The Melody of Life

News...

2010-04-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

~~~~A New Blog~~~~

~~~~Click here to visit~~~~

New Hampshire...

2010-03-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

My family just arrived back to Long Island Saturday night from a week long vacation in New Hampshire! We had a wonderful time doing one of our favorite activities...skiing! Yes, you read it correctly, skiing! As much as we're looking forward to the warm days of Spring we wanted to get one more ski trip in...and we did! Is was so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of New York and just RELAX! Here are some pics...I'll be the narrator along the way...

We went to Waterville Ski Resort

As you can tell it was a really busy place
Me and my dad
My brothers

Me on the lift
Josh
Justin
Dad and Mom
NICE DAD!!! :D
Me...extremely tired from skiing from 10 until 2:30

Views from the mountain
These are the treacherous moguls

I got my first snowmobile ride :)
We enjoyed driving around beautiful New Hampshire...we were near TONS of lakes

We found my street :)
OOOOOOoooo...this is my dream house in NH!!!! I really want it!!!!

Lakeside view

"The Maple Syrup Guy"

When driving through the mountains you are surrounded by gorgeous pine trees
Mr. Moon
Our last day we went to...

The brothers finding their candles
Candles, candles, and more candles

Thanks for looking~

2010-02-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

HELLO everyone!!!! Yes, I know, it's been four long months since I updated my blog! I hope to be a bit more consistent to updating my blog than that. A whole lot has been going on over the past few months that has kept me quite busy. But, I'm happy to be back! Hope I haven't lost too many readers since I've pretty much disappeared from the blogging world. So I thought I'd start up again with the events of my very busy Saturday. I tried to capture as many of the events of the day as I could...without driving my family too insane! :) So hope you enjoy some of the pics.

The day started with me running around the yard with my two furry friends...Riley and Mia! Not to exciting I know...

Riley Alexander the Great as he is known...

BIG and little...

Next we went living room furniture shopping...quite the experience which led to MANY good laughs between me and my brothers. It's amazing to me how odd some couches can possibly be!

A favorite chair of Justin's. We could have left him there all day and he would have been happy!

Me and Mom trying all kinds of couches...

Good Steer for lunch...yummy!

Thought I would show you the artistry that runs in our family...Justin's shot at drawing me...we will leave it at that! :)

This was my picture of Justin getting ready to ski...I am not very creative!

Next we went to Sundown...a ski shop that we are quite familiar with at this time of year.

My brothers were trying all the odd hats they could find!

Anyway, that was all I captured today...hope you enjoyed! I'll be sure to post again soon. I'm already thinking about what should come next...hmmmmmmm? Guess you will have to stop by again to find out! Be back soon...have a great rest of your weekend everyone! :)

2009-10-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall...!!!!!!!!!!!!

The significance of September 4th...

2009-09-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

September 4th, 2009 my brother Josh turned 17!!!!!

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Summer Vacation 2009

2009-09-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hellooooooo everyone!!!! I can't believe how long its been since my last post!!!! I had a major problem with my card reader and finally figured out the issue!!!! My summer has flown and am very excited for the fall to start. The weather lately has sure proven that the crisp, autumn season is on its way. Hope you all had a wonderful summer!!!!

Thought I would post pics of our vacation a couple of weeks ago!!!! Enjoy!!!!

For starters...a very familiar site on any vacation!

Dad and I
Dad and Mom
The brothers...a very intense game of checkers
We went mini golfing at a really fun place! Dad and Josh had major competition going...but, Dad prevailed and won by one point!!! :)

Very serious Josh
Dad planing his strategy
Justin
Mom
Me...I'm not very good AT ALL...I got last place! Even though I took a few mulligans along the way!
We also went kayaking...so much fun! Justin and I jumped in because the water was so beautiful!

Mom and I...we worked as a team I must say!
Josh...He got a work out because he didn't have a partner!
Justin and Dad
Happy after cooling of in the river! :)
We also went to Hershey Park! Didn't get many pictures of that! I was too busy trying to get on as many roller coasters as possible before the rain drove us away! Mom and I waiting for the guys to get off a ride that we refused to go on!
We had a wonderful trip to Pa and enjoyed spending a few days together away from the busyness of life!!!

2009-07-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...this past weekend, as most know, eight good friends traveled to Gettysburg to spend a lovely five days together!!!! We had a very memorable time together and are looking forward to our next adventure!!!! :) There are many pictures to post but my wonderful card reader decided that is wasn't going to work for me...go figure!!!! So I'm working on getting things fixed and I'll post pics as soon as I can...stay tuned!!!

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July and are having a good week~ :)

Try this out!!!!

2009-06-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

58 words

Speedtest

!!!!!!Calling all blogger friends!!!!!!

2009-06-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

As you can tell my blog has gone through some renovations!!!! I'm also trying to come up with a cute new blog title!!!! I'm not really into the normal stuff like, "Melissa's Blog or Melissa's Life" but something creative. Unfortunately I'm having a mental block right now and can't come up with a single thing. I would be very appreciative for any help.

Thanks so much everyone!!!! :)

Take me out to the ball game...

2009-06-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago me and a few of good friends went to see a Long Island Ducks game!!!! We had a lot of fun together. The best part to me was the wonderful baseball game food!!!! It was a great night!!!!

Abbey, em, and me
Ab and me :)
The field...excuse the man blocking some of the view

This Saturday I will be at this same field. But, I will be watching my brothers play their All Star Game!!! Such an exciting day for them, and me too!!! Any one is welcome to come, so if you would like the details just let me know. I'll be posting pics of that this weekend so stay tuned... :) Have a great day everyone!!!

The Atlantic...

2009-05-30T20:19:00.001-07:00

A day at the beach...

...and a lovely day at that!!!!

2009-05-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!!!!

Happy Birthday...

2009-05-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

...Mom!!!!!

Well hello everyone!!!!! Yes, are you surprised to hear from me????? Sorry it's been so long. Things have been crazy around here, and have left me with not much time for blogging. But, I thought it was high time to post something. Yesterday was my mom's birthday. We had such a wonderful day together with lots of fun times!!!!! We all love her very much, and are so blessed to have such a wonderful person in our lives. Even better, I have her as my mom. I love you!!!!!

Finally a recent picture of us... :)

Glad to be back...see you all soon!!!!!

Coming Soon...

2009-03-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if any of you have already heard about this; but, just in case I thought I would make the annoucement!!!

