Thanksgiving guests

Last week Mom and Dad drove up to MA to spend Thanksgiving with me, Seth, and a bunch of the Bud Coluzzi clan.  It is always fun to play hostess--it gives me an excuse to do fun things that I won't normally do!  We just had to be mindful of chilly temps, traffic, and periodic snow showers. 

Thanksgiving down by the Cape with Mom, Dad, Jean, and a bunch of Coluzzis!

After some Black Friday shopping I had to go in to the lab... and I put Mom to work!  Dr. Hayes said she looks like a natural :o)

On Saturday we went up to a traditional Swedish Yule Market in Hamilton.  We then spent the rest of the afternoon in nearby Arlington meeting with Dad's third cousin, Mark, and his wife, Germaine.  Dad hadn't seen Mark in 30 years but somehow remembered he lives in my area.  I am so happy to have some (distant) relatives who live nearby!  It will be exciting to meet their kids, my fourth cousins. 

For not being very closely related, they sure do share a remarkable likeness.

Our local Vietnamese restaurant (actually owned by a Thai family) was admittedly not too bad, though more expensive than what VN food should be.

On Mom and Dad's final day we paid a return visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  We were blown away by the stunning glass flowers. 

Another lost relative?

Quick trip to San Francisco

I had a really awesome time in Fresno and I wish I hadn't waited for so many years before returning.  When it came time for me to head home a delay in flights caused me to be re-routed to San Francisco with a 9 hour layover and eventual red-eye back to Boston.  I decided to make the most of my unexpected "bonus" excursion and took the train into the city for the evening.  BTW, I would have most certainly tried to take better pictures but my camera battery had been acting up ever since the wedding :o(

My first (and only) stop was Chinatown!  I would have liked to venture further but I had my suitcase to drag along.

Awesome bakeries.... *drool*

Down a dark, creepy alley was the first fortune cookie factory.  I remember this place from when I visited during a high school band trip.

City Lights Booksellers, a hangout for the beat generation.  I wish I had more time to linger!

 

 

So San Fran

A Fresno Wedding

Recently I flew out West to Fresno, CA, for my cousin, Darlene's wedding.  I hadn't been to Fresno in about 18 years and I was excited to see if it was how I remembered it.  I stayed with Eileen and ironically her house smelled just like how I remembered her family home smelling! 

Getting our nails done!  This was a first for me.

Lunch at the famous Casa Corona.  For years I have heard about this restaurant (both Eileen and Patrick had worked here) and I was so happy to finally pay it a visit!

Aunt Dee, Eileen, and me with family friends, Aaron and Denise

The great, cheap BBQ here made up for the sketchiness

Eileen's very cute dog, Jake, helping me stretch

Caelyn making breakfast

Eileen gave me a tour of Fresno State.  The campus was full of horses, almonds, and wine.

Bulldogs!

 

The old Donnelly house.  I remember that yard!

Wedding Eve dinner with the cousins!

What a beautiful venue for Darlene's wedding!

My well-dressed cousins :o)

Aunts and uncles!

Hello Olivia!

Caelyn and Uncle Dennis walking Darlene down the isle

 

My first Lutheran wedding was short and sweet

Congratulations Darlene and Francisco!

 

Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite days of the year, especially here in Massachusetts, where the festivities seem to be particularly acute. 

A beautiful day for an MDA meeting at Wright Lock Farm

 

 

A surprise batch of chicken of the woods!  Probably the best one, yet.

Friends from lab, carving their first pumpkins ever!

It took Alice 7 hours, but I'd say her first pumpkin was a huge success!

I can't think of a creepier setting than this one...

Halloween was on a Friday night and the only place to be was in Salem!  Alice, Seth and I lucked out with traffic, parking, and stumbling upon this really awesome historic street (from the 1700s) decorated for trick-or-treaters.

There were some big trick-or-treaters, too.  We had Alice knock on a few doors ;o)  This was her first time trick-or-treating and I was honored to take her :P

This house had old-school horror movies projected onto it.

Hard to see, but there is a giant pumpkin here.

Probably my favorite part of the evening was the free Energy Tunnel (aka Tunnel of Love). 

Whatever the tunnel was supposed to do must have worked--I felt great and wanted to go through it again and again!

~Happy Halloween~