Sad Saturday

The energy around Buffalo before Saturday's game was intense. The party-in-the-plaza started at 11 am and it was perfect weather to celebrate outside. Even my sister who just got back from visiting my nephew in Japan called me to see if I wanted to go party and watch the game in the plaza. I had to decline the invite since I already had plans to BBQ and watch the game at Marissa's house. Plus I was not going to stand for hours, in the sun, surrounded by thousands of people and only be allowed 3 beers. :) After the first party-in-the-plaza, the event coordinators decided to limit anyone of drinking age to 3 beers in order to keep the event family friendly.

We got to Marissa's house just before the opening face-off, everyone was pumped for the game. Even little Madison had on her Sabres hoody sweatshirt on. The game was exciting and nerve racking, I gave myself a stomach ache again. The Sabres scored the first goal and then Ottawa the next 2 and then of course the Sabres tie it up in the 3rd period. They did have a few chances to score the winning goal but it just wasn't in the cards for them. Drury got hit right in the face while standing in front of the Senators goal, which unfortunately stopped the puck from scoring. Then the Sabres set up to score again and those dirty Senators slid into the net, knocking it off it's spot which again prevented the puck from scoring. I swear the player did it on purpose. So off to OT the game went. I was nervous but confident we would score first, I mean it seemed that the Sabres had enough experience with OT that it would be simple for them. Unfortunately for Sabre fans and the city of Buffalo, the Senators scored. It was such a disappointment that all of us watching the game just stared at the TV in disbelief. It was such a let down after all the excitement and emotions that went into the playoffs.

The commentators had annoyed us all game and now that the Senators won, we couldn't bare to hear another word out of their mouths. Marissa and Eric started to get the food ready to be BBQ and J and I went outside to play with Madison and practice playing Horseballs. Horseballs is such a fun game for outside. You sent up these "racks" 10-20 feet apart and they are color coded. The top rung is red and worth 3 points, the middle rung is yellow and worth 2 point and the bottom one is blue and worth 1 point. You swing the balls ( two tennis balls attached with a short piece of rope) and aim for the opposite rack. You score by getting the balls to land on one of the rungs and can knock your opponents off too, which doesn't let them score. The first person or team to reach 21 wins.

While the food was cooking, Marissa was talking with her neighbors and we decided to put a small wager on the horse race coming up. It was going to be on after they got done talking about the hockey game. The Preakness is the second jewel of the Triple Crown and Street Sense was the favorite to win. There were 9 horses and 9 people between us and the people over at the neighbors so we wrote the names of the horse on pieces of paper, gave $5 each and picked a horse. Eric picked Street Sense, I picked Curlin and J got Xchanger. The food was done cooking just in time for us to make a plate and sit down to watch the race. I personally don't enjoy horse racing that much but I do watch it time to time. Well Xchanger was in the lead for a little bit but Street Sense made his move and he was leading the pack the last stretch of the track. Curlin came up the side and in a photo-finish won. I didn't even realize I had the horse that won, I was still in a daze from the Sabres losing. We finished eating and decided to head home. I was really exhausted from the day.

The Sabres had one hell of a season this year and unfortunately we are very unlikely to see this team as they are for next year. In a way I am glad they lost because now I can concentrate on studying but it would have been great to see the Stanley Cup for the first time reside in Buffalo. We love the hometown team and are looking forward to see what next season brings.

GO SABRES

Let's go Sabres!! They were in a do or die situation on Wednesday night against Ottawa and they won. They were in Ottawa, down three games and started the game with a goal just 9 seconds into it. Yep 9 seconds!!! They were back to playing offense and their defense was extraordinary.

The fans in Buffalo are amazing. There were 9,800 people at HSBC arena last night watching the game on two 12' by 9' TVs and cheering like the team was playing at home. The energy around here is entertaining. Everyone, everywhere is talking about the team and how they are going to go to game 7 in this series. Game 5 is Saturday in Buffalo and I believe is sold out. The Sabres organization released more tickets this morning at 9 am and by 9:03 am, they were no longer available on the Internet. The game is going to be crazy and the fans will be cheering on Saturday.

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!

To a few of my Canadian friends....it's not over until it's over :)

10 Fitch

For Mother's Day weekend, J's parents asked us to join them at 10 Fitch, a Bed and Breakfast located in Auburn, NY. They had gone to this Inn earlier this year and befriended the owner and Inn Keepers.

