School!

Thank you so much for reading my blog this summer.  As you know from following my summer adventures, I had tons of fun.  School starts August 24th and I am super excited!  Lots of love from the Red Head herself, Rylee!  : )

Fire Island

The week blew by so quickly at Fire Island.  Days filled with soaking up the sun at the beach, jumping waves, devouring ice cream cones, enjoying coffee cake and playing tennis.  At the start of every day, Madison and I would walk to the market and get everyone a fresh bagel or biali.  Breakfast was followed by the beach, where we would bask in the sun, read our books and cool off in the ocean.  We were extremely lucky that the waves were calm and flat for us so we could relax in the water instead of worrying whether or not we were going to get crushed.  I only got knocked down once when I was getting out.  Since the water isn't the easiest to run in, my legs couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way.  The wave took me down with it, but I popped right back up not hurt, but a little frustrated (and sandy).  One of my favorite things to do at Fire Island is to curl up on a chair on the deck and read a book.  For me, nothing is better than that for relaxing.  The ocean crashing and the seagulls chirping sometimes could probably put me to sleep.  One other family activity that we all took apart in was tennis.  My sister and I played singles one day and on one other occasion, we played family doubles, my dad and I vs. my mom and sister.  My dad and I won in a tiebreaker 7-6. (Since the first set took so long, we were not able to play a second set.)  I also enjoyed all of the meals that Zayda and Terry cooked for us. (Zayda and Terry, thanks for a great trip!!) Steak, fresh fish, roasted potatoes, lobsters, crabs it was all fantastic!  The only low light of the trip was when Madison didn't do a good job of putting sunscreen on my back the first day and I got a really bad sunburn.  Besides that, it was so much fun.  I can't wait to go back next summer.

Washington D.C.

On Tuesday, my sister and I arrived in D.C. excited.  When we hopped off the plane, Sivana, Ilan and Mauri were all there to welcome us.  Our first surprise was going to Ramona and Beezus the movie.  Madison and I loved those books when we were little, and of course that meant we had to see the movie.  It was so sweet, and everyone enjoyed the movie.  After the movie, we rode to their house where we were greeted with DELICIOUS, hot, fresh pizza.  At first Ilan said he didn't want any and locked himself out of the house.  When we went over by the window eating our pizza, making exaggerated yummy faces at him, he decided that it really was good and that he must have some.  He came inside immediately and we all ate the pizza.

Wednesday was next and it was off to tennis camp for Sivana and Ilan.  Madison, Jiffy and I went with Chuck, Jiffy's boss, to the National Archives to see some papers that Jiffy had helped save from Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.  After that presentation, we were able to have a special guided tour to see the constitution, bill of rights, magna carta and many other important documents.  The tour was awesome cause we went down special hallways and got to cut the long lines!  After our time at the National Archives, Mauri had reserved us a tennis court so we could hit with Ilan and Sivana.  I was very impressed with how both of the twins could get the ball over the net.  Lunch was homemade spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs.  (Jiffy, the sauce was great!) The afternoon was time to have some wet fun because it was so hot and sunny.  We went to a water park with a wave pool, slides and a kiddy splash area.  My favorite part was the wave pool because the waves were huge and there were rafts to float on.  There was one slide that I went on that gave me my first water wedgie.  (It was very painful!!)  Lucky me, there was a mini golf place right next door (I have been pestering my mom all summer about this), so we sprinted over once everyone was done with the water.  Mauri, Madison and Sivana all got a whole in one.  I know I had lots of fun and I think they all did, too.  Mona and Jerry came over for dinner and it was nice catching up with them.

