Mr. Mustard!

My parents love a Beatles tribute band, Mr. Mustard... all but one of the guys in the band grew up going to school with my dad. They are great! We went to see them play in Pittsford along the Erie Canal... and then went again the next night in a bar.

Outside along the Canal...

...Right on the Erie Canal!

the day with Grandma - Buffalo, NY

Mom and I drove out to Buffalo to see Grandma and spend the day with her. She has a great apartment there. We had lunch and then did a bit of shopping.   : )  It was a fun ladies' day!

Mom was helping Grandma with her Kindle Fire... the 3 of us were sitting together on the couch... each with a tablet!

Heading over the bridge to Grand Island... on our way to the outlet mall!

summer visits - Upstate NY

It has been great to be home for a week in Upstate New York! I went to the Gymnastics Training Center a few days ago and spent over 2 hours with owner, Sarah Jane, chatting and looking through old photo albums. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life growing up (for 14 years!) and has definitely helped shape me in many ways.

Me with Sarah Jane...

And I always love visits to see Poppy!

Doggie time is great while home too. 

Whether in Denver with Koura or Penfield with Roxanne... the girls are perfect walking buddies.

double rainbow...

One day was quite rainy here earlier in the week... Mom and I came out of Trader Joe's in Pittsford and there was a gorgeously bright rainbow! ...Even a double rainbow...

I even like it through the car window:

HOME! Mom and Dad's in Penfield

The first week of my summer break has been great so far! I'm at my mom and dad's house in Penfield, New York. It's been really nice to be home for a bit, in the house that I grew up in... and having time with the two of them.

Mom said that I could take the sign down if I want...

...I told her that I like it and am leaving it up... and that I would worry if I came home and didn't have a sign! Ha. So cute.

So good to be with these two for a week  :D

Mmmhmmm... chocolate almond... the only flavor that counts in Upstate NY!

Mom made a deliciously fancy drink... including watermelon ice cubes!

Dad, showing me how it's done...

two in tutus - Carnevale!

Jesye and I are quite the pair! We grew up in neighboring towns (her from Webster and me from Penfield)... but it took each of us moving to Italy to meet one another and become friends.

She was the perfect partner to celebrate Carnevale with... in a tutu no less!   : )

Around and around the merry-go-round!

We purchased some carnival popcorn...

...aaaand then walked into town to get gelato!

bungee trampoline with Jesye - Carnevale

After a lap around Luna Park, Jesye and I decided that we would ride the carousel and then try out the bungee trampoline... yeah! We had fun on the bungees... in our tutus! Carnevale!

The close-up of my face in this photo cracks me up every time!

Carnevale - Luna Park Amusement... Opera

Jesye and I met up at the parade in Opera for Carnevale and then made our way over to Luna Park... the local amusement park that had set up camp a couple weeks earlier by the firehouse. This place is hilarious... seems to be straight out of a movie... and the rides are all set up but seem a bit sketchy to actually ride. (...but we still did! ...of course.)

Princess in a ball:

Carnevale - Opera, Milano

Carnevale in Italy is a hugely happy 4-day celebration (...4 days in Milan, at least... longer in other cities... Venice, for example has one main weekend but goes for WEEKS!). Some friends from school went down to Venice to really celebrate Carnevale... I enjoyed seeing the celebrations on a smaller scale right in Opera. (There were more celebrations in the city of Milan too.)

The main celebration was on the weekend and included a large parade, which the entire town seemed to partake in! The kids, and many adults, were all dressed up in costumes... very, very adorable.

I really know that I live in a small town when the parade's floats are pulled by tractors!