Rachel...Mo Anam Cara

fancygens.com

    This is a special vault that contains captured moments of our past.  Here you will come across descriptions, dates, info, links to galleries associated with the moments, etc.  When departing to the galleries (by selecting the titles), be certain to select the individual picture to observe details.  This page will be in reverse chronological order so that the latest memories can be easily viewed at the top when going in, although don’t fail to page to the bottom area every now and then to recall & reminisce good times. 

Táim i ngrá leat Rach!

"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things."---Denis Diderot

Bears-Eagles Trip

Friday October 19th - Sunday October 21st

    Friday night after work, we set out for Hammonton, NJ to spend the night, which was 30 minutes from Chatsworth, NJ for our Saturday Quad ATV riding in the sandy Pine Barrens of New Jersey.  For the first time on one of our trips, country music was the music of choice, which was thoroughly enjoyed by both.

    Saturday morning we got up early for breakfast and set out for a short thirty minute drive to Chatsworth, NJ.

    This was my very first Quad experience, so I wasn't sure what to expect, just knew that I'd have an awesome time with you.  It's a good thing we rented the gear and suits because we got MUDDY!!!!  We had a blast riding through the trails.  We even seen some deer along the way.  My baby ran into a tree and I rolled mine once, but gladly we were not one of the statistics of 1 in 3 having an accident that caused injuries or required vehicle repair or one of the 1 in 200 crashes that required evacuation by helicopter.  I must say by the time the dude got done explaining to me the ins and outs of my vehicle and the park layout, I was all but crapping my rental gear pants with fear, so I took it easy out there.  Four hours was plenty for us as we were exhausted to put it lightly and both became incredibly sore all over our bodies from the ride.

    After we changed, we set out for a short one hour trip to the Sheraton Suites in Philadelphia for the next phase of our weekend adventure.  We were both exhausted, so we laid down for a three hour nap. After we got up and showered, we headed down to Philly's famous South Street.  We went to Bridget Foy's for an incredible meal.  We got the Pot Stickers for an appetizer, which are pan fried pork dumplings in a garlic chili sauce, then we went with Bourbon Glazed Salmon for our entrees.  That meal was 'bangin' to say the least.  Then we walked around South Street for an hour or so before we headed to our reservation at the Laff House, but made a spontaneous decision to bag that and head out to some Jazz clubs instead. It was funny standing out front of the comedy club, us Lancaster county honest folk trying to give away the tickets as most everyone thought we were looking for money or something.

    Sunday morning, after we had breakfast in the room, we called to get an extended check-out time and just chilled in the room recovering, resting and watching a movie together.  Then it was time to get ready for the BIG day!  My baby was all decked out in her Bears attire (Muhsin Muhammed jersey, pants, earrings, jacket & bandana) while I supported my Eagles with my Jersey and hat.  We got there early to walk around, get something to eat and then headed in to watch the pre-game warm ups.  We couldn't believe how close the players were.  I had gotten my baby seats, eight rows right behind the Bears bench and we had an incredible view.  The house was rockin and loud, you could feel the atmosphere.  Bears fans got their share of razzing from the Philly fans.  It was a battle of field goals the entire game except for the last few minutes.  When the Eagles scored a TD with 4:57 left, the roof was blown of Lincoln Financial Field only to see it implode with :09 seconds left as Chicago drove the field to score the winning TD with no timeouts left.

    For me though, I'd give a thousand Eagles losses to see my baby there witnessing her favorite player, Muhsin Muhammed lead the team in catches (5 for 79 yards), catching the winning TD in most exciting fashion for her and then being handed the game ball from the game.  That is such a rare occurrence, I about passed out when I seen her get that ball and she was so worried about making it to the truck with it before getting it stolen.  The whole game, but especially how everything concluded was just PRICELESS!!!  I'll never forget that, nor will my baby I'm sure.

GAME STATS

 

Our First Campground Trip

Friday October 12th - Sunday October 14th

    What an incredible time we had.   Unfortunately, Erin wasn't with us, she went camping with girl scouts, so Rachel had to deal with all men.  We missed you Erin.

    We left Friday night after work for a little over a two hour trip.  We checked in to the Splash Magic Campground in Northumberland, PA.

    We drove back to our Cozy Cabin and unpacked for the weekend.  We got in our PJs and had snacks and watched TV as we settled down to rest for what was going to be a busy weekend.

