Happy Birthday

The birthday guy!!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Andrew!! Happy Birthday to you!

We hope your birthday was great...enjoy the long weekend celebration! Peace, Love, and Vermont!

Random posting....

I think most of you remember my friend Megan from West Springfield. Last weekend she had us up to her parents Marina in Connecticut for the weekend. We had a great time at the beach, jet skiing, kayaking, you know the deal! Andrea asked for pictures of their kids, so here....Jimmy will be 4 in October and Hayley was born April 23rd.




















OK, OK....everyone asks if I REALLY wear a hardhat at work. The other night I had everything home since I needed it first thing the next morning so I decided I would finally reveal my work identity for those that are always asking.....don't laugh too hard, but enjoy!! I am now headed out into the streets of New York City looking like I do in the below picture.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEREDITH!!!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Meredith!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!



We love you very much and hope you have a great day! Have fun this weekend with your friends!

No Room at the Inn

I had a busy weekend and wanted to share some pictures with everyone, partly because I thought people may enjoy looking at some pictures, and partly because I'm tired of looking at the sweatshirt post!

So I had 4 visitors this weekend and we had a great time. You would think 5 girls in a 1 bedroom apartment would not be fun but we had a blast. My friend Leah from West Springfield came out and she brought her friend Janet. Also, two of my best friends from Clemson were able to come visit - Erin and Kristin. Erin visited from Atlanta and Kristin only had to drive a few hours from Lake Tahoe.

On Friday, we went to Monterey and did the 17 Mile drive. Here is a picture of all of us on top of a big rock. The only reason I decided to climb it is that they told me I wouldn't be able to because I was wearing flip-flops and a skirt:

It was a perfect day! Not too hot, not too cold, and for once - no fog! Here is a picture of the Lone Cyprus:

On Saturday morning we were up bright and early and headed to Napa. We were able to visit 6 different wineres! We were able to meet up with one of Erin's old friends from work who recently moved out here too so that was fun. Here is a picture of all of us in front of ZD:

Saturday night we were all pretty exhausted so we just rested up for a big day in SF. We saw Coit Tower, Lombard Street, attempted to see the bridge but it was too foggy, the Boudin tour, the Full House houses, Pier 39, and Fisherman's Warf. I am tired even thinking about it again!!!

Here is the view from the bottom of Coit Tower - that fog is the reason they didn't get to see the bridge!

I think this picture is funny - it is Kristin and I goofing around in front of the Full House houses. I stole this picture from Leah and it took Erin about 5 tries on my camera before we quit:

And here was our last stop of the night! We had dinner at my favorite restaurant in the city and then went and had dessert at Ghirardelli Square - it was delicious! Another funny fact - this picture was taken by someone who lives in Westfield - we met about 5 different familes from MA this weekend and 3 of them were from Western Mass!
My last visitors left last night at 10PM. Before they left they got me these BEAUTIFUL flowers as a thank you. Orange and purple for Clemson obviously...and pink just because I love pink! They looked much better before I started messing with them in the vase but they are still gorgeous!

So that is all that I've got...now it is back to work and the real world. I am going to SC for Labor Day to see all my friends, go to the football games, and to meet Gretchen! I am VERY excited about that! And when I get back it will be time to pick where I go next...who knows where I will end up!

Last Call for Sweatshirts

I really need to order the sweatshirts tomorrow….so please check around..Kristin what about Tina

Just a few pictures from the weekend....

I thought you might all enjoy a few pictures from the weekend. I will post the link for all of the pictures on the right hand side of the blog. I know Dan and I were not the only ones taking pictures, so please share what you have.

And, most importantly, we missed everyone who wasn't able to make it...Brian and Nicole, Paul, Erin, and Andrea. For their sake, I think we should share some good stories with them (we all know there were lots of them!)

Enjoy!

First...the guest of honor!

Memere with the Collopys

Cute Little Emma!

One of the many beautiful sunsets in Malletts Bay!