Sight and Sound will be presenting a new production in March 2010...

JOSEPH!!!!

I'm so excited...thought some of you might be as well!!!! :)

Time spent with Pappy Joe...

2009-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Please forgive my absence from blogging. Honestly, I've really just been pushing off the job of uploading all my pictures. Over the past couple of weeks, my great-grandfather (Pappy Joe) has been visiting us. We've enjoyed his presence so very much, I'm going to miss him!!! I thought I would post a few of the pics of our time with him. Enjoy!!!

We had a family get together and our night started with some Johnston rivalry...

...archery competition!!!

Yes, I did indeed get involved!!!

Then, after dinner, we made our first bonfire since summer and roasted marshmallows!!!

Just some family pics with our Pappy Joe!!!

My two Pappy's!!!
Our John boy...so cute!!!!
That's all for now...have a great evening!!! :)

2009-03-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

~~~~Happy Saint Patrick's Day~~~~

A Wonderful Surprise!!!

2009-03-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

My great grandfather, also known as Pappy Joe, is coming to New York for a visit!!! I couldn't be more excited!!!! I haven't seen him since last Spring and can't believe he is making the trip with my grandparents to see us. He is probably going to stay with us for two weeks; so, a lot of time to catch up and spend together! I love Pappy Joe so much and enjoy spending whatever time a can with him. Can't wait to see him tonight. :)

Pappy Joe and I last Spring!

Can't wait to introduce him to some of you!

Hockey...

2009-03-02T07:15:00.001-08:00

As I posted, Saturday night my Uncle mike took my dad, me, and his two boys to an Islander's game!!! We had a great time together. :) We shared a lot of great laughs...and I helped cheer their team to VICTORY!!! The Islanders won 2-0!!!

The practice
The opening
The boys and I
Thomas
Brendan
Me secretly taking a picture of my Rangers necklace....sssshhh!!!!
My cotton candy....oh sooooooo good!!!
Brendan enjoying his cotton candy
Thomas cheering
Thomas and his dad
Brendan and Uncle Jeff
Brendan and I
Uncle Mike and me
So excited that the Islanders were winning the game
The boys
The end of a great night...

A first...

2009-02-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm going to my first NHL game!!!! I'm so excited...even though it is an ISLANDER'S game!!! Surprisingly I will be cheering for them, because there is no way on earth that I want the Saber's to win. WHY??? They are in very close standing to my Ranger's!!!! Stay tuned for pictures...Have a great weekend!!!! :)

My latest undertaking...

2009-02-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

Today I registered to take an Italian culinary class. I'm sooooooo excited!!!! It's has been something I've wanted to do for a really long time; but, it just never seemed to work out. Well this time it finally did. SO, hopefully I'll be able to make some fine Italian cuisine after I'm finished.

Have a great week everyone!!!! :)

Thoughts for the weekend...

2009-02-21T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hello friends!!! Sorry my blog has been quite a bit boring. The idea of posting friendship banquet pics quickly came to a hault when I forgot my camera. :( Soooooo...life just seems to be going on as normal. But, tonight I'm going out with friends to try one of their favorite sushi places. Maybe I'll get some pics of that. Why has sushi been such a part of my cuisine lately? Very strange... :/ O well, I love sushi; that's probably why!!! I just got some new college classes in the mail over the weekend...I'm very excited to get started. I'm taking two classes right now, World History I, and Sunday School. Hopefully I'll do well...I'll have to post a pic of the size of my History book...it's HUGE!!! Well enough of my ranting. Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Your Friend,

Melissa~

2009-02-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Only 30 more days till Spring...

...and I can't wait!!!!

Thought I would leave you with this quote that I thought was just so cute.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."

A favorite...

2009-02-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

So I've been trying to come up with something to post about. It's just been one of those weeks that nothing really exciting has happened yet. But, that will change tomorrow with the Friendship Banquet at the church. :) I'm so looking forward to it, it's always a blast!!!

Anyway, about my post, a couple of weeks ago I took my brothers out to try Thai/Japanese/Chinese food for the first time. Well, Chinese is not new but the others are. They were a little curious; but, I absolutely love it. Anyways, Josh decided to try the Thai food and got Mango Chicken, Justin the child that he is got, GET READY, Beef and Broccoli, and I got SUSHI!!! I can't believe I admitted it; but, I LOVE sushi!!! If you've never tried it I would absolutely recommend you giving it a shot, you never know. ;) Well, thought I would promote this little place in Center Moriches called, Tony's!!! It's really good in my opinion. If you are inspired to try it out, let me know how you like it!!! Have a great day everyone!!!

Here we go again...

2009-02-07T09:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday my family decided to pack up and and head back to Alpine Mt. for another fun day of skiing. This time, however, was a little different. I decided to bring a good friend along, Abbey!!!! We had a great time, and Abbey was terrific!!! Here are some of the pics...

Abbey and I heading up the mountain for her first BIG trail!!!!

Josh and I
Ab and Justin...yes, he's being Justin
Mom and Dad
At the top
Getting ready to descend

Till next time... ;)

A thought on a snowy day...

2009-02-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, during one of our girl's Sunday school classes, the topic of the snowflake was brought up. We were discussing how unique each and every snowflake is. To think that not one snowflake is ever the same as the next; and right now we have inches of them falling all over New York!!! The snowflake is just another way that God continually shows us how much He cares about each and every aspect of creation. The point of the discussion was to make us think that if God has put that much thought into a snowflake, how much more does God care about each and every one of us. God has made each and every one of us differently. He has given each of us different talents and abilities. Not one person in the entire world is exactly the same as another. God has an individual plan for each and every life. Who would know that plan for us better than the One who created us to do it? This lesson encouraged me so much. It's easy to become discouraged when God's plan for your life is unclear; but, if I learned anything from that lesson it's this, I can trust God with my future no matter what!!!!!

I wanted to share an article that was shared with us at our lesson. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It shows some of the various types of snowflakes that have been studied. I'm still amazed at the beauty of such a small object.

***Bentley's Snowflakes***

What day is it...

2009-02-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

...it's Groundhog Day!!!!!

"Six more weeks of winter..."

Even on a cold winter's night...

2009-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

...I still love a good ol' Slurpee!!!!

Yes I'm very strange!!!!

:)

Our Skiing Adventure...

2009-01-26T16:12:00.001-08:00

On Thursday morning we left fairly early and started our journey to the Poconos!!!!
We arrived that afternoon for a wonderful day at...
