Thursday, October 27, 2016

A Friendly Face

Peter and I are grateful for all of our friends and we love seeing them whenever we can.  A lot of our friends would love to visit us but, whether it be busy schedules or demanding children, we don't get a lot of time with them.
So you can imagine my surprise when my friend Sarah said she would buy a plane ticket to New York after I suggested she visited, half expecting her to say she is too busy. 

I met my friend Sarah when I started work at Target Optical.  She said that she liked how calm she felt around me and I appreciated how she laughed at all my jokes and was really nice to me and helped me a lot when I was the new girl.  We instantly became good friends.  When the time came that Peter and I had to move to New York, I had mixed feelings telling her.  She knew it was going to happen so it wasn't a huge shock, but I didn't want to tell her because, as excited as I was to explore New York, I wasn't thrilled to leave one of my best friends in Iowa. 

A few weeks after we settled in our new place, I spent yet another late night texting my buddy asking her how life was after I left.  She asked me when I was going to come back and that's when Peter suggested to her that she should come visit. She surprised me when she agreed and we started making plans for her to visit.  A couple of days later, she bought a plane ticket and a few weeks later, I was eagerly driving to the airport to pick up my buddy.  

Then the adventures began.

We visited Niagara Falls for the first time,









Pardon the stray hairs and squinty eyes.  It was very windy that day.









I showed Sarah how close we are to Lake Erie,








we celebrated a very boring Halloween together and enjoyed a great meal at a local cafe,

Peter went to bed long after this picture was taken.
One of the downsides to living in an apartment is not many kids come
trick or treating in your area.


and went searching for a gorge but settled for some beautiful New York scenery.





 It was a lot of fun having Sarah visit.  It felt really lonely in the apartment after I took her to the airport, but thankfully that feeling was short lived when we found out we were moving back to Davenport for a few months.  She was one of the first friends I shared the news with and it is safe to say we were both terribly excited to be hanging out with each other again on a more regular basis.

I like to think that Sarah and I are kindred spirits.  Like me, she is the type of person that is just as content sitting on the couch watching T.V. as she is exploring in the woods.  She doesn't judge me when I have my awkward moments, is always there to text me back even if it's too late in the evening,  and I like to think I'm there for her every time she texts me telling me her spirits need to be lifted or when she shows up to work after having a bad morning and I can crack a joke that'll make her smile (Though, come to think of it, those could just be pity laughs.  I'm not that funny.).

Bottom line: She is the best.  I'm so glad I get to call this loyal, caring, funny, sweet, quirky, and beautiful dreamer my friend.







Monday, October 17, 2016

Ultimate Girl Trip

Last week was one of my most favorite weeks here.  Last minute, my mom and sister decided to pack their bags (and a baby) and spend a few days with me, Peter, and Murphy.  I was so excited to spend some time with my mom and my sister, something that doesn't happen all that often.  

They flew in late Wednesday so we didn't start our fun until the next day.
I loved showing them our neighbor, Lake Erie, and Annie loved dipping her toes in the water.





Annie was mad at us for taking her out of the water for this picture.



I loved introducing Annie to 'I Love Lucy' at the Lucy-Desi Museum...

Annie didn't want her Mama's smile to be in the picture.




 Fun being in a Vitameatavegamin commercial!




...and going to the memorial park to see her famous statue...




  Apparently the statue above was the first depiction of Lucille Ball.  But many didn't seem to like it.  Hence the remake below.




 ...and visiting her final resting place.




 I loved our drive to the Ellicottville Fall Festival.  The drive was beautiful and the festival exceeded my expectations.  I was also able to remember my nice camera this time which was a plus!


















I just love fall!



















Peter was so great about being outnumbered for a few days.  Love this patient man of mine!


My favorite mom, my favorite sister, and my favorite niece named Annie:)  I sure do love them!


 Their visit was short but a lot of fun!  I love being with my mom and my sister and I enjoyed our long chats, lazy mornings, binge watching shows, laughing hysterically,  and watching Annie figure out what Murphy was.  I didn't love saying goodbye to them but I know it's only going to be for a couple of months before we see each other again.  


The countdown to Christmas starts soon!