tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60807893004606740062024-03-17T22:59:36.000-04:00A Mom's LifeJust taking it one day at a time...Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.comBlogger2096125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-34863159198184237392024-03-12T08:45:00.002-04:002024-03-12T08:45:21.106-04:00Cars, kids, trips. Oh my!<p>Sarah's car may finally be fixed. Hyundai wanted to do what is called under the Better Business Bureaus terms a "final repair" before things moved into arbitration.</p><p>She dropped the car off at the service center at the dealership near school (which in my opinion is better than the one near us). They had the car for over 2 weeks and weren't able to duplicate the problem - because it occurs randomly. But finally (and thankfully!) they tried again on the day we wanted to pick it up and all the warning lights came on and it wouldn't go out of park. They were able to get the codes from the warning lights and noticed that after the lights went out the codes were clearing themselves out which was part of the problem and maybe why they weren't believing that there was an issue because they could never see any codes. (Although it does state in the paperwork that the codes were in the code history but I don't know how any of this car stuff works so maybe it's hard to see in the history??)</p><p>After reviewing all this data with the Field Service Engineer, they replaced the Body Control Module, the Front View Camera (which had been placed twice before) and the Review View Camera. And now we are all hoping (and I'm praying) that his car is finally fixed from this problem ever happening again.</p><p>Sarah's roommate had to bring her home for Spring Break which started on March 1st and then I drove her back to Concord a few days later to pick it up when it was ready. And oddly enough, as we were both getting ready to head back home, I started MY car and some warning lights came on. Will the fun never end? <br /></p><p>I googled the warning lights and it said not to drive too far with those lights on so I took my car to the Honda dealership in Concord (a 5 minute drive from where we were versus an hour drive home) and left it with them and then Sarah drove me home. This past Saturday Dan drove me back to Concord and we picked up the car and hopefully we will have no more problems with any cars anytime soon! </p><p>How's that for a very boring update? </p><p>It was so nice to have Sarah home for a week. Well, technically it wasn't quite a week because once her car was ready she went to Raleigh to hangout with her boyfriend and the rest of the Basement that was home for Spring Break. And Dan was home as well so it was just so nice!</p><p>And then, to make me super happy, Dan's trip back to Charleston was postponed wo when Peter came home for his Spring Break there was a glorious 36 hour period where <b>WE WERE ALL HOME TOGETHER! </b>I was so thankful for this 36 hours together because it wasn't looking like we were all going to be home at the same time. <br /></p><p>I was asked to work that weekend and I said NO! All my people are going to be home and I really want to be there with them to enjoy it. Someone asked what we were going to do. My response was, "Absolutely nothing. I just want to look around my family room and see that we are all together." </p><p>And that's pretty much what we did. We went to Mass Saturday evening, then went out to dinner, and then came home and watched a movie together. And when I went to bed that night, I slept better than I had in weeks. There is something so nice just knowing where everyone is...and especially when they are all only a few feet from me. :)<br /></p><p>Sarah's doing well and enjoying sorority life. Here's a cute picture of her with her pledge class on Bid Day.