped. I don't know how they did it! Since the hot tub was too hot, we each grabbed a hammock and wished we had a book to read. The hammocks were very comfy and there was a cool breeze blowing. I could have fallen asleep there.

Our bellies started to rumble, so we got showered and changed into our regular clothes and went to the restaurant. It took me a long time to pick what I wanted because it all looked so delicious. I settled on Mayan tacos and Sue got the fish tacos. Both were excellent.

On the way home, we stopped at a flea market where I purchased a photo of the mountains from a local artist. I wanted to take the mountains home with me because they made me feel so peaceful. From there, we stopped for ice cream in a funky town called Madrid. It was like nothing I have seen before. Lots of cool artsy shops and people, but not in a New Yorky way. It was different, and very interesting. That night we had dinner at a French restaurant with Bill and Gage. It was really fun.

The next day, we picked up Gage from Bill's and headed to the Tent Rocks for a hike. Gage led the way most of the time as we weaved through small paths between the rocks. When we got to the top we sat for a little while to admire the amazing view. On the way down, Gage told me all about his favorite book series which is based on Greek myths. He was so passionate and enthusiastic about the books, it made me want to read them, too.

In the afternoon, we headed to a birthday party for one of Sue's neighbor's daughters. There were drink boxes and candy and a pinata of a mermaid. Watching the kids swing the stick at the thing was a little scary for me, but no one got injured thankfully!

When the party was over, we went across the street to Sue's house and she made us a delicious chicken dinner that we ate outside on the patio. What a perfect way to end the day!

We had such a great time, so I was sad to leave. There is a yoga retreat led by the yoga teacher we had in July. Might go back for that. Can't wait to go back!