This was my first experience at a Bed and Breakfast and I wasn't too sure what to expect. I am uncomfortable with people waiting on me and I knew that the staff does that at B&B's. I was nervous about it being awkward essentially staying at a stranger's home. The fact that I was staying at a B&B with J's parents made me nervous. His parents are great, but it's always nerve wracking getting to know the boyfriend's parents.

As soon as we arrived, all of my nervousness and concerns subsided. The Inn is beautiful. You walk into the main foyer, to your left is a library/sitting room and to your right is the kitchen. Off of the library is a solarium with a gorgeous view of the grounds. This leads into another sitting room with fireplace and dinning room. We were the last ones to arrive so we got the last room, The Gardenview ( I would have picked this one :) ). I loved the room. It was decorated in soft greens, yellows and pinks. It has this really neat frog print on some pillows which matched the print on one side of the comforter. There was a little room inside our room which had a TV, two wicker chairs and a round ottoman. Each room at the Inn has it's own private bathroom. I absolutely loved the tile that the bathroom had. The shower was pretty impressive too. J's sister was teasing us because our room shared a wall with his parents but that didn't bother us.

After looking at the rooms, we joined his parents, M, J and Katie downstairs where Katie had cheese, crackers, fruit and wine ready for us. She is this young, bubbly, smiling and friendly Inn keeper . The owners were out of town so Katie ans Sean ( her boyfriend) were doing all the work for us. Well mostly Katie but Sean did help when he could. He had to work at the Sushi restaurant he is a chef at. We gathered outside, ate, drank and listened to J's mom tell us all about her trip to Spain. It's pretty impressive that for her 60 birthday, her and a couple of friends walked 75 miles ( I believe) through Spain over a period of 5 or 6 days. She had gifts for everyone. I got this really pretty red purse and cute silver hoop earrings. She also shared some postcards and such that she got on her trip. The pictures are yet to come, I think she said there are about 1,000 she took. After drinking a couple bottles of wine, the men went off in search of more wine and snacks. Us ladies sat around and talked for a little longer and then got ready for dinner.

We arrived at an Italian restaurant around 8pm for dinner. J and I ordered beers at the bar while we waited to be seated. The wait was much shorted than anticipated. I was having a hard time deciding what I was going to order since I was not exactly hungry after the cheese and crackers. Everything sounded good on the menu. I settled on a steak salad and it was delicious. It was really nice to be out to dinner with everyone, relaxing, drinking, eating and having good conversations. I like when everyone is laughing and enjoying each other's company. After dinner it was back to the Inn for for bed. I was exhausted.

The sun was shinning the next morning when we got up around 8am. I could hear a ball bouncing outside and to my delight, Sean was outside playing catch with his and Katie's dog Gully. He is a really cute dog. Black poodle mix and very friendly. He loves his mama for sure, he followed her around everywhere. It was very sweet. After getting ready for the day, J and I went downstairs to find everyone waiting for us except for mom. The wine and food did not sit with her well and she had been up off and on throughout the night sick. She did miss out on an amazing breakfast Katie and Sean prepared. It was a quiche served with a salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I wasn't sure about how salad and coffee would go together but it was delicious. After breakfast was over, mom joined us downstairs and let us know she was feeling much better.

After some discussion, it was decided that M and J would go to an Antique shop and come back at 1pm to pick mom up and meet J, me and dad in Skaneateles at Kabuki for lunch. Kabuki is the Japanese/Sushi place that Sean is a chef at. Skaneateles is a beautiful town just 10 minutes from where we were staying. It is right on the lake and the view is breath taking. There are shops and restaurants of all sorts up and down the main road. The lake is so clean and clear that you can see to the bottom even when you are out on the pier. J, dad and I walked in and out of the stores, not really looking for anything but just to see what each one was all about. There was a small wine store that offered tastings, of course J and I participated with that. *wink*

The pier at night

View from the pier

Village shops

Village Park

( For more pictures, check out Rel's blog- under the microscope)

At about 1:30pm we met up with group at Kabuki and enjoyed wonderful Japanese food and sushi. I ordered crab cakes that came with steamed rice with a seafood sauce on top. It was really really good. J ordered some sushi rolls and pieces. He liked his lunch too. We suggested that M should try goat cheese in the lobster/goat cheese salad. I got a chance to try a little and it was delicious. I am not too sure if we convinced M that goat cheese is tasty but she did say it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

