more from the burgh . . .

If anyone is not from upstate NY but reads my comments that my very dedicated, sweet blog readers leave me to help me feel important, you'll know we all call Plattsburgh, my hometown, "the Burgh." Obviously, this is short for "Plattsburgh." This is where it all goes down, my friends. I have to say, I have no interest in moving back to Plattsburgh . . . the Adirondacks, yes. A town an hour from my parents' homes so we can have Sunday dinners? Yes. Any old shack on the lake? Yes. But the memories are alive and kickin', and there were some I want the girls to have more than anything. Everytime we go "home," I want to be sure they spend time at camp, splash in the lake, build sandcastles, skip rocks, sit on an inner tube on the dock :), and just live the good life. Not that we don't have that here in Montana, because we do . . . we just don't know anybody who owns it :) We're working on it.

Let's start with Ava's haircut. This was the second haircut of her life. I'm sure you've all secretly been judging me for not cutting it all this time (Mom) but what the hell can I DO with this head of hair?? Anyway, my Aunt Carol (owner of the fabulous house on the lake) always gave us haircuts growing up, so it was very important she continue the tradition with Brownielocks.



Ava was very grateful.



Aunt Carol and Uncle Tony grow the most beautiful veggies in their garden, and I've been wanting to shoot more random stuff for myself so here are a few shots from around:



Do you EVER get to see carrots like this anymore? Wished I had caught this photo before they were cut, but still . . .



We headed down to the lake to do some serious sand-throwing:





Step 1: Grab the sand.



Step 2: Survey and fist up.



Step 3: Throw it like you mean it!



Step 4: Get sand in every possible crack of your itty bitty ass.



And you haven't been to Lake Champlain if you haven't peed in the lake!



These are the darling cabins my aunt and uncle have on their property that they rent out to vacationers, fishermen, etc. I've slept in each one a thousand times! The ones on each end are single, one-bedrooms, and the one in the middle is a two-bedroom. They are clean as a whistle, in tip-top shape, and you can't afford to NOT go there, so go, go, go!



Good times were had by all on the dock. Even that red-headed child. What's up with that? No clue where a color like that comes from . . . from a distance, she definitely looks like a red-head, and in some photos. But up close, she's fair, she's blonde, a little bit of brown in there . . . is there something someone in the family wants to tell me???? ;)



This post is getting long, so I thought I'd move on to more depressing things. After my aunt's funeral, we gathered at my mom's house for michigans (don't ask - I've gained 10 pounds), french fries and alcohol. Here is my super cute mom with my super cute Uncle Kenny:



And this is Uncle Kenny's adorable wife, my Aunt Mary Anne.



And this is my very sweet Aunt Jyl and Uncle Jay - Jay is actually my stepdad's brother, so we're not blood-related, but these two are the best of friends with my mom and Gary, and Jyl is definitely one of her very best friends. They came all the way from New Hampshire just for the funeral. And, they're a RIOT to be around so we enjoyed their company for every second. Aren't they cute? Jyl actually went to high school with Adam Sandler, and she was good friends with supermodel Carol Alt back in the day. Yeah. I got connections.



Whew. I need to go to bed, party people. I've had a very exciting day . . . the business is taking off, as they say, and my clients are just so wonderful I don't even know how I got so lucky. Sweet dreams, everyone!