Thursday was a crazy day.  It was the day of doing things for the first time.  I had never worn a costume out in public so we went to lunch wearing costumes.  I was a tarantula rancher, Madison and Mauri were Christmas in July while they also wore togas, Ilan was a wizard, Sivana was Snow White and Jiffy was a fairy!  It was hilarious, everyone gave us strange looks.  Jiffy had to go back to work and then it was time for ice skating.  It was my first time and I only had one bad fall.  It was very fun and I would love to do it again sometime.  That night Madison and I played tennis against Jiffy.  (Canadian Doubles: two people vs. one person.  The team of two people must hit in the singles court, while the team of one person can hit in the doubles alley.)  My sister and I lost 6-2, 5-3.  We ended up getting kicked off the court before we finished.   We didn't play our best and are looking forward to a rematch soon. 

Friday it was time to say goodbye and head back to Atlanta.  My sister and I had a great time and we can't wait to do it again.  Thanks so much for letting us come visit you guys!!

North Carolina

A week in NC.  Score Summer Soccer Invitational.  4 days of soccer, 7 games for Madison, 3 goals, 6 assists.  Bad weather, disappointment, lightning, thunder, rain delays, scorching sun, summer heat, excellent soccer!  We drove for about six hours to go to Greensboro where Madison's team had been invited to participate in a college showcase.  My sister and I lounged in the back while my mom and dad took turns driving us to Ashford Suites, our hotel.  Luckily, we got to the hotel safe and sound that afternoon on a Friday.  Everyone tried to go to bed early because we had a game early the next morning. That first day was a nightmare as there was miserable rain for most of the day and Madison's team was forced to play rain shortened games which they sadly lost.  But the following day, Sunday, brought super summer weather and fantastic soccer and as the tournament moved on, each day the hotter the weather became. It went from thunder and lightning to burning summer days full of ice cold drinks and sunscreen.  At Score, everyone was guaranteed at least four games, but after their 4th game, Madison's team kept winning and at that point in the tournament, if you win, you play again.  They made it to the consolation finals and won in penalty kicks (Madison hit the first one!).  After a discouraging 0-2 start to the tournament, Madison's team won their next 5 games and went 5-2, winning a champion's trophy.  I was very proud of her and throughout the whole tournament, she played great!

My reward for going to all of Madison's soccer games, rain or shine, morning or evening, was going to a WATER PARK!!!!  The park was called Wet 'n Wild.  (It wasn't as good as White Water, but it still was fun.)  There were slides, a lazy river, wave pool, raft rides and much much more.  My family mostly stayed on the raft rides and in the lazy river.  One ride we went on, we almost lost our lunch, it pretty much went straight down and we were in a raft going super fast.  (We never went on that ride again.)  All in all, it was a fun trip and Madison won a trophy, so I think everyone was happy and had an awesome time!!!

I Won!

Rylee holding her trophy with her coach Scott!

I can hardly believe it!  Yesterday, July 11th, Rylee Hafitz won her very first tennis tournament at Hit Atlanta.  Overall I had to play three matches.  I was lucky and got a bye in my first round so no matter what happened I got to play a match in the regular draw.  In my first match, I won 5-7, 6-1, 15-13.  It was long and I almost lost, but I was able to play through it and win.  The second match I had was easier, winning 6-3, 6-3.  After that win, I was elated because it put me into the finals.  (That was the first time I was in a final.) Sunday, July 11th came and I had to get up extra early for an 8:00am match.  I won the first set 6-2 and was playing great, then the other girl came back and won the second set 4-6 and we played a tough tiebreaker 10-8 which I won.  I had won the U14 girls Hit Atlanta Summer Sizzle tournament!!!  (I was ecstatic, but who wouldn't be!)  We celebrated by going to Waffle House for breakfast. (Yum!)

Earlier in the week, Anita, one of my mom's tennis friends, brought us some vegetables from her garden and told us to make salsa with them.  There were tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, cucumbers and several other veggies that had come straight from the garden.  Today my mom and I decided that we should make the salsa.  It was great.  Thanks for bringing us the vegetables, Tante Anita!

