Goodbye August...Hello September

Well that went fast! Seems like we were just celebrating my birthday, Mother's Day and Memorial Day and here we are coming up on Labor Day weekend - the unofficial last weekend of summer.

I haven't been too great about posting these past 2 or 3 weeks because we have been one busy family, as usual! I am VERY proud of Danny for completing the 2nd semester of his MBA. If he hasn't been at work these past 3 weeks, he's been studying and studying some more. He just got back from a whirlwind weekend of finals and orientation for his 3rd semester this past Sunday night. April will be here before we know it and Danny will be officially DONE with school!

Meanwhile, I've been juggling writing, my part time job, our very busy little girl (who's going on 14 months!), our house and 3 dogs. Yep, we're now a three dog family! When my parents moved into their new beach condo, they couldn't take all of the dogs, so Sophie has come to stay with us - not sure for how long. She's a sweet, older girl and not too much trouble. Just one more leash on our evening walks I guess!

A few late summer pics!

To all you moms and dad's out there, IKEA is a GREAT summer outing. It's all indoors, you can browse the huge display areas and marketplace downstairs, the kids section has a little play area and the food is delicious and inexpensive. We've brought Di twice in the past week - she has a ball and slept very well after all the running around!


My mom's birthday was August 16th and I wanted to give her a little break from unpacking their new place. We had everyone over to eat mac & cheese, cake and just hang out. Diana is still in celebration mode from her 1st birthday this summer so whenever anyone sings "Happy Birthday" she thinks it's her big day all over again and smiles and claps her hands!

Danny and I have been wanting to eat at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami after seeing it featured on the Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." We finally did a "date night" two weeks ago with our friends Charlie and Nicole. The food was good, but the dessert was TO DIE FOR! I really haven't stopped thinking about the banana toffee panini with caramel ice cream and homemade peanut brittle...yum.

And last but not least, Diana was a little bundle of smiles and energy when Daddy got home from Gainesville on Sunday night and gave her a stuffed Gator the next morning!





So summer is winding down... Between the beach, big family dinners, Diana's first birthday celebration and Danny finishing his 2nd semester, I'd say we've had a pretty good couple of months. We didn't take any big trips, but really just enjoyed spending time with friends and family and watching our little girl grow up.

So goodbye August...and hello September!

Soaking up summer

The weeks surrounding Diana's 1st birthday in July got a little crazy as we prepared for her big bash. Now that the thank you notes have been sent out, Di's one year photos have been taken (and hung up in our house) and we've absorbed the fact that our little girl is really a year old already, we've turned our attention to just enjoying the rest of summer. Working and studying aside, we've had good times at the beach, at our weekly My Gym class and with family & friends.

Here are some of the pics!

My Gym - Summer 2010

Muzzarelli Dinner - August 2010

More soon!

Goodbye Weston

This August marks a big change in the lives of my mom, stepdad and little brother. After almost 25 years living in Weston, they're packing up and moving to a condo near Fort Lauderdale beach this Friday morning.

While I have some reservations about watching them leave the house I've lived in (give or take a few college years) from the time I was 5 to the time I was almost 23, it's time for them to move on. My little brother Brandon is not so little anymore - he's beginning 10th grade in a few weeks and is getting ready to drive - in 3 short years he'll be off to college and starting his own life. And my parents are ready to downsize - they no longer need a two story house with a pool and a huge living room.

This house has been such a big part of my life - even though I haven't lived there for almost 5 years, it will always be home. It's the place where I swam with my best friend and neighbor Laurie every day during our elementary school summers, where we set up Brandon's nursery before he was born, where we had Thanksgivings and Passovers, where I took pictures before homecoming dances, where we held my high school and college graduation parties and more recently, my baby shower and Diana's first birthday party just a few weekends ago. Her party was a wonderful way to end so many years of memories.

I'll miss going over there to swim and eat Sunday night dinners and I'll miss Weston with its palm tree lined streets and little town center. But it's time to move on and make new memories.

Here are a few pics we took over the weekend when we went down to say goodbye to my childhood home on 1075 Capistrano.