Lovin' the Lobstah

So, this post is going to be mainly photos ... they speak for themselves. And yes, Kristin is on vacay.

Those are some crazy lookin' lobstahs!



Today was our first day at the Lobster Festival! We got to Rockland about 11 today and had a blast! It was pretty cloudy when we got there so we took advantage of the outdoor vendors as much as we could before the rain started. We bought some artwork for our home including the 2008 Lobster Festival poster ...

There was a US map and a world map set up at the information booth so everyone could put a tack on the city they were from .... wouldn't you know there was another Charlotte person there. I need to go hunt them down. That was my tack! Anyway, it was pretty amazing to see the distance people came for the festival.

Here is a picture of the world's greatest lobster cooker ...

Here are some pictures of me enjoying my first lobster of the week .. Andrew was on his 5th or so for the week so I felt it kind of repetitive to include more of him chowing down.

Sorry Andrew - you can't eat this one ... good try though!

Sorry this got posted a day later .... I tried!

Now it's time to get ready for another day of lobstah!

Have a happy day!

K

Camden, Maine

Well, today was going to be the day for Lobster Festival ... but we made a change of plans. Today was free admission to the public and the days for our tickets don't start until tomorrow so we decided to explore Maine a bit more.

First off ... Dunkin Donuts coffee rocks. Yes, I know it's in North Carolina - but I craved a huge cup of joe this AM and it hit the spot.

After we got ready, we headed towards Camden and found ourselves at Cellardoor Vineyard for a little wine tasting and walking around. I must say, the wine is pretty good. And of course you can't be in Maine at a vineyard without trying some blueberry wine. It definitely had the fruity aroma but without the sweetness your pallet expects. I highly recommend a trip to Cellardoor if you are up this way. And you know I already recommend that you all make a trip to Maine. So, do it already!

After the winery we headed towards Camden for lunch and a bit more shopping. I have to say, Andrew has been very patient with me while I shopped in all of the little froofy stores. But the towns have been so awesome to walk around and all of the buildings and homes are historical so we walked around in awe and envy of the locals. Hopefully we didn't stare too much. Andrew and I have thought how you might all react if we just called you to let you know we have decided to move up here and just to have our things shipped this way. I'm not going to lie, if we all weren't so freaking close to one another we would just do it!! But we love you all too much. So, we will be coming home. But it's only for you guys. And bbq and sweet tea.

Dinner was at a bar and grill across the street from our hotel where a lobster dinner is only $12.95. And it's a whole lobster - just like the one in the picture below from last night. The food was good and the beer was cheap so we had a great time.

Tomorrow is the lobster festival ... and we can't wait! No worries ... pictures of Kristin on vacay will be posted later that evening.

OH ... update on the clam chowdah ratings .... last night's was not that great - we gave it a three. Lunch at Village Restaurant got a 7 and we bumped up Dudley's Diner to an 8. Have you ever had clam chowder that had little black looking stems on the ends of the clams? What in the heck are they? We have been trying to find pictures of it online but have had no luck. It was interesting to say the least ... hence the 3. Okay, Andrew just gave it a 1.

Goodnight family and friends,

The Rudy's

Seriously? Who can't see the lobstah?

this is a good shot of it's claw ... look in the center of the picture where the trees are the tallest ... then look over a little to the right and up ... can you see the claw?

Look right above the telephone pole ... body to the left, claws to the right.

Does anyone have the time?

Andrew does! It's time to get cracking!

Today we ventured up to Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbor. We had lunch there and then walked up to the gift shop for a little beeh (not beer) tasting. It was all very good ... except for the super dark stuff. After the tasting we got to take a little tour of the brewery and learn about the beeh making process. We had a really great time there and Andrew got to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes ... drinking beeh. And you want to know what's even better? They distribute their beeh to Charlotte!

After the tour we headed down to Main Street to do a little shopping. While in one store the owner asked where we were from because she noticed a little southern drawl (and yes, from Andrew too). Once we told her, she was so thrilled because her son lives in Hickory. She lives 6 months in Maine to run her store here and then 6 months in Florida to run her other one. I can't tell what store though because someone's souvenir came from there! :-) And it is super super cool!

