Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks, Mom, for being the best. For real. THE BEST!

P.S. I chose this picture because my mom's name is Barbara, but many people call her B for short. She's been collecting cool images of Bs (bumble and otherwise) for years, so I thought this would be appropriate for today. I took it at UMass last Saturday.

Tongue

Here's another horse from Blue Star Equiculture, the same farm I mentioned yesterday. It's a cool place that takes in old and unwanted working horses.

This guy kept licking the fence, but I don't know why. It was pretty silly.

*There's a new Lost in Thoughts on the ELM blog today. The video features Eric's classmate, Jevan, singing Yellow at the a capella concert we went to in April. It's definitely worth watching!

Ears

On Saturday, Eric and I stopped by a horse farm on our way to UMass.

Guess what. It was awesome! We got to spend some quality time with some horses and ponies. Yeah, that pretty much made my day. Visit flickr to see more horse ears.

*I updated the ELM Etsy shop with some new stuff. Check it out!

Stage Crew Dance Team

On Saturday, Eric and I headed to UMass Amherst to see my sister's dance team perform. Before the show, we met up with my sister and Eric's brother for lunch and ice cream.

My parents also came for the show, so we sat with them. Emma was great, of course. I always feel so ridiculously proud when I watch my sister or brother do something cool, like dance or play an instrument. This was one of those times.

Emily is closest to the camera

Emily is closest to the camera

Emily is in the center of the front row, in pink

The show was the Curry Hicks Cage (a gym on campus), and there were a number of teams and clubs from UMass and nearby high schools performing. We didn't stay for the whole show; it was just toooooooooo hot. I felt so bad for the dancers in costumes with long sleeves. The sweat was just dripping off of everybody, the audience included. Despite the heat, I think we all had a good time. A really, really good time!

*Today on the ELM blog: custom bridal shower invite + a few pictures from the party!

Bar Mitzvah In Amherst

On Saturday we went to a Bar Mitzvah in Amherst. It was a lot of fun. The service was really lovely, and I was happy to discover how many of the songs and prayers I remember.

I was excited to attend because I hadn't seen the Bar Mitzvah boy or his family for far too long. His parents and my parents have been friends since before I was born, so I've known them my entire life! You've probably guessed that the rest of my family was also invited, so I also got to spend the day with my parents and brother (unfortunately my sister was studying for exams & working, so she couldn't make it).

The party was held at a local bowling alley. It as so awesome! They rented the whole place out, got a DJ, and set us all up with our own lanes. Can you believe it was my mom's very first time bowling? I thought she did a great job! I think Eric won both games, but my dad wasn't far behind.

There was a delicious Southern BBQ buffet and a station set up to make our own sundaes. Can't get much better than that!

Farmer's Market Tomatoes

Way back on the 6th, we visited Emma and Will in Amherst. We took them to brunch at The Lone Wolf, one of our favorite places, and then stopped over at the Farmer's Market.

We also visited Puffer's Pond and enjoyed soft serve ice cream (courtesy of Will) from Franklin (one of UMass's dining halls).

The weather was beautiful and the company was great. It's such fun for us to go back to Amherst for a day.

Carnival

When we went to visit Emma and Will in Amherst on Saturday, the carnival was in town. Do you remember how awesome it was when the carnival would come? I remember it being a big deal until I got to high school (and even then I thought it was a big deal, but that was really uncool so I pretended I didn't care and missed out on all the fun). There were a two sides to the fun:

1) the rides!!!

2) the carnies 

So the rides are a given, right? But there was something thrilling and off-limits about being so close to the fabled carnies. You knew in your gut that your parents didn't want you to grow up and be a carnival worker. They always looked a little bedraggled and like they were covered in a layer of filth. I'm not sure if they were really like that, of if I just saw them that way because that's what I expected to see. I remember getting a serious case of the giggles if one of them actually spoke to me! I was scared, yet proud that they'd singled me out. 

The carnival was extra cool in middle school, because you'd get a bunch of friends together and then get dropped off. No parents! Unnecessary screaming and swearing ensued, just because we could (I have to admit, I didn't swear because it's never been my style, but my friends sure did). I remember whispering plans and passing notes about what time we'd be meeting at the gravitron. The teachers probably hated the carnival. But come on, how cool was it to have plans at night? Answer: very cool. 

Some other amazing things about the carnival: fried dough, twinkling bright lights, tickets instead of cash inside the metal fences, prizes, and searching desperately for a pay phone and a dime at the end of the night to call for a ride (no cell phones in 1996!). The carnival was also a sign that summer was near. Sweet, sweet summer. 

