Family Weekend

This weekend was chock full o' family stuff! My sister came down for 4 days and I loved every minute of having her here! Our visit went by way too fast as usual, but we had such a great time together. Livy and her were joined at the hip, so much so that Livy called her "Mama" a few times. Niki was of course flattered, and it was extra special becuase she always worries that Livy won't know her since she lives in Albany, but this is hardly the case. I guess I'm easily replacable when Aunt Niki comes around....however I completely understand this because thats exactly how I was when my aunt Linda visited. Her visits gave me butterflies and I couldn't sleep for days leading up to them becuase of sheer excitement just to spend time with her. And from the looks of it, Livy and Aunt niki are headed down the same path. Very cool!

My Aunt Linda and family actually visited this weekend, and although I no longer get butterflies before her visits, it sure was great to spend time with her. She never changes, and neither does my uncle Terry....and my cousins are the sweetest teenager and college student that I've ever hung out with. My Uncle Terry is a kid stuck in a grown ups body, and he will have most anyone laughing. He is so great with kids and he spent countless hours entertaining me as a child, which wasn't an easy task. Both him and my aunt Linda spent alot of time with my sister and I as kids, and really got down to our level. It was fun to see them repeat this with Olivia. I was a bit nervous about how to entertain all the family, including my 87 year old grandma and Olivia. We really needed some good family activities that were wheelchair and stroller friendly. On Saturday we headed off to Harborfest for the afternoon. The weather was 100% perfect, and harborfest was a blast for everyone...including grandma Z and Olivia. My family acted like I had taken them to the ocean. They were amazed at Charlotte...they couldn't get over it. They live near the Potomac River just outside of D.C., have a second home on Lake Champlain, and they still thought Charlotte was amazing. It baffled me. They're world travelers yet they were just head over heels excited for Charlotte. My sister and Chris(her boyfriend) acted much the same....so I guess if you have family in town at least take them out for some Abbotts and a walk on the pier. I suggest the Abbotts inside the ferry terminal becuase its easy access to the pier.

So Harborfest was great fun and I was relieved. I dislike the pressure of entertaining people becuase it means I have to choose how they plan they're day, and its difficult for me becuase I get nervous that I won't choose correctly. Well no worries on Saturday because all 12 of my family members were having a rockin time. For the evening we took them out to Saddle Ridge in High falls, another place that I'd reccommend taking family until about 10pm....from that point on get out or be run over by drunk people and bachelorette parties. We learned the hard way, but it was fun anyway! We had dinner then bowled a few games in the bowling alley which is located inside the restaurant. King Pinz was the bowling alley, and it was very cool because they had glow in the dark pins and played great music. Again my family just raved about High falls, and Saddle Ridge...they loved every minute of it all which was great. For the record my 87 year old grandmother was out until midnight with us! Go grandma! Olivia was home tucked fast asleep by my in-laws, so Dave and I could really enjoy a fun night out, and it was.

I was glad to have all of my family together becuase it meant so much to my grandma, who cried her eyes out with joy as did my cousins. We all just get along so well that we really enjoy each others company. My cousin Jeff and I practically share the same heart, and so do Niki and my cousin Jenn. Its really fun to be with them becuase we are so much alike. But sad as it may be the weekend ended, and everyone headed back down the thruway. Dave and I were happy to have some quiet time at home to reflect on the weekend, and just relax.