A Date with Mandy

We had a great time!

Yesterday, I went out to dinner with Mandy. We decided to go down to Cranberry, a suburb of Pittsburgh. They have such great places to eat and the cutest stores to see and look through. We haven't been able to get together since I went to New York, and I was anxious to catch up with her on life. We decided to go to On the Border, since it was a beautiful day and the temperature was just right for sitting outside on the patio. I was so excited to eat there because they have the best guacamole around! Guacamole has been my new favorite dish this summer, and On the Border makes it from scratch right in front of you. We had a great time talking and catching up, and we both can't believe that it is the end of summer already. Mandy accepted a job as a Kindergarden teacher in the area and is already busy setting up her classroom. I am so glad we were able to get together, because she will definitely be busier in the weeks to come!

Bees EVERYWHERE!!

Look at that nest!!

I sure am glad I didn't have to get rid of that.

A couple of nights ago, I was writing notes in my bed before going to sleep. All of a sudden, I heard a buzzing sound whiz past my head. I looked up, and there was a yellow jacket in my room!! Just like every girly-girl reaction, I jumped out of my bed, jiggled the door handle, and ran out of the room as fast as I could. I waltzed into my mom and dad's room, and graciously asked my father to remove the critter from my room (I am a little allergic to bee stings, so I was very cautious). Once we got in my room, we ended up killing three yellow jackets that night. My dad commented that he had been killing lots of them in the basement right next to his desk. Strange.

Yesterday, after a fuse blew in the morning, my dad headed downstairs to fix it in one of the extra bedrooms in the basement. The fuse box is built into the wall, so when opened, a view of the interior of the wall is visible. When he finished, he came upstairs and was a little shaken. He remarked that when he opened the fuse box, many yellow jackets flew out and he could see the beginning of a huge nest. We called the exterminator, and when he arrived, he confirmed how huge this nest was! The bee killer dawned his bee outfit and spent two hours removing the nest from the inside of our walls downstairs. After finishing, he came upstairs to tell us that the nest in our house was the biggest yellow jacket nest he has seen all summer! I sure am glad that it was removed!!

How does your garden grow?

Here are some of the fruits of our labor this summer. These are some of the pictures from our garden. Aren't they beautiful??

Etsy This, Etsy That

How Darling!!!

There are tons of cake toppers that are hand-made and gorgeous

The custom made guest books are all so adorable.

Recently, I have been thinking about certain wedding details that I can work with ahead of time. We have decided that the wedding will be in the summer of 2011, most likely in June. I have been just enjoying this time for the past few months but am starting to look around for ideas and details that will make this day special for us. A few weeks ago, I was looking on Etsy.com and noticed that the website has a huge wedding section. I started clicking away and have been hooked ever since. They have such amazing stuff that is hand-crafted and sold by people around the world. The prices are fairly reasonable and the products are oh so unique. Who knows if I will want to use these or even buy something from this website for our wedding, but it is definitely a craft site to inspire the creative side!!

Cavanaugh's Bride Show

My sister wanted a picture of the Bride-to-be sticker I got at the show!

This cake was very unique...and also very yummy!

One of two bridal fashion shows!

This show had my favorite dresses.

This dress especially caught my eye....(minus the bikini-like silk piece at the top)

SOOOO beautiful.

This vendor had really cool floral arrangements and stationary

This morning, we woke up early to drive to downtown Pittsburgh. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a huge bride show advertised on a few websites and tv, and I thought it would be fun to look around and get some ideas for the wedding. We arrived around 11am, and so did everyone else. There must have been thousands of people packed into the Marriott City Center for the show that lasted all Sunday afternoon. My mom and sister came with me, and we spent the day walking around to different vendors looking at anything from candy bars, to photography, to caterers, to cakes, to tuxes, to florists, to spas, to fashion shows put on by bridal salons. It was neat to walk around and see so many different options, colors, and styles each vendor offered. Although we are not getting married in Pittsburgh, it was still great to walk around and steal ideas from some of the most creative people in the business. My favorite part of the day was watching the two bridal fashion shows that occurred during the event. I haven't really thought about looking for my gown yet (we still have quite a bit of time), but being in the midst of many gorgeous gowns, I couldn't help but get so excited! We had a great time and enjoyed getting great ideas for our event coming in the near future.

It was a little tough to take pictures since so many brides and their families were at the show. Sorry!

Pirates Game

It looks soooo good! But little did I know...

Pierogi Races! This is a Pittsburgh tradition at PNC Park.

A beautiful night for baseball.

Albert Pujols up to bat for the Cardinals!

