Preparing myself...

I'm sure I'll get a whole lotta crap for this comment considering the summer we've had, but holy hell is was too hot today! I felt like a slug all day long dragging myself through the day. I was extra cranky and felt like I needed a shower every 10 minutes! I give you all permission to remind me of this when I'm bitching about the digger I took on the 4 inches of ice we'll most likely be dealing next winter....but for the moment I'm thinking central air may be the next project! Or at least an option in the next house...

Arbonne Q&A

Erin has a good friend who is a direct sales rep for Arbonne. I had planned on attending the party for the snacks only; having been to many of these "parties" over the years from Silpada to Mary Kay and so on and being fairly unimpressed. However, I have to say I found this meeting chalk full of information. There is always that bit of car salesmen stuff going on, but this rep was not pushy at all and she had some great information. I am forever looking for the product that clears up my oily prone to breakouts skin and have been since I was a teenager. I had found some success with Proactive over the past couple of years but in recent months I felt that I wasn't getting the results from it that I had gotten in the beginning. My pores feel extra clogged and my skin feels bumpy. She was informing me about the latest complaints of Proactiv being just that; that the product opens up the pores so wide in the begining to flush out the impurities but does not shrink them back resulting in quick positive results, but overall wide open clogged pores. Ugh! She was also talking alot about the Arbonne products being animal and animal byproduct free and talked about what that means. Just because its not tested on animals doesn't mean that most companies haven't used "parts" of animals to help create their product. All in all I was impressed by the presentation and hopefully the product once my order arrives. I know that some of us (me) are quick to bash a product or system and not always give praise when its due, so here's my good deed for the day. Go Arbonne! (until my skin doesn't respond and I'm pissed off)

That's a Big Tuna!

Fiesta, Feshta, Feast...

..call it what you will, but the truth of the matter is that the Fiesta is the greatest 3 days a year to happen to East Taunton. I'll admit that when I first starting dating Matt and he and his family talked about the coming of the Fiesta as if it were the coming of The President; I just didn't get it. I mean, it's not like Thanksgiving eve at Condon's, right? WRONG! Almost 7 years deep and now I get it. When I see the signs going up that the dates have been set for the 3 day party I can begin to taste the marinated pork sandwiches and hear the Portuguese music in my head. Now there is another generation of Feshta lovers in town, my son and his friends! Lulu talks about the worries the Feast brings to the parents when the kids are old enough to venture out for the 3 day bender, waiting patiently by the police scanner to make sure the Dutra or Grady names aren't being called. I do see this in my future, however, I love ever minute of the excitement the Fiesta brings to the town and our family. Of course my wallet would disagree, but hell its only 1 weekend out of the year.

Kyle saw the lights and rides going up in the days prior and was so excited I don't think that there is a word to describe it. Auntie Erin also lives for the Fiesta and we all played into his excitement. We kicked off Friday night with Auntie Erin and Kyle rode every ride he could time and time and time again with the same laugh and smile every time as if it was his 1st ride. He especially loved the dragon roller coaster. He's just like his mommy loving the rides! I have a future adrenalin seeker to try out the biggest roller coasters with me that we can find and I can't wait!

Saturday Matt, Ky and I took a boat ride, did some fishing and anchored up to the beach in Onset. We topped off the day with round 2 of the Feast! Another great night of games, rides, sandwiches and dancing. We were joined by Kallie and Kara to add to our fun. Matt cooked meat on a stick over the fire pit and caught up with some old friends.

Sunday we spent the day in West Island and I got to meet a lot of the Seekell family (Matt's grandmother's side) who'd come up from Florida for a reunion. Delicious stuffed Quahogs and Quahog chowda, sitting in the sun on the beach and watching Kyle ham it up for the family who've never met him. We finished off the day by hitting the Fiesta for the final night and met up with The Mitchell family so Kyle had a chance to ride all the rides and play the games with his favorite little girls. They are too adorable and of course that day I didn't have my camera with me. Auntie Erin, Uncle Eddy, Uncle Benny were all there and we ended the long, tiring, fun weekend with a bang. We were on 1st name basis with many of the carnies (who I personally love talking too) and even got a few free runs through the fun house for the kids while we chatted. Uncle Eddy made a run to Drunkin Donuts for us all and we had lots of laughs.

Needless to say, Kyle had a great weekend. The Fiesta proved to be everything and more than what he was hoping for and the 11pm bedtime for 3 nights in a row proved tiring for us all. He woke up Monday morning and literally the 1st words from his mouth were "Can we go to the Fiesta?" He took it pretty hard to find out that the 3 days were up and we'd have to wait an entire year before seeing the Feast again. So, I drove to NH and we spent the day with his Aunties and cousins at Canobie Lake! LOL

Fun house
Kallie on the swings

more prizes ( I think he ended up with 11 total)

Auntie Erin, my partner in crime

purple monkey, that funky monkey

Uncle Eddy contributed to many of the 11 prizes won

Kyle and his cousins

Sharkin' 09

We took a crew shark fishing last night for the 1st time in a long time. I pretty sure we haven't been since before Kyle was born, well I don't think I have. There is a great spot on a beach in the cape that has some small shark activity this time of year and we used to be able to set up right near the parking lot but many people have discovered the spot and last night we had to walk about 5 thousand miles....ok, maybe 200 yrds but dragging a ton of stuff and with kids...it felt like about 5 thousand miles. Destination found, camp set up and then we wait. And eat. And wait. And dance. And wait. And SHARK!!!!!

camp wind a lot
A really cute pic that I can't get to turn for some reason!

Benny and his jets

1st catch

"he's gonna crab ya!"

"weirdo and Kyle :)"

Blanket

Benny's shark!

wondering where in the sam hell she is

why Matt needs a pic of her teeth up close, I'll never know

she was tagged and set free (insert song here "Born free")