Lastly, the infamous raft crew!

SWEATSHIRTS

I need to send in the order for sweatshirts..I don’t have time to call so just tell me what you want and I’ll do the best I can…Paula..make sure everyone knows…like Kevin..and the David Robillards..thanks paula

Congratulations Auntie Meredith & Uncle Dan

It's official... Mere and Dan now have a new niece. No, Kristin and I aren't pregnant BUT Dan's brother and his wife gave birth at 6:14 this morning to a baby girl... Gretchen Nicole Snider.

Congratulations to the entire Snider clan - new parents Dave and Becky, GRANDPARENTS Don and Peggy, and Uncle Dan & Auntie Meredith.

The Snider Family

Grandma and Grandpa with their first grandchild

PS - Thanks Don and Peggy for the stolen pictures!

Also, family weekend ended - where are the pictures for all of us that weren't able to make it????

TECWAE joke

Dick Cheney and George W Bush were having breakfast at the White House

The attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would like, and he replies "I'd like a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit..."And what can I get for you, Mr. President?" George W. looking up from his menu, replies with his trademark wink and slight grin,.... "How about a quickie this morning?" "Why, Mr. President!" the waitress exclaims"How rude! You're starting to act like Mr. Clinton!

As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers..........

"It's pronounced, 'Quiche'

Johnson & Johnson Plans To Cut 4,800 Jobs

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=JNJ:US&sid=aKm2WIIdiqOo

I don't know if people have seen this in the news but J&J just laid of 3-4% of their global workforce. No worries, I was not affected but they did close both of the plants by where I am living (about 700 people total I think) and I know quite a few people that were let go. The reason is that 2 of our "blockbuster" drugs (Risperdal and Topamax) will go off patent in 2008 and we will take a big hit when we start competing with generic drugs. Also, there has been a lot of negative information around drug-coated stents lately and some of the companies have taken a big hit lately because of that. As Dad said, Welcome to the business world I guess...

Hi to every one…I have been unable to get on the blog… hopefully this will work…Sorry I missed your birthday Nicole..I tried…looking forward to the week end…Memere has no idea…she gets confused easily so we have to be as organized as possible…how about bringing your own towels and trying to leave them in your room or tent or my room if you have no other space… that will really help and sheets too…or at least take your sheets home with you to wash so they will not be left there…the dryer is not working so that leaves a ton of work for Tina…when you arrive bring everything upstairs right away…now I know I am not in charge …God only knows who is...but I want to have a lot of family fun …so what do you say to no hard liquor…only a little beer and wine…don’t forget a birthday card and scratch tickets for Memere…or something else if you want…but we all know she likes tickets the best…Today would have been PEPE”S 90th birthday…so I am sure he is watching over us all today…be careful Kristin…I am looking forward toseeing everyone…Love Auntie Paula

Happy Birthday Nicole!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Nicole,
Happy Birthday to you!

We will miss you in Vermont...have a wonderful birthday!

Busy Busy!!

I thought you might find some of these pictures interesting. Last Wednesday we had a steam explosion in Manhattan. I started this week working nights from 7PM - 7AM. I am now back on the day shift, but I am not sure my body knows that yet. The explosion site is still a work in progress. It will be a long time before they can determine the cause of the accident and get the street restored.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Vermont!

"The Dirty Jerz"

So I am finally back and settled again in California. I was in New Jersey for almost 2 weeks for training. The first weekend, a bunch of my West Side friends came up and we went out in the city - minus all of Hoboken being without water on Saturday because of a water main break it was a great weekend and good to see all of my friends.

The second weekend Mom came down and Friday night we went to dinner with some of my friends from the program - most of the international group who call themselves Team UCan for the UK and Canada. After a delicious dinner at Arthur's (Paul you should make them take you there!) we went to a bar and PEGGY came with us...not only did she come to a bar but she had to pay a cover to get in! I bet that was the first time she did that in a long time. Although we were unsuccessful in convincing her to do shots with us, it was a lot of fun. Here is a picture of us at Black Bear:

On Saturday we went and saw Lion King on Broadway - it was great! We had a good time and I think even Dan enjoyed it! We had a great dinner in Hoboken on Saturday and then all passed out early...it was a long week for all of us!