After a day at work, I came home and changed quickly to get back in the car for Pittsburgh. The Pirates were playing the Cardinals at PNC Park (baseball), and we all agreed that it was time to get out of the house and do something fun. It was a beautiful night with perfect summertime weather. Going to see the Cardinals play brings back memories of summer nights as a little girl going to the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis. My brother, sister, and I were always very involved with baseball and softball growing up, and all of us enjoy going to the ball field every once in a while.

However, after the baseball game, I discovered something that will change my eating habits for a while. The equation looks like this:

I love ice cream.
Ice cream does not love me.

Therefore, Megan + ice cream= one sick gril.

After eating a nice helping of soft serve ice cream, I became extremely sick on the way home and have had a queasy stomach ever since. Even when I was in NY with Joe, I didn't feel very well after having ice cream every so often at Stewart's. I have never been able to drink milk or eat products that have alot of milk or heavy cream without feeling sick. My mom even told me that when I was little, I would not take milk and instead had to drink kool-aid out of a bottle and take calcium supplements (soy milk must not have been around). So, in the next week or so, I will be going to the doctor to find out once and for all if I am fully lactose-intolerant. If so, it might change a few things about what I eat! Nevertheless, we had a great time at the ballpark!!

Rest of the weekend and a day off

So thankful that we were able to spend a relaxing night together.

I love my Prince Charming!!

Ok, getting a little too close for comfort.

They were so adorable and the view was beautiful!

The ducks were following us in Congress Park!

On Sunday morning, I was able to sleep in quite a bit while Joe attended strike for Cenerentola. After he finished, I met up with him and was able to spend time with him off and on throughout the afternoon between Vesper rehearsals. Around 5pm, I attended Vespers, which is a religious service where all of the Seagle musicians sing hymns and spiritual songs. It was absolutely beautiful. The theatre was packed, and you could tell that everyone was very touched by their gifts of music to the Lord. Joe had the rest of the night off, so we went to the small movie theatre in downtown Schroon Lake to see Public Enemies. I'm not a big fan of shooting and killing movies, but I must say it was a good movie. It was a true story about John Dillinger, a notorious bank robber during the crime wave in the 1930's. We had a great time enjoying each other with a night out at the movies.

The next morning, I was so excited to meet up with Joe because he had the entire day off! We started the day by driving to Saratoga and walking through Congress Park. Joe had never seen the historic areas of Saratoga, so it was neat to show him the racetrack, the parks, and the beautiful homes. It was also cool to see the sights because Joe and his family usually stay at Saratoga Springs Resort whenever they visit Disney World. Now, whenever we go back to visit Disney, we can remember all of the things that we saw in real Saratoga Springs, NY! We also had time to visit Best Buy and the mall of Saratoga. We enjoyed spending time with one another that night before I had to get up and leave for home on Tuesday.

I am so greatful that I was able to spend some time with Joe and his family. I was glad I could see his amazing performances and be a support to him. I am so incredibly proud of all the things he has accomplished this summer. He is such a hard working and genuine artist, and I know God is going to use him richly. Joe is on his way to be a star, and I can't wait to see him shine!

Vermont

A perfect end to a perfect day. I love him so!

Where the Bobby Flay throw-down took place!!!

We visited John Strong's home built in the 1700's. Yes, that is Missy's new home.

Vermont is known for their maple products and let's just say they were delicious!

We stopped at a HUGE Christmas shop

The people in Vermont are....well....interesting...

Such a cool bridal store!

The lasagna was huge!!!

Look at those beautiful flowers! They looked like just out of a magazine!

Jessie loved the tomatoes. They were huge!

They had the best and biggest sunflowers! My favorite!

On Saturday, we woke up extra early for a special excursion to Vermont. I had never been to the state, so I was especially excited to see what they had to offer. The drive there was absolutely beautiful, with multiple dairy farms and rolling hills along the way. One of the stops on the way to Burlington was a quaint town that had a farmer's market. It was so cute! This market had some of the freshest fruit and vegetables I have ever seen. The flowers were beautiful and some of the booths even made fresh jam and pastries. We had a great time looking around the market and going to the little shops around the town.

When we arrived at Burlington, we went straight to lunch. Paul (Joe's Dad) had done some research about a resteraunt in Burlington were Bobby Flay filmed a throw-down. They claimed to have the best lasagna in the country, and we all wanted to find out for ourselves. The meal was delicious, and the helping was tremendous! After lunch, we headed downtown to a street fair in the middle of the town where shops were having sales and events for visitors. Along the way, we found a beautiful shop were they restore and sell unique, old wedding gowns. It was so neat! You would definitely have a one-of-a-kind dress if you bought one from that shop. We had a great time walking around and experiencing all of the activities Vermont had to offer.