After we got back from Bar Harbor we freshened up and headed out to dinner at The Lobster Pound. That is where the lovely photo of Andrew and his bib came from.

(you can't tell here ... but Andrew ate two of these tonight)

Oh ... and one more thing. We are definitely in lobstah heaven. Please take a close look at the cloud picture I took today on the way back from Bar Harbor.


Can you see the lobster? It's body is to the left of the telephone poll and it's claws are to the right of it. It is just below the darker clouds.

Until next time,
K

It's Chow-dah, not Chowder

And it is good!

Andrew and I have decided that everywhere we eat we have to share a cup of clam chowdah and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being UGH and 10 being YUM). Well, lunch at Dudley's Diner got a 7 and The Maine Dish scored a 5. I am not a big chowdah fan but I know it's a must up here in one of the best New England states.

Our first day in Maine was wonderful. We just got back in the room and are settling down with some local beer.

We went to downtown Belfast to do a little shopping and have some lunch. After lunch we went on an hour boat cruise around the harbor. We didn't see any sea life but there is an island close by that you can only get to by ferry. It is a self serving island with its own school system. It made me daydream how awesome it would be to live there and feel almost tucked away but still have everything you need at the same time.

I know I keep saying this over and over - but this place is just beautiful. It's not commercialized and there are no bright lights to ruin it's small town charm. You can tell that this close knit community works hard to keep life simple and to preserve Belfast the way it was when it was first developed.

Tomorrow's agenda is to head up to Bar Harbor and walk around the Atlantic Brewing Company. There is also some great shopping - yes, Andrew is thrilled! :-)

But what were are looking forward to the most is Lobstah (not Lobster) Festival!!!

Until then ... goodnight all! Love and miss you!

K

Rain in Maine

What a drive. Whew ... glad that is over until next Sunday. I tried to take a picture of the "Welcome to Maine" sign in the pouring rain. This is the best I could do.

Luckily the rain has stopped and it looks like we are going to have some beautiful days ahead of us.

We are here and rested and getting ready for our day in Belfast, Maine. This place is so beautiful and peaceful. The weather is lovely. We sat out on our patio and enjoyed a cup of coffee overlooking Penobscot Bay. It is simply gorgeous.

Lobster Festival doesn't begin until Wednesday so today we are going to enjoy this small, historical town that we are staying in. We are going for a boat cruise this afternoon and then hitting up some of the local shops on Main Street.

We still can't believe that we are here. We have talked about this trip for several months now and weren't really sure if we would go through with it. We are so glad we did. We have only been here for one night but I know we would have regretted not coming and enjoying such a beautiful place already.

This is all we have for now ... but we will be sure to update you all when we can.

K&A

Perfect day for this post

Update: Mom has requested that the picture of her and Dad come down. So, if you didn't get to see it, I apologize. She is my mother ... I still listen to her. :-)

After a weekend of birthday celebrations this is the perfect day for this particular post!

Happy Birthday Mom, Darren, and Chase!! Today is your (y'alls) day .... party hard! :-)

We had a wonderful (and very busy) weekend. Andrew and I drove into Mocksville Friday evening after work to celebrate my Mom and Dad's birthdays. We had steaks off the grill and some very yummy ice cream cake. Here is a picture of their cake (I am still really mad that the bakery people at the grocery store wrote so crappy on it). Also, you will find some pictures of my Mom and Dad in their birthday hats.

After celebrating with my Mom and Dad, Andrew and I ventured off to Raleigh to celebrate Chase's first birthday on Saturday. We had so much fun! A lot of people from the neighborhood came over and Chase made out like it was Christmas with all of his presents. Check out Chase with his own personal cake. Can you tell that he enjoyed it?

Hope you all have a very special birthday today. We love you all very much!

We have arrived!

We are finally in Maine!

Short post though ... very tired!

We left at 3:45 this am and got here about 9ish or so .... loooooong drive ..... more on that later!

So, after a quick dinner and shower it is off to bed!

I will update lots more tomorrow (with pictures) .... from our drive in and our birthday celebrations with our family! :-)

I don't think so!

Andrew finally noticed that I took his song choices off of our blog ... ha.

Well - he decided that he would post a picture of his truck at the bottom ... and it's HUGE.