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XQNgo94gIdGGHTCKAvlMMByMmbaBPF5-Hym_MMMmr0NNuK-IsWOn42Isyj6TXtkLxKJ397ZXYZqgsKDpZOYnLI_v7z2uwNP2vCQO3CxKWIrzLoF_H5eLbsfSptukzbxFCBuWAh_gSVA6umZq5cx4KqiZx6hiS9ejHzwvorL3PBC0Zyeo7P87Ebrlbi1r/s579/pledge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="503" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XQNgo94gIdGGHTCKAvlMMByMmbaBPF5-Hym_MMMmr0NNuK-IsWOn42Isyj6TXtkLxKJ397ZXYZqgsKDpZOYnLI_v7z2uwNP2vCQO3CxKWIrzLoF_H5eLbsfSptukzbxFCBuWAh_gSVA6umZq5cx4KqiZx6hiS9ejHzwvorL3PBC0Zyeo7P87Ebrlbi1r/w348-h400/pledge.png" width="348" /></a></div><br /> And another picture because why not? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvFcCX8OhGiTRyOzG8zb7L95Z8-6sdhTRlTECxRD4zkmi3tObJnf22oX0tLCbBCu4qrqU2wIBV9BjPi62q_i5RsUJHsStKsV6DHHxhHkaU-niaw2U7eFJOhEofIfn-YIB8gsGl8Cp3FkbW5qhA4ORRvr8zsFgSreBKQtkBu9SUHyJXmRu5ADZSZQT15jg/s1600/20240217_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvFcCX8OhGiTRyOzG8zb7L95Z8-6sdhTRlTECxRD4zkmi3tObJnf22oX0tLCbBCu4qrqU2wIBV9BjPi62q_i5RsUJHsStKsV6DHHxhHkaU-niaw2U7eFJOhEofIfn-YIB8gsGl8Cp3FkbW5qhA4ORRvr8zsFgSreBKQtkBu9SUHyJXmRu5ADZSZQT15jg/w426-h640/20240217_001.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p>She is really enjoying getting to know all of these girls. She's been having lunch and coffee dates with the older girls to get to know them before she gets assigned her Big Sister. She's been attending all the meetings and working on the routine for the Air Band Competition which will be in April. It's a huge show where all the sororities and fraternities on campus compete. She's pretty excited about that and I think it will be fun to watch! </p><p>She's also been joining the girls at the sorority house for weekly viewings of the Bachelor and later this week is her first date function. Joe is coming in to town for that since he is on spring break now. Shegot a new dress from Amazon and she's super excited. </p><p>It took her a year and a half but I think she's finding her groove now. All work and homework was wearing thin on my social girl. I never thought I'd have two kids in Greek life but they both seem to be thriving so what do I know!?</p><p>Last week Peter went to a Hurricanes game with a friend. He was excited because they got beer in a hockey stick.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK77ZPcf85IcAzvdTbESz1b8H7NfEGyY4iR48hHuh8fhu6NwrVcPJx720Y5w5D-j5BdKYYsBm8GGjQ2ozj_VFmrWhcnFstXHDK9le20-ZordXsGwcngpxr-Zbr4Ox0LJ9TtDBWTMSbA86yHVyCf6t_lxsbELyKDlRdAVYxUMbJrEPaMT-gEdGR7v_foY36/s1600/IMG_7352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK77ZPcf85IcAzvdTbESz1b8H7NfEGyY4iR48hHuh8fhu6NwrVcPJx720Y5w5D-j5BdKYYsBm8GGjQ2ozj_VFmrWhcnFstXHDK9le20-ZordXsGwcngpxr-Zbr4Ox0LJ9TtDBWTMSbA86yHVyCf6t_lxsbELyKDlRdAVYxUMbJrEPaMT-gEdGR7v_foY36/w480-h640/IMG_7352.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>After he sent this picture he texted me, "Don't worry. We're Ubering home." </p><p>He will be heading to Las Vegas with Cal, the guy in the picture above and 3 other friends, and Cal's parents on Thursday morning for a long weekend of gambling and Vegas fun. It's a tradition in Cal's family that when you turn 21 you get to go to Vegas. Peter is beyond excited about this trip. He has visions of making a lot of money at the Roulette table. HA! We all know that's not going to happen.