Mom and Dad in the lodge...
My mom...
I was very thankful for my mittens...I had to take a pic of them!!!
Mom and Dad cheering us on!!!
The lift...
The skiers...hahaha!!!

Me and Dad...I can't even explain to you what a challenge it is to get down these stairs in ski boots...I almost fell many a time!!!
My skies...
Me on the lift...
Justin on the lift...
Scenery from up high on the lift!!!

Justin about to go down his first black-diamond trail!!! Woweeeee!!!
The Black-Diamond trail...
Josh and Ben!!!
On the ride home...you can tell what's going through our minds by the look on our faces..."I can't move, I'm stiff as a board..."

We are hoping to go back in a couple of weeks to do it all again...even my dad is looking forward to it!!!! We'll see what happens. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!!!

And...

2009-01-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

...Off we go...

I will see you all on Sunday with hopefully some great pics of our ski trip this weekend!!!! Have a great rest of your week and weekend!!!! See ya soon...

I thought this picture was too cute...if only there was two boys and a girl- it would have been perfect!!!

Creepy...

2009-01-19T07:53:00.001-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
346
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Bowling...

2009-01-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Abbey, Brooke, Justin, and I went out for an afternoon of bowling!!!! We had a great time together...here are some of the pictures!!!!

Me and Justin
Abbey and Brooke
Me and Ab
Me and Brooke
Me bowling!!
Me happy after getting a strike
Ab bowling
Brooke bowling
The lovely shoes... ;)

Picture Tag!!!!!

2009-01-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

I saw this on someone else's blog and I thought it was really a fun thing to do!!!!!

The rules:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store pictures on your computer.

2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag four people to do the same.

5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

This picture was taken about three years ago!!! This was the first time I got to see my Aunt Bridget's new little twins!!! This is our little Shawn boy, you would never guess that this little baby would turn out to be a blond hair, blue eyed little boy!!! What memories...

I tag:

Abbey "Abigail Charlotte's Web"

Alisha " At a Glance"

Alexis "Live, Laugh, Love"

Rebecca "My Adventures Through Tomorrow"

Thanks for participating!!!!

I know someone who enjoys the snow...

2009-01-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

...my little snow bunny!!! My little dog Mia absolutely loves to be out in the snow!!! She will not come in until she is perfectly ready!!! She is so wicked but so cute at the same time.

This is her- completely ignoring me as I call her in from the snow...
The little beast...about to run from me as I try to get her in!!!

Why do I love her so much?????

Game Night...

2009-01-08T08:53:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas break our family discovered some new games that have become some of our favorites!!! Justin got Bible Scattegories for Christmas and it is such a challenging game. You would think you could come up easily with answers; but, you really have to think!!! It's a really fun game.

Some of the categories...one of the easier lists!

Mom getting ready to start the timer!
Me, really into the game! :)
Josh really enthusiastic over getting a great answer!
Another game that we have been playing like crazy!!! An oldy but goody!!!!

My newest gadget...

2009-01-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

...The Rocket!!!!!!! I've been having the best time using this new little gadget of mine!!! I got him for Christmas and have been enjoying the pleasures of having a smoothie for breakfast, lunch, whenever I want one. This thing is so easy to use and you drink right from the cup that you blend it in. So, it's not messy at all!!!!!

I'm trying to come up with some new mixtures so if you have any favorites, please share!!!!

"The Rocket"
My ingredients...I know soy is not very good for you but, it was the only thing on hand at the moment!!!
MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!
I can't believe I'm posting this picture....but, my mom thought it was hilarious that you can't avoid getting it all over your top lip when drinking in this cup!!! I decided to use a straw!!!!! Hehehehe!!!!

Stay tuned for a new family favorite!!!!!!

My next adventure...

2009-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

...skiing!!!!! On January 22nd we will be leaving to go to the Poconos to ski!!!!! I'm so excited!!!! I am counting down the days till we leave!!!! Ever since my family went to Maine we have been dying to ski again. So, for Christmas this year, my grandparents bought us a weekend trip to do just that.

This is where we are going...

Welcome...

2009-01-01T08:16:00.001-08:00

...2009!!!!!!!!!!

Award...

2008-12-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

I got this award from Abbey at, "Abigail Charlotte's Web"!!!!!!

I would like to pass this award to....

1. Rebecca at "My Adventures Through Tomorrow"

2. Maritza at " One Day at a Time"

3. Mrs. R. at "Just a Thought"

The Rules for this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate Blogs that you think are super.
3. Let them know that you have given them this Uber Amazing Blog Award by commenting on their blog.
4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Christmas Pics...

2008-12-26T14:26:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of my Christmas...

Mia and Riley wishing Mr. Higgins and their other dog friends a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve pics...Leanne!!! Our princess...Cinderella, as she would say!

The twins, Leanne and Jeremy!
Our newest addition...Krista! She looks so funny in this pic, but she is so cute I had to post it.
And oh yes...this is Christmas morning, as you can already tell!!!! LOL!!!!
Groggy...but very happy to have received the Tales From Avonlea Trivia Game!

There is a story behind the next picture...This year my grandfather decided to give us all a few gifts from years past!!!! He wanted us to all enjoy some of the treasures that he has collected over the years. So, as you can see Steve go his pilot glasses and I got one of my paps hunting shirts. He thought I would enjoy it...hehehe!!!
Shawn...feeling very accomplished after putting together his new puzzle all by himself!
More puzzles...
Alex was a bit tired out...

The fun part of dessert...The CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!!!

We ran out of fruit and pretzels so we tried to come up with some alternatives...so we grabbed the lettuce...I did not try it!!!!!!

The end for now...

My brothers are on their Christmas break so I will have more pics to post of our adventures!!!! Stay tuned...

Wishing you...

2008-12-24T21:53:00.001-08:00

...a Merry Christmas!!! Hope you all have a wonderful day with your family and friends!!!! May this Christmas be one that you will never forget!!

Ornaments...

2008-12-18T10:53:00.001-08:00

You Are a Snowflake

You live for the winter - blizzards, cold nights, snowball fights! The holidays are just a bonus!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

What Does Wrapping Paper Say About You?

2008-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

You Are Considerate and Mature

You approach the holidays with responsibility and cooperation.

You'll do your part to make sure that everyone else has a happy holiday.

You aren't particularly picky or high maintenance during the holidays.

You're happy to be in the company of people you love, and you're willing to "go with the flow."