July 4th

What a day!  The fourth of July was filled with excitement and joy.  I think the whole family enjoyed the 4th.  To start the day off, we woke up to Breakfast at Wimbledon. (Not really.  But that's what they call it.)  Rafael Nadal vs. Thomas Berdych.  (Everyone, besides my dad, wanted Rafa to win.)  After three short sets, our dream came true and Rafael Nadal was crowned the champion.  (My mom, sister and I were so happy because WE LOVE RAFA!!!)        :-)  

Following Wimbledon, it was movie time.  Toy Story 3 was next on the agenda for the day. My sister and I had seen numbers one and two and we had to see the third one.  The movie was cute, showing comedy, action and a smidge of drama and romance.  My sister and I laughed throughout the whole thing.  Watching it in 3D didn't really make a big difference.  If you have seen Toy Story 1 and 2, definitely go see number 3.       

After the movie, we had a nice holiday meal of hot dogs, baked beans and tater tots. (YYUUMM!!)  Later we drove to Decatur where they put on a fireworks show for us.  We arrived around 8:30 for the 9:30 light display and Daddy & I played gin rummy to pass the time.  After an hour of waiting, the sparks flew and we watched fireworks galore.  Halfway through the show, we saw a fire from all of the ash that had fallen from the fireworks.  Luckily, there were fire trucks right there to put it out.

A short car ride brought us home where we lit our own sparkler.  At first, it would not light.  My mom tried everything and finally with the help of my dad, it caught and we all stood a safe distance away from the sparkler.  When it went out, we all showered and fell asleep.  It had been a long, but fun day!

Fantastic Friday!

Friday = Wimbledon.  The week had just flown by, and before I knew it, it would be time to fly home.  I was so excited for this day.  Madison & I had waited and anticipated attending Wimbledon for so long and we were super excited.  We wanted to get there early and see EVERYTHING!   Matches did not start until 11 or 12 (depending on the court), but we still wanted to get to the courts early.  We had Centre Court seats and Debenture Lounge tickets.  We got there around 11:30 and we strolled around the complex.  I never realized how big some of the small courts were because it was on TV.  Madison bought a program and a shirt, I bought a Wimbledon shirt and a key chain and my dad bought a hat.  Before settling in to watch some tennis, we made our way up to the lounge to find sandwiches, a salad bar, roast chicken, desserts, drinks, and of course, strawberries and cream.  Everything looked and tasted great.  The first match on Centre Court was Nadia Petrova vs. Justine Henin.  No one in my family likes Justine too much, so we went to our seats towards the end of her match.  My family was dying to see Lleyton Hewitt vs. Gael Monfils.  We love both of these players and we didn't care who was going to win.  Gael didn't play his best, so Lleyton won, but it was still an enjoyable match.  Roger Federer followed them.  My dad is the only one who roots for Roger, as my mom, sister and I think he wins too much.  And of course, what did he do, he won.  Since the three matches of the day finished ahead of schedule, we were treated to some mixed doubles as well, with Brits Jamie Murray (Andy's brother) and the teenage sensation Laura Robson (she is Madison's age!).  They played Vera Zvonareva and Andre Sa and the crowd cheered them on with much gusto.  The Brits did not win, but it was quite fun when the crowd oooohhed and aaaahhed.  The whole day was incredible and I must say, I think it was my favorite part of our whole London adventure.  I am so glad that I was able to attend Wimbledon.

(This picture is of Madison and I next to a directional post with a map of the Wimbledon grounds.)

Tower Time Thursday

Before we knew it, Thursday was here and it was time to head to the Tower of London.  There was a Tube stop right by the Tower, so the train was all we needed.  As we walked towards the entrance, we were mesmerized by the beautiful architecture that had gone into constructing this spectacular fortress.  Our backpack was checked to make sure we didn't have anything that would cause trouble and we moved on to find the audio guides.  (I think that having an audio guide is better than having a person talk to you.  First, you can go at your own pace.  Second, you can go in whatever order you want and lastly, you can always hear the audio or pause it.)  We strolled around the Tower for hours looking at death chambers and weapons, jewelry and the way of life.  At the halfway mark, it was time for lunch and we ate delicious Chicken Potpies.  (Second best.  The best Chicken Potpie ever is the one my mom makes.)  After a relaxing lunch, it was time for more touring of the Tower.  We listened, read and looked at the history of the tower.  We all learned so much.  Upon exiting the Tower of London, we found ourselves right by the Tower Bridge.  I thought that this bridge was way better than London Bridge.  (To be honest, London Bridge wasn't anything special.)  After pictures were taken, we headed back to relax at the hotel before our dinner in Chinatown.