Family Weekend T-Shirts

The design is in...now we need the sizes. Please let us know ASAP!

Also, would anyone be interested in a sweatshirt in addition to the T-shirt. We're not sure if we can get them, but are curious about the interest level.

Thank you!

New York City

I just wanted to let everyone know that as of Monday I will be moving to New York City – most likely Manhattan or Brooklyn. I am going to be working in the field on a flagship Apple store at 14^th St. and 9^th Ave in lower Manhattan. I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing Meredith and Dan a lot more. Although I will be working a lot of hours, anyone who wants to come visit is more than welcome to stay with me any time. Wish me luck finding a place to live, I’ll keep the blog posted!

Paul

22 Days and Couting....Are YOU Ready?

Family Weekend is only 22 days away. I feel like there are a few ends that need to be tied up before we all get there.

• Don't forget to send Mel any pictures of Mimere you might have


• Family T-shirts - Is it something we want to do again? Color suggestions? I am willing to do the leg work if we decide on something, but we need to act soon!


• I am working on something and need to find a nice quote about family and friends. I will post a few that I found in the comments section, but please help me out with any suggestions you might have.


• Of course Dan wants to know about the beer - 40s are out, but what do we want in a keg? What worked for everyone on July 4th?

Mimere's Newest Story

We all know how Mimere loves to tell stories. Have you heard the latest one?

Her grandkids are SOOOOOOOO nice they bought her a washer and dryer for the camp. For those who don't know (and I didn't know until yesterday!), the grandkids were chipping in to buy her a washer and dryer we found on Craigs list. Everything is already installed - Thank You Kevin! Each grandchild should chip in $20 (a small price for making Mimere happy!) Kristin had to lay the cash out, so please make sure you pay her back whenever possible.

Thank you!

Happy July 4th!

Springfield, MASS????

Do you want The Simpsons movie to be filmed in Springfield, Mass?? Vote here...

www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm

Family weekend beverage choices

All,

I know this has been a highly debated subject the past two years. Are we going to get a keg and if so, what kind of beer would everyone agree on drinking? I guess we should try and get the answer before we all ascend to the camp and have a big "discussion" about it, like always. I guess all options are open as of right now.

Discussion can begin now!

TECWAE

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed into four separate jars.

The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:
The first worm in alcohol - Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead
Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead
Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation - What can you learn from this demonstration?

Maxine, sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said:

"As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!"

Hell, that works fer me ....

---

Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell.

We need to get a separate blog going to see who is headed to the camp for the 4th. I think we should try and carpool to save $$$. So who's going??

Happy Wednesday!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nupdcGwIG-g

Meme will be 90

Amy and I are going to try to put a video of memories together for Meme. Anyone with pictures of her that we could include we would love to have them you can either Email them to us or send them. We would love to go back as far as we could so if anyone is talking to Lisa Timmy or Patty or anyone who might have other pictures of her we would love them. love Maryellen

Burlington Craigs List

http://burlington.craigslist.org/for/354293235.html

Vermont

Nicoles in laws have asked if they coud stay at camp July 13th and 14th. Does anyone know what is going on that weekend. I am going to try to be there as well. They just want to sleep there. Maryellen

Another visit from TECWAE

The Burglar and Jesus

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around,

looking for valuables; and when he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you."

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head, promised himself a vacation after the next big score, then clicked the light on and began searching for more valuables.

Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, Clear as a bell he heard, "Jesus is watching you." Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.

Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

Did you say that?" he hissed at the parrot.

"Yep," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you."

The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?"

"Moses," replied the bird.

"Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird

Moses?"

"The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler, Jesus."

