It was "Super"

Super Bowl Sunday is kind of fun when you really don't care who wins. My team was out after the Patriots beat them in the Play-offs. The Dolphins were out the week before that...so...no one really cared who won the Falcons-Patriots match up. (Although....most Dolphin  fans  I knew were hoping for a Patriot loss). 
It was still the last game of the season, so it deserved a proper celebration..hahahah. We all decided we should meet up at our local spot- LongDoggers. Al agreed and and said he would try to reserve a section for all of the "locals". He let us basically take over one whole area of the inside. There were a few other people who came and went and I think they were mostly amused by the goings-on...hahaha  Superbowl Sunday is usually a quiet day at LD anyway...most people are busy with their own parties. There might be lots of take-out orders, but in general it's a slow day....in other words...perfect for us!
Al had planned to make up a few "special" dishes for everyone. Another girl and I both made cookies for everyone and someone brought fresh fish to cook up. The week before John and I won a Super Bowl Platter in a drawing...which we also donated to the 'cause".
It really was fun gathering with the whole gang. There was a pool or two going (of course)  When the game started..Al dimmed the lights and most of us sang along with the National Anthem...then cheered and clapped. Everyone cheered again when former President George Bush tossed the coin to start the game. Then the eating and drinking began. We had fun watching the game, visiting with everyone and of course watching the commercials and deciding which ones we thought were the winners.
Al had several prizes to give away...movie passes, gift cards for LD, t-shirts, hats, etc.

 It wouldn't be a party without Al taking the mike at some point and making a speech...and he did not disappoint ahaha
He thanked everyone for coming out and watching the game at his restaurant...knowing there were lots of other options. He was genuinly appreciative to have so many friends and loyal customers (25-30 of us) there to share in the fun. He thanked us...we thanked him and everyone cheered.

During the halftime show...he dimmed the lights and we all enjoyed Lady Gaga's performance. Some people were waving their phone around and just having fun being kind of ridiculous.

 It was like being on an episode of "CHEERS"...especially when the local UPS guy we all know walked in and half the group called out "DAVE!" (think Norm!)

we were cheering for Julio!

It was a goofy, fun night...we all ate plenty and most of us won something. I got a hat! in the third quarter. I was hoping the Falcons might pull it off...but have to give The Patriots credit for the amazing comeback and making it a thrilling game. We didn't win any money in the pool, our preferred team didn't win...but we sure had a good time! Small town living...you can't beat it!

I wasn't by myself all night...hahah Brenna, Josh and David were sitting at our table

 

Wedding fun, two in one day

November 12th was a busy (but in a good way) day. Two young women we know got married on that day.
One was Bridget's daughter, Destin. She was getting married in Vero Beach. Luckily for us it was early in the afternoon, so we had time to go to the ceremony before we had to head up the road to Sebastian Inlet State Park for our friend Amanda's  wedding.
We had RSVP'd to Amanda and Matt's wedding before we got the invitation to Destin and Chris's, so we really couldn't change our plans. Even though brother David has been with Destin's mother, Bridget for over 10 years...I had never met all of her family.

We really enjoy her daughter. She is a lovely girl and I'm so glad we got to attend at least the ceremony. We had talked about the upcoming wedding, and I knew how happy and excited she was.I hated to miss the reception...because I knew they were going to have a great time. Destin has such an eclectic mix of friends, and a big close-knit family...a combination that  usually adds up to a good time! (I heard that it definitely was a fun time).

"Great Gatsby" style wedding

Hey...when the invitation response card asks for your music request...specifically an 80 or 90's song...you just know it's going to be fun!!!! :) I didn't get any good pictures of the couple, because I didn't want to take any during the ceremony.(luckily they sent one out with their Christmas card :)  )

happy couple !

From Destin and Chris's wedding, we headed up the road for Amanda and Matt's sunset wedding at Sebastian Inlet. It was a BEAUTIFUL evening...absolutely perfect weather.

The wedding was supposed to take place down on the beach, but a surf contest was also taking place that day...and the area she had hoped to use, was occupied with tents, etc related to the contest. Without Amanda knowing what was going on...her family relocated the chairs and archway down to a different spot. Her father was afraid to tell her about the change...hahaha...when it came time to walk her out, he just walked her down the path to the new spot.

 If it bothered her...none of the guests could tell.

 Actually it ended up working out just fine. There may have been a little more foot traffic nearby from people at the beach...but who doesn't love to catch a glimpse of a bride on her wedding day?

Amanda's cousin officiated.