After lunch and some coffee, we went back to the Inn to get ready for dinner. J's mom and Katie had worked together on planning what we were going to have that night. After everyone caught a short nap, we met in the dinning room. Katie brought out the first course. It was a salad with figs wrapped in goat cheese and bacon on top with balsamic vinaigrette. It was superb. I never really had fig but the combination was perfect. The main course was a grilled salmon steak on spinach with cranberries and pine nuts on top of red potatoes. I was impressed by the presentation and taste of the meal. The food the whole weekend was phenomenal. Little did I know what was in store for breakfast the next morning. We went into the library after dinner to watch the Sabres play Ottawa in game 2 of the conference finals. I was trying to contain my enthusiasm for the game but F bombs and such were flying by the 2nd period. Katie also served Orange Chocolate Souffle for dessert by the 2nd period along with coffee. It was really good. All warm and chocolaty and melted in your mouth. I could only eat half of it though. Sorry Katie. I was full from dinner and so nervous about the hockey game that I gave myself a stomach ache. They ended up tying the game with seconds left in regulation and lost the game in 2nd overtime. By then, everyone had gone to bed and J and I were exhausted.

Sunday morning was sunny again and the house smelled of cinnamon. Yummy!! I was running a little behind getting ready for breakfast that would be served at 9:30am so I had to stop doing my hair and join the family downstairs. Katie served us waffles with cinnamon bananas and whip cream. They were so good. I have never had anything like it. I love sweets, especially in the morning and these were just the thing I needed. After we were done we took some pictures outside by this beautiful tree with purple flowers on it and finished packing to go home. The guys packed the cars while I finished getting ready and we all met downstairs by the cars. We hugged goodbye and hit the road to home by 10:30 am.

My weekend was amazing. J and I don't really get to spend a lot of time together during the week so this was perfect for us. It was nice that J's mom had 2 out of 3 children around to celebrate Mother's day. I can't wait to go back to the area. My thoughts on B&B's are forever changed.

Thanks to J's parents and Katie who made this weekend happen

Cinco de Mayo

This past Saturday was Cinco de Mayo and around here the place to celebrate it is Cozumel. It was exactly what I needed after the week I had.

The week started out with my dad going into the hospital with pneumonia. He went to the Dr's because he was having a hard time breathing and they admitted him to the hospital to run tests and to get him on heavy antibiotics. While doing all the testing, they came across a problem with his heart. This only meant that he would be staying longer than he expected, which did not make him happy. They put a heart monitor on him to find out if this problem was a side effect of his the meds they gave him or if it was a problem that needed more attention. It turns out that his right and left atrium's were not pumping as strong as they should be. If I understood the Dr correctly, this could cause blood clots and we know that is not good. So after a few days of observation, antibiotics, blood thinners ( via a shot) and rest, my dad was ready to come home on Friday. His Dr wanted him to stay a few more days so that the transition from the shot to a pill would happen in the hospital but 5 days in there was more then my dad could handle. He had to learn how to administer the shot before being released. The good news is that my dad is on the road to getting healthier, the bad news, he had to miss his trip to Reno today, Dr's orders. He and my brother bowl in the USBC National Tournament every year. My dad has been participating in this tournament every year since I can remember. My brother joined him a few years ago when he became eligible to bowl. Unfortunately, my dad has to sit out this one. But there is always next year.

The weather was perfect for cerveza que bebe ( drinking beer) on the patio of Cozumel to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It was sunny, breezing and in the mid 60's. According to Wikipedia.com, Cinco de Mayo commemorates an initial victory of Mexican over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Honestly I wasn't sure what it was for, I thought it was their Independence day, which I found out is in September. For whatever reason it happens, I am grateful!! J and I met M and E at there house and headed downtown. The parking is not exactly great for this event especially if you don't start celebrating by noon. We had to park our cars a few streets away and hike it to the bar. For the guys it's no big deal because they have sneakers or shoes on but of course us girls dress for fashion not comfort. We let the guys go get the cars and pick us up when we were ready to go home :) The place was already packed with partiers when we got there at 4pm. If I had to guess I would say about 200 people were there when we arrived and more then that when we left a few hours later. It was an hour wait for a table so we gave the girl our name and grabbed a few Coronas to enjoy. It is the perfect setting to "people watch". That is my favorite thing to do in a large, busy area of people. There are always "interesting" groups or individuals who amuse me while I am out. My personal favorite are the older guys who are still stuck in the 70's or 80's and still think they are cool. We finally got seated and it took forever to order but it was worth the wait. The food is excellent. After eating we deiced to leave and go hang out with M's parents who were in town this weekend. They are a blast!!

