A Weekend Away

On Thursday, July 2, just before I was to leave for work, Ryan asked me if I had any plans for the evening. Since I didn't he said he had a surprise for me....he asked me if I wanted to know right then or if I wanted to wait and let it be a real surprise. I chose the surprise option. But, since he was so excited about it, he told me right then!

He had made arrangements for Leah to stay at his sister, Claudia's, house overnight. Aunt Claudia, Uncle Greg and "Grandma Clare (Greg's Mother) live in Java, NY on an amazing plots of more than 50 acres. The grounds are gorgeous and the landscaping is breathtaking. Claudia has a VERY green thumb. There is also a large pond filled with about a bazillion baby frogs in the spring and large goldfish in the summer. The two other residents of the home are Charlie, a border collie, and Lily, an adorable mixed breed. In short, Aunt Claudia's house is a whole lot of fun and pretty much a huge playground for Leah.

So, after I got out of work on Thursday, Ryan and I headed to Erie, PA ( a little over an hours drive from Buffalo). All we knew for sure was that we wanted to pick up some fireworks. So, at the first sign on the thruway, we exited and bought about $40 worth of fireworks. After that, since we didn't have to be home anytime soon, we went to dinner at a place called "Quaker Steak and Lube". We had some delicious dinners and Ryan opted to try the "Suicide" hot sauce which requires that you sign an insurance release form!

After dinner, we found a Red Roof hotel and rented a room for the night. Once settled in to the room, we drove a few miles down the street to the Presque Isle Casino. We played a few slots but gave up when it became clear that we were not going to win!!!

The next morning, we drove back to hamburg. At about 4:30pm we headed out to the Animal Hospital where I volunteer...just the 2 of us. As is usually the case, the hospital was hopping and Ryan jumped in to help out. One of our first tasks was to hold onto the animals that needed to be given medication. The first was a pigeon with a broken wing. He was a beautiful little guy with these impossibly white feathers that were as soft as silk. That treatment went very smoothly. The next patient was a gosling also with a leg problem. I took him out of the cage and positioned him (did you know that goose feet are REALLY sharp?) so that the other volunteer could give the meds. The first was a liquid that went down pretty smoothly. The next was a pill that required me to hold on a little tighter. Just as the pill was about to be put into his mouth, he shot out some nasty green poo that landed in three evenly spaced splotches on Ryan's shirt, shorts, and sneaker. We all had quite a laugh at that.

After that, Ryan watched me feed some baby birds and even got real friendly with a blue jay! After the evening was over, I asked Ryan what he thought about it. He was shocked at how much work had to be done and just couldn't believe it was all handled by volunteers. I asked him if he had to describe volunteering there in one word. He said it was "daring"! I agree!

Then we stopped at one of our favorite places, a great mexican restaurant in East Aurora. We sat at the bar, had a few drinks, and marveled at how different it was to be out without Leah. We both realized that our stress levels were considerably lower. We love Leah more than anything and it took her being away to realize just how much time and energy we put into taking care of her. Even when she is asleep, we are both still on alert...It was so very nice to have some time alone and worry free.

The next morning, we drove to Claudia's house to pick Leah up. After that, we decided to check out the Sardinia Fireman's Carnival. It was a pretty rinky-dink set up but Leah thoroughly enjoyed the rides. Well, not all the rides! A few hours after that we returned to Claudia's to pick up Rusty and then headed home. We stopped at a couple of vegetable stands and really enjoyed driving around on a beautiful day. On our way home, we ended up getting a last minute invite for a get together at Ryan's brother's house so we went there next. This is another house that might as well be a giant playground! Just down the street there are 4horses...she loves animals so we visited them a few times!

After that, we went back home and set up our chairs in the driveway for the fireworks! Our neighborhood seems to have an amazing amount of houses that set off their own fireworks, so between the locals and the "professional" shows happening all around, we had an amazing night. Leah loved each and every one and kept saying, "Mama, do another one!!". By the time we got back into the house, it was almost 11pm. Leah walked inside, picked up her blanket, laid down and was asleep before her head hit the pillow! Nothing like a long, full, summer day to tire you out!

It was a wonderful weekend! I had no idea how much I missed spending time with my husband!