On the way back to Schroon Lake, we took our time to stop at farms, shops, and historic homes along the way. They were all so unique and interesting to see. Each stop had a great feature about it, and I loved hearing the history about how it was built, who lived there, etc. When we arrived in Schroon Lake, we met up with Joe for dinner at Flanagan's and had a little ice cream before the Shadday's left. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with them. I thoroughly enjoy my relationship with them, and I always have fun when we are together.

That night, I went along with Joe to a cast party that a Guild member was throwing for La Cenerentola. I was able to meet his vocal coaches, other Guild members, and people that have supported him during the summer. I felt as though it was practice for many many many future parties for theatres and guild galas. After such a great day, I was definitely ready for some beauty sleep!

Prince Charming and Lake Placid, NY

Thanks to Jessie for letting me steal her pictures! Ice cream at Stewart's at the performance.

Waiting for the show at the theatre. Jessie is a beautiful big sis!

What wonderful parents. They were so proud-and they had many reasons to be!

Prince Charming before the show. I love him so!

We are getting together a team for next year's winter games. Watch out, everyone!!

A rainy day in Lake Placid.

I love these stores along the way to Lake Placid.

Breakfast at Pickin's. Yummy pancakes!

On Friday morning, we woke up early to make a trip to Schroon Lake for breakfast. Joe had a few hours of free time, so we met him at a local favorite, Pickin's Family Resteraunt. They have the best pancakes! After the meal, we left Schroon Lake for our day in Lake Placid. We are very familiar with Lake Placid, as we spent so much time there last summer when Joe performed Snoopy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Lake Placid Theatre. When we arrived, we walked up and down the main street looking through the cute shops. It was a rainy day, but did not hamper our plans. The lake is very pretty, and it is neat to see all of the Olympic arenas and ski jumps that were used in the winter games.

After a fun afternoon, we travelled back to the hotel on some very windy roads. We were able to rest before going to Joe's last performance of Cinderella. We saw him before the show and were able to wish him good luck. Yet again, the show was incredible. It was all in Italian, and the costumes were very fancy. He is so very talented, and I was so relieved for him to have completed this milestone. I know he was so happy to have his mom, dad, and sister there to support him. I can say that I was more blessed to have experienced such a wonderful performance. After the show we went to get ice cream at Stewart's to celebrate. What a great day!

Another Schroon Lake Visit

Thanks to Jessie for letting me steal her pictures!

We had a great dinner at the Inn!

The cutest shop in Saratoga Springs. It had so many beautiful hats!

We rode the Carosel in Congress Park!

He found a music painted horse!

It is a tradition to wear hats to the racetrack in Saratoga. These hats were awesome. Some of them cost close to $800 dollars!

Very cool painted horses all over the town.

Look at that Cotton Candy! Yummy! So glad to see them!

Just another afternoon at the lake with a funnel cake! My favorite!!

An afternoon snack....

By golly, look what we found!!!

For the past week, I was fortunate enough to make another trip to Schroon Lake, NY to see Joe perform his lead role for the summer. I left early on Wednesday morning, July 29th and drove 8 hours to arrive at Seagle just in time to see the opening performance of La Cenerentola. Joe's role was Prince Ramiro, or Prince Charming in Rossini's Italian opera interpretation of Cinderella. It was incredible!! I was so thrilled to see it and to be there to support him during this exciting time. If anyone has ever heard a selection of Rossini, you know it is difficult! His performance was incredible, and I was definitely the proudest person in the theatre. After the performance, we went to get ice cream at a local favorite, Stewart's. We watched a movie and were able to enjoy each other before calling it a night.

The next morning, I met Joe after his class at 9am and we went downtown to do a few huge loads of laundry! In between loads, we ate lunch at a resteraunt and walked to the beach at the lake. While at the beach, we found the funnel cake cart we have been looking for since last summer!! Funnel cakes are one of my favorite treats, and we decided to have a afternoon snack with homemade lemonade. Perfect!

After finishing laundry, Joe left for rehearsal and I drove to Saratoga Springs to meet his family who came up for the weekend. I was so excited to spend time with them! We met at the cutest cafe with the biggest helping of cotton candy I have ever seen! We had a great day and evening walking around the town-seeing the beautiful homes, Congress Park, the racetrack, and the cutest shops on Broadway street. We ate at a wonderful resteraunt for dinner that has been around since the Revolutionary War. The town had so much history, and it was great to learn all about it. After dinner, we drove back to Schroon Lake to meet up with Joe. We spent a few moments with him before driving to Ft. Ticonderoga (where the hotel was). It was a great start to a wonderful time in New York with Joe and his family!