    When we awoke, Rachel made a 'custom breakfast' for everyone while the boys and I went over to rent a golf cart for the weekend to get around the camp ground.

    After breakfast, we took a tour in the golf cart around the campground and went to the activities center for some 'craft time' as we selected ceramics to paint.  It was actually allot more fun than we anticipated.

    After that, we went and rented some bikes for an hour.  The boys got some type of really cool low riding three wheelers that you actually steered with your feet.  Rachel, Mikey and I meanwhile rented a four seated dune buggy type bike.  Of course, Rachel, with the young at heart child in her had to try out a low rider for a bit.  I must admit, so did I.

    We went back to the cabin for some food and some resting up for the evening activities.  Actually, Rach and I slept, while the three boys went and played some miniature golf.

    Then it was time for the costume contest.  We stopped at Walmart on the way up to pick out costumes for Charlie and Anthony.  They had these orange prison costumes, so they dressed up as convicts and to really sell them, they we're chained together, mom painted their faces with black makeup for bruising and we bought black beanies to wear.  They looked very cool.  Mikey dressed up as Venom, so we had all villains across the board.

    After, the contest, we went back to the cabin for some snacks and then it was time for site-to-site trick or treating.  This is the way trick or treating SHOULD be done.  Rachel and I jumped up front in the golf cart and we piled the boys in the back and drove them all over the campground.  They we're out walking allot and we just drove right along with feet kicked up, oh what a life.

    Then it was time for the wagon ride around the camp ground to see all the sites and how they were decorated with occasional scares.  We got on the first ride, so after that, we drove the golf cart to a dark spot and the boys got out to scare the next wagon.

    After that, we went back to the cabin for more snacks and started our bon fire outside the cabin.  We then went down to the activity tent and watched the movie Edward Scissorhands outside.  It was a really cool experience as we were all bundled up in jackets and blankets with bags of candy.

    After the movie, we jumped back in our golf cart and headed back to the cabin for more time around the camp fire before we turned in for the night.

    Rachel made another nice breakfast when we got up, took a last ride around the campground in the golf cart and then checked out.  We then got on the road for an hour drive to Penn's Cave.

    First we took a ride on the safari bus to see all the animals which lasted for an hour and a half, then we took the underground cave tour by boat.  Afterwards, we ate at the Cave Cafe and the boys had buffalo burgers while Rachel and I stuck to the more conservative Texas longhorn burgers.  Then it was time for a two hour trip home to wrap up a most incredible weekend.

 

Our First Beach Trip

Saturday July 14th - Tuesday July 17th, 2007

"Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. It's much sexier than any body part."---Aimee Mullins

We left Saturday after you got off work for our very first excursion to the beach together, staying through late afternoon the following Tuesday.  As always, we spent allot of money, but we had a blast together.  We stayed at the Oceanic.  It is the most southern place you can get in OC, as it is located right on the inlet and bay across from Assateague island.  Click here to see the unbelievable view from our place.

There were quite a few ‘firsts’ for us.  Neither of us had ever been on jet skis before, so we took off on an amazing adventure in the bay behind Assateague island.  Your makeup was running like crazy, saltwater in the eyes, wedgies beyond belief, but it was a most breathtaking time.  Yours truly managed to be thrown off twice playing around, go figure.

Another first for us both that we partook in was parasailing.  We enjoyed the boat ride on the way out to the ocean and even seen dolphins up close.   Getting on the parasail itself was quite a thrilling moment.  We didn’t do the 400 foot option, we didn’t go for the 600 foot option, no, my baby needed to go for the 800 foot high option, all but three football fields up over the Atlantic Ocean.  We were white knuckling it for the first part of the journey, but we loosened up and “let go”.  It was so quiet and calm up there.

One of the nights we went out to dinner before hitting the boardwalk at a place we really loved called OC Frogs.  Great food and the most incredible view of the inlet and Assateague island.  They even had binoculars set out for us on the bar for the surreal vista. 

I will also never forget when we went out to karaoke.  Now obviously I didn't, but you did.  I had always thought you had the most incredible voice, but that night baby, OMG, I had never heard you like that.  I was so proud of you up there like you wouldn't believe.  The crowd loved you.  You sang right to me and took my heart, yet again, for the 10,067th time.  I can still see you singing like it just happened.  Thank you (Guh ro my a-gut) for that moment baby.

