Trip to New York

We had a great time. Ken left Wednesday and got to see his old buddies back in NYC the following day. He said there were about 15 people who went to lunch from his old company. He loved it. I came a day later; Ken and his folks picked me up at the airport in Islip and we stayed with his Aunt Dianne, Uncle Ray & cousin Colleen (Dianne and Colleen were both at the wedding and many of you probably met them). Had a great pasta with meatsauce for dinner that night; probably the best meat sauce I've ever had (great amount of sauce-to-meat-to-spice).

On Friday was the wedding (Ken's step-sister). Had some NY bagels in the morning, got dressed and went with Randy (it was his daughter getting married) and Ann to meet Meghan and for them to get pictures. Was fun to see the whole bridesmaid/bride getting ready from the other side (note: both sides are very fun for totally different reasons). She was nervous but looked beautiful. She cried all the way down the aisle. Their son was the ring bearer (he's two) and was hilarious -- very handsome in his tux but without a clue what was going on. The reception was very fun and held at a Mediterranean restaurant. They had a cocktail hour with a huge buffet -- they even had ice carvings and all sorts of animals carved out of fruit. I wanted to steal the orange/carrot/pineapple rabbit and send it to Jana and Kristen for Easter. After the cocktail hour, we went to another room for dinner. Sit down. About 120 people. We sat with Ken's family, which was really fun. Got to meet Bevie's daughters and her husband (who I hadn't met before). I had a great salmon; Ken had prime rib. Danced afterwards and had a slice of cake. They also had (which I'd never seen before) an ice cream sundae station and a liquor station. Ken's and my eyes lit up. He made a beeline for the ice cream while I headed toward the liquor station. They gave you a chocolate mini-shot glass and filled it with whatever you'd like. I tried the Metaxa since I've seen it before but never tasted it (it was ok; tasted like alcohol, go figure). Instead I got a cup of decaf and had them add some baileys, frangelico and fresh whipped cream. NOW, we're talking. That was goooooood. More dancing. We were the last ones to leave. Got to talk to Randy a bit and then Ken & I went to sleep.

Saturday (aka the Day of Food): more bagels. Yum. Had the 'everything' today (yesterday was 'french toast bagel in the morning -- crusty sugar, yum; and then an onion bagel and a bite of ken's pumpernickel in the afternoon -- pumpernickel was pretty good, the onion wasn't very good since it was way too eggy for my taste and didn't have the crunchy onion bits on top). The 'everything' bagel was amazing. Crunchy yet chewy with flakes of salt on top that burst on your tongue like mini-geysers. Had half with a honey walnut cream cheese and the other half with salmon spread. Wow. This was what I ate for breakfast every morning after. And one in the afternoon. Yum. Lazy day. Stayed in PJ's until 4 with everyone else. Then showered, got dressed and went to the Chowder House with Ken's family. Split the seafood bisque with Ken, which was awesome and then had mussels sauteed with wine & garlic butter for dinner. Yum. I love them. Well cooked and had a great sauce. After dinner, stopped by some of Ann & Randy's friend's houses from Guide Dog (where ann used to work) for another friend's birthday. Actually, it was Mary Marrotti's house -- who was also at the wedding. She had two beautiful labs that were very sweet. I think i'm sold on the dog now. Thanks for nothing, Mary. :) After the grown-up party (ha ha), we met up with Ken's buddies at a bar (Tommy, Nicole, Rob Muroff, Rich, Courtney, Colleen and some friends of Tommy & Nicole that we met in the Dominican Republic at their wedding). Had a great time but drank too much, as did everyone else. Took a cab home later that night.

Sunday: An everything bagel in the morning, lounged around until 3ish and then went to visit the Michalski's (Nicole & Rich's parents) who Ken has known forever. After that, we met up with Eddie & Lisa and KT & Kathy for sushi. Great sushi, better company. I hadn't met KT nor Kathy before and really liked them both. It was fun seeing everyone. Went to sleep early that night since we had an early flight out the next morning.

Monday: Colleen took us to the airport (with everything bagel in hand, of course) and 12 hours later we got to Portland (via BWI & a layover in Vegas). Was nice to be home. I turned the heat off before I left without thinking (hey, I lived in Tucson) and so we were a little worried about the pipes, Hughes and plants freezing while we were gone since it was supposed to be cold. Luckily all were fine and the house was a balmy 56 degrees. Thank you old house being built like a fortress.

I think Ken said it best when he said the weekend was 'relaxing yet tiring.' We had a great time.