Of all the types, you are the most likely to give someone exactly what they want.

You're also the most likely to wrap all your presents well - to prevent peeking!

The Wrapping Paper Test

THE MAIN EVENT...

2008-12-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, last night our family finally got the chance to go out and get our tree. From previous experience this event always seems to to be the hardest decision of the year!!! As in years past, it is a known fact, we can never just go to one place and find the perfect tree; but it takes several stops to do the job. Which, I must include, is just fine with me, it's kinda fun to go on the search for a tree that fits our criteria. So speaking of criteria let me tell you ours. It must be very tall, not as tall as the Rockefeller Center tree, but close, very close!!!!! It also must be very full and wide. Wide enough that it becomes very difficult to pull through the netting machine. I'm sure you all know what that is!!! Well, this year it was very hard to find a tree in that range. The trees were either very tall and skinny or short and chubby. Which I find so adorable!!! But not for our house, maybe one day when I have an apartment with my best friend!!! hehehehe!! :) That's just our imagination going...I don't think we'll ever really want to leave home. Well back to the story, to say the least we were on the hunt. We went to several different places and were sorely disappointed; but, we were determined to find our tree. We finally stopped at this little nursery, and my brothers and I went running to the back of the lot thrilled with the fact that there were quite a lot of BIG trees!!! Actually way to wide for us that they actually looked oval, and not a Christmas tree shape at all. Well my brother Josh and I went over to a bunch a trees laying on the ground, we were still hopeful. :) Josh went to go pick up a few trees to look at and so did I...well, it just so happened that the tree I was about to pick up was supposed to be the bed of a tired little bird. Let's just say I almost had a heart attack when the bird, very annoyed, came flying out of the tree. Poor thing you might say...I say, my poor heart!!!! Well my tree wasn't the pick but, Josh was the finder of our very large, very wide, very perfect to us, Christmas tree!!!! We were all very thankful to have found our tree!!!

~Pictures during the search...

Too Small!
Still too short...getting there though!
Too BIG!
Our tree...

Just right!

Thanks for reading!!!!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

2008-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

...snow beautiful snow...

Barely able to see the snow...I went out two o'clock in the morning to get pics in case it was gone by morning!!!!
Still there in the morning...

I loved this picture of my doggies little feet...

So, as you can see, Long Island got it's first covering of snow. This beautiful event happened Saturday night and was sadly gone by Sunday afternoon. When I say gone, I mean gone. By after church there was no sign that it had even taken place. It was fun while it lasted and I can't wait for the BIG snowstorm. I'm really hoping we will get one. Because our snow here on Long Island doesn't stick around for very long, I just had to take some pictures, even if it meant going out at two o'clock in the morning to do it. Desperate times call for desperate measures as they say...

My House at Christmas Time...

2008-12-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Except for the wreath on the front door, My mom and I finished decorating the outside of the house today. Of course we pick the most bitter day of the Winter so far to do it. But, I think it turned out just like we wanted it to. The house looks so warm and inviting this time of year...I absolutely love it. Here are some of the better pics of our house.

"O there's no place like home for the holidays..."

Ode to an Artichoke ( Fire roasted, that is)

2008-12-06T21:42:00.000-08:00

It all started when Macy's sent me my bill in the mail. I simply went to pay my bill. But, my stomach was telling me not only to just pay my bill but to eat something as well. It was then, after waiting in two lines at Macy's, when my bill was finally paid, that I started my journey to the Cheesecake Factory. While my mom patiently waited for the hand held buzzer to go off, telling us that it was time to sit down and eat, my best friend and I went and bought some Christmas movies at Barnes and Noble. As we walked back to the Cheesecake Factory, in the bitter cold, our stomachs were a constant reminder that we hadn't eaten all day. It was a happy day when they called, "Cheryl, party of three!!!" We eagerly took our seats and hurried through the menu to find our choice of food. It wasn't long till the waiter came up to us and asked us what we wanted to drink and if we wanted an appetizer. It's always been a favorite of mine, chips and a spinach artichoke dip. In the rush of things (not to mention my stomach was screaming out, "Feed me!") I blurted out "We'll have the artichoke dip!!!!" The waiter nodded his head in agreement and walked away. As we sat and chatted about our purchases of the day, and enjoyed the brown bread, a woman from the kitchen came out with a tray. It had the most unusual green mounds on it. She came to the table and mentioned, "Did you order fire roasted artichokes?" FIRE ROASTED ARTICHOKES? WHAT? All I can think of is a fire breathing dragon in the kitchen who gets paid $10.00 an hour to use his fiery breath to roast artichokes. My mom looks up at the tray very bewildered, and asks a most perplexing question. "Is that what you ordered?" At this time, I'm staring at the green mounds on the tray. They looked as though they had just been picked from Mr. Mcgregor's garden, except they were a sickly green color that one would not expect from fresh produce. I looked over at Abbey, and her jaw was abnormally dropped to a very low position, as she replied, "Oh, Ok." My very hungry stomach was screaming out for something, anything. But, my taste buds were not allowing me to put that sickly green thing in my mouth. Don't get me wrong here, if any of you like fire roasted artichokes, I'm all for it. I don't mind them myself. It's just at this particular time, I needed spinach dip. The waiter felt very bad about the mistake (no, we did not get percentage off or anything free, believe me) and the situation was rectified in a few minutes, and we were happily enjoying our spinach dip. The night ended well, I found some good buys in the mall, and as we walked out of Macy's , with a Starbucks in hand, the very first snow of the season began to fall.

Tis the season...

2008-12-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

Today was the start of my very favorite part of the Christmas season...Christmas decorating!!! I absolutely love going through all the decorations; from the ones when I was little, to the newer additions to our collection. I can't wait to share with you some of my favorite ornaments once we get our tree up! This is no doubt my favorite time of the year. I am more than ready to let the season begin!!!!

Here are some pics of the decorating that I did today!! The pics are not great but they'll give you an idea.

These are some of my mom's favorite decorations!! I think they're so scary but...o well!!!

Not a decoration, but she was in the path of my picture taking so I thought I'd take a picture of her too!

That's all for now, stayed tuned for more!!! :)

Turkey Day is Coming...

2008-11-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!!! Hope you all have a wonderful day with your family and friends!!!!! Off to do lots of baking for the bake sale at our church tonight and for tomorrow. I'll be back on Friday with some great pics of Thanksgiving and our shopping extravaganza early Friday morning. See ya then... :)

