Last weekend we had a planned getaway to celebrate Phil's birthday to Ogunquit, Maine. I booked a nice hotel and planned activities (a trolley ride! a run on the Marginal Way! a piano bar!) and then the horrific Lewiston, Maine shootings happened. We were supposed to leave on Friday morning, and the killer was still on the loose. Even though Ogunquit and Lewiston are about 90 minutes apart, we didn't know what direction the manhunt was heading and thought we better be safe than sorry. We canceled the hotel and quickly booked one much closer on the Cape, in Falmouth to be exact. We drove down and rented bikes and rode on the Shining Sea Bikeway for a couple hours. The weather was like summer and it was just so beautiful.
We parked our bikes and walked around downtown Falmouth which is such a fun place. There were scarecrows all around, decorated by local businesses as part of a contest. We shopped and ate and saw The Conant House which was built in 1730!
I had to send my dermatologist sister this sign I saw in an Irish pub:
We checked into the hotel and swam in the pool and soaked in the jacuzzi - we had the whole place to ourselves! Then we got ready for dinner at Siena in Mashpee Commons.
We shared fried cauliflower and a delicious sausage and ricotta pizza, mmm. Then we walked around Mashpee Commons, which happens to be where we had a Maggie's Ice Cream Shop for quite a few years. It's a cupcake shop now :)
We got back to the hotel and The Notebook was starting on tv, which made for a nice ending to a very nice day. The next day we went for a long walk on the bike path (was supposed to be a run but Phil's leg was bothering him) and then had lunch and went grocery shopping on the way home because *life*.
That evening was the Homecoming Dance at our kid's high school. These girls are so beautiful and I wish they realized that longer dresses would still make them look beautiful ;)
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| Maggie and friends |
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| Cousins! |
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| Eamon and his date |
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| Andrew's girlfriend and Eamon's date |
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| Maggie and her bf since childhood |
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| Maggie and Maggie in the same dress and shoes :) |
The report was that the dance was pretty lame, the DJ was terrible, and everybody left an hour before it ended. Somehow they still seemed to have a good time :) Now onto Halloween and All Saints Day!
Oh gosh. I am glad you made the best of the situation and your weather was still so nice! It got SO cold here by last Friday. We had to bring out winter coats! I don't know why all high schoolers think homecoming dances are lame but I will say, while I agree with your assessment on longer dresses, theirs are still much classier than those I saw in town here!
ReplyDeleteIt just got cold here too, we were so lucky to have that beautiful weather. Girls fashion is so tough, we preach modesty and she tries very hard to follow that but also not stick out like a sore thumb from the other girls.
DeleteI'd never seen that sign in that pub and it's VERY funny. This looks like a wonderful getaway. I'm sorry about the need to switch, so frightening. But glad you were able to find something. The weather - wow. It's currently snowing in Chicago on Halloween, so that sort of weather already seems like a distant memory. I love the homecoming photos too. What in the world - two Maggies, with the same dress AND shoes? Come on.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 Maggies are besties and knew they were going to wear the same dress, but didn't know they picked the same shoes too. Amazon!
DeleteYour weekend sounds so nice! Glad you were able to pivot to something that was still enjoyable. The kids look so cute! And wow, the current style seems to favor VERY short dresses! Love Maggie's dress, though. Such a great color.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird - the dresses are so tight and short and then they also love to wear the baggiest sweatshirts.
DeleteYes to the dress issue. Where did Maggie get her dress from?
ReplyDeleteI just added the dress and shoes links under the photo of Maggie and Maggie. Amazon for both! The dress can be pulled down a little longer too :)
DeleteI'm sorry you had to pivot but it sounds like you guys had a lovely time! And you know I love the Shining Sea Bike Way. We didn't do it this year...the kids had no desire to do it. :( Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I love that the Maggie's were twinning!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you while we were riding it!!!
DeleteIt looks like a lovely trip, Colleen! As a curly haired, faired skinned gal with an Irish heritage, I appreciate that bar sign!
ReplyDeleteI've read your blog for many years and enjoy it very much as my husband and I are also Catholic and raising a large family similiar in ages to your children. I have 5 daughters and the modesty issue is a tricky one. I know the pressure to conform and fit in is there, but at some point as parents we have to say "no" to this kind of immodest fashion and not feel bad for doing so. Why not encourage Maggie to be the example of modesty to her friends? All it takes is one person to go against the flow and stand out in a good way to encourage change.
Modesty is always the goal, and I feel like with dresses, you have to allow something you don't like. The dress is short but it has sleeves and isn't low...it's so hard dress shopping! I hate it. Even her volleyball shorts are obscenely tight and short, but that's the uniform everyone wears. It's always trying to find a balance to have the kids feel part of their peer group but also want them to be better than their peers. We're all doing our best :)
DeleteYour trip looks wonderful -- glad you were able to come up with a plan B on short notice. And I love those little decanters in the bowl of ice to replenish your drinks! So adorable (and functional!).
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh about the short dresses vs the baggy sweatshirts. The other teen fashion trend that mystifies me is the Nike socks pulled up on the outside of black leggings. Guess I'm just an old fuddy duddy now ;) All the girls look beautiful! That green is such a lovely color on Maggie.