Posts Tagged ‘ledyard’

Best Weekend Of The Year 2018

Monday, October 1st, 2018

Previous years: 2017, 2016, 2015 part 1 and part 2, 2014, 2013, 2012

I really love the best weekend of the year. It kicks off the season of How Many Different Seasonal Activities Can We Fit Into Just Two Days? I love being able to walk to two different food festivals from my front door. I love taking the same photo of the kids at the fair every year. I love running into people I don’t get to see very often but then our kids are instantly best friends again. I love not cooking all weekend and saying yes to everything.

And I love looking back at the other Best Weekends and seeing how our family has grown.

In order: Greek Food Festival, Ledyard Fair, Taste of Italy, Mystic Eats

 

Best Weekend Of The Year 2016

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

The best weekend of the year, when New England finally remembers what makes it the best – fall weather! food! small town fairs! – and gets its act together for the next 2 months.

Past years: 2015 part 1 /part 2  2014 2013 2012

Friday: Greek Food Festival

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Evan hatched some Pokemon eggs on our way home.

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I can’t pronounce the Greek name of those cookies, but I imagine they translate to “OMG SO MUCH POWDERED SUGAR”.

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DO YOU SEE IT? FALL IS COMING.

Saturday: Ledyard Fair & Taste of Italy

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Her best life, for sure.

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Giant meatballs!

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Seafood ravioli in lobster cream sauce!

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Garlic knots!

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Sunday: Mystic Eats

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Abbott’s lobster roll

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Del’s frozen lemonade

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Mystic Pizza

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Carolina pulled pork slider with sweet pickles

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Clam fritters with garlic aoili

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Mystic Drawbridge ice cream

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I’m pretty sure when your face looks like that after the weekend, it’s been a good time. Poor Finn was either attached to my body or sleeping the the stroller the whole time and is in none of this year’s photos. Just think, next year he’ll be able to eat most of this stuff and enjoy himself much as we do!

The Best Weekend of the Year 2013

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Once again the best weekend of the year came and went and I ate all the things. We did exactly the same stuff as last year – Greek Festival, Ledyard Fair, Taste of Italy, Taste of Mystic – except my kids are a full year older and easier to take places. LOOK AT HOW SMALL THEY WERE LAST YEAR! SO SMALL! The only real change was this year Evan could go on the giant slide at the fair, which made him the happiest kid ever. And also they ate a lot more, even if most of it was ice cream.

I’m very proud of myself for doing the whole weekend alone with the kids (E had inspections at work), not missing any of our plans, and fitting in three photo sessions. Working (or “working” as I am still calling it for now) is something I love, but I don’t want it to come at the expense of all our family time. The Best Weekend Of The Year only happens once a year, I can’t let photography get in the way of ALL THE EATING.

p.s. Too tired and lazy to make any collages, so be prepared for one million photos. At least Connecticut is pretty and my kids are cute, right?

Thursday:

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Ordered the kids a gyro but they didn’t like it. Such a tragedy I had to eat it.

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SOMEONE GET THAT KID A BARRETTE

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Awwwwwww

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Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

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AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

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OMG AAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Saturday Morning:

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Riding the bus shuttle, which is very exciting when you watch your brother get on a bus every day and you NEVER GET TO RIDE ONE.

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Evan picked almost the EXACT same horn as a prize this same weekend last year. Shockingly, that one broke. Even more shocking, this one “broke” too!

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What up, Goat?

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This lady said “Do you want to sit on the cow?” and just popped Caroline right on it.

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Future rodeo star?

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Root beer float. NO WONDER these kids were insane all day. I don’t think they even SAW a vegetable.

Saturday Night:

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While I was taking their picture a lady came up and said “HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO STAND THERE FOR YOUR PICTURES????” I said “Practice”. But the truth is Evan would have done ANYTHING for that bubble gun.

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Black olive calzone and fried ravioli

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BUBBLES BUBBLES MY BUBBLES

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Sunday:

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Ginger Baby: The Return Of The Hat

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Crab and crawfish cakes

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Hush puppies

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I will take two of everything.

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We had a choice of cookies – Patriots or Jets. This was the last Patriot cookie because OBVIOUSLY they are more popular. GO PATS.

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MESS.

Besides seeing how much the kids have grown, comparing last year’s pictures to this year’s is really eye opening. I was SO PROUD of them last year, and now all I can see is the flaws.  I figure the same thing will happen next year, but the way I look at it as long as I’m getting BETTER instead of getting worse I’m doing great.

And now I’m super hungry from looking at all those photos. Mmmmmm…crab cakes and frozen lemonade.

The Best Weekend Of The Year

Sunday, September 9th, 2012

I think I mentioned this is the best weekend to live in Eastern Connecticut a time or two hundred in the past couple weeks. Last year we were in South Carolina so we missed it (although I wouldn’t exactly say I was missing it, Bob). This year, E had to work all weekend but I was DETERMINED to do ALL THE THINGS with the kids. I’ve spent the summer learning to drag them both around plan fun outings with two kids on my own and this was sort of like the Olympics of solo-parenting. Three food festivals plus a town fair – and for the record, I only cheated on my diet a tiny bit.

The kids did a GREAT job the whole time. There were zero tantrums and only minor threats needed for cooperation. Evan did a ton of walking so I could use the stroller as a single (although I still got stopped at least once every 15 minutes to talk about my City Select) which was like a vacation for my arm muscles after pushing it as a double for 20 months. I feel sort of really actually completely terrible that we had so much fun while my husband toiled away at a job that’s driving him crazy. I know it hurts him that he’s missing so much. But I keep telling myself it’s not the kid’s fault that Daddy has to work so much and they shouldn’t be punished. I don’t even want them to REALIZE their grown ups are stressed and tired and miserable. All they should worry about is how they’re going to have room for ice cream AND funnel cake for breakfast.

Another breakthrough from this weekend: I threw out all my shame regarding hauling my giant camera around and acting like I had a press pass allowing me to shoot whatever the heck I wanted. Which means I took an epic number of photos. I’ll try to keep this post down to a semi-reasonable number but I’m going to add a break after a couple so the page isn’t INSANELY long. And be sure to check Facebook for the whole album – I mean, if you’re interested in gingers and food porn and New Englandy stuff.

Friday:

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I gave the bread to the kids and ate the insides. Go paleo!

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They both got COVERED in powdered sugar eating cookies

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We walked home across the Chelsea Parade (it’s a big empty square of grass where the militia used to muster) and the light was SO PERFECT.

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