Family, Faeries and the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans. Heck, it is still the 4th of July no matter what country you're in, so I hope you're doing something fun today even if it isn't a holiday.

I'll confess--I'm not doing anything to celebrate. Mostly, I'm just trying to catch up on the things that got away from me [yes, garden, I'm looking at you] while I was out of town visiting with my sisters and their families Thursday thru Saturday, then gone all day at the NY Faerie Festival with Robin, 5 yo Sophie, 4 yo Nate, and our pal Ellen. Also, I'm draining my long-suffering waterbed (which has a number of patches from run-ins with Magic the Cat over the years) to make room for the new mattress that is being delivered tomorrow...from SALEM, of all places. More about that later...

To keep y'all amused while we're waiting for the bed to empty out, here are some pics from my adventures.

This is my gorgeous family: Stamo, my sister Becky, Athena (from CA) and Brianna, my sister Sarah, Addy, and Rich (from Schenectady). Good looking bunch, eh?

On Friday night, we surprised Sarah with a cake for her [important number deleted] th birthday. It was really a surprise, because her birthday (a big one...you know, like 30 or 40, only more so) isn't until September. But since we were all together now, we decided to celebrate early. We went to a fabulous restaurant that Rich does caricatures at every week, so the owner was happy to play along, and let him drop off a cake earlier in the day. FUN! And hey, she's still younger than me.

The only downside of being with my family is that I always feel blue for a few days after leaving them. We live too far apart, and don't get to see each other nearly often enough. But the day out at the Faerie Festival was a great distraction. Sophia and Nate were as adorable as always, and I love spending time with them and their mom (and pal Ellen). More Faerie Fest pics later, probably. It was very cool.

My family-by-choice is as gorgeous as my family-by-birth. How lucky am I???

All in all, a lovely four days...although I am definitely ready for a vacation to recover from my vacation. Or I could weed my garden and drain my waterbed :-)

What are you all doing for the 4th? Something fun, I hope!

Family and Faerie Festivals

Lots of fun stuff happening this week! (Which means I won't be getting any writing done for the next few days, but that's okay, because sometimes you have to...you know...LIVE.)

The best thing is that my kid sister Becky (and by kid, I mean that she is younger by four years, and cuter by leaps and bounds) is coming out from San Diego with my nephew Stamo (15) and niece Athena (17). We're all meeting up in Schenectady, where we grew up, and where my other (middle) sister Sarah lives with her hubby--the ubertalented Rich--and my fantbulous nieces Addy and Bri, both of whom just finished their first year in college. We'll spend some time there, and some time here, and lots of time just hanging out and reconnecting. Probably playing multiple games of Apples to Apples, sitting by the BBQ, and just enjoying the rare opportunity to be together. [The last time we were all together was a year ago last Feb when our beloved grandmother died. This should be a slightly cheerier visit!]

Sarah, me, Becky. Aren't we a good-looking bunch?

The gorgeous Athena, Uncle Rich, and Stamo (that handsome devil). Stamo and Rich will probably take their shared love of baseball to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown at some point, while the rest of us go to my shop in Oneonta or hang around my house.

Depending on how the schedule works out, I am hoping to also make it (with or without Becky and the kids) to the New York Faerie Festival up near Binghamton. I didn't get a chance to go last year, because I was in NYC at a conference, and it is a blast. The theoretical plan is for me and pal Ellen to drive up and meet Robin and the kids (who live 5 minutes from the FF) and spend the say together. There is music, all sorts of revelry, and I believe...jousting. http://nyfaeriefest.com/ I highly recommend it, if you live anywhere nearby.

This is probably as close as I'm coming to a vacation this year, so I intend to enjoy it as much as I can. I might even (gasp!) relax. After all, the writing and everything else will still be waiting for me when I get back.

Are you going to get together with family this summer? Go to a particularly interesting event? Share, please--I'd love to know!