To top off the great ending to a not so great week, the Sabres won the series against the Rangers on Sunday in NY. They are off to face Ottawa in the Conference final starting on Thursday. The Sabres have home ice advantage so the first game will be at home. Ottawa is a tough team but the Sabres are playing to win this year!! GO SABRES

Let's Go Sabres!!

That's right, the Sabres won the first game in round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday against another NY team, the Rangers. Everyone has been talking about how great the players looked in the game. It was scoreless in the 1st period but the Sabres scored a few goals right in a row a few minutes into the 2nd period. I won't give you the ESPN recap but I have to say it was exciting to see them play. They seem to have the momentum on their side. ( I hope I am not jinxing them). The next Sabres game is Friday and you can feel the energy around the city. The last time I heard people this excited was when the Bills had Kelly, Smith and Reed :) I even received the following email about the team:

Sabres Prayer!

"Our God
Who art in HSBC
Miller Be thy name.
Thy puck come
Thy save be done
In the air as it is on ice.
Give us this day
our Stanley Cup and forgive us our slashing
as we send out Peters
for those who slash against us.
And lead us not into golfing
but deliver us from injury.
For Miller is the Goalie
the power and glory
for ever and ever... Amen..."

G o S a b r e s ! !

Unexpected

Today has turned out to be an amazing day. I think all due to the events being unexpected.

J and I got up this morning, like most Saturdays, wondering what we were going to do. The forecast called for sunny and warm ( 60 degrees). I have been wanting to get a new bike since the last one I owed was from 8th grade. We got up early, went to breakfast and the went looking for the perfect bike for me. We started at Bert's Bikes where I found a really nice red mountain bike. I tried it out in the store but wasn't sure so off to Dick's Sporting goods to see what they had. As soon as we started to look around, we realized that the red bike at Bert's was the best deal. About an hour later, I became the proud owner of a new mountain bike. J wanted to buy a bike rack for his truck but it turns out he needs a trailer hitch for it so that would have to wait. After that, we drove back to J's apartment to decide what next. J decided that he wanted to get his bike tuned up so that we can go bike riding next weekend so off to Bert's for a third time. It didn't matter to me, it was perfect weather for a drive. We dropped off his bike, which will take a few days to be ready, and discussed where we would go for an early dinner. Amherst Pizza and Ale house came to my mind first because it was in the area we were at and has a very nice patio to eat outside on. Then J mentioned JP Bullfeathers, which is located on the Elmwood strip. We have been to both places before and have had good experiences. After some thought, we decided to go to Cozumel, also located on the Elmwood strip. They have great patio to eat outside on.

We got to Cozumel and the host asked us if we wanted to sit in the sun on the patio or in the heated area outside. I, of course, said we wanted to sit in the sun. The host sat us at the only open table and we began to look through the menu. J leaned over and asked me if that was a Sabre behind me. I couldn't just turn around, making it obvious so I did what most people would have done, I went to the ladies room so that I could get a legitimate look at who was sitting behind me. I wasn't sure who it was, the guy looked familiar but because he was wearing sunglasses, I couldn't tell. J and I continued to look at the menus and decide what we wanted to drink and eat. After a few minutes of over hearing what the guys were talking about, we realized that one of the guys was Tim Connolly( a Sabre) , a NY Islander and a friend. They cracked a joke about a group of college guys coming into the restaurant at the same time J did and we all started to laugh. J and I were not going to acknowledge they were professional hockey players because they deserve to relax and enjoy dinner, especially after the amazing game they played last night. An hour or so later, Ryan Miller ( the Sabres goalie) walked into the restaurant a few guys that noticed him started to clap. He had the best save Friday night, you will see it a lot on the NHL hi light reels. So me being the smart ass I am, I turned to Connolly and said " Hey, how much does it bother you that you have been here awhile and no one noticed but when he walks in, people clap?" He said something very funny back and we all laughed. J and I continued to enjoy the rest of our dinner and a few drinks. They were met by a few more friends and even stopped to sign a couple of young boys Sabre jerseys. I didn't want to bother them but I did want a picture of them. How often am I going to be out to dinner ( unplanned and just at a local restaurant) and be sat next to a few professional hockey players? After our bill was paid for, I asked if they would mind me taking a picture. I really just wanted to get the group of people that were there, but they asked if I wanted to be in it. I said, "oh no, that's ok , I just want a picture, no big deal". J was in my ear " Just get in there, I'll take the pic" So I got in between Connolly and Miller and J took the picture. They were more "normal" then I expected. When I think of professional sports figures I don't expect them to be as nice, friendly and funny as this group was. They were what you expect from true Buffalonians. We are the city of good neighbors and they represented that today.

