Over Labor Day weekend, we got to celebrate the marriage of two great friends Brett and Erin. They had a beautiful wedding overlooking the Hudson Valley. We rented a car and drove an hour and a half up state and enjoyed the picturesque views and perfect weather.
With the bonus day of a long weekend, we also got around to some DIY projects. Drea took apart Grandma Hickson's vintage fan, cleaned it up and gave it a new paint job.
This project is definitely random, but wanted to share anyway. Drea made a mop pad for the steam mop from a car wash mitt and an old pair of plaid shorts. The mop pads the steamer came with were horrible, they would not absorb anything and just mucked around the dirt and steam across the floors! So this has been a good fix so far :)
Every Friday morning, in the park across the street, there is a small farmer's market. We wish it was on Saturdays because then we could actually go to it!! Instead we just pass it on the way to work as they are still setting up.
The next weekend, we had a Ronald McDonald House Dinner, Rob wasn't able to make it because he was out of town at an away game, but it was still a fun night. Brandon and Karyn are cutting up fruit for the fruit salad, which is a favorite for the kiddos. We can't make dinner without having fruit salad on the menu!
The next week, Drea met up with a friend (Linda) for Dinner after work. We met at Pershing Square, an adorable restaurant built under Park Avenue. Since the weather hasn't gotten too cold yet, we sat outside where all of those red umbrellas are. Now that we live in New Rochelle and have to catch the scheduled Metro North Trains from Grand Central or from 125th street, we have tried to be creative in finding as many places to meet up with friends near the stops so we don't have a hard time getting home.
For the first home game that Drea was finally able to attend, we made "reese's peanut butter" footballs. Drea accidentally bought unsweet bakers chocolate to dip the rolled up peanut butter balls in, which was EXTREMELY bitter. But the peanut butter balls were made with peanut butter, crushed graham crackers and a pound of powdered sugar, so the sweetness countered the bitterness.
Monroe's home field is at SUNY Maritime (where Rob coached the last 2 years) so we still get to enjoy the great views of the city beyond the Long Island Sound.
Drea and Kim Karg (Head Coach's wife)
After the game we had Brett & Erin (the newly weds!) and Scott and Katie over for dessert and a game of Killer Bunnies!
Notice the football game on mute while we played.
Erin won and Brett was an extremely supportive husband.
We got an unexpected surprise in the mail. A "Happy Fall" package from B & D! Thanks so much for the candle and the cookies!!!
Last weekend, we were able to finish another DIY project by giving the desk a small face lift. We bought new desk legs to replace the metal cylinder posts.
They came in silver, so Rob spray painted them white. Our building manager let Rob spray paint them in the loading dock for the building and leave them there over night to dry which was helpful.
Since the desk didn't have the right holes lined up to install these legs we probably spent about 2 hours trying to get them secure, but in the end it was worth it, don't you think?
The last day in September was the Homecoming game for Monroe. The day was absolutely gorgeous, crisp blue sky and sunshine for miles... until in the distance over the city we started to see grey skies and then we could tell it was pouring because we could no longer see the Manhattan skyline. Monroe was in the lead the entire game and it was almost over, it seemed we would make it without getting wet, but during the 4th Quarter, the storm quickly made it's way over the Long Island Sound and froze us all to our seats!! Thankfully by the last 5 minutes of the game the storm had passed, the sun came back out to warm us up and Monroe won 28-14! Another exciting thing that happened after the game is that Drea got to meet the VP of the University who said, "they are working hard for your husband" to try and provide Rob with a full time position at the school once football season is over. (November is coming up quickly!) We are praying for God's will and hoping that there is an opportunity there for Rob.
Last picture for September is what Drea sees every morning coming up the stairs from the Metro North train track. Just wanted to share it, it's such a gorgeous landmark building, and people just hustle and bustle their way through it, to and from work. It's nice to pause and admire it for a moment.
Love, Rob & Drea
PS - Does anybody know about blog photo storage, we have reached our max!!!