------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ New England Dreamin' July 8, 2013
I know. The blog's late! The whirlwind of trips is finally over, and today was the earliest opportunity I had to finish it. All I can say is, as always, let the pictures do the talking! This entry is a real doozy, with about 120 photos of our trip to New England! And believe me, it could have been much longer! I should warn you now that I don't come on the scene till about a quarter of the way through (Melissa and the fam drove with Ma and Melanie and Marscel while I flew in about a week later), so you may just want to skip ahead. Nothing but cute pictures of my wife and kids and the Flynns and other people. Yeah. So don't say I didn't warn you (for those unfamiliar with my humor, I'm kidding).
Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by! We had more regular comments than Facebook comments last month! Not good! Change that this month, ok? Thanks!
The video blog will be posted tomorrow.
And lastly, my wife and I celebrated our 5th anniversary just a few days ago. Oh my, what wonderful unending wedding bliss has it been these years with my Meliss. You are the damsel of my dreams, the holder of my heart, and the lady of my lifetime. I love you.
And here
we go ...
----------------------------------------- Video Blog - June, 2013
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And ...
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For those who missed it, I filmed this while the family was gone. :-)
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All right, this picture was taken on the initial leg of the trip as Melissa and the fam (along with Ma and Melanie and Marscel) stopped by the Zeses. Not too exciting. Just Melanie holding up some skirt. There's an igloo at the bottom there too. Kinda neat.
Oh the joy of road trips!
A picture at some motel stop. Thanks for being a good bed buddy uncle to Willy, Marscel!
"Mom, I don't even know what the word means, but I think I'm feeling claustrophobic."
Hello, Linda O'Connell! One of their first stops was to see Melissa's babysitter (and her mother) of yesteryear. They make really incredible jewelry out of vintage spoons, and you can see them on Etsy at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/olivespoonstudio.
All the kids playing together.
They've arrived! Hello Auntie Amanda!
Apparently doing some random extraverted activity at probably 2 in the morning.
My, what a few years can do to teenagers! Way to hold off the zits, you guys.
A trip with the Flynns to Lexington and Concord! I was told it was a beautiful day, but also that there was a dark cloud that hung over much of their time together due to me not being there. At least that's what my wife told me. They sure did a great job of hiding their feelings.
Anna and the princess. Get ready for a lot more pictures of her.
Marian's our first thumb-sucker. It's so cute!
Longtime friends, Jeff and Wendy and Ma and Pa.
That's a very cool quote.
Marscel, that is like the creepiest look ever.
The area is just saturated with history.
I was gonna bypass this photo ... but you guys just looked too good together not to post it. Yes, Amanda, that is a compliment. You're welcome.
You should see all the old Thomas/Flynn pictures. They go waaay back.
The twins.
All right, it's the next day and they're visiting Great Grandpa Paul and Aunt Denise!
What a great picture. First time meeting their Great Grandpa Paul.
One more.
And one with Grandpa Pa.
She really is such a smiler.
"You've got yogurt on your shirt, Jeff. Whoop! GOTCHA!!!"
Time for a quick night-time visit to see Kathy and make some jewelry! Kathy is just an amazing jeweler, and has blessed the Thomas family with all kinds of precious treasures. Thank you!
That is slightly cute.
Now for a visit to see Grandma Connie (told you this trip was a whirlwind). Just a few weeks ago Grandma Connie was diagnosed with cancer, and has only been given a few months to live. We were so blessed that our trip just happened to coincide with the news, and were able to visit her on two occasions.
We love you, Grandma Connie. May the love of Jesus Christ fill your soul and spirit during this time.
Boys get circumcised, and girls get pierced ears (it's a Portuguese thing)! lol, what a sad picture, but she quickly got over it and now looks even more like a little princess.
Hark, I see the familiar silhouette of a Hollywood star, and I'm not talking about the guy on the right.
Brad Steele is back! And check out the sweet wheels he's driving!
Me and my girl(s) are ready to ride. I flew in on the following Tuesday and Pa was kind enough to rent us this sweet mustang convertible for our anniversary! Thank you, Pa!
Let's go for a joy ride!
And so ... the day after my arrival we left the boys with the Thomases and Melissa and I enjoyed a wonderful day and night together in Newport, Rhode Island, for our anniversary (Marian is still nursing, so she happily tagged along). Here we are by the beach enjoying some of the best fish and chips in the country (even Drew Barrymore agrees).
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Beautiful weather, beautiful flowers, and a beautiful lady.
Kind of morbid.
This is where Meliss and I had our first meal together after getting married! The Red Parrot will forever live in infamy.
lol, too true.