April Star Rachel's Foster Horse

I had done allot of firsts with you, so it brought me allot of happiness to have you do a first with me and bring my baby’s childhood dream of going to Assateague island true.  My poor horse-loving baby read a book about the place when she was a young girl and always wanted to go there, but never knew, even in her adult years that the place wasn’t that far away.  Oh well, it was meant to be.  We had a most enjoyable time there, spending most of our last day there and I even adopted her, her very own beautiful horse, April Star.  April Star is a pinto filly who was born in April of 2004 . She can be seen in the developed areas of the park with her mother, Carol's Girl.  Click here if you’d like to adopt a horse yourself.

 

Balloon Ride

Father's Day, Sunday June 17th, 2007

             This was supposed to be part of your surprise for me on the Poconos trip, but was delayed because of weather.  It worked out perfectly as it was a beautiful evening as we ventured into another area of 'firsts' for us both.  The team allowed me to help fill up the balloon which was pretty cool.  The view was spectacular and the ride with you, well, there are no words to describe that.  Seeing the curiosity and excitement on the faces of the Amish children as we landed in their field was priceless.  We drove back to where we took off from and celebrated a toast of champagne to finish off the night.  What a special Father's Day, thank you baby.  Gráim thú

Your Very First Personal Crossword Puzzle

Tuesday April 24th 2007

    I was at work missing you and came up with the idea to make you up a personal crossword puzzle in excel that dealt totally with us.  I e-mailed it to you over lunch and you called me for help on two or three, but you figured them out on your own from talking to me.  We both enjoyed it very much.

Click here for answers.

Gettysburg

Friday April 13th - Sunday April 15th, 2007

    We left Friday night right after you got off work for Charlie's Weekend Birthday celebration.  You made up invitations, packing recommendations and an itinerary (see below) on the computer.  Ok, first the Poconos, now this, my baby was becoming very detail oriented.

    The times in the pool were great.  The kids had a blast and at one point, while I was on life guard duty, you and the kids were having so much fun in the pool beating that beach ball around, I said the heck with it and jumped in with my jeans and beanie on and we set a new record with over a hundred hits without the ball hitting the water.  :)

    Even when we had to wait forever on our dinner at the haunted house, we had a blast together.

    The slumber party with all the candy and snacks in the room was just nuts.  We had enough to feed an army of 150 kids. 

     I was becoming a pro "equastriarian" as I took the kids out on horseback through the battlefields and Mikey and you had a blast at the train museum.

    You got to take Charlie out for just some mom and son alone time for his birthday and I think you got him drunk on caffeine at a bar.

    We finished off the weekend when we returned home as I took Charlie with me to the store while you all decorated and surprised him with a party when we got back.  It was a nice ending to a fabulous weekend.

 

Poconos

Poconos (Private)

Saturday February 24th - Monday February 26th, 2007

    You planned a secret, mind-blowing getaway for my birthday that had me on the edge of my seat guessing what we were going to do next.  You didn’t reveal much, as I opened up cards for clues in poem fashioned detail made up for each leg of the adventure.  We woke up early Saturday morning so you could make the secret phone call to see if the balloon flight was on, which we found out wasn’t and later did on Father’s day, so we went back to bed for a little.  However, you even had a clue card made up incase the flight didn’t go.  Man you were prepared and organized.

     We woke up a few hours later and hit the road.  You were throwing me curves left and right trying to get me to guess where you were taking me.  That was spirited entertainment.  Was I ever surprised when we arrived in the Poconos at Caesar’s Palace, Paradise Stream resort.

     We checked in quickly and you whisked me away to the next surprise, my first ever, horse trail ride.  What an amazing experience.  This was the beginning of my “equastriarian” training and my fame would build and follow.  J

     The next day we were off on another surprise adventure, this time for my first ever snowmobile ride.  We had a blast racing around the track, being thrown about by all the moguls, laughing to no end.

     Then we hurried back to the room for your next planned surprise.  Again with you pattern, you gave me another card with clues and I found out you had two masseurs coming to our room to give us a massage, so down we stripped.  WOW, that was wild.

