All Things New England

This past Sunday, Mashley joined Jerry, JenMarie and Lauren in Greenfield for a little taste of fall in Western Mass. Lauren and JenMarie prepared for Mashley's arrival by making a killer home made apple pie and apple sauce. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to Mt. Sugarloaf in South Deerfield, MA. It was a very clear day, so we could see for miles from the top of the mountain.

After a great lunch with a view to match, we headed to Clarkdales Apple Orchard where Mashley "picked their own apples.." or so the story goes. Everyone was very excited that macouns were still available, since they are the rarest of the breeds! We headed back to Greenfield where everyone enjoyed a slice of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream! It was a great day, and there was only one thing missing... Craig!

Boston Heart Walk

On Saturday, September 15 Jerry, JenMarie and Lauren joined Ashley, Matt and many of their supportive friends at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River in Boston for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Since Ashley's open heart surgery on May 8th, 2006 she has become a strong advocate for the association and has raised thousands of dollars for the association. Unfortunately, the weather was less than ideal, but that didn't stop our crowd, or the other 10,000 people from having a great time on the 3 mile walk.

Ashley's friends were great sports for supporting her for the second year in a row. We missed J Scans and Lea, but we are planning on seeing them soon! After the heart walk we stopped at Crazy Dough for a delicious lunch (I think I can still taste the garlic knots!) and then got the official tour of Mashley's apartment- which is a prefect blend of their two very different personalities. We were all so happy to support Ashley and her accomplishments.

Girls of Northeastern Calendar Release Party

Matt & his business partner created from start to finish the Girls of Northeastern 2007-2008 Calendar. They held the release at Conor Larkin's in Boston and had a very successful night! Matt & Ashley's friends Matt & Fiona Stafford were in town visiting from London and they brought their newborn son Koet with them! It was great to see them since Matt Stafford moved right after graduation. Everyone was happy to get together!

JenMarie's Birthday

JenMarie's Birthday was celebrated with a night of festivities including bowling and a party! We rented a suite at the Hanscom Air Force Base and Mashley joined us from Boston. We started the night off with two strings of bowling and while someone's scores (ASHLEY & LAUREN'S) left a lot to be desired, JenMarie, Jerry & Matt showcased their professional talents. JenMarie had a birthday tiara and sash which only improved her performance.

After we were tuckered out from bowling we went back to our room for a pizza party, cake and a few rounds of what could be considered death Uno! Mashley had to head back to the city, but Jerry, JenMarie and Lauren spent the night at the base and went shopping at the Base Exchange (BX) the next morning. It was a great birthday celebration and it was a great occassion for everyone to get together.

Mashley in LA

Ashley & Matt come to Los Angeles for the weekend for the Pumapalooza Golf Tournament. Craig & Lauren were excited to have their first over night visitors (despite the fact that Craig has a studio apartment). Craig wasn't able to go to the golf tournament because of work, but Ashley & Lauren were happy to ride in golf carts for the afternoon and eat lunch at the club house. During the weekend, we went to The Getty Museum and enjoyed beautiful views of LA. We also went to Mel's Drive-In Diner and felt like we were on the opening scene of Entourage. Matt, Ashley and Lauren went to the beach in Santa Monica. Craig had to leave for a business trip to NYC, but the rest of us enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach. Matt rented a surf board and hit the waves while Ashley & Lauren worked on their Cali tans. It was a great weekend trip!

Lauren's Summer in California

Lauren spent the summer in Studio City, CA with Craig. Lauren worked at Rhino Records for her internship and scored all types of free music! Craig and Lauren were very busy on the weekends and went to sporting events, the beach a few museums and, of couse, ate out A LOT.

We went to El Matador Beach in Malibu. The beach has caves on the shore and scenes from Bay Watch were filmed there. We also went to the Getty Museum which is modeled after ancient Rome. We had a great time this summer and are excited for Lauren to move to California after she graduates in May 2008.

San Francisco

Craig and Lauren flew from LA to spend five days in San Francisco with Jerry & JenMarie. We stayed at the Novato Coast Guard Base. It was so nice to be back on a base community with all the amenities we had become accustomed to having while living on Fort Bragg. While in San Fran we visited the Fisherman's Wharf- where Craig & Jerry were in seafood heaven. We watched a fireworks display which was shot simultaneously over Pier 39 & Municipal Pier while enjoy our incredible sundae's from the original Ghirardelli's Chocolate Facotry.

We went to Alacatraz (The Rock) and toured the whole island. It was amazing to imagine what life was like living and working on the island. We also walked over the Golden Gate Bridge.. shaking knees and all. It is about 4 miles to walk the bridge in both directions, and it totally worth the view. We spent a day at Six Flags riding the craziest rides (JenMarie mostly watched). We drove down Lombard Street (the most crooked street in te U.S.). We were all sad to leave the beautiful city, but it was a great mid-summer vacation. We wished that Ashley & Matt could have joined us- but we know they will get to Alacatraz soon enough!

Mashley Graduates!

Ashley & Matt graduated Saturday, May 5th at the TD Bank North Center in Boston, MA. The ceremony was nice and they had a great guest speaker. Auntie Lynn and Nana joined the celebration. After the ceremony Matt, Ashley and their close friends and their families celebrated at Tia's on the waterfront in Boston's Back bay Area. It was the perfect ending to their college careers. Jerry, JenMarie, Lauren, Aunty Lynn and Nana stayed at Hanscom Air Force Base the night before and Mashley drove down to meet them for dinner and of course, presents!

Must of Got Lost Book Signing

Jerry had his first official book signing at the Shea Theater on Saturday, March 23, 2007. Jerry's friend Danny Klein (from the J. Geils Band) was performing at the Shea, and in between sets he autographed copies of Must of Got Lost with Jerry. JenMarie, Ashley & Matt were at the signing to support the new author and to keep the crowd in order around our local celebrity!

Key West

Jerry & JenMarie, Ashley & Matt and Craig & Lauren spent 5 days in Key West for the New Year's holiday. We stayed on the Key West Naval Air Station where Jerry became Combat Diver certified during his Army days. It was great to finally see the location of all of his crazy stories. We spent days on the beach, touring the Keys and on the water.

We visited Ernest Hemingway's house and saw the famous cats (we were in heaven- but missing our own cats, too!) We spent one day on a party boat where we rode wave runners, kayaked, water skiied and rode the Banana Boat. Matt had his work cut out for him as he grew Inspector Gadget arms to hold us all of one crazy ride. During the nights, we visted Duval Street where we saw street performers, all with a different "talents." It was a great trip since it is so rare for the six of us to be together.