My ridiculously adorable twin neices (though maybe I'm just a little biased :) celebrated their 2-year birthday this past Sunday with 40 of their closest friends and family. The theme was Elmo, which was evidenced most clearly with yummy Elmo cupcakes (though there were also s'mores cupcakes for those who didn't want to bite off Elmo's head - both types were baked by my friend Sarah of Sweet Bites).
Anyway, here are a couple of snapshots from the very memorable event. (Disclaimer: Photos may appear blurry due to photographer's inability to hold her phone's camera stationary.)
Olivia thoroughly enjoying her Elmo cupcake.
Cassie throwing back shots of milk to wash down the Elmo cupcake. Please note that poor Elmo's eye lies precariously alone on the table. Who knows what fate awaits the abandoned marshmallow eyeball.
As a well-stocked bar is always a staple of any party at the Bomba household, Livie took it on herself to begin playing bartender. Or at least she decided the quality of the ice would be vastly improved if she handled every piece of it.
Livie awaiting her next victim - I mean customer - to which to serve ice. Note the supporting cast of Uncle Mike.
Unlike a number of my friends and colleagues, I've been thoroughly enjoying the cooler summer we've been enjoying here in Northeast Ohio. I'm not a huge fan of anything above 82 F. But my best summer ever was spent in the Southwest...in breathtakingly beautiful northern New Mexico. I try to justify the heat difference by saying at least it was a dry heat :)
Located in Cimarron, New Mexico, is Philmont, a high adventure, Boy Scout ranch spanning about 137,500 acres in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (part of the Rocky Mountains), where I spent the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. My parents were trusting enough (or maybe they just wanted to get rid of me for the summer) to put me on a train in Youngstown bound for New Mexico to serve on the kitchen staff at Philmont for three whole months.
This photo - taken by my friend and one of my managers that summer, Andrew - demonstrates pretty much what we did all summer - fun and shenanigans. Hey, we worked hard too. We just had more fun than should be legal doing it.
My days off were incredibly precious to me though. We spent time in Taos gallery hopping and haning out at the hot springs. But most enjoyable were the days we spent in the backcountry. Many a nights were spent on the front porch of the staff cabin on Urraca Mesa...others spent sleeping out under the stars in an unnamed mountain meadow under the very clear and vast New Mexico sky which seemed to reach for miles and miles. It wasn't hard to imagine all of the Indian lore and legends to be true. The view from the staff tent - which I shared with Karen - was this - the Tooth of Time. Who wouldn't love waking up this every morning...ok except maybe for the mornings I was on breakfast duty and had to be at the Dining Hall by 5 or some other ridiculous time. Well, I guess we did have to get all of the hikers in and fed and ready to head out on the trail.
My Philmont summer was the most memorable, action-packed three months of my life. I have so many fond memories and funny stories. I have very few regrets in my life...but one of them is that I only spent one summer on staff. Wish I was there now.
Olivia thoroughly enjoying her Elmo cupcake. 
Cassie throwing back shots of milk to wash down the Elmo cupcake. Please note that poor Elmo's eye lies precariously alone on the table. Who knows what fate awaits the abandoned marshmallow eyeball. 
As a well-stocked bar is always a staple of any party at the Bomba household, Livie took it on herself to begin playing bartender. Or at least she decided the quality of the ice would be vastly improved if she handled every piece of it. 
Livie awaiting her next victim - I mean customer - to which to serve ice. Note the supporting cast of Uncle Mike. 