What's your best memory of the carnival? Did it come to your town? 

P.S. I wrote about the carnival because today's Lost In Thoughts is all about nostalgia, so check it out!

Family Weekend

Yesterday Eric and I drove out to UMass to see my sister, Emily, dance. We met my parents and brother there. This is her first semester as a member of the Stage Crew Dance Team, and my family's first time seeing her dance with this team. It's not easy to become a member of the Stage Crew team, and I'm so proud of her. She was wonderful and beautiful. The whole team was great, and you can tell the girls work hard. 

They performed in the Mullins Center as part of the 22nd annual Color in the Cage event. Stage Crew was really only one of 3 dance acts. The other performers were members of color guard or baton twirling teams. I've never been to anything like that, but some of the stunts (is that the right word?) were very impressive. A lot of it made me giggle, I'll be honest, but I appreciate these people putting themselves out there and participating. It certainly doesn't look easy. 

While we were at UMass we also got to see Eric's youngest brother, Will. We took him to lunch at Antonio's (yum) and before we left he got us soft serve ice cream from the dining hall. That was a mistake. While he was getting the ice cream, it started to rain. And by rain I definitely mean downpour, torrentially. We had to wait a bit before we could actually get to the car, and even then we had to make a mad dash. It was fun, but sort of ruined our good-bye.  

Since we got to see my parents, I brought the Mother's Day gift I made for my mom. Yep, more cranes. I made her a mobile of 100 cranes. There are 5 strands, and each has 20 different colored cranes (the same 20 colors on each strand, but no duplicates per strand). I folded all of the cranes on Tuesday, and I strung them all together on Thursday. 

Right now Eric is out with his mom, just spending the day with her in Boston. He's taking her out to lunch and anywhere she wants to go. I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine.

Happy Mother's Day & happy weekend! 

Will + Emma

The Schwarz and I went to Amherst on Saturday, to visit his youngest brother (Will) and my sister (Emma). They're both students at our alma mater, UMass.    

It was a deliciously warm day for early March, and when we arrived around noon Will was dressed for summer. The boys and I went into town to grab sandwhiches at The Black Sheep. YUM. One of my favorite things about going back to visit is eating. We met up with my sister at her apartment around 2:45, when she was finished with dance practice. My parents and brother showed up about 30 minutes later and the Mays and Schwarzes split up for the afternoon.  

Eric and Will went on an errand or two, hung out in the dorm, and ordered wings (yuck) before going to the hockey game (UMass won). 

My family went to Panera to get some snacks before an afternoon of shopping. Not my favorite thing, but it was fun for us to be together. My sister's going to Vegas in 4 days, and she needs clothes and shoes, so we helped her get everything she needed. We ended the day with a great meal at Amherst Brewing Company. Oh. My. God. The sweet potato fries are so delicious. Afterwards we walked (Max and I skipped) back to my sister's apartment and then said good-bye. I got to spend a little more time with Emma before Eric picked me up and we headed to his parent's house for the night. 

We spent yesterday with Eric's mom & dad (and I ate waaaay too many cookies). We went for a long walk with his mom and I sat with him and his dad while the smoked disgusting cigars. 

Today I'm exhausted. I hope this post isn't too long or confusing! 

Camouflage

I'm surprised I even saw this little guy. He just blends in so perfectly with the sand. 

I like that the eyes are all googly and crazy. 

Turning

Mother Nature is telling us that winter is coming. She sure has a lovely way of easing us into the cold! And aren't you thankful for that transition period? I think I would be much harder if we had to go from 80 degrees to 10 without the 40 and 30 degree mornings in between.

I took this picture in Amherst on October 4. It's already much colder than it was just two weeks ago. There's something nice about a brisk morning and pink cheeks. 

Heron

I think this is a heron. We saw it when we were visting UMass Amherst on October 4. Unlike the dozens of ducks and hundreds of geese visiting the Campus Pond, this guy (or gal) was a real loner. I don't really know anything about birds, but now that I'm thinking about it I don't believe I've ever seen a group (flock?)  of herons. Do they simply dine alone or do they also prefer to travel solo?

A Squirrel

We saw this little guy when we were visiting UMass Amherst over the weekend. He was busy gathering food and ran up this tree when we got too close.

The squirrel and I had quite a stare down, which allowed me to snap a few pictures. I guess he won, since I eventually walked away and left him to his business.