Frisbee 101

Dad,
I try my best to continue what you started!  After hours of practice, I have come to realize that < I > am the problem.  I am the worst frisbee thrower ever.  At times, I even feel that Ryley is frustrated with my lack of ability.  Nevertheless, I've been doing my best to keep it going.

Let me add that it's not easy to take video and throw at the same time.  Next time I'll get Matt to help.  Here's a cute video of Ry not catching the frisbee, thanks to me.

I actually felt so bad that I went out and bought him this bone so that he would love me again.

He's got me wrapped around his finger/paw and I just can't say no to those puppy eyes!

Snow-lympics 2011

Just had about 16 inches of snow drop on us.  This makes me wish I would have taken more pictures after our 30 inch snow storm!  It's hard to capture how truly high the snow is in our yard but I did my best. Click on the pictures to see them bigger.

If only there was an olympic sport for snowball catching!

Digging for lost toys!

 When I look at our shed, it makes me feel like I live in munchinland!

 This much snow piled up on our deck can not be safe...

 But Ryley loves jumping off the snow mountain that has formed!

 Everyone on our block is out digging trenches to their front door.  If the snow doesn't stop soon, these trenches will turn into tunnels!

 I hope he is thinking about investing in a snow blower soon.

 Check out the snow bank behind me! It's just as tall as me! When our neighbor was out snow blowing this morning, I could only see the snow flying through the air on top of these < six foot snow > banks!

Snowed In, Again!

We're on storm #7 and have accumulated forty-something inches of snow... and it's not even February yet! We're about to get slammed by storm #8 - Ryley can smell it!

Matt finally had a Sunday morning to sleep in and relax! That definitely called for a celebration!  I turned on the espresso machine, heated up the waffle maker, cut up some fruit and laid out all necessary ingredients for a breakfast of champions.  Although I planned on being a good housewife and making a deluxe breakfast for two, Matt insisted on stepping in and taking over.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't put up much of a fight! I love that he loves to cook (even though it's against my traditional views on things).  I don't mind doing the preparing and clean up.  We make a pretty good team!

The Jets lost. The game was depressing. Luckily, I have the cutest puppy to keep me smiling!

 Ryley loves all of the snow days, delays and early dismissals I've been having! But if we have one more, we'll start losing days of summer! Not good! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the winter warlock is done with us yet. Ry sits on the bay window and watches another storm about to drop 12 more inches on us...

Negative Numbers

Yes! That does read <  - 4 degrees!  >  Just minutes later, it dropped down to < - 6! >  I took this picture on my way to work at 7:00 on Monday when the sun started to creep up. The night before we hit a record < - 35! >  What is going on!?

Our Snow Leopard

After this past summer, I thought that Ryley loved nothing more than to play catch in our swimming pool!  Now I'm starting to rethink that and consider his new found love for snow!

 He hops in and out of snow piles, digs his face into the snow and tries to catch the falling flakes.  He loves to catch snow balls and play what seems like hide and seek with his tennis balls.

Even 2+ feet of snow can't stop this puppy from playing frisbee!

We literally have to beg this snow leopard to come inside after playing in the snow for close to an hour!  You'd think his little paws and ears would get cold after a while!

Before he comes in the house, he has to race around the yard at full speed to get every last second of play time in!

30 Inches!

Wondering what two feet of snow looks like?

And here's what 30 inches of snow looks like - -

We got slammed by this storm!  After I took this picture, it snowed about another 4-6 inches!  The snow just wouldn't stop!  Just when we thought the storm was starting to give up, the snow seemed to come down even harder than before.  Luckily, Matt got home just in time from Florida to shovel us out, and of course to keep me warm and fed during my snow day!

Round 1 of shoveling really knocked him out!  It beat going to the gym that day though!

After a solid hour of shoveling us out, he came back inside, stripped down to his under armor/long johns and walked around the house feeling like a macho, macho man!

Then he put on his apron and made me delicious cauliflower soup! Yes, ladies, he shovels, cooks and occasionally makes the bed!  And he's all mine!

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year from these gals and gangsters!

 Cat and Cait cheesin' up a storm!

 Us newly weds celebrating our first married New Years Eve!

 Here's one for the 'Now and Then!' We have this same picture from when they were three and five.  I'll dig it up and post it next time I get home to Long Island!

Top 10 of 2010

2010 was one of the best years of my life!  When I look back on what made it so memorable, I realize how fortunate I am to have such amazing family and friends.  

Here are the highlights in chronological order:

1. The Viscardi Olympics at Okemo Mountain was a blast.  We spent most of our time on Hot Dog Hill.  We went flying off of jumps to try and get the most air, just for a good picture!  The landings were certainly not Kodak moments.

2. Ryley turned 1 year old!  This energetic, fun-loving, cuddly puppy made Matt and I a true family.  Although we could have done without a few trips to the animal hospital, he has been the greatest addition to our life!

3. 2010 seemed to be the year to get married in my family!  Within three months, we had three big weddings.  It sure was crazy, even a little stressful at times.  But looking back on it, I wouldn't change a thing!  My cousin Jimmy and his new wife Colleen got married on July 3rd.  My cousin Kerri and her new husband Kevin got married on August 28.  Matt and I ended it with a bang on October 9.

4. About twenty of my best friends from high school took a trip out east on Long Island and visited some vineyards along the way.  We reminisced about unforgettable memories, laughed till we almost peed in our pants and drank a whole lot of wine!  Here we are in the sunflower fields (one of my favorite places).

5. After living in an apartment for a few years, Matt and I finally moved into a house!  We were so excited to give Ryley a backyard to play in and have a place to store all of our junk!

6. Surprisingly enough, it took Matt and I about seven years before we took a trip together.  Of course it took a swimming national championship to kick us in the butt and get us on a plane! We visited some of the best beaches on California's coast and Matt coached his swimmer into the top eight!

7. The day we returned from California, my mom and sister planned the greatest surprise fancy hat bridal shower there ever was!  My brother picked me up from nana's house in dad's '32 Ford and brought me to my mom's house where tons of women crowded the front porch in fancy hats to see me!  The day's events only got better and better! Here's the groom with his bride and bridesmaids on my dad's '35.

8. I can't end this list without mentioning how fortunate I am to have a full time teaching job in a terrific district!  I absolutely love my job and can honestly say that I enjoy waking up every day to teach my 22 fourth grade students.


9. The BIG day... The BEST day... The most OUTSTANDING day of my life!  There aren't any words that can describe how remarkable this day was.  My amazing parents helped turn my childhood dreams of a fairy tale wedding into a reality.  The weather was picture perfect, everything turned out just as planned and the man of my dreams was there waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

10. And the whole reason this blog was created was because my overly generous husband bought me this awesome MacBook Pro I am typing on.  Once again, he completely knocked me off my feet and surprised me with another wonderful gift on Christmas morning.