A little taste of home

As luck would have it Brian finally saved up enough vacation time to take a few days off...just in time to make it to a close friends wedding! This trip had us going back to New York to watch Karen and Iain tie the knot. Back across the pond we flew! We had a pretty full itinerary and rest was not on the agenda. Our first stop; dinner in Rochester with some of Brian's college friends. Or so we thought. A combination of weather and Continental Airlines found us delayed in New Jersey and running to the rental car companies to make a late night drive from New Jersey to Syracuse. Dinner was not in the cards. Fortunately, Brian's sister was gracious enough to meet us at the airport to return the car and give us a bed to crash in for a few hours. First thing Saturday morning we were back out the door racing to Buffalo to get to the wedding!

Alas we made it. It was a gorgeous day, the wedding was beautiful, the bride looked amazing in her dress, and we finally got to meet up with some of my closest friends. Not to mention we got to eat authentic Buffalo wings, drink Labbatt's Blue, dance and of course eat more food! It was a great time in Buffalo! There is something about hanging out with good friends that makes all your troubles worth it!

Since we missed some friends in Rochester on the way to Buffalo, we met up with them for lunch on the way back to Boonville. Again we had good company and good food. Then it was on to Boonville for a good ole' fashion family BBQ for Father's Day. It was YUMMY! Kabobs, steak, chicken, fruit, potatoes mmmm mmmmm good! The eating continued into the next day which was Brian's brother Geoff's Birthday. What a perfect occasion to spend some time at the lake! Another beautiful day in NY with family and friends! (below is Brian and his best bud, the illustrious Kevin Coe)

The next couple days we visited my grandparents and caught up on the happenings around town in the North Country. No trip to Hermon is complete without a ride thru the trails on Grandpa's buggy...we even spotted a couple of deer!

The end of the week found us up in the Adirondacks, camping at Cranberry Lake. Of course, if you let Mother Nature in on your plans, she's going to rain on your parade! We tried to wait out the rain but it was very persistent. In between showers we did all we could to get in a hike up Bear Mountain, kayak around the lake calling for loons, paddle the canoe out for some sparkler fun, and hang out around the campfire making smores and Jiffy Pop! Mother Nature can't stop the Mihalko family! We made it back to Boonville with a little time to hang out at Boonville's local watering hole, the Hulbert House. Good times were had by all!

The next day we got lunch with an old friend and her beautiful kids before we were off to Syracuse. We enjoyed the warm summer night out to dinner on the river with Casey and Mackenzie, and retired back to the Ostrander's...just weeks before baby Amelia came into the world. At the time we were there the happy couple was ready and simply waiting for the baby! Unfortunately we couldn't stay and wait with them, so we reluctantly made our way back to the airport to catch our plane.

All in all it was quick but it was great seeing everyone!! Thank you for having us!