He did a great job; his "sermon" was very thoughtful and well-spoken. How nice for her, to have him participate. The reception was appetizers and dinner prepared by the bride's family. Mike had lots of fresh fish and lobster dips, cheese and crackers, fruit prepared. Dinner was simple and tasty. they had several cakes from a local restaurant ...YUM! I had to laugh...because she had ordered five cakes...which was too much...but why risk running out!! (girl after my own heart!) I guarantee  it got eaten the day or two after...since all her aunts and uncles were in town and lots of cousins too. People might not have wanted it when they were drinking beer and wine...but I bet no one turned it down the next day.

There was lots of dancing and fun. We all had a good time once we got things going. hahah Lots of fooling around for the camera too. We thought about possibly heading back down to the other party to dance with the other group...but reality set in and we knew that wasn't the best idea for more than one reason....hahaha We enjoyed celebrating with Amanda and Matt and their families...and then we headed home. It was a nice day of celebrating!

Way behind...

Okay, I know I'm way behind. I'm trying not to just give up and instead start fresh in 2017; but last year was full of activities and I want to make sure I get the fun stuff on the record.
Shortly after we returned from our cruise....we turned around and headed up to DC for a long weekend. A friend of Megan's was getting married. Megan didn't think she'd be able to attend...but as luck would have it she found a good price on a ticket and decided to make the trip after all. When we found out she was going to be in DC, we made plans to see her while she was in town. The bride was kind enough to include us on her guest list, so we made plans to join Megan at the wedding celebration.
Our "Fall Foliage" cruise was great, but as far as "fall" foliage is concerned, sightings were few and far between . A trip to northern Virginia in late October was a perfect way to get my "fix" for the year.

We stayed out in "wine country". I loved being out in the farm friendly part of northern Virginia. It always amazes me that you can be so close to a city like DC...but in farm country...I love the contrast.

We stayed with some good friends and it was so peaceful and relaxing. We enjoyed walking each day on the W & OD Trail. It was a short drive to one of the entry ways. Then you could go North or South (or maybe it was East or West???hahaha) Whatever it was, it was a quiet, mostly peaceful walk. A few bikers, runners, etc along the way. Cool enough to be comfortable...certainly not cold, just perfect walking weather after a hot Florida summer!

Another day we drove up to an entry point for the Appalachian Trial. We certainly had no plans to go very far...but ever since we saw "A Walk in the Woods" John had wanted to at least get on the trail at some point. (while up in NC and GA we have seen signs...just never close enough to where we were staying to check it out). We took Megan and the three of us went for a short walk/hike not really .

                  One of my favorite places to visit in  the Leesburg area is Mom's Apple Pie

On our way to the trail entrance...we spotted the pie store! Naturally we I had to stop and get something. They no longer have the bags of crust pieces for sale....that used to be my favorite thing! No problem.....we just got a pie instead. hahaha
The day of the wedding...the weather was iffy. There were storms moving through the area. The bride really wanted to get married outside...but there was a back-up plan in case of rain. When we arrived to the vineyard where the wedding was taking place, it was drizzling. The DJ and coordinator were moving things in. Then the rain stopped...so they moved it back out. At that point there was a BEAUTIFUL big bright rainbow. Not like the kind you see all the time...the colors on this one were so intense.

                                               We all figured that it was a good sign...   :)

After  going back and forth a few times on whether or not to move things in or out...we were told that the bride "really, really" wanted to get married outside and they were going to go for it. We all got towels to wipe off our chairs and then as the wind was blowing through the trees...the wedding ceremony got started.

It was a little a lot windy...but the rain held off and everyone was happy and it was a pretty venue...out near the vineyards.

The reception was a lot of fun. There's no pressure when you really don't know anyone...hahaha. We had met the bride's parents before, but other than that the only other people we knew were Megan...and the bride Catherine. We enjoyed meeting the couple's friends at our table.  Some of the groom's fraternity brothers were there and both the bride and groom are involved in curling...so it was interesting.

The crowd was fun. While the couple was getting pictures taken they had a cocktail hour. Then, right after the bride and groom came in the DJ introduced the couple and the wedding party. Next they had the first dance and asked everyone to get up and dance. The DJ told us..."Get up and dance...or you won't get your dinner"...since they were putting the food out as we were on the dance floor. It was a great way to get everyone immediately into the spirit of things...and it worked. Everyone was dancing and there was no sitting around wondering what to do next. I liked it.

There was lots of singing along! hahah The Dj and his son were interesting. They played recorded music, but had a guitar and drums so they could play and sing along....and it sounds cheesy...but they kept the crowd going...and it wasn't bad. We danced all night until it was time for the sparkler send-off!