Melissa~

Pleasures...

2008-11-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

My good friend Emily bought me this series for my birthday. I absolutely love these movies and thought I would share them with all of you. There are seven seasons in all and I am determined to collect them all. So, I have two down...five more to go!!!! :) Maybe I'll find another season or two wrapped for me under the Christmas tree this year. Yes, I'm very excited for the Christmas season to begin...hope you are all having a great week. I'm off to watch a few episodes of this great series!!

Goodnight~

Take this one too!!!!

2008-11-11T16:28:00.001-08:00

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Tell me what you are!!!!

Take this quiz...it's really fun!!!

2008-11-11T16:22:00.001-08:00

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Ordinary, comforting, and more than a little predictable

You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?
Tell me what you are!!!!!!

Justin...

2008-11-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Congrats Justin on a job well done!!!! I'm very proud of you!!!!

Our champion...

Challenge...

2008-11-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

I have to admit that I am not the best of readers! I would love if that were one of my strengths but it's not. I must clarify. It's not that I don't read, but, it takes a while for me to get through a book unless I am completely enthralled with the subject. I have found some topics that time and time again just seem to grab my attention. I absolutely love to read biographies. Such as the lives of John and Abigail Adams. I love books that inspire you to dream big, and accomplish the goals you have for yourself. It makes me feel like I can conquer the world! I also have many other interest but, thought I would just name a few of the big ones. Our Pastor's wife Mrs. G, which is the girl's Sunday school teacher, challenged us to really boost up on our reading. It was the perfect timing because I have been feeling so guilty for my lack of motivation to get through a good book. She brought in a bunch of great books and gave us permission to borrow whatever we wanted. I picked two books. I began reading one called, The Vanishing Word, and it is already fabulous. I have not been able to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great read. The other is called, 1776, which I can't wait to start reading. I thought I would ask for some suggestions as to any books that you might know of that you have enjoyed? I would appreciate any suggestions. :)

Thanks for reading!

Absolutely fabulous book~

Can't wait to read this one~

A special day...

2008-10-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Lisha!!!!!

I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day. I hope this year is the very best of years for you!!!!

xoxo,
Melissa~

Taste of Fall...

2008-10-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

Last night when I came home from work I attempted to make applesauce! The Capo's had gotten us a huge bag of apples and I was determined to use some for applesauce. I only made a small batch to try it out, and it turned out pretty yummy.

The apples...
peeled and cored...
ready to cook...
all smashed up...
then I added brown sugar and cinnamon to taste...
and here is the result...
I was very happy that it worked!!!!!

Next time a plan to make a big batch. Hopefully it will come out even better!!!

I'm back...

2008-10-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize from my very long absence from the blogger world. Our computer was down and had to be repaired. So, finally we got it all fixed and hooked back up. I've been gone so long and haven't been able to post any of my pictures from camp. I hope you will not mind seeing these old pics but I really wanted to post them. Enjoy!

This year it was so fun to have all my family to share camp with. Here's Chris, me, Josh, and, Justin!!!
Rachel, Michaela, and Silvia!
Megan, Rebecca, Abbey, and Emma!
Justin and Mark!
Stephan, Andrew, Josh, and Anthony!
Playing air hockey! My new favorite game!
Just a little excited I would say!
The girls!

The guys!

Our french braid pictures!

A beautiful morning view!
Me and Ab!
Andrew, Josh, and Thomas around the fire!
Clowning around...

The end~

There you have it! Our fabulous week at Camp Shiloh!

A new blog...

2008-09-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

My apologies to Megan!!! I have not been on the computer for so long and I just stumbled across a comment from my good friend Megan. She has started a blog and I have added her to my blog list!!! Check it out, it's great!!!!! Her blog is called Megan's Memories. :)

A quick hello...

2008-09-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! Please forgive my absence!!! At this point we have absolutely NO computer. It is down right not with a terrible virus!!!! Poor thing!!!! I was able to post this from my dad's laptop. Unfortunately I can't really use this computer all the time. So until we get our computer fixed you will probably not be hearing from me. I will be going away tomorrow anyway to Camp Shiloh. This will probably be my last year going so I will be sure to post LOTS of pictures as soon I can. Thanks for stopping by and I'll post hopefully very soon. Hope you are all doing well. See ya soon...

Melissa~

For my Dad...

2008-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you very much and am so thankful to God that He gave me you. Thank you for always meeting our families needs and putting us first in all that you do. I love spending time, just me and you, I have some of the best memories. Thank you for being so good...

All My Love,
Melissa~

For my friend Stephanie...

2008-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my sweet Stephanie! I love you very much. I am so thankful for our wonderful memories together, like the ones I have in these pictures! :) Hope you have a great day!

With Love,
Melissa~ xoxo

Josh's Birthday Pics!

2008-09-05T06:06:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was Josh's birthday, as you probably all already know from my post! Unfortunately I had to work until eight o'clock which meant that I was wasn't going to be able to enjoy his birthday dinner with him. But, when I got home, my mom had delicious shrimp scampi waiting for me. We sang and had his favorite sherbet cake. YUMMO!!!

Josh and his cake!
Blowing out the candles!
Josh, Mom, and Dad!
Josh, me, and Justin!
Justin got Josh a vest that he always wanted!
Also a great shirt!

Birthday Week...

2008-09-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy, Happy, 16th Birthday Josh!

I love you very much, and hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for making my life so much fun. My life would not be as wonderful without you...xoxo

~Please bare with me, this week is birthday week for my family and also for many friends of mine!! There will be lots of birthday posts! Hope you'll enjoy them!

Simply Loverly...

2008-08-27T06:51:00.001-07:00

Last night the sky was the most beautiful colors I've seen in a really long time!!!! I kept watching out our back doors to see the sky changing. The sky started out looking like cotton candy, all pink and blue, until it reached these stunning colors!!!!! I had to take some pictures, hope you enjoy them.

Start

End...

~Simply loverly...

Changes...

2008-08-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted pictures of my doggies!!!! Riley is still his cute self and Mia is getting fatter and LONGER than ever. They are too cute...

