Retreating

Last week I went back down to the cape to lead a retreat. I've lead and attended many a retreat but this one was the first one I have ever done professionally. That makes me sound way more qualified than I actually feel, but really, I am not a professional retreat planner, and yet part of my job is planning 7 retreats in a year for middle/high school ladies. 

Anyway, the retreat went better than I could have hoped for; God's graces really are so good. And the location was a beautiful lodge within walking distance of the shore on the cape. The senior class was blessed to have such perfect weather and I was lucky to have such a welcoming class during my first retreat.

To My Most Loyal Reader:

Happy Birthday.

This post is dedicated entirely to the memories we've shared. I tried to limit the original obnoxious amount of photos and deleted a bunch including most that are already on the blog. See more of Ryan's and my adventures over the past year here:

One Fine Sunday, Headed Down South, Snow Day, Senior Retreat, Wintertime, Crowds and Doughnuts, FDB, Marriage Weekend, Luaupalooza, Senior Week 1, 2, 3, 4, Bacc Mass, An Interruption, Wedding 2, 3, 4

Ryan, I am so lucky to have you as a friend and it is killing me this year to not be celebrating our October birthdays together. If only Kansas weren't half our country away...

I cannot define my college experience without you. You are the person who constantly calls me to more. The person who would spend hours talking about the same things over and over again on full stomachs and camping chairs. The man who would drop anything, lose sleep any day if that meant spending quality time on Wednesday nights with best friends. The person who is always down for a wawa run and controls the music the whole way there. One of two people who taught me that it is not pretentious to hold people and materials to a higher quality. You are someone who can eat half a pint of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch before Shan and I even get a second spoonful. Quite honestly you're the person that taught me that drinking can be done responsibly and that the best conversations and the most opportune time to Evangelize tends to happen with a beer in hand. I'm laughing now just thinking that you bought beer based on the patriotism of the boxes and every food must pass the sniff test before it is qualified as Ryan eating caliber. My summer with you taught me how to cook, how to grocery shop, how to host, and how to be domestic. (Tim thanks you.) You challenge me every day to live out my own Magnificat. You push me always toward the stretch zone. You never let me settle. You don't put up with my crap. You reassured me that my leadership style is not, in fact, tyrannical despite my insecurities. You showed me by example what having an active prayer life looks like. God blessed my life by putting you in it and I love you. 

#letsbesaints

The rest of this post is entirely for your joy. 

Insert Larry's joke about a domepiece

Speaking of Larry

Harpers Ferry and the birth of Leadfoot Pennington III

Sara Bareilles

DJ Gabe and DJ Larry; Club America was born

FNE and Sarah...

Community Fun Time

Great Gatsby Dinner Dance 

Gabe and Games

 The next three pictures depict the Gilmore Girls Trifecta Friends

 ((For some sad reason I couldn't find a Green Wall Summer House photo...Sorry))

Love you forever. Happy Birthday. Hopefully mid-twenties show the same amount of joy and adventure as the early twenties.

Also, thanks for everything. My Life, My Sweetness would not actually be in existence without you.

Cape Cod

Just last weekend, we took advantage of an offer to leave the city and head to the shore. Steve invited Tim and me, Meredith, and his childhood friend Molly to head to his neck of the woods. (Also Ryan was invited and we are trying not to take it personally that he declined).

We left last Friday night after traffic died down and stopped for the night halfway into our trip, which, conviently, was the Imparatos home. I've talked about how generous and hospitable they've been to me before. This time Tim and Meredith were able to share in the experience, it really is an experience. Meredith blogged about it here. Remember the chickens?

Well Saturday morning, after enjoying breakfast by the fire, Tim got to partake in the shephearding in of the girls. He was on gate patrol.

And Meredith destroyed the competition in her "first time" pretending to be Katnis. Yeah, sure.

Tim is so used to my making him take pictures everywhere at this point that I forgot what it was like to coerce someone into posing... Steve quickly reminded me....

We spent the rest of our morning and early afternoon exploring the sights and views of Plymouth, which included a questionable trip to the Plimouth Plantation.

Molly enjoyed the petting zoo portion while I am fearful of any and all non-domesticated animals.

We spent some time with the Native American villagers and heritage.

Then we took the road not traveled at all to the Plantation portion.

Behold the secret lookout Steve discovered during his time as a Plantation intern.

It was an overcast day but who am I to complain for a day away from the city on the shore without rain?

On our way down to his family's cape house, we stopped at scenic locations along the way.

The first was Sandwich and these views and beautiful colors could get anyone excited.

Did you know that I don't own a CUA sweatshirt? Tim does, but not me. I do own many, many crewnecks of other universities, just zero of my favorite. I don't know why you would know that/ why I would ask/ who would actually care but it's been typed and regretfully I'm too lazy to delete it or insert something clever.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel throw down your accordians.

We climbed the tower to a great view once in Dennis and made an inside joke or two. Noted above. And I'm sure I'll get approximately 3 laughs from it. Worth it. (Not four because Steve would never actually read this).

Rain, Snow, Shine, or Overcast grayness; the beach calls for ice cream. And Steve forcing us to wear these hats for the rest of the weekend. I did convince him to let me take it off for Mass though. Small victories.

We stayed the night on Saturday at Steve's family's cape house. We had such a great cozy night dozing off to the Hobbit and a luzurious breakfast with Spanish butter. We are so so grateful to the Sullivan/ Imparato family for welcoming us and opening their lovely homes to us for the weekend.

The rest of Sunday was spent at a few different beaches ending with a picnic and swings.

Sunday was the perfect non-summer beach weather. Warm and sunny sweatshirt weather. The whole weekend was simply so relaxing and jovial. Until we hit a patch of traffic on the way back into the city, and I proved to fail at being a traffic luck charm. Broke my streak.

This is the man whom I love. This is the man who I married. And 6 years later Tim Kenney, the sentiment stands. 

P.S. I really like swinging.