After a 3 week hiatus, it’s time to get back on the boat!
As previously mentioned, I took a well-needed break after my season, filled with a lot of home-cooked food, HGTV and zero obligations. It. Was. Awesome. Well, for about 4 or 5 days anyway.
Talk to any athlete and they’ll all say the same thing: rest is boring. We need it, we crave it when we can’t have it, and it’s necessary to any good training program. But we all go a bit stir-crazy after a short time of inactivity.
Little man vs. sweet potato.
So, in the last week of my break I traveled to Newport, Rhode Island to visit my twin brother Donny, sister-in-law Suzy and of course my sweet little nephew William.
And good LORD is he just the cutest.
I had a fantastic time up visiting with my fam, and they took me around to see and do just about everything. I drove up from PA on Tuesday, and that evening the three of us watched D play in his Navy league basketball game (they won, and he threw down an epic, crowd-pleasing dunk….seriously it was awesome and I was super proud) before heading to Drink & Dabble, where I sipped a gigantic margarita while painting a night time ice skating scene.
Suzy and I at Drink & Dabble! How great does her painting look?
I spent Wednesday morning cleaning and babysitting my little man while Suzy studied for her Group Fitness Certification exam, which she was taking on Saturday. The timing of my visit was pretty perfect for Suzy, who was able to get a ton of solid studying done just before she would take her test. We worked out in later in the day and then that evening, Donny and I went to a bar for a trivia night and I was able to meet some of his Supply Core classmates.
Aunt Savannah & sweet William hangin’ out.
On Thursday I did some more babysitting in the morning (a.k.a. the GREATEST thing ever. Seriously, this kid is just the cutest) and in the afternoon, Suzy drove us around downtown Newport and along Ocean Drive, a road that boasts some of the biggest mansions I’ve ever seen. Apparently back in the day, the rich would vacation to these obscenely large homes for the summer, throwing Gatsby-esque ragers all summer long.
That evening Suzy and I did an hour-long Tabata class at the gym on base- which was the best, worst decision EVER since this gal hasn’t done legit cardio in about 2 years- and then grabbed a quick dinner before watching D play another basketball game. No dunks this time, but he played great all the same.
Friday morning included some more bonding time with the little man, and then Suzy and I met Donny for lunch on Friday on base at the Officer’s Club. Afterward she gave me a tour of the base before heading home for a relaxing afternoon and evening just hanging out, since Suzy needed to prep for her test the next day.
On Saturday we made the trip to Boston, where Suzy took her exam at UMass. While Suzy tested, Donny, Will and I toured through the JFK Library & Museum! The museum was great- there was sooo much to see and they had a ton of artifacts from the Kennedy election and through his presidency. D and I loved it! And little man slept the whole way through. Once Suzy passed (YAY!) we grabbed an awesome lunch at a cute Mexican restaurant with Suzy’s cousin Amy before heading back home for the evening to prepare for the Super Bowl party on Sunday!
Henry dog surveys the Beach he’s about to rage on. Those birds don’t stand a chance.
Sunday was my last day with the crew, and was probably the busiest. Donny & I went to church in the morning, and after a quick breakfast, grabbed Suzy and Will and leashed up the Henry dog and went for a walk at the Cliff Walk, a gorgeous pathway along the cliffs in Newport. After a rigorous running of Henry on the beach, we headed home to shower and change. D took me on base to the chow hall for lunch so I could see some of what he went through during Officer Candidate School. I witnessed the lunch protocol, as well as a brand new Indoc class getting yelled at outside of the caf on their very first day. I’m super glad that Donny is finished with that part now!
Once home, we cleaned, cooked and set-up for the Super Bowl party! I had baked the desserts the night before, so it was just some slicing and setting up the trays and waiting for his classmate to arrive with the massive amount of wings they ordered. A bunch of D & Suzy’s friends and classmates came over for the affair, and we stuffed ourselves full of wings, cookies and beer. I was pretty pumped that Seattle won but a little disappointed in my favorite part, the commercials! I thought Budweiser had the best one with the puppy and the horse, and Cheerios came in a close second.
I think we’ve got a future skeleton slider on our hands!
I left Newport early Monday morning for Lake Placid, where I made it to the track in time for sliding. I was so sad to leave my family after such a fabulous trip! I didn’t get to see Donny, Suzy and Will very long over the holidays because my time home during those periods was very short. I was so thankful for the opportunity to visit (and bond with my godson!) and so pumped that I was able to spend just about a week with them. I was so happy to get to help them out and give them a break since they’re up in Newport on their own. So thanks D & Suzy, and until next time, little man! Miss you guys already!
push from the top 