Walking Wednesday

The trip was going by so quickly, one day went by another and finally it was Wednesday.  The same morning routine of chocolate croissants and orange juice helped me wake up.  It was time for a walking tour of London and I couldn't wait.  The gathering place was right outside a train station so all we had to do was take the Tube to Westminster.  Everyone had finally arrived and it was time to take our tour with London Walks.  Our guide's name was Helena.  She took us to all of the main points of London.  We walked and walked and walked. We saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and even the changing of the guard. (Madison got in front of them and even took this picture as they marched down the street.  I thought she was going to get yelled at or run over, but luckily she didn't.). Our last stop was Trafalgar Square.  While we were there, we saw two boys doing really cool moves with a soccer ball (see the amazing video below). The London Walks tour was awesome, showing us the high points of London, but by the time we were through, everyone was hungry and it was time to find some place to eat.

Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant serving small tapas, was our stop for midday dining.  The whole family enjoyed tacos, fresh guacamole, salsa and the best part, churros with chocolate sauce.  The meal was so delicious.  One thing that I thought was cool, was instead of having a bowl of matchboxes, they had a bowl of matchboxes with pepper seeds  (That is a neat way to remember a restaurant by and a great way to start planting.).

After lunch we headed over to Covent Garden because it was a fun place to visit and we were right in the neighborhood.  Covent Garden is known for their artist market, small shops and street perfromers.  All types of interesting things were for sale there...fruit candles, jewelry, knitted bikinis.  (That's right, KNITTED bikinis.)  We decided to buy a beautiful watercolor of Big Ben and Parliament by a local artist as a memory of our trip.  We also found a cool trivet made out of Juniper wood.  Juniper wood is known for its pleasant scent and this trivet smelled terrific and was constructed in an extremely interesting pattern.  As we strolled away from the artist market and shops, we encountered the street performers.  Psycho Sam (his name of choice) was center stage and he was crazy.  He could dance and move like a robot.  Next he swallowed a long, skinny balloon (One of the ones they use to make a hat or a balloon animal out of, not a round one.). His last act was balancing on a ladder, while having spoons covering his eyes and juggling all at the same time.  When Sam was choosing his volunteers, my Dad was chosen.  My Dad and one other man had to hold up the ladder by pulling on ropes.  They had to hold the weight of the ladder and make sure that Sam didn't fall off.  It was very stressful.  (Sorry, Daddy)

Wednesday evening was one of the best nights of our London adventure.  We enjoyed lamb and naan at an Indian restaurant and then went to see the Michael Jackson show Thriller LIVE!  Madison and I were ecstatic.  We danced and rocked the night away listening to all of Michael Jackson's songs.  It was fantastic!  The awesome show was capped off with milkshakes at an American style diner on the walk back to our hotel.  All in all, Wednesday was a wonderful day!

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday arrived after a good nights sleep.  We were all a little tired because of the time change, but we knew that sooner or later we would have to get used to it.  After a breakfast filled with chocolate croissants and delicious, fresh squeezed orange juice, we traveled on the Tube to the London Eye.   The London Eye looks like a giant Ferris Wheel with glass boxes moving extremely slowly.  Instead of having to wait for hours on the long line, we were lucky that Mommy had bought special tickets online that allowed us to move to the front of the queue.  The ride on the Eye lasts about 30-40 minutes and we were able to see everything.  The views were incredible.  You could see Big Ben, Parliament, and many other London landmarks. 

