Thursday was a busy day.  Incredibly busy and lots of activity.

Our morning began back on the porch and this time to welcome a sunny and bright day.  I have to tell you though—it’s hot as balls in Cincinnati.  Here in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States we have the ocean which is pretty-much close by.  But Ohio is landlocked and the head doesn’t move.

Blue skies and a view from the porch__early in the morning!

Luckily, I am not bothered by the summer heat; yesterday’s rain storms did nothing to alleviate the temperature.

Yeah. I’m not TOO bothered by the heat! Besides, I can be like Wendy and wipe the sweat with my synthetic wig hair!

We had plans.

Oona has been making the same “thinking” face ever since she was in grade school! I’m sure she was thinking that mother-of-the-bride is a pain-in-the-ass!

Oona went for a wax after our morning coffee, then we hit Starbucks for icy refreshments.

Yeah. Iced Coffee washed down with cold water!  I drank a LOT of water!

Next stop—spray tans.  Oh, and did I ever need one.  The back of my legs was looking rather fish-belly white.  Our bodies were tanned at Alba Organic Spa which was a really cute place.  The woman who sprayed us knew her stuff!  We both walked out with a nice caramel hue that looked almost good enough to eat!

The price was excellent and far less expensive than in the Philly area!  

I’m telling you though. It was so stinkin’ hot outside that I feared my sweat would wash the color right off.  But it didn’t!

Luckily the tans stayed in tact.  But it WAS hot like this!

We made a pit stop at Walmart to pick up a few items.  Naturally, I forgot a razor and the funny thing is, I lost the hair on my head but the hair on my legs is never on vacation.  I didn’t want to walk around with Oona looking like the missing link.  Tony King, tailor extraordinaire, suggested purchasing Gold Bond powder spray. Apparently, this stuff is greatness for spraying cervices and other body parts that could get a bit funky when wearing long dresses.  I don’t need to elaborate further on that one!

I gotta get me some more of this.  It’s not just for the man’s family jewels!

Next stop was lunch at Incline Public House.  The views from this restaurant are eye-popping.  Due to the haze, the view wasn’t as spectacular as on a clear autumn or spring day, but it was good enough for me.  Roman arrived from New York and he and Sam met us on the outdoor patio.

A view from the outdoor eating area.  It goes on forever!

Yes.  We ate outdoors and at this point it didn’t matter because I figured the sweat factor would most likely help me to shed an ounce or two.

The lunch menu offers quite the choices.  The fun part was enjoying a weekday lunch with the kids (and now I have one more!)

Again, another fine meal in Cincy.  We started off with what are probably the best onion rings in the universe.  I almost slapped Roman and Sam for eating too many because they were digging into my gluttony!

A focused attempt to eat healthier.  This salad hit the spot…

And another plate of crispy brussels sprouts.  I can’t get enough of these things!!

I can’t even begin to tell you how heavenly these onion rings were.  Crunchy on the outside, thick and sweet onions on the inside.  And our server, Brendan, was the greatest!

We kept hydrated with plenty of water and unsweetened iced tea!

After lunch I was feeling rather frisky.  Since Bonaparte hadn’t arrived yet, I flirted with this guy! 

A few more errands and back to the house to relax a bit before heading out to The Great American Ball Park to see the Cincinnati Reds. We chowed down on ice cream!

And when I say “relax” I REALLY mean wolfing down Graeter’s Chunky Chunky Hippo Ice cream!  Oh. Oona and Sam had other flavors but Graeter’s had me at Hippo!  It’s named after Fiona the Hippo, Cincinnati’s celebrity Zoo attraction!

Before I continue, please allow me to explain that I come from a big-time baseball family.  My nephew Matt played on the farm team for the KC Royals until an injury prevented him from a baseball career.  Both of my brothers went to college on baseball scholarships and had my son Jake not torn a rotator cuff, who knows where baseball could have taken him

There’s nothing like a summer afternoon or evening at a ball park.

And the great thing about this ball park, the tickets are dirt cheap compared to New York, Philly and Boston!

It doesn’t even matter who’s playing.  Any ball game is worth going to.  And on this evening we attended a game at Great American Ball Park.

Great American Ball Park is one of the nicest parks I’ve been to.  If I was a local, I would catch a game at least once a week!

Sam, Oona, Roman and I enjoyed beverages while waiting for friends and family to arrive!

And so, Oona and Sam purchased a bunch of tickets and we took up three rows.

Twelve bucks for a MLB game. This is the best thing ever!  Too bad St. Louis won!

Between my brothers, their families, my fabulous Aunt Terry, my sons (one of whom arrived late from a flight from L.A.), Oona and Sam and a couple of bridesmaids and a boyfriend. Now, originally Jake’s girlfriend was supposed to attend the game but her flight was delayed from LaGuardia. Or was it Newark?  Jake ended up arriving before her and hence—we had a nice surprise.

I don’t know what my brother Tom is pointing at but Oona and my sister-in-law Beth are in deep conversation!

Roman and my brother Pete most likely discussing the greatness of Skyline Chili dogs!  Sitting behind my brother Pete was a real treat because I got to partake in sampling the food he bought!

My sister-in-law Yanela is such a trooper. She had foot surgery and had one of those heavy boots on. Still, she’s always happy. It was so good to see her!

My niece Isis, my nephew Logan and focusing on the game is my nephew Liam!  SOMEONE had to watch the game!

Oona’s maid-of-honor and her boyfriend. Aren’t they a cute couple?

It was also Bobblehead night.  Bobblehead baseball players were given out.  Don’t ask me who they were, but I wanted one for my car.  Just my luck, as soon as I got to the front of the line, they ran out. At least my niece and nephews were lucky.

I can’t remember which bobblehead was given out but I was so disappointed I didn’t get one!  Maybe next time….

Ever fashionable, I wore a red dress to the game to show my respect for the Cincinnati Reds.  I think half my tan washed off on the dress.  But the good thing is my hair never frizzed because my hair was synthetic.  Surprisingly, my head didn’t overheat, it was my lady parts area that ended up a sweaty mess!

My tan was taking effect and my hair looked so natural! I only wish that Bonaparte enjoyed baseball.  It was such a memorable evening because I hadn’t been to a baseball game in a long, long time!

Some chatting–actually a LOT of chatting and then back to Sam and Oona’s.  The game was long and we arrived back home a little after midnight.

Hanging out after the game….

This magnificent bridge is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge or known as the Cincinnati/Covington Bridge.  It was made known to me that the Brooklyn Bridge was modeled after this one.  They are practically twins!

After a long and busy day, we would be blessed with a good night’s sleep because the next day was the rehearsal.  And I’ve got a lot to share about that so stay tuned for Part Three!

Now it’s time to say goodnight!  The rehearsal is tomorrow!!!