Riley just got a haircut...he is much cooler; as you can see he is pretty short!
Mia being her crazy self...she just got her first bath and she was nuts!!!
Mia and all her cuteness...yes she still has big ears!!! SSHHH!!!!!
Hope all of you who have asked how Mia is doing enjoyed the pictures!!! That last pictures makes me laugh! I thought it showed her personality well though.

Our Summer Vacation...

2008-08-19T14:26:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my family went up to Lancaster Pennsylvania!!! We had a wonderful time getting away from our everyday life. It was a well needed rest. While we were away we went to see Abraham and Sarah at the Sight and Sound Theater. I have to say that if you have never gone to see one of their productions, it is well worth the time. That evening our good friends Josh, Jen, and Madison met us up there to go to Hershey Park. We had a blast as you will see. The next day we went to the Shady Maple Farmer's Market, Kitchen Kettle Village, and a huge craft warehouse. We had a great time. Hope you enjoy the pictures!!!!

We will start the pictures with a very graceful picture of me attempting to catch a ground ball...
Justin...
Josh pitching...
Dad...very serious...
Me trying to be Melissa Mussina...
Josh's serious baseball face!!! :)
We played mini golf at the hotel, it was a lot of fun!!
Breakfast...you can tell we were tired!

Madison at Hershey...
The brave one...

Jen and Maddy!
More Maddy...
Me getting ready to ride the new roller coaster.... YIKES!!!
Yes, that is me way up there...
Dad and Justin coming off the ride...I love my dad's face!
Josh and Josh
Look closely and you can see that they had their hands out to the side the whole ride...

Log Flume...

Pals...
Talking with Uncle Jeff about all the rides she went on...
Brothers...
My family...
The whole gang...
Siblings...
I go to Kitchen Kettle Village just for the pickles...YUMMO!
Having fun...
Lunch time...
Mom stocking up at the Shady Maple Market...you never know when you'll need it!!!!!

The END!!!

Look who's seven...

2008-08-11T17:04:00.001-07:00

Happy 7th birthday Brendan!!!! I love you very much!!!!!!!

Melissa~

2008-08-11T16:46:00.001-07:00

We have been experiencing many lighting and thunderstorms here on Long Island. We have had tornado watches; but, fortunately we have not experienced one of them. My brother is a little disappointed because it's his dream to witness one in person. I doubt he would really enjoy it if we really had one. The weather has been crazy; but, I love the feeling of the fresh air after the storm has passed. Today we had a very rainy, wet day; but, this evenings weather is cool and absolutely refreshing!!! We have no need for air condition, that's a plus! I really do love a good thunderstorm, I find it actually relaxing. I've definitely got my fill of thunderstorms though and am so happy to wake up to a bright, beautiful summer day. I am so thankful to live here on Long Island especially in the summer time because we get to enjoy such beautiful summer days. This past weekend my mom, brother, and I went out east to pick peaches. They are absolutely delicious right now and I am so excited to make some peach desserts. If anyone has any good recipes for me I would love to hear from you. Just leave me a comment and I'll be sure to try as many as possible! Oh, only one more day and a wake up till our vacation. We are so busy doing all that getting ready for vacation stuff. We are all soooooo ready to get away! I'm sure it's going to be a long day tomorrow so I will probably not get to post any more before I go away. I think that's why I've been rambling on and on. So, I guess I'll talk to you all when I get back! Be sure to tune in for pictures! There will be plenty to share I'm sure of it. BYE!!

Melissa~

~Don't forget to leave me any favorite peach recipes that you might have!!! Thanks so much!!!! :)

Random pics of my summer...

2008-08-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

My summer days have been filled with...

...spending lots of time with Justin...
...LOTS of crabbing...
...days by the water...
...enjoying many blue skies...
...slurpees, to keep cool...
...and lots of fun with mom...

I know I need to get some pictures of my dad and brother Josh. They have been present at most of our outings yet I don't seem to get them in many pictures! Oh well! Next week my family will be going away for a short vacation. We all need a break from the daily grind. We are so thankful to get away! So you will have those pictures to see shortly. Other than that we have pretty much had peace and quiet around here. I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it since yes, SCHOOL, is not that far away!! Sorry for those of you who would rather have not heard that word. But, yes, it is on its way; believe it or not! :) Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone.

Melissa~

The horse show!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-03T10:22:00.001-07:00

I promised I would post some pictures of Justin's horse show!!! He did such a fantastic job and it was so fun to watch.

Justin and his horse Monster!!! LOL!!!!
The end of a long day...
Justin's ribbons! Hooray!
Justin's buddy Noah! He looked so cute in his polo shirt I just had to take a picture of him!

Great job Justin, I'm soooo proud of you!!!!! Love you!!!!!

Joys of teaching...

2008-08-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

The other night at piano lessons my student surprised me by bringing in a story that she had written this past year of school. She is always bringing me pictures, which now cover the walls of my very small lesson room and it was so sweet for her to share this story with me. I am reminded over and over again why I want to be a teacher so much. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

2008-08-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Stayed tuned for pictures from my brother's horse show today!!!! I'll be sure to get as many as I can! We'll have to see how he does... :D

Fun by the bay...

2008-07-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today my brother and I decided to go crabbing. On the way I decided to pick up my cousins Brendan and Thomas to join in on the fun! We had such a fun time and although it is still a little early we were pretty successful! Enjoy a few pictures...

Justin slowly pulling in the line
The first catch of the day...
Brendan was so happy because it came in on his line!
Thomas enjoying the fun!
Enjoying our slurpees...
Brendan...
Me enjoying my time be the water...
Relaxing...
Cousins...
The view

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer too!!!!!

Melissa~

Fun, Fun, Fun...

2008-07-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last night all the young people from the church got together for a night of fun!!! We had a blast being together, and having some great laughs. The night started with mini-golfing and then we went back to the church for turkey sloppy joe's and snacks. We also played some great games and just enjoyed each other's company! I'm so thankful for my wonderful group of friends! Enjoy a few pictures that were taken...

Me and Abbey getting ready to hit...we didn't take TOO MANY Mulligan's!!! Ha!
~My Lifetime Friend~
Me and Emma
Lisha and me

I wish I would have gotten more pictures but my camera has been giving me a lot of trouble lately. Thanks for stopping by...

Look Who Bloomed...

2008-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, my hibiscus bloomed today!!!!! HOORAY!!!! I'm so excited...anyone who knows me knows I can't wait to see my hibiscus bloom every year. There are hundreds of buds and two of them opened today. My bush is bigger than ever; the only thing is that the little green inch worms love to feast on the leaves. As you can see they been eaten a little bit, actually a lot. Oh well, we will have to spray all those little critters away!