Once we were back on land, the whole family was hungry for lunch.  We ate at a restaurant with a funny name, Wagamama, but good food.  They served Asian food and fresh squeezed juices.

A visit to the nearby Tate Modern, an art museum, was our afternoon activity, but it was a strange museum with weird non-art artwork and nobody really enjoyed this experience.  In fact, one of the pieces of artwork was just 8 pieces of wood lined up against a wall.  It was so bizarre.  We cruised the Thames River to head back to our part of town.  The ferry ride was slow, but at least I was able to say that I was actually on the Thames River!

I must report that one of the best parts of our trip was when we went to afternoon tea at Claridge's. While listening to lovely piano and cello music, we were served cucumber sandwiches, apple and raisin scones,  delectable pastries and warm comforting tea.  It was so relaxing and my whole family enjoyed the entire experience.  I would love to have afternoon tea every day!

Double-Decker Monday

We arrived in London on Monday afternoon.  Unfortunately, our welcoming committee was heat and smoke (too many Brits SMOKE!!!).  We thought that London in the summer would be a nice change from Atlanta's heat, but we were wrong.  Not only were they experiencing a heat wave, but many of the restaurants and the subway (called the Tube or Underground) had no air conditioning!  After an endless ride in traffic from the airport, we arrived at our small, but elegant hotel, The St. James in Mayfair.  In nearby Shepherd's Market, we grabbed a British lunch of yummy fish and chips, relaxed in the restaurant and chugged cold Cokes.  After lunch, our London adventure began for real and we embarked on a famous bus tour.  Our big, red, open-topped, double-decker bus took us all over London, as a guide talked to us explaining interesting history and tidbits about landmarks, monarchs and famous Brits.  I learned a ton on the tour and I would recommend the Original London Bus Tour to anyone who is going to London.

Twins!

 

This is Todd with his little boy Ian.

Madison's Birthday Week

This week has been all about Madison.  For me, it's hard to believe that my sister is turning 16.  Her SWEET SIXTEEN!!!  I love her and will always love her, but I remember when we used to play with dolls and had an imaginary friend and small silly things like that.   To start her (Birth Week) off, we had lunch at one of her favorite restaurants, Watershed, with a close family friend who is like an aunt to us.  Her name is Anita and she plays tennis with my mom.  She is funny and I always know that I will have a good time with her.  My mom, sister and I enjoyed the mussels.  I have just recently learned to like mussels and man were they good. They weren't just good, THEY WERE GREAT!!!  For dinner that night, we went to Taqueria del Sol. (That's my favorite restaurant.) This place has excellent fish and chicken tacos, but their sweet tea, fresh salsa and cheese dip is to die for.

The next day we went to visit Nana.  We had brunch at Mimi's Cafe and it was delicious.  I had chocolate chip pancakes with bacon. YUMMY! :) After our wonderful brunch, we were surprised to find out that we were visiting The Shermans.  (Todd, Amy, Aidan and Ian are our cousins.) Aidan and Ian, our twin cousins, were just recently born.  They are unbelievably CUTE!! We stayed over for a couple of hours.  We held them and watched them sleep.  I love that family so much and I know that Todd and Amy will do a wonderful job of raising them and I can't wait to watch them grow up.  Once we had hugged and air kissed the beautiful baby boys, the four of us, (Nana, Pop-Pop, Madison and I), headed to Macy's to have a short shopping trip for Madison's birthday.  Madison got a darling white skirt and a dark tank top, while I chose a pink and brown tie dyed skirt.  After we got back to Nana's apartment and had a short rest, we headed out in nice clothes to a restaurant called Fleming's. FYI : If you enjoy lamb chops, get them at Fleming's. (They are the best lamb chops I have ever had.)

