Sunday, October 29, 2006

Happy Halloween!




There was one problem with our "Saved by the Bell" costumes: We found pretty much everything we needed on the shelves of Target. That's OK in terms of convenience and price, but it also meant we looked very much like the girls walking around in the mall, outfitted in leggins, skirts and scrunchies because it's fashionable, not because it's funny. We, on the other hand, just wanted to impersonate a pair of Bayside High School's finest: Kelly Kapowski (Abbey) and Jessie Spano (me). So when we showed up at one of the bars in downtown Port Jeff, we got more than a couple funny looks from people who must have thought we took the latest trend a step too far. We tried prove we weren't really freaks by flashing pictures of our "boyfriends" (Zack Morris and AC Slater). And I sang a couple lines from Jessie's caffeine-induced version of "I'm so excited." Eventually others showed up in costume and we stopped caring what people thought. It was a really fun night, and for the record, you'll never see me in those black leggins again. At least not in the real world.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Who's your Tiger?


I don't think you ever lose pride for your hometown teams. Proof: Me and Abbey, recent East Coast transplants not caring how dumb we look in our Pudge and Kenny masks. Go Tigers!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Pumpkin party


Growing up, my mom always hosted an annual pumpkin-carving party at our house where neighbors, family members and friends gathered to make their Jack-o-lanterns. I loved it. Halloween wouldn't be complete without pumpkin carving, so I held my own party this weekend. See the photos for the outcome.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Key West Reunion


What happens when you reunite a family in a warm climate, with numerous open-air bars and a fifth of vodka in a hotel room? Look no further than the photo above for your answer. This past weekend was sleepless, boiling hot and caused me to battle a pretty nasty cold in the days following it, but above all, it was just a really good time.
Key West has always been a traditional vacation spot for my family. My great aunt and uncle used to own a condo there and we (which includes my mom, dad, brother, aunt, uncle and cousin) claimed it every Thanksgiving for a span of five or six years. But when the condo was sold, our family trips became less frequent. So in honor of a slew of milestones -- my uncle's 60th birthday, my cousin's second wedding anniversary and my aunt and uncle's 40th -- we planned to meet in Key West once again for a one-night stay. Coordinating the trip, however, wasn't as easy as it used to be. My brother drove from Orlando, dad flew in from Michigan, me from NY, and my cousin and his wife from Tennessee to meet up with the rest of the crew in Tampa. The next day we drove south to Fort Myers and took a boat to Key West, where for the next one and a half days we ate, drank, shopped, watched the street performers give a send-off to the setting sun and laughed, a lot. I hope that we can continue to continue the tradition.
The photo, by the way, is of my dad, my brother and my cousin Dean, who drank enough to think that wearing lampshades as hats was a good idea.