A NJ Surprise Party

My grandparents (on my mom's side) turn 80 this summer. Their 5 kids threw a surprise part for them this past Saturday, and quite a few people showed up!

The party was in New Jersey, so Eric and I drove down Friday morning. We arrived at my other gramma's house around 2:30, and spent some time with her before heading to a friend's apartment in Weehawken for the night. When spent a wonderful evening (into the early morning) just chatting with our friends and eating homemade pizza and brownies. At one point we walked a couple of blocks to Hamilton Park to see the grogeous view of New York City (click the picture for a larger view, as always).

Saturday was party day, and my parents and brother arrived in NJ around lunchtime. We went to the restaurant early to decorate and prepare for the big surprise.

I didn't get pictures of every guest, but as you can see it was well attended! The birthday boy and girl are in the top left corner (click for larger view). A delicious dinner was served, and then my family broke out the musical instuments and microphone for a little entertainment. What happened next brings these R. Kelly lyrics to mind:

Crystall poppin in the stretch Navigator
We got food every where
As if the party was catored
We got fellas to my left
Hunnies on my right
We bring em both together we got junkin all night
Then after the show its the (after party)
And after the party its the (hotel lobby)
And round about 4 you gotta (clear the lobby)

The party was supposed to end at 7:30. After 8:00, it was announed that it had been extended to 9:00. Good thing, since cake was just being served! Then there was an announcement that we had the restaurant until 10:00. We didn't leave the parking lot until 10:45, when a bunch of us headed over to the hotel to continue the fun. We stayed there until well after 1:00. Hahaha. We didn't get back to my Gramma Horty's until after 2:00.

So we had 2 very late nights after a crazy-busy week in San Francisco and a red-eye flight, but it was worth it! Eric got to meet my cousins and some uncles he'd never met before, and I got to see people that I usually only see at Thanksgiving. I only wish my sister had been there.

Sunday, it took us 6 1/2 hours to get back to Boston. Ugh. That was the worst, and it was completely draining. But we made it, and I think we've finally recovered from all of the activity.

Today is Thursday, and Lost In Thoughts is inspired by black & white this week. I've also featured a photo of my cousin Rachel singing at the party, so check it out here.

Back In Boston!

We landed in Boston on Wednesday morning, around 8:00 AM. It was cloudy, just like when we left, but it was warm.

We flew all night, and I'm so proud that I actually managed to sleep for quite a bit.

Have I mentioned yet that San Francisco was freezing? It was sunny for most of our stay, and it looked like it should be about 100° out. Felt more like 45° or 50°. Maybe Eric will write a post about the weather and the science behind it. I'll just say sometimes there was fog, the rest of the time there was wind.

Luckily, we packed appropriately. I wore a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and either a hoodie or my windbreaker or both almost the whole time we were there! It felt more like October than July. (I think I still have a few more things to tell you about the trip.)

Anyway, Wednesday I had a meeting at 5:15 PM. I napped a little during the day, but I had trouble sleeping. I was a little groggy at the meeting, but I'm glad I made it there because I had a good time.

Thursday was hard. Eric slept a lot, but I just couldn't stay in bed. Plus, I had to write Lost In Thoughts! Even so, I think I was a little out of it all day.

Friday morning we got up and headed to New Jersey. Yeah, more travelling! I'll write about that adventure next time!

Arriving In San Francisco

It's late (2:09 AM at home; 11:09 AM in San Francisco), so I'll make this short.

Yesterday (July 16) we flew across the country. The flight was long (6+ hours) and uncomfortable, but it was worth it.

We went straight to Drew's office to have lunch with him, and Bill and Judy met us there.

Drew worked in the afternoon, and Bill & Judy drove us around. The highlights of our adventures were ice cream at Bi-Rite and the view from Twin Peaks.

I was still figuring out the settings on the new camera, and I'm not thrilled with the pictures I took with it yesterday. Eric got a few nice shots with the Canon, including this one of Bill and Judy at the top of Twin Peaks, which has a stunning view of San Francisco.

Today was busy, and I'm much too tired to write about it now! More pictures and stories soon.