After a good nights rest, I woke up on Friday refreshed and went to play a tennis match.  It was the first time I was playing on my USTA team and I was a little nervous.  I was playing singles and my opponent was a girl that had won the last tournament I had played in.  She had an excellent serve, was head and shoulders above me in her playing ability and won the match 3-8.  Later that day, it was time to go to the bris for the twin boys Aidan and Ian.  The boys were adorable even though they had a rough day.  Amy and Todd did a terrific job arranging everything. (By the way, the food was EXCELLENT) (Picture: Left to right: Aidan, Amy and Ian.)  (Sorry Todd, I can only insert one image)

Tomorrow is Madison's birthday and I have heard that there are even more surprises.  I can't wait.  Hopefully she will like her presents and enjoy her SWEET 16!

We leave for London soon and I am super excited.  I probably won't write while I am away, but I will be sure to fill you in when I get back.

Movie Madness

This past week I saw two great movies.  One, Killers, and the second, Karate Kid.  Both were excellent movies.  I saw Killers first with my sister Madison and my mom.  It was hysterical, there was a little too much killing for my taste, but I enjoyed it for the most part.  Basically, it's about a guy, Ashton Kutcher, who is a secret agent.  He falls in love with a girl, Katherine Heigl, and he decides to retire.  After they have been married for three years, people that he knows well, his friends, neighbors, even people at work, turn on him and want to kill him.  No one knows why or who the person is that has decided to send the people, but all the couple knows is that they are in great danger.  The couple must run and become closer to survive this part of their life.  


Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, was touching.  It was a story of a twelve year old boy who must leave his friends and family behind and move to China.  On the first day, he gets beat up because he was flirting with a girl.  (The girl was arranged to marry the boy who beat up Jaden.) Dre is the name of the main character who wants to learn real Kung Fu.  One of the maintenance men helps stop a fight and Dre asks him to be his Kung Fu teacher.  Mr. Han, the maintenance man, says yes and gets the boys to leave Dre alone, but Dre must fight in a Kung Fu tournament.  Dre and Mr. Han become very close friends through the process and create a relationship like no other. 

Summer Is Here!

It's finally summer and I am thrilled.  School is over and the homework is done.  I can't wait to relax and enjoy my spectacular summer.


Last week to start the summer off, I had dinner with a very close family friend named Pam.  She is so cool; she's funny, spontaneous and loves our family.  After dinner at Bambinellis, we went to see Letters to Juliet the movie.  It was a wonderful romantic comedy with a little touch of mystery.  We all enjoyed the film, you should definitely go see the movie if you like the story of Romeo and Juliet.

  
On Saturday, June 5 I had a tennis tournament in Sandy Springs.  During the first day of the tournament, I won my first two matches playing tough girls.  The next day, I played in the semi-finals at 8:30 AM.  I lost to a girl who ended up going to the finals and she was a whole year older than me.  Later that day, I played a match to decide third and fourth place.  I had won the first set 6-4 and we were in the middle of the second set, when it started to rain.  We had to stop and when we came back from the rain delay, my opponent won the second set 4-6. (In tennis you always say your score first.) We then headed to a 10-point tiebreaker.  I was able to squeeze out the win, defeating her 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.  I was so proud of myself.  In that tournament, I had gotten third place overall, only losing one match.  (That was the best I had ever done. To add to that excitement, my state ranking in my age group went up significantly and now I am 307 in U14 girls tennis in GA. Before that, I was in the mid 400's.)

Right after I finished my match, we headed home because we were going to visit Nana since her birthday was a few days before. My mom and I whipped up a cake as fast as we could.  (Chocolate, White Icing and Sprinkles.  It was delicious!!!) We drove to Nana’s apartment and celebrated with Pop-Pop, too.  I gave Nana a pillow I had made in a short-term class at my school and the rest of the family presented Nana with a beautiful necklace.  I enjoyed spending time with the family, but I was exhausted and needed sleep.  It had been a long weekend, but extremely fun.  What a great way to start off my spectacular summer!



(This picture was from a very very long time ago with Pop-Pop on the left, Me, Madison and then Nana.)