Australia Bound

Well, it finally came.  The day we planned for a year and a half finally arrived.  Last Thursday Logan began his long awaited trip to Australia and New Zealand.  For the longest time it seemed like it took forever for this day to come and all of a sudden it was upon us.

We were all excited about this trip.  Jim and I are happy we were able to give him this opportunity but I must admit I was very nervous too.  I'm still nervous but I'm dealing with it.

I'm expecting him to bring me home fabulous pictures so I made sure to take pictures of him leading up to departure to add to my Project Life album.

Here he is unloading his luggage from my car at JFK.

We were the first to arrive at the airport.  We waited about a half hour and then others started showing up.  The knot in my stomach was growing as the time for him to leave drew nearer.  

He's checking in here.  The suitcase I packed for him was 31 pounds which was well under the 44 lb weight limit.  He'll have some room for souvenirs on the return trip.

Once everyone was checked in, they started to move towards security.  I stopped them and asked if they would pose for a group shot.  I heard someone moan, "already?" and then everyone laughed.   It was funny because they knew they'd be group shot posing for the next 2 wks.  None of the other parents there had said anything but once I did, the other parents all lined up to take their own pictures of the group.

There are only 14 traveling from Logan's school but they will meet up with 2 other groups along the way. 

Once we'd all taken our pictures, it was time to say goodbye.  Logan came to me and hugged me.  I had trouble letting go of him but I did with tears in my eyes.  He hugged me again and then Jim and I left him as I had to go back to work.

I still can't believe my son is on the other side of the planet now.  I hope he has an incredible adventure.  I can't wait to see him and hear all about his trip.

Flea Marketing

Hello, friends.

I'm not a frequent visitor to flea markets but last weekend we went to one with Leo and Andi.  This huge flea market takes place a number of times during the year on an airfield in Stormville, New York.  It's about an hour and a half north of me so it's not too far.  Due to the large crowd it draws, Leo suggested we get there early.  So, we got up very early at 5:15 am and were out the door by 6 am.  We picked up Caterina and then continued upstate.  We broke up the drive by meeting Andi and Leo at their house about an hour north and then we followed them to Stormville.

The flea market is divided into sections and it even has a food court.  One can find almost anything  as there are vendors selling a variety of things.  We saw booths selling all sorts of things like antiques, furniture, socks, clothing, leather goods including bikers' gear, coffee, bird feeders, lawn ornaments, plants and veggies, incense, hair care products, kitchen supplies and lots of other stuff.  There was even a guy selling insect eating pitcher plants.

It was chilly but sunny day.  There was a good breeze too which warranted jackets.  I even wore a pair of knit gloves but it felt good to be outside walking around.

Here are Andi and Leo.   They were kind to bring bagels and juice for breakfast which we enjoyed once we got there.

I had Jim stand on the picnic table bench and take a few shots in either direction.  This was taken around 9 am so there weren't too many people there yet.  When we left it was packed and the car line to get in the entrance was backed up for miles in both directions.   It was a good thing we listened to Leo and got there early. 

This was the view to the left of where we sat to eat breakfast.

The vehicles you see belong to the vendors.

My mother-in-law and her boyfriend were vendors, too.  He makes wooden lawn ornaments and other cute things.  Thank goodness I had their spot number which made it easier to find them.

  Here are Logan, Jim and Caterina.

I bought a few things that day.  I found a vendor selling trimmings for a dollar so I bought some cute little fabric flowers and embellies that I can scrap or even use in my Project Life layouts.  I also bought some ribbon.  My favorite find of the day was a pretty blue bird feeder that now hangs from a shepherd's hook outside my house. 

After we left the flea market, we went back to their house where we had a great lunch.  After Leo did the fish rubbing that I mentioned in the previous blog post, he, Jim and the kids went fishing while Andi and I enjoyed some girl time.

When we finally got home that evening, I saw a couple of flies buzzing around my trash cans.  I made the joke that we should have bought that pitcher plant. 

It was a long day but as always, whenever we are with Leo and Andi, we have a great time.

Thanks for reading.  Here's hoping you find some bargains of your own.