Same goes for the blog I suppose.
So thankful for pictures like these for my children to look back on 30 years from now. "See, Marian, your daddy was once young and strong!"
"... and your mother once young and pretty. Now she's just pretty." :-)
The church where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Onassis were married. Sorry, my mind at the time was sorta wandering to thoughts of assassinated presidents.
Living the dream with ice cream!
We cruised along the coast looking at gorgeous mansions. I think I'll take this one.
We stop for a quick photo afront the beautiful sunset.
I'll take that fountain too.
Oh and I'll take this one for a summer home.
Taking a quick dip back at our hotel. What a wonderful memory (and escape from the social whirlwind)!
It's the next day and we're all dressed up in 50s outfits! Melissa sewed all of those outfits. Yeah. Renaissance woman par excellence.
Lookin' good, Locksley.
Another beautiful day in Newport.
Keeping those hats on the boys was like keeping a cat on a hot tin roof.
Apparently Melanie has gained some weight.
Forget this! Let's do the real thing! (forgot to mention, the boys flew in the previous day!)
Philip needs to grow a bigger head before this can work.
Snapped this as Melissa was crossing the street holding Marian.
Too cute not to make a vintage magazine out of it.
Good day, Philly!
You really can't get much more picturesque than this. Thank you, Lord, for friends and family to enjoy such beauty with.
Three amigos reunite.
Kind of an intimidating look there, Melanie.
Ma and Pa enjoying each others' company.
One more group shot together. My wife seems to have only one leg.
Time to paint the town red!
I try not to walk too close to the boys. They make me look bad.
Four Brain Types represented, each with their classic smiles.
Ice cream!
Off we go again!
William was enthralled with the "Invertible."
We meet up again with the Flynns at the beach! Hi Matthew Miller! So glad you could join us!
Close enough.
By the time we returned the car I think its resale value dropped 50%.
Flying with the Flynns!
Mandy and Meliss.
Melanie and Katherine.
Aidan's no longer little Macaulay Culkin.
Some ultimate frisbee.
So great seeing you again, Jeff. Love you guys.
Just staring at my girl in the moonlight on our way home.
This was our second visit (my first) to see Grandma Connie.
Melissa shares some parting words with her grandmother.
Grandma Connie's house. Many, many memories here.
This is an apparatus that has a long story behind it. Won't go there.
And now for the reason we came! Well, we came for many reasons, but the primary one was to attend the wedding of Stepanie Mellow and John Harris!
Helping decorate. I pretend I know what I'm doing while stealing glances at Samuel Barton's work.
Decorating with Mary Harris.
Leave it to a "J" to iron the banners.
Rehearsing.
"Remember not to be nervous, Steph.
This will just be the biggest day of your life."
Marian meets Connie Mello, Stephanie's mother. Mrs. Mello is also suffering from cancer, and we would greatly appreciate all your prayers for her healing. She is such a dear woman.
Precious.
Enjoying every moment together.
The boys adore her.
Good friends. Josh and John Lueken with Alina Maira.
This is just a random picture of our last ride in the mustang. Marscel and I drove through Providence at night together on the way back to our hotel with 40s music blaring and a bright moon in the sky. We officially named it, "The best night ever."
It's the next morning! Wedding day!
A little conversation before the bride arrives.
And here she comes! Don't trip!
Matthew walks Connie Mello down the aisle.
A beautiful ceremony.
I remember doing that ... and still doing that.
Whoever took the photos missed the kiss! Don't blame me! Anyway, off they go!
Outside now and we have Jeff enjoying a Philly sandwich.
More togetherness (I'm getting desperate on the comments).
Radiance.
And thus begins their new life together!
They didn't even wave.
Brad attempts to privately take his kids to the park. Paparazzi finds them.
Brad and ... umm ... Joey.
We're at the park for photos, just to let you know. Here we have the entire wedding party.
And the Niednagel family again!
And the girls.
I love this picture.
"Hey kids, this is your father speaking. Would you like to ride the carousel? I thought so!"
Uncle Marscel, sporting my patented snob smile, tags along.
As does Aunt Melanie.
Marian thoroughly enjoyed herself.
At the reception, enjoying their first dance together.
Back at the Flynns before departing. Thanks for watching the kids, Aidan! Philip really enjoyed you. :-)
And one last random picture of Melissa and William swimming. lol, look at his face. Good times!
Oh my goodness! I'm exhausted! If you've made it this far be sure to drop a comment! Thanks for joining us on our whirlwind trip to New England! Lord bless you!