</p><p>And speaking of trips, in May we will all be going to Italy for a week. I am currently in the planning stages but we will be spending 3 nights in Amalfi and 4 nights in Rome. I am so excited to see Italy but I'm more excited to get to spend this time with my family. We are squeezing it in right as school is out for both kids and right before they start working for the summer. </p><p>My original plan was to go to Rome with just Dan and do a pilgrimage type trip with The Catholic Traveler. But then I realized that our time together for trips with just the four of us is running out so I scrapped that plan and invited the kids and am hoping and praying that we have a wonderful time relaxing and exploring together. If anyone has any recommendations for Rome or Amalfi, please let me know. <br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-39916850436683094872024-01-31T09:02:00.003-05:002024-01-31T09:03:23.553-05:00Car issues, A Grammy Sprinkle, Catching Up with Friends, and A Recipe<p>When I left you last, I had just made some delicious mini cream horns and Dan, who had been in Ireland since the 2nd of January, was set to return home on the 12th. Well, guess what? He STILL isn't home yet! (Side note - several of you had never heard of cream horns and I was floored!!!!!)<br /></p><p>Multiple issues with his program caused his trip to be extended, and extended, and extended one final time. He was scheduled to arrive in Raleigh around 3:00 this afternoon but this morning his flight out of Dublin was cancelled and he got rebooked (thankfully) and will now be arriving in Raleigh around 9:00 tonight. So, fingers crossed, he will be back home a little before midnight. </p><p>There's a lot going on around here and at the same time, not much so let's see what I can find to update you all with. <br /></p><p>I am behind at work so I've been working extra to get caught up. And honestly, since Dan's been gone, that's not a bad thing. </p><p>I did not have to work last Saturday so I was able to have lunch with Jennifer. It was great catching up with her and lunch was delicious too! We ate at <a href="https://www.midtowncafews.com/">Midtown Cafe and Dessertery</a>. Google informed me that it had been 9 years since I had been there. Isn't that funny? <br /></p><p>Last Monday, I had lunch with another old friend from my Our Lady of Mercy days. It was so great to catch up with Denise too. Denise was a parent at OLM but also served as the track coach and I was her trusty assistant. Her son, who is a senior this year, will be attending Duke next year on a track scholarship! How cool is that? <br /></p><p>And then last Wednesday, I met with my Care Group, and we showered our sweet friend Kendra with a Grammy Sprinkle. Her daughter is having a baby next month and we wanted to show the first Grandma in our group a little extra love. Kim hosted and she had a Tea Party theme complete with tea party foods and a tea party themed game of Bingo. (Because no baby shower is complete without games!) Kim, being the ever thoughtful hostess and party planner extraordinaire, even had prizes. And all of the things we gifted Kendra with were things she could use at her home when baby visits.</p><p>It is so crazy to me that think that when we all joined MOPS (Mothers Of <b>PreSchoolers</b>) in 2006 we would still be meeting regularly all these years later and would be celebrating a GRAND BABY!!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcZBWO4bI0fx2GvbyFn_wOY2Pve4YgqlKeSMhO8SexZFqkjJWnKtT_8Tf8ax5bb6ojORpAybi1HpVkibrhcFZO79I-lqLDyq_xHW4frt08TJzm9RumePAu2Oe8dt1_vGl6dQXupfHd_kbs6p-rSNcSI2UqXzc4WEA0LGX5UqEvTBhdvC6xPR9RfsHFTyS/s4032/received_753044336872520.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcZBWO4bI0fx2GvbyFn_wOY2Pve4YgqlKeSMhO8SexZFqkjJWnKtT_8Tf8ax5bb6ojORpAybi1HpVkibrhcFZO79I-lqLDyq_xHW4frt08TJzm9RumePAu2Oe8dt1_vGl6dQXupfHd_kbs6p-rSNcSI2UqXzc4WEA0LGX5UqEvTBhdvC6xPR9RfsHFTyS/w640-h480/received_753044336872520.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUEoyGM6e7EAosUqE5LGBK3AsmbDckAVAmEvRqhgt93h15K7audwOlQ_C205aJqj64i167J6m_o82Lh6USYuSrNVtImQlM2X6_xNTcwgopd-SVz3Cfu8L7k3Ajm_lbI3AXYITQjwEKL6OjEZSAl8MeKwtebC-9aNOUv-HVnJR01spMGGNxdlQrteBzfD0/s4032/received_415478294308075.