It was so great to hang out with my dad, and my time at home makes me always realize how much I miss him. It was also great to see my sister, who is getting so grown up, and my stepmom. I also spent tons of time with my aunt and my cousin, Elizabeth. I even got to spend more time with my cousin Katie, who came to pick me up at the airport.
I spent lots and lots of time looking at furniture with my cousin Elizabeth, who happens to be a very talented interior design student. We had so much fun. We even started out our shopping extravaganza by going to a Pottery Barn class on using color and patterns in decorating. I was so impressed that for the most part, the attendees had gotten to know each other through attending multiple classes. I wish I was able to attend more classes, it was fun, and we did learn quite a bit about decorating. We even got 10% off of all items that were used in the class.
Elizabeth and I had lots of fun in Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and vising the Riverhead outlet center in Long Island. We even had a funny experience in Milford at Ethan Allen, mom's absolute dream store- we got locked in! As we were drooling over the things in Ethan Allen, we noticed that it was raining pretty heavily, so we decided to stay in the store to let the storm pass. It was then that the wind started blowing super heavily, and the rain was coming down in buckets. All of a sudden, the door blew open, so one of the designers decided to lock the doors during the storm. As we sat at a table, looking at catalogs, Elizabeth brought up a good point- my mom must have had something to do with us getting locked in! What a funny coincidence that we were locked in my mom's favorite store!
Elizabeth and I also saw two great movies, one with my aunt too. We saw, Public Enemies and Julie & Julia. Both very good. I particularly loved Julie & Julia, despite the poor reviews, I thought it was adorable!
Elizabeth and I joined my dad to go see a Bridgeport Bluefish game! I love the Bluefish!
I also had lots of fun hanging out with dad, my sister Ginia, and my stepmother, Cheryl. My first weekend home, we all headed up to Massachusetts to see Cheryl's mom and then head out to the races at Seekonk Speedway. We stopped at a uniquely New England treat for lunch, Chad's Chowderhouse. YUM! It's pretty much a greasy spoon, but they only serve fish and amazing chowder! A good clam chowder is something I most certainly miss here in Germany. I also had a delicious stuffed quahog- something that is not only pretty much uniquely New England, it is especially uniquely Rhode Island and Massachusetts. My godparents drove up too for the races. We all had a fun night!
My dad and I also went to the Waterford Speedbowl the following week. We were really lucky to have great weather two weekends in a row, for great Saturday night racing!
Of course, the big surprise was that the feature of the night was a make up for a rain delayed race in June. It was a 75 lap World East Series race, meaning the drivers are slightly more professional than those who normally race at the Speedbowl.
I cooked a German dinner for my dad too. I made beef rouladen, rolled beef with bacon and mustard- yummy! I was most excited that it came out so tasty, and it was my first attempt at rouladen.
Besides all the fun outings, there was also some excellent get-togethers. We went to my godparent's house for a lobster and corn dinner. They picked up the lobster at Galilee, Rhode Island, a major commercial fishing port. The lobster was delicious and the company was great!
We had another lobster and corn dinner at dad's house a few days before I left. We had dinner with Lorraine and her daughter. I feel so lucky to have been able to have so much lobster and corn, I miss it!
I also got together for lunch with a few friends from high school, Emily, Dana, and Virginia. It was so great to see them! It is amazing to see the different paths our lives have taken since high school. We chatted about our lives and dished about other friends. I met up with another friend from high school, Colleen. She just bought a house, so we had lots of fun chatting about houses and friends. Again, it was great to spend time with an old friend!
Besides all this catching up, I took some time for myself as well. I went for some nice drives, and spent lots of time at the beach. Again, something I miss! Relaxing at the beach was just what the doctor ordered after the stress of last year.
All in all, it was a great time at home! I was so happy to see everyone and to be back in my comfort zone! Even though the trip was short, I got lots done and spent lots of time with people I miss.
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