Connolly, Me, Miller and Peters ( I think)

As I stated in my last blog, I have not always watched hockey but I am a supporter of local sports, events and vendors. This was a great experience.

Today's events we unexpected and they turned out to be an amazing experience. The best thing about this town, that most people over see or forget, is that it is a city with a small town feel. We stand behind our local talent, from professional players to the up and coming garage band. We love to see our teams, and locals succeed.

Fridays

Fridays are great!! It's the end of the work week for most and the start of the weekend. It signifies freedom ( well for me it does).

Today I woke up a still a little tired due to being sick in the beginning of the week and still making it to the gym last night but the tired feeling was replaced with excitement when I saw the sun shinning brightly outside. (Yes I get excited about good weather, it doesn't last that long around here and I take full advantage of it when it does.) I turned on the local news and to my great relief the forecast was sunny and a high of 68 today. This is a much needed break from the crappy weather we have been getting. Just last week I was still wearing my winter coat because it was snowing,.... in April!!

It's warming up for Spring, which always gets me in the mood to clean. I used to think "Spring cleaning" was just a way for mom's to get dad's to clean out the garage but now that I live on my own I understand that it is a real feeling. You get to open your windows and let out the stale air from the long winter months and smell the fresh air. My cats absolutely love when I leave the windows open for them all day. They run from window to window in excitement, trying to figure out which one will give them the best chance at catching a bird or which one will give them the best view of the neighborhood. They can't really catch any birds, my windows do have screens, but they don't know that. By the time I get home from work, they are exhausted. I plan to take full advantage of this nice weather this weekend with a few activities outside like going for a bike ride and a few inside like cleaning and packing away my winter clothes.

It is unusually quiet at work today, I am guessing due to the weather. Today is not only a Friday but the sabres play the Islanders tonight in game 5 of the playoffs and if they win ( and us hometown fans believe they will), they are off to the the next round on the road to the Stanley Cup. They have been to the playoffs in the past but never won the Stanley Cup. It would be great to see them hold that cup up high and bring it home. I am not usually a hockey follower but I am a huge supporter of our local teams, even our local football team that has been disappointing over the last few years. Hopefully that will change this year but I am not holding my breath. ( More to come about that later this year :) ) I will be watching the game tonight and cheering like I have been a fan for years. It is exciting to watch your team excel at the game. It's also 420 today and in college was known as the day to sit around and kill the brain cells that you still had. I was listening to the radio this morning and today is also known as the hippie's or pot-head's holiday. I am not too sure why 420 marks the day but it is rumored that it was the police code for possession of marijuana. Since I have never had that experience I am not sure what the code is. There are other theories on why it's 420 but who knows which one is right. For you partaking in the celebration today I will quote my favorite hippy " Roll it up, light it up. Inhale, exhale. Happy 420."

However, it's not all fun today, I have to go to a wake this afternoon for a sister of one of my friends. She lost the battle with cancer but is in a better place now. No more pain and suffering, only peace and sunshine for her now. I haven't talked to my friend yet but I did hear she is doing good, considering but I wouldn't expect anything else from her. She is one of the strongest ( emotionally) people I have ever met. No matter what life has thrown her, it seems that she can always smile. I am not sure how she does what she does but I admire that about her. When I heard that her sister passed away, I was not sure what the appropriate gift ( to let her know I was thinking of her) to get her. I tried putting myself in her shoes and I couldn't come up with one thing seemed relevant for losing a sibling. I have two sisters and a brother and I know that flowers, fruit baskets, planters or any other funeral related gift would be irrelevant. Of course I called my mom ( I do often when in a dilemma) to ask her what she thought. She said that it is not about the item, it is about what it represents, that she is in your thoughts. Even with that, I was still in a bind. So I thought about it and decided I would get something just for her. Once I started to think that way, it was obvious I would get her two of her favorite things, tea and chocolate. What else it better then some warm tea and chocolate when feeling sad or down. To my friend ( if you read this) I hope that those tiny items will bring some comfort to you on your road to healing. Everyone needs some comfort in times of sadness. On another sad note, today is also the 8th anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy. It's the third deadliest shooting in the history of the United States. I think today should be a day to remember the students and teachers affected by this unbelievable tragedy and to honor the memories of the ones that were lost.

Live for today, love the people around you and enjoy every moment.... It just makes life easier if you do.