And...They're Off!

We leave tomorrow for sunny Vieques in Puerto Rico, and needless to say, we're a little excited. We've been digging shorts and t-shirts out of closets and debating the merits of wearing flip flops to dinner. There's supposed to be a little rain while we're there, but the temperature isn't supposed to dip below 70, even at night, so we'll take it. We'll miss the cold and slush of Burlington, but we'll do our best to get by. Here's a beach scene for your pleasure. Merry Christmas!!

A Teacher's Life

Thought I'd share some photos of Shannon with her latest Kindergarten conquest: The foam gingerbread house. Ah, the life of a teacher.

Let The Baby Gifts Begin!

Here's a picture of our very first baby gift. Shannon received it as a Secret Santa present at work. So if you're thinking of a Santa bib, keep your wallets in your pockets because we're all covered.

Thanksgiving in Oneonta

I spent Thanksgiving in Oneonta with my Mom, Doug, Daniel, Sean, and Nati, the Hungarian exchange student who's staying with the family through February. Of course, Stella tagged along and reeked havoc upon the tranquil middle age of her cousins, Penny and China, a Cairn Terrier and Pug respectively. We had a wonderful time and ate too much, as good Americans should. Here's some pictures. Hope yours was happy.

Act I: Nausea

Shannon's doing great with the pregnancy (11 weeks!!), but most days is knee deep in morning sickness, known to those of us in the business as "all day sickness". It must have been a great optimist who named it the former. We go to the doctor for our 2nd appointment next week--keep you all posted.

Pregnant!!

Most of you already know by now, but if you haven't heard, Shannon and I are expecting a baby due June 12, 2008! We're amazingly excited and seeing the heart beat for the first time was a moment we'll never forget. Talk about goosebumps. Keep you all posted. Thanks for all your good wishes so far.

Go Colts!

When the Patriots play any team but the Colts, they have my full support (not that they need my help this season), but in this Sunday's marquee match-up between the two undefeated NFL powerhouses, to assay any confusion, I'm still a Hoosier at heart.

Home Ownership Strikes Again!

Had a heating and cooling guy out to the house today to take a look at our defunct gas space heater in the attic, figuring it was nothing big...a fuse perhaps. Nope. It's fried. Winter is on the way and decent new heaters, last I checked, don't grow on trees, at least not in Vermont. I keep going back to a conversation I had with my Dad before Shannon and I bought the house when he warned me that owning a house would entail more and cost more than we could ever imagine. Now, my Dad's a smart guy and I'm sure he knew that for his advice really to sink in we would have to experience it firsthand, but I thank him for trying. That's not to say we would have done anything differently or not bought the house, but it's funny what you remember and how some advice, now matter how relevant, just takes time to make sense.

Killing Time Before Dinner

Here's some fun shots from a recent photo shoot conducted on the ol' laptop while we waited for dinner to be ready. Enjoy!



And, of course, a couple with the "widening" effect on the camera

happy we could help

We had Maegen and Jay and our friends Peter and Laura over for some homemade spaghetti and meatballs and Red Sox baseball last night and are happy to report, thanks to our hearty spirits and the deliciousness achieved in the kitchen at 176 North Avenue, the Sox were victorious. Happy we could help the cause.

The garden at 176 North Ave fights back!

Our garden surprised us this week with a final batch of delicious heirloom tomatoes. Stella helped us investigate the situation.

Christmas in Paradise

We booked our trip yesterday and for Christmas we'll be on Vieques Island, seven miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. We're going to miss being with Benjamin's family in Oneonta, who we normally spend Christmas with, but we figure change is good and what better place than on a sunny beach in the Caribbean with cool drinks in our hands and a soft breeze on our backs? Initially, we talked of Paris or a European getaway, but in the end couldn't resist a haitus from the Northeast in December, which if we remember correctly, can be a little frigid. We're staying at the Hix Island House in Vieques and the loft we rented is 1,200 square feet!

Here's some shots of our loft:




Here's some beach shots from Vieques--Just imagine us in the distance under a beach umbrella

Welcome to our blog

Friday-10.5.06

Greetings friends and family...inspired by Jay and Maegen's recent creation of their blog "The Curleys," Shannon and I have decided to start a blog to keep our out of town friends and family up to date on what's happening with us here in Burlington. Pardon the "punny" name, but we couldn't resist. Enjoy...and please bear with us as we learn how to use this new toy!