How is your Thursday going?

I am sure you can tell by how I started this that my day did not start off well! First of all, I get up everyday at 5:15 which kills me. Like normal I showered, dressed, and started to dry my hair. The normal routine is to dry my hair is sections, three to be exact, because it is usually faster. So, I dry the bottom, and then the sides. For some reason I turned off the hairdryer and walked into the bedroom to get something before drying the last part. I said to Dan (who was still sleeping!)...Do you think I should wear my hair like this today? Most of it down except the part in the middle that was still soaking wet, sitting in a bun on the top of my head with a clip (very hot look, if I do say so!). After laughing at me, he immediately falls back asleep and I head back to the bathroom to continue drying my hair. Did you ever hear the saying, you get what you ask for? Wouldn't you know, the hairdryer would not turn on!!! The on/off switch broke and there was nothing I could do about it. Needless to say I was not a happy camper and looked pretty funny walking to the bus with half wet and half dry hair. Absolutely Lovely!

Then, I am walking through the subway station and look down to see that I have deodorant marks on my shirt. I love it!!

Hopefully, your day is going better than mine. With any luck, those are the only bad things that will happen today. I will keep you posted!

The New Mr & Mrs Cassidy

Our cousin Sara got married this weekend at Lord Thompson's Manor in Connecticut. The location was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time celebrating.

Here are a few pictures you might enjoy...


She was glowing....and looked stunning










Cousin Kate giving the Maid of Honor speech. She did an awesome job!











Thier first dance as husband and wife. Dan got a great picture!









Grandpa is just too cute!











The sisters and Dan, having a great time at the reception!

HAPPY MONDAY

HI everyone. Just thought I would say happy Monday. Anyone got any interesting news or boring news to share? Emma is still absolutely adorable. She has started using the potty. She thinks she is pretty cool. So do I !! Nothing too exciting happened this weekend, Saturday was however my last day as President of underwear at the J.C. Penny outlet. That place will never be the same LOL. Take care love 2 all Maryellen

a new joke TECWAE

In a crowded city at a busy bus stop, a beautiful young woman wearing a tight mini skirt was waiting for a bus.
The bus stopped and it was her turn to get on, she became aware that her skirt was too tight to allow her leg to come up to the height of the first step of the bus. Slightly embarrassed and with a quick smile to the bus driver, she reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little, thinking that this would give her enough slack to raise her leg. She tried to take the step, only to discover that she couldn't. So, a little more embarrassed, she once again reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little more, and for the second time attempted the step.
Once again, much to her chagrin, she could not raise her leg. With a little smile to the driver, she again reached behind to unzip a little more and again was unable to take the step.
About this time, a large Texan who was standing behind her picked& nbsp;her up easily by the waist and placed her gently on the step of the bus.
She went ballistic and turned to the would-be Samaritan and yelled, "How dare you touch my body! I don't even know who you are!" The Texan smiled and drawled, "Well, ma'am, normally I would agree with you, but after you unzipped my fly three times, I kinda figured we was friends."

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary!!

Happy 25th Anniversary Tina & Teddy!

We promise, just because we forgot doesn't mean we love you any less!

Better late than never.....

So, once I got back to work and looked at the calendar I realized several of you should have been highlighted on the blog for anniveraries and birthdays. So...




Happy Birthday Ray!













Happy Anniversary Peter & Peggy (33 years!)












Happy Anniversary Nicole & Brian (3 years!)














Please let me know if I missed anyone!