Favorite Photos...

2008-07-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

So many people have been using Picasa to fix up their pictures. I thought I would give it a shot!! That did it I'm addicted now. Please excuse me posting pictures I'm sure you've already seen. I love this program! Tell me what you think...

Gettysburg Part-2

2008-07-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of the soldiers and battle field scenes. Hope you enjoy!!!!

Melissa~

2008-07-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

These are the same pictures as before; but, touched up a bit. A big thanks to Abbey for making them look so much better!!!

Gettysburg Part-1

2008-07-09T10:46:00.001-07:00

Rebecca and Lisa!
Ashley and me!
Getting ready to face the heat!
On the hayride!
Us...
Having fun...
Tired out...from the heat!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed these pictures, there will be more tomorrow!!! Come back for more...

Just Married...John and Sarah!

2008-07-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

John and Sarah!
Dad and Mom!
Gram and Pap!
Abbey and me!
Emily and Stephanie!
Alisha and me!
Russell, Luke, and Josh!
Abbey, Mrs. E, Mom, and me!
Luke's creation! (A spider)

Having fun...
Brother and sister!
Me, Josh, Mom, and Dad!

These are some of the pictures from the wedding. Stay tuned for pictures from my weekend at Gettysburg!

2008-06-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Fourth of July...Take a peek at this website!!!!! Enjoy...

Hello Everyone...

2008-06-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Just a little update about what has been going on in Melissa's world!!!! Well, this upcoming Fourth of July my friend is going to be getting married; so,I've been frantically trying to find something to wear. Yes, I guess waiting to the last minute is one of my biggest downfalls but, some how it always seems to work out just fine! Finally this past week I found a dress online and a good friend is going to fix it a little for me so it will fit the way I want it to. I'm so excited for the wedding; it is going to be such a blast. It's been a while since we've had a wedding around here, I LOVE them!!!! Also, this upcoming weekend I will be going to the Gettysburg Reenactment with some of my good friends. There will certainly be lots of stories and pictures from that when I get back next Monday!! I'm so excited, we will be dressing up and I haven't had the chance to do that in a LONG time. The weather here in Long Island has been just beautiful. Summer has definitely arrived and we've been enjoying some VERY HOT summer days. Along with that hot weather has come some pretty tremendous storms, which I personally love! I've been really busy finishing up the rest of my papers for school and will be coming to the end of my first year this week. I'm very excited, it's been a LONG couple of months! Well, that's about all that has been going on around here. I'll be sure to get lots of pics of the wedding and my trip and will post tons of pictures next week. But, until then I'm afraid blogging will have to take a break. I'll see you all next week... :)

Melissa~

Random pics of my weekend...

2008-06-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mike!

Our little Shawn!

Pictures of my brother Josh's game!

I had a really fun weekend. Not only was yesterday a wonderful Father's Day but, Saturday was my brother's All Star Game at Duck Stadium!!! We had such a fun time cheering him on. He played terrific and was given the trophy for M.V.P of his team.

Great job Josh!!!!

"MIA"

2008-06-07T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hope You Enjoyed This!

2008-06-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

Introducing...

Amelia but we'll call her "Mia"

Riley loves his new friend and she loves him...
Being sneaky!!!
Riley and all his cuteness
Tired out after playing in the yard with Riley!

I just bought her yesterday; she is about 9 weeks old and I just fell in love. She is a Corgi and is such a sweetheart. When she falls into a deep sleep she sleeps upside down!!! I think it runs in her bloodline because all her brothers and sisters did the same thing!!! :) I'll post a picture of it soon, it's really funny.

More of P.A.

2008-05-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy some more pictures of our trip to P.A. Thanks for looking...

Our street sign

My Nana Johnson's house!
For those of you who maybe thinking I misspelled Johnston let me tell you the story. My Grandma Johnston's maiden name was Johnson. So, when she married my Pap she only had to had a "t" to her name!!!!
Me and Emma
Me and my Aunt Gail!
All from Pappy Joe's yard.

Me and Ben at Uncle Ronnie's
Rory in the water drain!
Me on the swing-SCARY-!!!!!
JOSH
BRENDAN
"The Guys"
Uncle Mike
The boys trying to catch tadpoles!

Hope you enjoyed these!!!!

Take a Peek!

2008-05-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Found this on my friend Alisha's blog, thought it was really neat!!!! Hope you enjoy this too. :)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Midland
North Central
The West
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

P.A.

2008-05-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to post the last few days because our family had to go to P.A. because my great-grandmother passed away. It was a very sad time for our family; but, we enjoyed having the entire "Johnston Family" together for the firsts time in years!!!!! We enjoyed remembering all the fun times we've spent together and are hoping to plan a get together really soon. So, even though seeing each other under these circumstances was not the greatest, we had a wonderful time together!

My grandfather is smack in the middle of this picture and he his surrounded by his brothers and sisters.
My cousins Benjamin and Rory!
This is my cousin Tenly who I have not seen in at least ten years, it was so nice to see her again!!
This is my Nana Johnson's house when she was living in P.A. It was so special to drive by and see it now that she is living with us in N.Y!!!
My Great-Grandfather-"Pappy Joe"
My cousin Ryan brought me for a ride in his Mustang (The Cobra). What a blast!!!!
Yes, I love this car!!! Also, behind me is my Pappy Joe's house!

Tomorrow, as long as I have time, I will be posting pictures of my Pappy Joe's yard!!! I know I have told many of you about how well he takes care of his yard and about his huge garden. So, now you'll be able to see pictures. I will also post pictures of us at my Uncle Ronnie's house. We had such a fun time there!!! Stay tuned...

Happy Birthday To Mom!!!!!

2008-05-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my mom's birthday!!! We had a nice day together, and all chipped in to make her day as special as she is to us.

I woke up early to make my mom some blueberry muffins for breakfast

~Cake time~

Here Comes The Bride...

2008-05-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night was my dear friend Sarah's bridal shower. We had such a wonderful time sharing in on the excitement for the upcoming wedding in July! Hope you enjoy some of the pictures from the fun.

The presents...

The beautiful cake!

The favors

Best wishes to Sarah and John!!! I can't wait until the wedding!

Melissa~

:::update:::

2008-05-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

The egg never hatched; my brother broke it open and found absolutely nothing but the yoke! Oh well...

News Of The Week...

2008-05-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

I passed my road test...I'm now officially a New York licensed driver!

