Happy December

Hi All,

Sorry it has been almost a month since we've posted. Things have been busy. This past weekend we went to NYC for Kyle's work Christmas party in Staten Island. We left MA at 9am on Saturday morning after dropping Rosie off at my mother's house. Our plan was to meet up with my sister Maura in Brooklyn. We arrived in Brooklyn around 1:30 thanks to my fantastic GPS. We hit a little traffic in RI and on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, but overall we did pretty well. Having the GPS gave me such a sense of security because I knew we would not be lost. Last time I went to NYC, this past March, with my mom and sister Megan, we got really lost in the Bronx and I did not want a repeat of that. The GPS may not always give you the most direct route, but it does get you where you need to be. I just switched the voice to a woman with a British accent.

We went to lunch with Maura at a delicious Thai place. Then we went to an awesome cafe called the "Tea Lounge" where I had the best latte. http://tealoungeny.com/

It was so awesome to spend time with Maura. She will be in Australia for Christmas with her new partner. We are REALLY going to miss her! I love my sister :)

I was really impressed at how clean Brooklyn is. There was no trash anywhere. What a difference from Boston. It was neat to see the Christmas trees for sale on the sidewalks.

At around 5 pm ,we headed to Staten Island and checked in at our hotel. The party was located at a really neat place called "The Old Bermuda Inn,"which is apparently haunted. Tami-did you hear that? Below is what I found online about it:

This period restaurant is located in house that dates back to 1814. Allegedly, the house is haunted by a young female apparition. It is said that woman is occasionally seen walking through the dining air and ascending the main staircase. Diners have reported getting a momentary chill or feeling a hand stroking their arm or hair.

Everyone was super nice that Kyle works with and it was so nice to meet everyone. We left the hotel the following morning around 9 and got to my mom's house a little before 2pm. Rosie was SO happy to see us. We missed her so much!

Kyle & I at the Xmas party

A few other minor updates:

1. We have a front loader washing machine. Yahoo!!! Thanks to Dad & Barbara (They moved and were going to leave the washer and dryer until they heard we were about to buy one.) I love being able to do laundry so easily.


2. We sent in the $ to start the home study and the Social Worker is supposed to call me at work today.


3. Our Christmas tree has been decorated for over a week. We'll take pictures soon. It is the tallest tree we've ever had. I think it is almost 8 feet.


4. I have only 2 more Christmas cards to write. Overall, we are in really good shape with our shopping.
5. I've gained close to 15 pounds since the last time I was weighed-hence the double chin in the photo-I'm so upset!

Can't wait to hear from you all.