We’re Still In Connecticut: Pictures

We haven’t left yet.  I’m not sure if I’m ready to go home.  I’m nervous.  In the meantime, Ryleigh is enjoying her family in Boston, and Logan and I are remembering what we loved about the city.

First, we had my mother’s funeral.  One thing my mom always made my sister, Tiffanie and I do, was to dress alike.  I thought it would be fitting to have my girls dressed alike to say goodbye to their grandmother.  She would have loved to see it.

My ex-husband and my MIL came to support Ryleigh and me, which I thought was beautiful.  They live in Massachusetts.  Daryl and I actually hadn’t been talking as much before my mother got sick, but of course her death put things into perspective.

We stayed with my 26-year-old sister (my best friend since the beginning and till the end of time), Tiffanie for the first week of our visit.  She’s a newlywed.  (Read: annoying romantic mush all day.)

Isn’t she beautiful?  All my sisters are my sweet babies.  This is my baby sister, Jewell, who is 13.  Silly.  She looks just like my mother in this picture.  Jewell slept in my bed till she was 5, till I got pregnant with Ryleigh.  She peed on my every night.  =)  I homeschooled one year to help out with Jewell when my mom had to return to work.  Like I said, they’re all my babies.

This is my BIL, Seanny.  He is such a gentleman, and so great for Tiffanie.  Love you, Uncle Sean.

We had dinner at the home of my former boss, Connie.  She’s one of my best friends.  Hired me at Yale University when I was 18, and I got pregnant with Ryleigh about two weeks after I started there.  That’s another blogpost.  Just know I love her.

She’s Italian.  So “too much food” is a foreign concept.

That salad was the BOMB.  She served it with cranberry bread and HONEY. BUTTER.  Then came all this:

Then she served chocolate-covered strawberries her sister had made.  I asked if it was dessert and she looked at me like I was nuts.  Dessert was a chocolate cake and a cheesecake.  Add to that all the wine we had, and I went home smiling.

This is my newly 18-year-old sister, Isha.  She was stoked that she was allowed to have a glass.  Drank it all and said she was just trying to prove that it tastes like urine.  =)

One of the best parts of the night, for me, was when Con and her sister, Toni, got down on the floor to talk to Logan.  Logan felt so comfortable there.  Pleased Momma.

We also had dinner at another former co-worker’s house, Caryl.  She’s a registered nurse and another fave of mine.  She lives on the beach.

Logan and I were IN. LOVE. with her 4-year-old grandson.  He was so nice to Logan.  They played the entire night, at the beach and at the house.

Logan went from, “You’re nuts!” to “Hey, help me do that.”  Sean stayed with her as she ventured in.

This is why I miss the Northeast.  I used to walk Logan to the ocean every morning.  She loved it.  We both did.

We had a playdate with another former co-worker’s daughter (after high school do you only meet friends at work?).  He was just like Logan!  And a story I tell all the time, he was born on Logan’s due date, and Logan was born on his.  I think his mom and I were both at Yale-New Haven at the same time. 

“Logan you have to make a connection.”  Pete was trying to help Logan but she was just swinging the bat all over the place.

We spent a morning together at the Peabody Museum in New Haven.  Logan wasn’t so interested, I think she thought it was more hands-on.  Fortunately they did have a hands-on room.  It was tiny but Logan somehow managed to spend almost 40 minutes there.  Yay.

We went bowling with family and friends.  It was fun but the balls are so dang heavy!  I’d just as soon stick with duckpin.  And why have I never known about this contraption?:

We stopped at a farm.  Logan was very excited.  She ignored me completely, so this is the best picture I could get:

Awesome deet: that kitten is the baby of a cat my mom had years ago, Roxy – she was so insane.  She was in heat.  My mom gave her to our friend, Ben, whose family owns this farm.  Now she has a whole buncha kittens and a fewer emotional issues.  I also fed the cutest lambs.  Well I tried to but their big greedy family ate it up!

Another reason I miss the city: anything can happen at anytime, and does.  The day Lo and I went to the museum, we were waiting for the bus when a man walked onto the New Haven Green with a trombone.  He was soon followed by about 20 others, all with big brass insturments, and they suddenly started playing.  They played one song that lasted about 25 minutes – it was glorious.  I won’t even begin to describe it here because I cannot capture the way we all felt listening to their song.  I think it was a gospel.  There were two drummers and they kept a great beat.  It was just amazing.  Everyone was dancing, including us.

I love the angry look on Logan’s face.  I am not sure what was going through her head.  She wanted to dance but she was unsure of what was going on.

I love the Northeast.  Wish I had the money to live where I want to up here.  I’m just about ready to go home though.  Miss my North Carolina trees.  I know it’s going to be quiet when I get back.  Too much time to think about my mother.  Not ready for that yet, but I don’t have a choice.  Well, even though it’s not for the best reason, I am happy to be visiting Connecticut.

Kimberley