I have some updating to do, like Teagan's birthday party, but for now I'm just going to post the link to the photos we had taken at Portrait Innovations for her 3rd birthday. These are just a few of the 100 or so we had to choose from. :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/McFarlandClan/McFarlandOct2007?authkey=yMnLZaXoRbw
Friday, October 19, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Orchard
Matt and I met in the fall. We both love autumn and it's many offerings: crisp air, sweet apples, the changing of color....For 10 years now, Matt and I have made almost annual trips to an orchard. For many years we went up to Erie, MI (which wasn't too far from Toledo) to a little family-owned orchard (Erie Orchard, as it happens) to walk through the orchard, pick apples, spend time together and enjoy an apple fritter and fresh apple cider on the way home. We took Sephi there when she was just a pup, even after moving to Cleveland. Things change and it's a bit far so we found Mapleside in Brunswick. Rumor has it, it'll be closing in the near future as it is allegedly sold and will be replaced with a housing development. This is tragic in my mind. I hope they are able to keep some of this great family place.
Well, last weekend we had brunch with Matt's parents at the Mapleside restaurant and then took Teagan to the play area and down to the orchard. Here are a few pics from that trip.
Ok, so clearly Heather had the camera this day! :) What can I say? I love to take pictures of Teagan and her Daddy. :)
NYC
NY was great! I drove Matt a little nuts with my lack of pre-planning but things worked out pretty well in the end.
We didn't leave Ohio until after 6pm on Friday as there was so much to do around the house and getting Teagan ready for Nana's etc. We drove 4 hours and stayed at a motel in Danville, PA (arriving shortly after my folks who'd left an hour before us).
Up and on the road early (by 7:30am) we arrived in Newark, NJ around 10:30am to the Sheraton where my aunt had booked us rooms using her Platinum Member Points. (yea! score *2* free hotel nights in a row!...my folks paid for the rooms the first night).
View of NYC from the Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel
The Sheraton was lovely, but we had to take a cab the Penn Station in Newark to catch a train to Penn Station, NY and then by subway to get to Brooklyn only we took the wrong subway and had to get off and walk the remaining several blocks to the theater (both in dress shoes and overdressed for the heat). Then it was at the OTHER theater which meant a few more blocks at what was quickly pressing show time already (2pm show). When we got there, we were probably amongst the more well-dressed in the audience. There were quite a few people in shorts and flip-flops but c'est la vie. The show was INCREDIBLE!!!! Probably amongst the best performances I've EVER seen on stage (and I've been to A LOT of shows). Ian McKellan was stellar! The entire cast worked together to craft a magnificent show. The guy I met on the cruise, Philip Winchester, was REALLY terrific! Matt didn't stop smiling for a day! :)
Then we're back on the run....because I didn't book dinner reservations ahead of time and after trying a half a dozen of our choice restaurants from the Tour Book (all completely booked or only having 5pm or 11pm availability), we had the concierge book us a table. It was in Lower Manhattan at 6pm. The show started at 2pm and runs 3:35 plus a 10min intermission AND is in Brooklyn! We got out at 5:50pm and booked it (in dress shoes ...) but the directions hadn't been clear and so we didn't find the subway too easily, but we did find it. Called the restaurant to tell them we'd be late (which was fine) and continued on our way. We had a LOVELY little dinner at The Blue Water Grill at Union Square to celebrate our 10-year anniversary since our first date. I had butternut squash soup, filet mignon (too charred for my liking) and a chocolate/caramel dessert plus a glass of sparkling red dessert wine. Matt had lobster bisque, lobster and this heavenly banana and hazelnut dessert.
All in all, quite a nice experience.
Matt and I waiting for yet another train :)
We then took the subway to Times Square (less than impressed by this) and walked to Penn Station where we caught the train back to Newark (only tried to go via the airport since there is a courtesty shuttle to the hotel and found it cost us another $11 to get on the Airtran to the airport from the train station) Even though this took longer, it was cheaper than the $20 cab fare we would have paid. Lovely evening after the heels came off and slept like a rock.
Woke up Sunday to my dad calling up at 8:30am to see that we were up and getting ready. Had a free breakfast (thanks to Aunt Leah) and we took the multiple transits back to Manhattan and the American Museum of Natural History to see the special exhibit entitled "Mythic Creatures". (toss up between this and the Brooklyn Aquarium, not enough time for both). The exhibit was informative and well-done. We had lunch at the museum cafe and then took a little walk through part of Central Park which was surprisingly full of trees and rock formations and cool bridges and bodies of water. Very cool.