     We managed to fit snow tubing in there, along with the great evening meals, entertainment, etc.  Can you believe we were gambling on games of chance?  You said you’d never play bingo, then, there you were getting so excited as your card got filled up.  Then we gambled on some horse racing and we even got to be a jockey in a race.  We shut the place down one night as we were the only ones left and we kept the poor ‘ole band there.  Yes, we had our VERY OWN PERSONAL band that night playing to us, what a memory!

     After we checkout out Monday, we headed to Philadelphia.  I had the idea to extend our getaway together and had gotten tickets for an amazing group we love, Celtic Women, at the Kimmel Center.  We had a few hours before the show, so we went to tour and shop famed South Street, another first for both of us.  We loved it and came away with allot of purchases.

     We finished off the trip with that concert by Celtic Women whom were absolutely incredible hearing them live.  We both agreed it was the best concert we had ever been to.

    Man, what an unforgettable time we had.  Guh ro my a-gut very much Rachel!

New York, New York

Saturday November 18th 2006 - Sunday November 19th, 2006

    Well, this weekend getaway was initially planned to take you to your first ever pro football game to see your Chicago Bears take on the New York Jets.  However, it expanded into a most incredible weekend.

    You ended up taking off Saturday and we left early that day.  The car ride itself was very memorable and enjoyable as we talked the whole way there pretty much about anything and everything.

    We had to really rush, but we just got into New York in time to catch our scheduled show, Christmas Spectacular, starring the world famous Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall.  It was amazing and we kinda felt bad the kids didn't get to share in this amazing show.

    After the show, we checked into our $300 a night room which looked amazing online and I'll never forget how much you laughed when I opened the door to our room and tripped over the bed in our 'closet'.  We got many laughs from that.

    Then it was time to be off touring New York City at night.  We got dinner then hit up the Ha Comedy Club for some laugh and drinks.  We then took a carriage ride pulled by a biker and I'll never forget you yelling out to the driver riding his bike to ring his bell.  We were racing through the streets of New York and I thought I was going to die in the traffic as you yelled out to the driver and people on the streets, 'ring da bell'.  We laughed so hard, geez, what a time!

Rachel's First Pro Football Game

Sunday Novermber 19th 2006

    We awoke the next morning to depart and headed out through the Lincoln Tunnel and within minutes were at the Meadowlands for the football contest, Chicago Bears versus New York Jets.  You had been a Chicago Bears fan all your days and for the first time ever, you were seeing them live, witnessing your first pro football game.  You were all decked out in your Bears bandana and your #87 Muhsin Muhammed jersey.  A few traditional beers and hot dog warmed you up for the action.  You got some heckling from the New York fans, but all in all, they were terrific.  The appearance on your face was priceless watching your team, I’ll never forget that.  Da Bears won 10-0 and after the game we moved down closer to try to communicate with your man, Muhsin.  With all the commotion, you couldn’t connect with him, but your “other man” here got his attention and he looked up and made eye contact with you and pointed at you when he seen you branding his jersey.  What an incredible moment, something to be cherished forever.  The whole weekend was a time to remember for that matter.

     Below you can find game stats and all the individual stats from that memorable game.

Team Stats   1st Downs 12 15 Rushing 7 5 Passing 4 10 Penalty 1 0 3rd-Down Conversions 4-14 6-17 4th-Down Conversions 1-1 1-2 Punts-Average 8-42.9 7-44.3 Return Yards 46 75 Punts-Returns 1-7 2-27 Kickoffs-Returns 1-0 3-48 Int.-Returns 2-39 0-0 Penalties-Yards 10-65 6-40 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Time Of Pos. 28:06 31:54   Total Net Yards 284 264 Total Plays 58 67 Average Gain 4.9 3.9 Net Yards Rushing 173 108 Rushes 35 30 Avg. Per Rush 4.9 3.6 Net Yards Passing 111 156 Comp.-Att. 11-22 19-35 Yards Per Pass 4.8 4.2 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-8 2-6 Had Intercepted 0 2 Touchdowns 1 0 Rushing 0 0 Passing 1 0 Other 0 0 Extra Points 1-1 0-0 Field Goals 1-1 0-0 Red Zone Efficiency 0-1-0% 0-1-0% Goal To Go Efficiency 0-1-0% 0-1-0% Safeties 0 0

 

PLAYER STATISTICS

Bears ( 9-1-0 )

Jets ( 5-5-0 )