Look What We Found!

2008-04-21T14:40:00.001-07:00

A perfect little robins egg!!!!

My brother Justin is going to try to hatch it; he thinks it is going to work???!!!!! I think he just might be disappointed. He is going to keep it under his lizards lamp light!!! :)

Vacation Pictures Part-2

2008-04-15T07:13:00.001-07:00

Here are the long waited pictures! As most of you already know, I am not the most coordinated person in the world; but, surprisingly I really enjoyed every moment of skiing!! I miss it so much!!! We would love to go back next year for round two of our skiing extravaganza!! If you have never tried skiing before I would highly recommend that you try it out! I guarantee you will not regret it!!! Here are some of the pictures we took.

This is the place where my brothers got all their snow pants, ski gloves, my glasses etc.

This is a picture of our new friend Charlie. He would have sold us the whole store if he could of!

Where we stayed!

My Room

Brother's Room

The Loft

Parents Room

Mom and Dad

Place where we went skiing

SADDLEBACK MOUNTAIN!!!!!

Second day of skiing on SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN!!!!

Justin!

Josh!

Yes, it's me!!! LOL!!!!!

Josh and me!

Justin and Josh on the lift

Mom and Dad withstanding the cold...

Our skiing instructor

Hope you've enjoyed these pictures so far. I'll post some of the scenery and everyday pictures tomorrow!! I also have some really neat pictures of animal prints we took!!!! Stay tuned for more pics of Maine!

Vacation Pictures Part-1

2008-04-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered that we took over two hundred pictures on our vacation to Maine! We had such a great time and wanted to record every moment of it! I can't begin to describe the fun that we had on our trip, but; hopefully these pictures will capture some of the happiness that we experienced together. ENJOY!!!!

Justin and me on the ferry

BOSTON!

I took this picture for all my friends...

Josh trying to lead us to Mike's Pastry Shop

Us enjoying some warm drinks and yummy desserts on a cold rainy day.

Dinner at a favorite place!

For those of you who know me this picture will not come as a surprise; yes, we found pickles at a rest stop we took a break at.

There are plenty of more pictures to come; but, these pictures were of our day in Boston, and our ride to Maine! Tomorrows pictures will be of our first days in Maine!! Yes, these will be of our skiing adventure. STAY TUNED!!!!

2008-04-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

We're home!!!! We have finally arrived safe and sound back to Long Island. We are so happy to be home. The only thing that seems strange to us is that there is no snow in sight! We have become so accustomed to snow that the flowers blooming in our yard seem sooooo strange! It's nice to be experiencing Long Island weather again. Hopefully I'll be able to post the rest of our pics now that I'm home. Also, tomorrow my friend Lisa and I are presenting a children's piano recital so I'm sure there will be some great stories from that. But, for tonight I will say goodnight. I'm hoping to get some rest after the LONG ride home.

Melissa~

2008-04-09T13:54:00.001-07:00

The computer if being really funny today. I tried to post more pictures but they wouldn't upload. It is a little over 50 degrees today. Believe it or not there is still TONS of snow left. The nights here are still VERY cold, and windy!!!!! Monday we went skiing and believe it or not I got the hang of it and fell between only 5 to 10 times, closer to 10 I think!!!!! Abbey, you would love skiing here, Roseland Ranch is nothing close to the skiing here!!!! We'll have to come back and take you with us, you would love it. To top it off you don't have to use the tee-bar, you use the lifts!!! AMEN!!!! I miss you so much and can't wait to get back home!!! Tuesday I woke up to the most aches and pains I've experienced in a while. My arms hurt worse of all because I had to use my poles to pull myself up every time I fell!!!! Justin has learned to ski also and Josh is really good at snowboarding now!!! Josh was determined to conquer snowboarding and HE DID IT!!! (TEARS!!!) Today we took a walk through the woods where we are staying and we walked down to the frozen solid Rangely Lake!!!! It is still frozen about a foot and a half in depth!!!! I'll have some great pics of that as soon as I can get them up!!!! It is beautiful up here; but, Long Island still becons me to come home!!!!! We are exspecting a really bad rainstorm tonight, but you wouldn't believe that because the sun is shining to brightly today that the snow hurts your eyes!!!! Tomorrow we are going skiing again, hopefully I'll make it through the end of the day!!!! Friday we will be leaving with a long drive back home!!!!! I can't wait for the ferry ride it is my favorite part of the journey back home. Well I could rambol forever but I think that just about covers everything! In closing I can't wait to come back home and see all of you, until Sunday...BYE!!!!!

A Taste of Maine!!

2008-04-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Snow outside my bedroom window

The cabins...

The drive up to Maine was a snowy one!

Already to go skiing!

The next Alpine Ski Racer...

Even mom and I got ski glasses

Staying warm....

I'll see you all soon, but for now enjoy these pictures of some of the things we've been experiencing here in MAINE!!!! I'll try to post more pics tomorrow...

Off We GO...

2008-04-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Before I forgot, I wanted to say goodbye to all my blogger friends. You haven't heard from me much lately because I've been cramming to get all my school work up to date so that I wouldn't have to bring much work on vacation with me. We will be leaving in less that 24 hours to go to BOSTON(my favorite place ever) where we will spend Thursday night and Friday, and then we will be driving the rest of the way to Maine to spend the rest of our vacation until next Friday! We are so excited to be going away, and I'm extra excited because I get to spend a day in Boston. Any chance I get to go there brings me soooooooo much pleasure! I get to show my brothers my very favorite city because they have never been there before! As you can tell I'm very anxious! Be sure to check my blog next weekend, there will be PLENTY to share I'm sure of it! Until till then...

Melissa~

The Alumni Dinner!

2008-03-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all the students of LIBA for a wonderful Alumni Dinner this past weekend! I enjoyed myself so very much and can't wait until next year. What a fun night of delicious food, good laughs, and memories of schools days past! This is ALWAYS one of my favorite nights together. Great job everyone once again!

Because I haven't had time to post pictures of my own, take a look at "Cliff Notes" to see some great pics of the Alumni Dinner!

Hopefully my pictures will follow in the next few days, we are a little busy getting ready for our trip on Thursday! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

Maine...

2008-03-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

My family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our early spring vacation! We planned a trip to go way up northeast to Maine for a great week of fun. We will be staying in a beautiful cabin of our very own. We are leaving April 3rd and will return April 11th! We are sooooo excited because it has been a while since we stopped our busy schedule to take a break to spend some time together! And we all definitely need the REST! Just wondering if anyone has some suggestions as to some fun things that would be worth looking into when we go away?

A picture from the place that we are staying at!