Luckily we had Megan to keep us on track...since I never noticed that the wedding was on Friday...not Saturday. We had arrived on Thursday....and I'm sure at the time we booked our trip we  did that because we wanted to get there the day before the wedding...but between booking the flight and getting to town...I completely forgot that the celebration was on Friday. haha That was nice...because we had Saturday to visit and do some running around. We took another walk....this time we went in the opposite direction.

where we saw old barn like buildings and then some new homes that looked like barns....

not too shabby

                                                   and we saw some wildlife. (zoomed in for the picture)
We had a great visit with Megan, we enjoyed the cooler weather and the foliage, and really enjoyed visiting with our friends. All in all a good trip.
Megan got safely off the next day with a suitcase full of early gifts and treats she can't find in Dubai. Also  A special delivery cake from Emily and Chex mix made by Christine. They sure made her feel special. She was ready to get back to Marcus and Rupert....but it was a little hard to say goodbye.
We headed home to Florida and settled in to our normal routine. We had two more weddings coming up in just a few weeks...more on those...next time.

If I don't do it soon I won't remember

Okay, I've been dragging this out for too long; and if I don't wrap it up...I probably won't remember what we did on our trip...hahaha.
The last part of our cruise we went to St. John and the Halifax. I was looking forward to this glimpse of Canada, since it was my first trip there.
First thing that caught my eye was the French/English signs. Fun! my 40 year old French skills were helped by the fact that A) there was also English on the signs and B) most were pretty self explanatory

Our day in St. John it was a little gray and cloudy. The temperatures were cooler, so walking around was very comfortable, but the gray put a little damper on things.

 Obviously St. John was an older port...but the gray may have emphasized the fact that everything wasn't shiny and new. (At least for me) Also...we didn't venture too far....so most of what we saw was kind of typical touristy stuff.
Nothing terribly exciting....but I will say everyone was very pleasant and friendly.
John and I walked around the town a bit. We stopped in some shopping areas and a small museum.

low tide...dramatic tide change

cool school

               We passed some interesting older buildings as we walked around town

I don't know exactly why...but this little shop intrigued me

After our day in St. John in was on to Halifax. That night while we were en route, was a lively fun night on the ship. I guess everyone was starting to realize that the week was winding down...and they'd better enjoy the entertainment while they could. It seemed like everywhere we went that night....there were people around. In the bars having a drink, playing cards or board games. In the lounge participating in game shows. At the theater...IN THE casino. EVERYWHERE in the casino (waste of time as far as I'm concerned). And the biggest crowd of the week in the Club 6 lounge.
It was a fun night of dancing. The "Theme" of the night was Motown night...so there was a crowd in the early for that. Slowly it morphed into 60's and more music. The crowd thinned out a little after 11:00...but there were still more than any other night. We danced until we just couldn't dance any more...hahah I told the DJ as we were leaving "I like this song...but I really need to go to sleep!" he laughed and promised to play it again the next night. hahahah

Pulling into Halifax the next day I couldn't help noticing how much newer/cleaner (?), more modern ? it looked. Maybe it was a sunnier day.........?

this area with housing and restaurants was down close to the port. There was a nice boardwalk along the waterfront that we followed to the shopping and dining area. There was a lot of activity in the area and it looked like a busy thriving town.

                       John and I went into a small Maritime Museum along the boardwalk.

We checked out the Hurricane Chart in the front of the museum, while we waited in a short line to get in. ON the chart was as a hurricane brewing .(look closely down by South Africa. That was  Hurricane Matthew. It was looking more and more like it was going to track towards Florida. It kept on that track and eventually (a week after we got home) skirted the coast and barely missed us in Florida!

 

After a while,our stay in Halifax ended and  the ship started up and  way back to New York The wind had picked up and the water was very choppy. The good thing is the ship is so large, that you really don't feel it. The day at sea turned out to be wet, rainy and chilly. At least we were safe and dry inside

sampler dessert platter

and the stormy night didn't prevent us from having another delicious dinner and dessert in the Steakhouse.The remainder of our time on board involved eating, dancing , of course, and relaxing as we made our way home.

 Things were winding down...and so were we...hahahaha It had been a fun time, but we were ready to get back to New York and then make our way home. John and I got back just in time to prepare for Hurricane Matthew. I had planned an extra day off after we got back home...and that turned into a few more "hurricane" days. Boarding up the house, stocking up on a few things and just trying to figure out what exactly we were going to do. It all ended well...thank goodness. So in a way...my vacation got extended. Fortunately all we had to do was a little bit of yard cleanup. No damage to our home or anything...just a huge sigh of relief!

impromptu celebration at LongDoggers...because we barely dodged a direct hit from the hurricane