Trip to Napa

Those of you on Facebook know that Armen and I went to Napa Valley the first weekend in June with our friends Carol and John. Armen's childhood friend, Jake, and his wife, Anita, joined us for one day and on Sunday, another friend, J.K., joined us. We had a wonderful time. John took more than 450 photos! Much better than losing our photos (not to mention the camera!) after our trip to Mazatlan. I've posted a couple of dozen pix to Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39296196@N05/. Enjoy!

Alaska in Spring

Having a good time visiting with Susan over the long, Memorial Day weekend. We've been doing some gardening, lots of chatting, and paid a visit to Mom's and Dad's graves, to place some flowers and flags.

The weather has been beautiful - long, lovely sunny days bring back lots of fond memories, but I can't say as I miss the mosquitos, though! Kathy

Madz, Mo and Me find each other in NYC

So this is what Grandma meant when she said "This house is like Grand Central Station." We had some coffee, chatted a bit and were off our separate ways again in a New York minute.

Look who made the paper!

Ambrosia was featured in Eugene's paper, the Register Guard! It's a great article about the First Wednesday Wine Tastings he's been doing for the last ten years.

Sweet Home, Chicago

As my previous post covered, our odyssey had one more adventure. Saturday morning we hopped on a flight to Chicago, and Conor and Lillie picked us up at the airport. You'll be able to read more about the weekend here.
While Andy and I had had quite the week full of delicious food (see the fajitadelphia and brisket comments), we knew it was a crime to go to Chicago and not have Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza. Conor, Carey and Lillie (Conarie, if you will) took us around their neighborhood and then to one of their favorite pizza joints. But first, Conarie, sneaky people that they are, took a detour and kicked me out of the car, took me into a Bliss Spa and said, "Happy birthday, Catie!" And it was just what I needed: a restful, relaxing, calming facial from Bliss which, after a week of constant travelling, was greatly needed and appreciated.
Next up: Chicago Pizza! We zoomed through Chicago (and I totally geeked out knowing those awesome Dark Knight scenes were filmed in those underpasses), ate some completely amazing pizza, and then waddled back out to the car. From there we headed out to Navy Pier, looked around for a little while and played in the kids shop. We made our way outside, took one look at the biggest ferris wheel I've ever seen, and turned back around. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights, but I'm not a fan of inviting any bad karma I've accrued over 26 years to come and get me at a very inopportune moment.
After a busy day, Conarie, Andy and I were ready to go home and go to bed, since we could start to hear that hippity hoppity of the Easter Bunny coming our way.
We woke up the next morning and Carey had made the most wonderful French Toast Casserole for breakfast, and as we dove in, Lillie began searching for the eggs the Easter Bunny left for her.
Afterward, we headed to Shedd Aquarium for Lillie to run around, and to explore one of the best aquariums in the country.

Once again, our trip ended way too soon, but we were grateful for the time we did get to spend with our families and with each other.
From Houston to Crosby to SPI to Chicago and back to Anchorage, Andy and I racked up quite the mileage, but it was totally worth it. We aren't sure when or where our next voyage will lead us, but we'll definitely keep you posted!

What Happens on South Padre...Ends Up In Gramma's Deli

After the hustle and bustle of a wedding for the ages, Andy and I decided that after three years of dating it was time we took an actual vacation, beach and all. We headed down to South Padre Island, and 2 tanks of gas, 3 bathroom stops, 2 What-A-burgers, a detour to Corpus Christie and 8 hours later, there we were! SPI, a week after the Spring Breakers had made their mass exodus back to school. It was a short vacation, but Moira's travels riding horseback in Hungary inspired me, so I scheduled a horseback ride on the beach for Andy and I the first morning we were there. Andy had never been on a horse before, but he looks like a natural, no? His horse, Apache, was a get-up-and-go kinda guy, always wanting to be at the front of the pack. Mine on the other hand...she was content to hang out in the back, chatting with one of her mares. But at least we got this photo op:

One of the best things about South Padre is the consistent wind on the island, so we bought a little kite and took it out to the beach. The wind was great for kite flying, and we stayed out there for almost an hour just playing along the beach.














I'd like to take this opportunity to rave about SPI. If you manage to get there after the Spring Breakers, you will find the most quaint little island, full of, interestingly enough, Mexican families. I think SPI is a big draw for families in Mexico, as well as the MTV Spring Break '09 crowd, as evidenced by the number of Mexican license plates in the parking lot. Also, an alarming number of Canadian license plates. And Wisconsin! Apparently SPI is where Cheese Staters go to relax. Who knew? But given the chance, I'd go back to SPI in a flash, the weather was fab, the food amazing (SPI Brewing Co. has something called the Fajitadelphia, and ohmygoditissoamazingweatetheretwicein16hours). So SPI? Thumbs Up!
Lest you think Andy and I were done with our odyssey by going to SPI you have another thing coming. Friday morning we drove back to Houston for one more day with Andy's family. We woke up early Saturday morning to head to....Chicago!