Vegas and Vermont

So my trip to Vegas was a lot of fun. For those of you who don't know, I went with my friend and her family for 5 nights over memorial day weekend. Although apparently I did not see anything that Aunty Paula wanted me to see, I had a great time. We saw Cirque du Soleil; the one called Love with all the beatles music and it was amazing. Those people are so talented I was in awe the whole time! We also saw Wayne Brady. He does a show in Vegas that is hilarious and incorporates a lot of stuff he did on Whose Line is it Anyway. I also got to walk the strip and see all the casinos, New York New York, and Paris. And one of the best parts was that we ate in some amazing restaurants. If any of you watch Top Chef, we ate in the restaurant of the bald judge (I forget his name) and it was soo good. We had steak dinners and I even liked it (I normally don't like steak). We also took a drive through the desert and saw the landscape, it was so beautiful! Unfortunately I did not win any money, but I did get to relax and enjoy a vacation with one of my best friends from school and her awesome family.

On another note, I am planning on going to Vermont this weekend if anyone would like to join me. I want to go up on Thursday night and come home on Monday. I would love some company for the whole time or anytime in between! I might be bringing my friend Erica, who I went to Vegas with, but I am not sure, depends if she wants to travel more since she has been on the move since school ended.

Well, thats it, love you all!

We're Taking Over

Here is a link to a really interesting article that someone sent me today. It talks about Generation Y in the workplace and how we're going to take over...maybe someday sooner than others had thought:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/28/100033934/index.htm

It is a little long but definitely worth the read - let me know what you think!

California #2

Today we ventured out to Muir Woods to check out the Redwood trees. On the way out we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. We were able to stop and get some good pictures since it was actually a pretty clear day in San Francisco. After Muir Woods, we went to Golden Gate Park and checked out the Rose Gardens which were beautiful. We also drove down Lombard Street and then Dan was on a mission to "find Danny Tanners house." Andrea did some research and found the address so Dan was happy.

Gorgeous! Thankfully we had a clear day. If we had gotten up a little bit earlier we could have seen the whales swimming back to sea! That is all they have been talking about on the news here...I am glad they are finally safe!








One of the many pictures of the HUGE redwoods! We did a 1.5 mile hike through the woods. It was so relaxing to be in the woods with peace and quiet. There definitely aren't places like this in New York City.









That is one of the many redwood trees where you could walk into the base.









Absolutely beautiful! They had a rose garden in Golden Gate Park with rows and rows and different rose bushes. I wish all roses bloomed to look like this one. In my opinion.....perfect!







Dan was so happy to finally find Danny Tanners house.

It is the little things in life that matter, right?

California #1

I promised to update from California, so here we go...

Dan's birthday was cut short by an hour when we missed our connecting flight in Salt Lake City on Thursday and got stuck there for the night. But, we still made it to San Jose pretty early on Friday. We headed out to Monterey for the weekend. First, we biked part of the 17 mile drive. We got really lost and ended up biking a long time up a lot of huge hills! Saturday we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and then drove down through Big Sur...it was absolutely beautiful! Sunday we had ticket to the Giants game. We got to see Barry Bonds hit home run #746. They love Barry in San Francisco. Monday morning we went to the Winchester Mystery House and then picked up Andrea at the airport. She led us up to Picchetti Winery where we did a wine tasting, and then we had dinner with out old neighbors in Mountain View. Today Andrea went back to work (ha ha!) and Dan and I went into San Francisco. We did a city tour and of course Dan had to try out some local beers at a bar in San Francisco. Back to being tourists tomorrow!

Enjoy the pictures!


Biking along the 17 Mile Drive. I know, I know....those helmets are hot! But they did keep us safe. Behind me is Bird Rock. Can you guess why the rock is mostly white?










The infamous Lone Cypress....need I say more?


















One of the beautiful shots we got while driving along Big Sur! It definitely paid off to get a new camera before the trip.

















The penguin exhibit at the aquarium was great.













We had awesome seats at the Giants game after we traded tickets with a couple who wanted to sit next to their friends. This is Barry Bonds crossing home plate after home run #746.










Picchetti Vineyards had peacocks running around the premises. Of course Dan had to chase them! We had some great wine, but I am still looking forward to Napa Valley!









Wine tasting at Picchetti. Andrea is a club member here so we tasted for free...Thanks Ange!











Coit tower on the left and the Transamerica Pyramid on the right.