No worries ... a smaller one will be taking its place.

Men!

Ssshhhhhh .... don't tell Dad!

I woke up this morning without the usual paws on the bed and kisses on my face from Louie. I looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:45 ... Louie was being a late sleeper. And then I got kind of worried. It's not like her not trying to wake one of us up (and it is 99.99% of the time that Andrew gives in and takes her out). So I got up and walked out to the living room and there she was ... in Andrew's chair, stretched out, and living the good life. I literally had to coax her out of the chair to go outside for her morning ritual around the block.

Well, about fifteen minutes ago when Andrew headed to take a shower Louie decided she needed her chair back ... and this time I got pictures .... don't tell Andrew! :-)

I made her get off of his chair ... and now she is beside me on the couch. What can I say? I am the softie around here ... and she knows it.

Goodnight all ... hope you all have a great week -

-K

COUGH wetriedtocallyouchris COUGH

After messages and voicemail ......



Happy Birthday, Chris!!!

Summer Celebrations

Well, another celebration has been added to the summer months!

First ... the rundown ...

It seems as though most of our family has a birthday or anniversary in July and August ... here they are in order:

Amy - Birthday - July 10

Bryan - Birthday - July 11

Mom Raynor, Darren, and Chase - Birthday - July 28 - (yes, all on the same day!)

Shaun - Birthday - July 31

Dad Raynor - Birthday - August 1

Mom and Dad Raynor - wedding anniversary - August 5

You guys are depleting our bank account ... but we still love you!! And it is all worth it!

So who is the newest celebration?? Miss Taylor Marie Benson!!! :-) No, she isn't our family but it feels like it!

Taylor was born to parents Charlie and Holly and big brother Landon on July 13th. She is a very healthy baby girl weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Mother and Baby are doing great!! Andrew and I couldn't be more excited for the Benson's ... they are truly a blessed family with a lot of love and happiness.

And I get to see their newest addition soon!! I will be sure to get some pictures - I know she must be beautiful!

I'll also take pictures from our other crazy family birthdays and post those too!

Happy July/August birthdays ... and anniversary too!

It's been awhile

Sorry for such a late post ... I know there are so many people out there just dying to know what the Rudy's are up to. I do apologize for my laziness of not keeping all 3 (maybe 4) of you entertained. :-)

Where to begin ...

How about this - Andrew got a promotion! That's right - he has turned into an everyday suit wearing, big-time, downtown banking man! We are so thrilled that his hard work and dedication over the past 5 years has paid off so nicely. Now I need to pick out my Coach bag ... haha ... kidding!

Andrew's mom also came to visit us for a few days. We got to show her around our new little town, go out to dinner, and relax by the pool .... with a delicious bottle of wine! It was so wonderful to have her company and we are looking forward to a trip to Florida to visit with her and Mike!

Last weekend for the 4th of July we headed to Raleigh to visit with Bryan, Amy, but mostly Chase! We had a wonderful day by the pool, ate some yummy food off the grill, and watched Chase wobble around on his two little feet. It is absolutely crazy how much this little man has grown!! Oh, and how do you like this? Andrew and I decided to stop by McDonald's on our way home from Raleigh. Well, Andrew proceeded to order his Bic Mac and got this as a response, "We don't have Big Macs" No lie ... I tell the truth ... 4th of July weekend and the most American fast food joint doesn't have it's signature sandwich! WHAT!?!?!

Now we are gearing up for our big trip to Maine at the end of July! Yes, we are driving ... and yes, I know that is crazy. Andrew and I will be spending 16 hours in the car together to get there. I can hear some of our conversations now; "Slow down, Andrew" "Speed up, Kristin" "Do you see any cop cars hidden on the entry ramps?" "It's my turn to pick the CD" "But I'm the driver, I get to listen to my choice of CD until we switch" "Are we there yet?" "Yeah, just over the hill" "Eww, was that you?" Fun times!!!!! We are actually really looking forward to our vacation to the beautiful state of Maine for the annual Lobster Festival! We will be sure to blog and post pictures while we are up there.

Oh, question .... is it true that you can hear the lobsters 'cry' as they are thrown into the pot? I think I may cry ....