Tag Archives: Family

Matt and Debbe Sittin’ in a Tree…

In the first of a string of family weddings happening in the next year or so, my cousin Matt got married this past weekend to the lovely Debbe Dickinson at West Point. It was beautiful. The bride wore her grandmother’s dress. The groom wore his full Army dress uniform. Absolutely elegant. Until it hit about noon. Then, as my Uncle George likes to say, things got goofy.

So, weddings in my family, as they are becoming more and more these days, are a weekend-long event. What started Thursday night ended at about 1pm Sunday afternoon, and quite frankly I’m shocked people are still standing. Or going to work. Or are awake.

Friday night we rehearsed dinner, as they say. The Turnbulls rehearsed drinking. And we may have met our match in those Texans, who instead of Coors Light choose straight whiskey. And then put on cowboy boots and dance. It’s amazing. And, if anyone asks, I did not give any 8-year-olds wine. Did not.

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Filed under BEST Things Ever, The Funny Thing About Family Is That You'll Always Be Related

Pumpkins, Wine and Mums: It’s the Fall Experience!

So every year I make the trek out to the North Fork of Long Island on Columbus Day Weekend with every sincerest intention to casually pick pumpkins, buy mums and drink some wine. This is what my mom refers to as the “Fall Experience.” However, the real version of the Fall Experience involves my mom kidnapping whatever friends I’ve invited to join us, driving them to hell and back (which is actually Jamesport to Greenport to Jamesport) in bumper-to-bumper traffic and force-feeding them corn and apple cider. She’s lucky we always seem to have beautiful weather.

This year was no different as we visited Harbes Farms, Raphael Vineyard and the Gabrielsen Greenhouse. Pumpkin count: 47 (of various shapes and sizes). Mum count: oh about 1,000, some of which are still in my car. Wine count: a delicate mixture of whites and reds.

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Filed under Around Town, BEST Things Ever, The Funny Thing About Family Is That You'll Always Be Related

Guy of the Month: Matt B.

Runnin' It.

Name: Matt
Age: In years, 30ish. In mind, somewhere around 15
Likes: Ala-BAMA football, Bobby Huggins, Carter and Mary Carter
Dislikes: Buzz Aldrin

My mom has a habit of finding complete strangers to come and live with us. Over the course of my lifetime, approximately 432 people have stayed at the Carroll home, and Matt was one of them.

Matt came to us in 2005 when his parents left him in a basket on our doorstep. The note read “We didn’t sign up for this. Love, Barb and Ed.” We really had no choice. He lived with us for an extended summer, and even when his house was finally built, he wouldn’t leave.

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Filed under Guy of the Month, The Crazy People I Call My Own