PASSING   CP/AT YDS TD INT R. Grossman 11/22 119 1 0		PASSING   CP/AT YDS TD INT C. Pennington 19/35 162 0 2
RUSHING   ATT YDS TD LG T. Jones 23 121 0 19 C. Benson 10 51 0 14 J. McKie 1 2 0 2 R. Grossman 1 -1 0 -1		RUSHING   ATT YDS TD LG C. Houston 11 50 0 11 T. Dwight 1 28 0 28 L. Washington 13 22 0 16 B. Smith 1 6 0 6 K. Barlow 4 2 0 3
RECEIVING   REC YDS TD LG M. Bradley 4 80 1 57 M. Muhammad 2 29 0 28 A. Peterson 1 4 0 4 J. McKie 1 3 0 3 D. Clark 1 2 0 2 T. Jones 2 1 0 3		RECEIVING   REC YDS TD LG L. Coles 8 80 0 14 T. Dwight 5 40 0 15 J. Cotchery 3 25 0 22 B. Smith 1 7 0 7 L. Washington 1 7 0 7 C. Baker 1 3 0 3
KICKING   FG LG XP PTS R. Gould 1/1 20 1/1 4		KICKING   FG LG XP PTS
PUNTING   NO AVG I20 LG B. Maynard 8 42.9 1 60		PUNTING   NO AVG I20 LG B. Graham 7 44.3 1 67
KICKOFF RETURNS   NO AVG TD LG C. Harris 1 0.0 0 0		KICKOFF RETURNS   NO AVG TD LG J. Miller 3 16.0 0 21
PUNT RETURNS   NO AVG TD LG D. Hester 1 7.0 0 7		PUNT RETURNS   NO AVG TD LG T. Dwight 2 13.5 0 16
DEFENSE   T-A SCK INT FF L. Briggs 6-1 0.0 0 0 T. Johnson 6-5 0.0 0 0 R. Manning 6-1 0.0 0 0 B. Urlacher 5-6 0.0 1 0 A. Brown 4-1 0.0 0 0 A. Ogunleye 4-2 1.0 0 0 C. Tillman 4-2 0.0 0 0 N. Vasher 4-3 0.0 1 0 M. Anderson 3-0 1.0 0 0 D. Manning 3-4 0.0 0 0 H. Hillenmeyer 2-0 0.0 0 0 T. Harris 1-0 0.0 0 0 I. Scott 1-1 0.0 0 0 R. Wilson 1-0 0.0 0 0   0-1 0.0 0 0		DEFENSE   T-A SCK INT FF K. Rhodes 8-0 1.0 0 0 V. Hobson 6-3 0.0 0 0 E. Coleman 5-2 0.0 0 0 B. Thomas 5-0 0.0 0 0 E. Barton 3-2 0.0 0 0 R. Washington 3-1 0.0 0 0 D. Barrett 2-1 0.0 0 0 B. Hamilton 2-1 0.0 0 0 D. Robertson 2-3 0.0 0 0 J. Vilma 2-7 0.0 0 0 K. von Oelhoffen 2-1 0.0 0 0 M. Chatham 1-1 0.0 0 0 A. Dyson 1-2 0.0 0 0 B. Kassell 1-0 0.0 0 0 J. Miller 1-0 0.0 0 0 E. Smith 1-0 0.0 0 0 S. Elis 0-2 0.0 0 0

 

Our Very First Movie Together

Mid to late June of 2006

I took off work early to pick you up and take you to this movie in Lancaster.

The Lake House

Synopsis:  Speed co-stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reteam for romance in director Alejandro Agresti's remake of the Korean film Siworae, exploring a mysterious mailbox that somehow bridges time. After moving away from her peaceful lakeside home, a lonely physician (Bullock) begins writing letters to the frustrated architect (Reeves) who now occupies the building, only to discover that they're living two years apart.

 

 

Making Memories Of Us - Keith Urban

I'm gonna be here for you baby
I'll be a man of my word
Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard
I wanna sleep with you forever
And I wanna die in your arms
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

I wanna honor your mother
I wanna learn from your pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw
I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

We'll follow the rainbow
Wherever the four winds blow
And there'll be a new day
Comin' your way

I'm gonna be here for you from now on
This you know somehow
You've been stretched to the limits but it's alright now
And I'm gonna make you this promise
If there's life after this
I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us
I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll win your trust making memories of us