Goin' to the Chapel, and We're Gonna Get Married...

Well, not quite. Andy's sister, Sarah, married her long-time boyfriend Jason Zeller in a great ceremony at the Zeller Ranch in Crosby, TX. While Andy went down to Texas in late March, I joined him 2 days before the wedding, and met up with Andy's mom Carol, Stepdad Tommy, Brother AJ, Uncle John, his wife and kids Angelisa, Caitlin and Christian, and his Aunt Micki, her husband Charlie and daughter Rebecca (meeting a "small" family like this gives me a whole new appreciation for the poor folks who have to meet our family, and remember all our names).
It was great to meet more of Andy's family, and some of them are just as colorful as members of our own. We had a great time at the wedding, Andy had the privilege to walk Sarah down the aisle, and after a short ceremony, the tent was transformed into a reception hall.
And the party began! Fueled by brisket, potato salad and not a little bit of Budweiser, that ranch rocked well into the night. And as any member of the Meekins family knows, the party doesn't start until "Billie Jean" comes on. And party we did. (Sidenote: Andy, having been around me for far too long, requested Billie Jean. They have video of my face when MJ came on, and...let's just say it's pretty priceless)
While Andy and I can cut a rug, we were both fumbling our way through the Texas Two-Step when Jessica, a bridesmaid, came to our rescue, tutoring me, then sweeping Andy off his feet. I then cornered AJ, and we trampled our way through a half dozen George Strait songs. (Little known fact: 99% of country music is, in fact, a Two-Step).
Finally the night wound down, we hopped back into the rental car and drove back to Houston. But there's no rest for the weary. Next stop? South Padre Island!

K & A In Mazatlan

Armen and I had a wonderful eight days at Pueblo Bonito, Emerald Ban, in Mazatlan, Mexico. We both agree that it was the absolute best resort/hotel we have ever stayed in. The room was great, with a terrific view of the ocean so close you could hear the crash of the waves! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves tanning by the pool, seeing local sites, enjoying sidewalk cafes and generally relaxing. The weather was fabulous - 80 or so every day, but cool enough at night to sleep with the sliding glass door open to those crashing waves. I just can't say enough about the place. We're already planning another trip! The only sour note was that when we got back, we discovered that our camera and all those terrific photos are missing. Bummer. These are the only two photos we have; both captured on my cell phone. They will have to do!

A few updates....

Hi everyone! Carey and I have a couple quick updates from Chicago:

First, we've changed the family blog we're keeping from sillielillie to radioflyeradventures. And the reason is that by this fall, Lillie won't be the only baby in the house! We're scrambling to get ready a little brother or sister, but hope to have regular updates.

Oh, and Happy 30th birthday Elissa!

Up Close & Personal at Obama's Inauguration

Sharing an event with a million or so people is thrilling, exciting and, of course, up close and personal. Talk about rubbing elbows! Susan and I had a wonderful time at Obama's inauguration. We headed out by train at Oh-dark hundred and were delighted to arrive in Washington D.C. by 6:30. We had been invited to a breakfast hosted by an Alaskan group and thought we'd have plenty of time to walk the six blocks and enjoy it before stolling over to the inauruation. That was before we saw the thousands of people who had made it there before us!








Inching our way through the crowds, we finally made it to our viewing spot by 9:45. But by then we were pretty jazzed - not to mention stylishly adorned by many layers of winter clothing (not to mention fashionable headgear and hair styles) to ward off the 23 degree morning.


We were really impressed with masses of humanity. The numbers of people who had come out through the throngs and cold and made the journey to share this momentous occasion was truly awe-inspiring. And so was the mood. Everyone was happy, friendly and full of good will - no kidding!


At long last the moment arrived and the 44th President took the oath of office. Hearing hundreds of thousands of people all cheering at once is something I'll never forget! But then, just as quickly, the crowd grew quiet to listen to President Obama make his inaugural address. He spoke of the challenges that face this nation and how we can overcome them, just as we have overcome so many adversities, including segregation. He noted that he took his oath to this highest national office in a city in which, just 60 years ago, his father could not have eaten at a restaurant. He said our hand will be open to all countries, but first they must open their fist. It was inspiring and encouraging. It was a spectacular day! More photos to be posted soon.