Matt at Central Park (above)
Heather at Central Park (below, note new haircut)
Central Park
(If you know me, you know I love taking pictures of paths)
Wished we'd had more time and less sore feet. :) Took the transit back to Newark and got on the road heading for home around 3:30pm and with stops (including dinner and a walk around Somerset Outlet Mall) got home around 11:30pm. The weather was great. 70's and sunny each day. I think NYC is a great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there and boy, is it expensive! King Lear was definitely worth it! Next time, more comfortable shoes are in order! AND, I'll make reservations ahead of time so we have time to do what we want where we want. For example, the rest of the crew met with Philip on Sunday before and after the show. Mom even met Ian McKellan as he came in and shook everyone's hand who was waiting in line for last-minute tickets. Telling them each he hoped they'd get in to see the show.
Today has been particularly hard to work, I don't know how the rest of them are doing it as they got in around 5am! Yikes!
We didn't leave Ohio until after 6pm on Friday as there was so much to do around the house and getting Teagan ready for Nana's etc. We drove 4 hours and stayed at a motel in Danville, PA (arriving shortly after my folks who'd left an hour before us).
Up and on the road early (by 7:30am) we arrived in Newark, NJ around 10:30am to the Sheraton where my aunt had booked us rooms using her Platinum Member Points. (yea! score *2* free hotel nights in a row!...my folks paid for the rooms the first night).
View of NYC from the Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel
The Sheraton was lovely, but we had to take a cab the Penn Station in Newark to catch a train to Penn Station, NY and then by subway to get to Brooklyn only we took the wrong subway and had to get off and walk the remaining several blocks to the theater (both in dress shoes and overdressed for the heat). Then it was at the OTHER theater which meant a few more blocks at what was quickly pressing show time already (2pm show). When we got there, we were probably amongst the more well-dressed in the audience. There were quite a few people in shorts and flip-flops but c'est la vie. The show was INCREDIBLE!!!! Probably amongst the best performances I've EVER seen on stage (and I've been to A LOT of shows). Ian McKellan was stellar! The entire cast worked together to craft a magnificent show. The guy I met on the cruise, Philip Winchester, was REALLY terrific! Matt didn't stop smiling for a day! :)
Then we're back on the run....because I didn't book dinner reservations ahead of time and after trying a half a dozen of our choice restaurants from the Tour Book (all completely booked or only having 5pm or 11pm availability), we had the concierge book us a table. It was in Lower Manhattan at 6pm. The show started at 2pm and runs 3:35 plus a 10min intermission AND is in Brooklyn! We got out at 5:50pm and booked it (in dress shoes ...) but the directions hadn't been clear and so we didn't find the subway too easily, but we did find it. Called the restaurant to tell them we'd be late (which was fine) and continued on our way. We had a LOVELY little dinner at The Blue Water Grill at Union Square to celebrate our 10-year anniversary since our first date. I had butternut squash soup, filet mignon (too charred for my liking) and a chocolate/caramel dessert plus a glass of sparkling red dessert wine. Matt had lobster bisque, lobster and this heavenly banana and hazelnut dessert.
All in all, quite a nice experience.
Matt and I waiting for yet another train :)
We then took the subway to Times Square (less than impressed by this) and walked to Penn Station where we caught the train back to Newark (only tried to go via the airport since there is a courtesty shuttle to the hotel and found it cost us another $11 to get on the Airtran to the airport from the train station) Even though this took longer, it was cheaper than the $20 cab fare we would have paid. Lovely evening after the heels came off and slept like a rock.
Woke up Sunday to my dad calling up at 8:30am to see that we were up and getting ready. Had a free breakfast (thanks to Aunt Leah) and we took the multiple transits back to Manhattan and the American Museum of Natural History to see the special exhibit entitled "Mythic Creatures". (toss up between this and the Brooklyn Aquarium, not enough time for both). The exhibit was informative and well-done. We had lunch at the museum cafe and then took a little walk through part of Central Park which was surprisingly full of trees and rock formations and cool bridges and bodies of water. Very cool.
Matt at Central Park (above)
Heather at Central Park (below, note new haircut)
Central Park(If you know me, you know I love taking pictures of paths)
Today has been particularly hard to work, I don't know how the rest of them are doing it as they got in around 5am! Yikes!
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