Monday, September 5, 2011

Off to Grandma's House We Go!


In the first of a series of catch up posts, I would like to share one of the highlights of my year which was visiting Grandma in Macedon NY! After learning that she took a tumble and badly hurt her shoulder, I felt it was time for a visit to keep her company while she took it easy. Well, I don't know if we took it easy but we had a great time!

Once I booked my trip, Sarah and Naomi decided to make the journey as well! We thought it would be fun to keep it a surprise for Grandma, who hadn't had the chance to meet Naomi yet. We met at the airport and made the drive to Grandma's together. We planed our entry so that upon arrival, I first walked in the door. After a big hug and warm welcome, my Uncle Dana (who lives down the road) walked in....carrying sleeping Naomi. Who was this baby?? A very shocked Grandma looked toward the door and then Sarah walked in! I think this photo captures the moment very well.....




Being at Grandma's house is so peaceful. Her house is bright and airy, and it being June, everything was lush and green. With my Aunt Carol and Uncle Dana not even a mile away (though Uncle Dana was out of town for part of the trip), we enjoyed simple living. We sat on the porch, sang songs, did crossword puzzles and simply hung out! It was perfect. It was so special to see Naomi meet such special people in her family and she enjoyed all the attention!


Another momentous meeting was when Naomi met her Grandpa - he came up for a night while we were in town. Here they are checking each other out!


In addition to being together as a family, sharing stories and watching Naomi with sheer adoration, here are some other highlights from the trip:

- A glorious bike ride with my Aunt Carol along the Erie canal and subsequent bike trip I took on my own along the same path. This simple scenic bikepath is literally one of my highlights of this entire year! I loved being in nature, seeing new animals all enjoying the ride.

- We had lunch at the cafe along the Erie Canal as well which Aunt Carol's friend operates. It's charming and quaint and offers a nice view of the water.

- My Aunt Carol and I stumbled of some Irish musicians that day as well. The instruments were beautiful and it was fun to stumble on a cultural gathering.

- Visiting my Aunt Carol's church where we got to hear her preach and meet the precious people in her and my Grandma's life.

And everyone's general company! Very grateful to have had this time! I left Macdeon with an overwhelming gratitude for my family

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Catch Up Time, Part VIII: Bennerthday Party!

I (Benner) turned 28 this past week, and we celebrated last night with a party at a bar/old school arcade called Blipsy Barcade. It was awesome! Here are just a bunch of photos:











Thank you to my wonderful wife for setting everything up. She's the best!

Catch Up Time, Part VII: LA Galaxy

We have finally found a Los Angeles sports team we can in good conscience root for:

The LA Galaxy! We went to a game recently and it was a blast. The shot above was taken just moments before David Beckham scored on a free kick. It feels strangely awesome that we can officially say that we've seen Beckham score a goal. (And yes, he did bend it.)

That's our good friend Chapman. He came with us. Clearly.

Catch Up Time, Part VI: We love when friends come to visit

Some of our favorite friends, in our standard couch pose.




We didn't get enough pictures with Jen and Rob, but we had a great time (obviously) and are so happy they came out.

Speaking of visitors, guess who else came out to visit the Benners recently...

Another dear friend, Maureen!

Maureen is having a baby, so Rhianwen helped her register for stuff.

See? Doesn't she look helpful?

So sad. Friends should never leave us. WE MISS YOU PEOPLE.

Catch Up Time, Part V: We love Skype and miss our friends

We crashed Micah's birthday party and it was awesome.

Then we got to meet baby Jane. Double awesome!

This is old, but we love the Heins and Abigail just turned 2, so why not include it?!