Susan & Kathy at the Inauguration

Spent several hours on the mall Sunday enjoying the enthusiastic atmosphere and identifying our route for our big day tomorrow. There is an electricity in the air about this historic inauguration and we are really enjoying being a part of that. We were on the mall at the time of the concerts yesterday and were there "with" Springsteen, Beyonce and OBAMA!! That was thrilling.

We "wisely" decided to leave the mall at the same time that the concerts ended and experienced the overwhelmed Metro system. We both really appreciate that Kevin Sullivan got us tickets on the train for Tuesday so we won't have to deal with the crush of people that will likely be 10 fold then. We'll keep you "posted"!

Center of Attention

After patiently waiting an hour for Lillie Sulllivan to wake up from her nap she finally entertained us with "stupid baby tricks" such as eating cheese, raiding Madelin's purse, and wearing sunglasses. We are so easily entertained! By the way, the sunglasses are still at your house Susan.

Disneyland!

For Veteran's Day weekend, Tim and Terrill brought their whole family down to Disneyland for Shanleigh and Collin's first trip to the Magic Kingdom! I flew out from Boston to join them for the weekend, and what a great time we had.

Shanleigh got to go on all the rides, and filled her autograph book with signatures from all her favorite characters. On the last day I was there, she even got to spend some time with Mickey and Minnie, and walk around inside their house.

We had a great trip, and can't wait to go back! Anyone want to join us next time?

Sledding!

Up here in Anchorage we've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of enough snow to make it seem like winter. We finally got some this week and decided to take full advantage of it. So Andy and I seized our sleds (and Shanleigh) and went out to Kincaid for an afternoon of snow, sleds, hot cocoa and gingersnaps. Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Baxter

I've got a new pup around! 10 month old Chocolate/Black Lab mix - he's already 50 pounds! Super sweet and hilarious! I adopted him last week from Pixie Project - a great organization.

Alaska Visit

I made my first trip back home in 4 years last month and it was a family-packed, rewarding, 10 days. The highlight of the trip was a "Meekins Women" gathering at Genie's house, attended by all four sisters, plus Maddie, Catherine, and Moira. Elissa missed it by a weekend...

I also got plenty of play time with the two new babies in the family: Tim and Terrill's 5-month-old, Collin, and Conor and Carey's 8-month-old, Lily, and of course, Shanleigh.

Happily, I caught newly-weds, Nick and Anya a few hours before they left Alaska and I got to meet the rarely seen, but often talked-about, Andy, Catherine's boyfriend (I wasn't ready for the east Texas accent!)

I also witnessed "four-sacriments in 30 minutes" during which Shanleigh and Collin were baptised, communion was administered, George Sullivan (who is quite ill) was blessed, and - the big surprise of the day - Tim and Terrill were married! Guess that Las Vegas ceremony didn't quite do it for the Catholic Church.

I also brought flowers to Mom and Dad's graves and sat on the park bench, which finally has the corrected plaque in place. I was pleased to see our old house in Anchorage is being well cared for, and surprised at the changes the owner of the former Mazzi's -now Don Jose's - has made to the place.

It poured rain most of the days I was there, but that didn't diminish the great conversations. Genie and I did get a chance to take in a nice walk along the Coast Trail and the clouds parted long enough for Shanleigh's soccer game. It was all good!

You can see more pix of my trip at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevrekians/

Watching Wheel at Gramma's

This made me really laugh and got me thinking of what Gramma (the best Wheel of Fortune player I've ever known) would have had to say about this guy :)

Dumbest Guy Ever on Wheel of Fortune - Watch more free videos

Sullivans Storm Snow City!

On the first nice day (read: no torrential downpours in sight) Anchorage has had in a while, the Sullivans (plus one Kevrekian) stormed the Snow City Cafe and enjoyed not only a hearty breakfast, but Anda Saylor's art show as well (those are her paintings in the background)!
Right now all Sullivans are in town for the weekend and all Meekins women are in the state (Reel in a big one, Barb!).
It's been great to have everyone here to catch up with, even if it is only for a short while, and even if we did only have 1 1/2 days of sun to enjoy. Nevertheless, it's always great to have family around!

More Wildlife Viewing

For those of you traveling in Alaska, for others who maybe want to be here but aren't, here is some more wildlife viewing from the wilderness, only this wilderness is  my backyard ten minutes ago.

Alaska Travelers Almanac

The Homeosapiens species "Nickanya" was sighted in the Alaska wilderness.  Quite rare. This is considered to be a new evolution of an older species, Nick, thought to be extinct in Alaska.