Nicole and I arrived in Stamford, NY last Friday for our sister Vanessa’s bachelorette. Our other sister, Nathalie, was already there and had decorated the cabin we were staying at. Later, Vanessa arrived with some of her friends. What happens at a bachelorette stays at a bachelorette, but I’ve been given permission to share a bit about the weekend.

We stayed at a beautiful cabin surrounded by woods. You could see lots of stars at night and it had a wood burning hot tub and sauna. Nicole and Nathalie became experts at building fires. They poured their souls into heating up the hot tub and sauna. So much so that when the hot tub was finally hot after hours of feeding the fire more logs, Nathalie no longer wanted to get in the hot tub.

On Friday night we had dinner, relaxed, and talked. The Baquerizo sisters often dominated the conversation and we had to remind ourselves to let others talk, but it seems like Vanessa’s friends enjoyed seeing the sister dynamic. You’re welcome for the entertainment, Anne, Emma, Zoe, and Carla.

On Saturday, we hiked to a waterfall at Mine Kill State Park and ate our packed lunch there. In the evening, we went out to dinner and then went back to the cabin to party. Vanessa had requested both a cabin and going out to party for her bachelorette. Those two things are not compatible with each other because if you’re in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, it’s unlikely that there will be a place to party nearby. So we brought the party to the cabin.

On Sunday, we went to Mass and then made brunch at the cabin. We played a Vanessa and Logan trivia, painted tote bags, and took turns going into the sauna. If you’re on the market for a sauna, I don’t think the wood burning part is worth it, but it did smell amazing in there.

On Monday morning, we all said goodbye. It was a fun weekend! I didn’t get enough sleep, but it was worth it. I also learned that I might enjoy artistic things. I’ve never enjoyed arts and crafts, but I did find painting the tote bag relaxing, so I might need to try out some new hobbies.

I drove to Troy to stay with my friend Cara for a night. I wasn’t able to see her when I was in the area in February, so I was really happy that it worked out this time. Cara spent Labor Day weekend at her parents’ house, so I arrived in Troy before she did. I went to Prospect Park to eat my lunch. I was going to go to a coffee shop to read after that, but the weather was so nice, that I stayed at the park and read there.

When Cara was home, I went to meet her. We went out for drinks, had dinner back at her place, and had a great time catching up. The next morning, we went out for coffee and then I drove to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.