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUEoyGM6e7EAosUqE5LGBK3AsmbDckAVAmEvRqhgt93h15K7audwOlQ_C205aJqj64i167J6m_o82Lh6USYuSrNVtImQlM2X6_xNTcwgopd-SVz3Cfu8L7k3Ajm_lbI3AXYITQjwEKL6OjEZSAl8MeKwtebC-9aNOUv-HVnJR01spMGGNxdlQrteBzfD0/w480-h640/received_415478294308075.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDCJHxGIdtoIhBoZqpptGjtjuVKB0ecRf-bthUTZOTPOQ0561H1rpTi7q-bCPIm0GPlXjtI5dRx9lpmXk9y4SOcIo38Q9WL3561eZU9T_z2FFf9SorWVt-Yvw2AZ85vw-DTaJgyLPMK6jqWhqXqzbTaLySncXstrBDoqQZGDOJ4K7OS9lXJPjKHolGemb/s4032/received_712443290663286.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDCJHxGIdtoIhBoZqpptGjtjuVKB0ecRf-bthUTZOTPOQ0561H1rpTi7q-bCPIm0GPlXjtI5dRx9lpmXk9y4SOcIo38Q9WL3561eZU9T_z2FFf9SorWVt-Yvw2AZ85vw-DTaJgyLPMK6jqWhqXqzbTaLySncXstrBDoqQZGDOJ4K7OS9lXJPjKHolGemb/w300-h400/received_712443290663286.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoSekBMGVUEsroj2F_YEfphrcf_2ZbiC9n2LSF9Nhs3DZVCZ0-ldK1TGz8_fSY16-v1D7V0YYrLZdqEeJ7CPFlkWOJw3Gu_-AJnKvxw3G7QgBQUYk0MYH4esEfW3pQFg2QBnTZi_L-p4ZDXAdzjP4bOFtqNs_fqu8SuOdV3WbjEMjArvSyLfbp5KAwZqQ/s4032/received_1755844324890438.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoSekBMGVUEsroj2F_YEfphrcf_2ZbiC9n2LSF9Nhs3DZVCZ0-ldK1TGz8_fSY16-v1D7V0YYrLZdqEeJ7CPFlkWOJw3Gu_-AJnKvxw3G7QgBQUYk0MYH4esEfW3pQFg2QBnTZi_L-p4ZDXAdzjP4bOFtqNs_fqu8SuOdV3WbjEMjArvSyLfbp5KAwZqQ/w640-h480/received_1755844324890438.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0By9jnUL920bMO9iPeFJeW-f-N_1XO7t99M8y1FVE14LFKsOm98GE914jdF6MNEpNKaDYsZalLhUAFjuqrMqrt_8kingTaBudvA5gO6AQML82pkrzaEwKvTaHhgTytYLIAuGI8IZwlX4uKCIiPzQndutViHpgPeIFSOxVsvlI7gLUupmvZrq40I2babG/s4032/received_830674065529686.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0By9jnUL920bMO9iPeFJeW-f-N_1XO7t99M8y1FVE14LFKsOm98GE914jdF6MNEpNKaDYsZalLhUAFjuqrMqrt_8kingTaBudvA5gO6AQML82pkrzaEwKvTaHhgTytYLIAuGI8IZwlX4uKCIiPzQndutViHpgPeIFSOxVsvlI7gLUupmvZrq40I2babG/w640-h480/received_830674065529686.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I am so thankful for these 5 ladies and I could not imagine doing life without them. Collectively, we have been through A LOT together. <br /></p><p>In less exciting news, Dan and I have been in a battle with Hyundai - okay "battle" is probably too strong to use but that's what I'm going with.</p><p>We bought Sarah a 2020 Elantra in June of 2020. It had 1000 miles on it and we got a very good deal. However, this car has been plagued with problems. Several months after buying it, Sarah started it one morning and four warning lights came on and it would not allow her to put the car in drive. She waited for a few minutes and the warning lights turned off and she was able to drive. </p><p>This issue contnued to happen randomly. After multiple attempts to take it in and have it repaired, they finally thought they fixed it only for it to be fine for a couple of months and then boom - it happened again. Meanwhile, the engine had to be replaced which thankfully this (and every other repair) was covered by Hyunda. The engine repair was done at a dealership near Sarah's school and while they had it, they also tried to repair the warning light/not being able to drive issue. They did the same repair the previous dealership had done and once again thought it was fixed only to have it happen AGAIN!</p><p>So, in November Dan and I went to the dealership to talk to the service manager and he basically told us (in not so many words) you probably have a lemon and gave us information on how to get it resolved with corporate. </p><p>We called Hyundai and told them we wanted them to buy our car back from us and they opened a case. However, a few days later we were told they couldn't do anything for us because they only buy back cars in a 3 year window and we had had the car for 3 and half years at this point.</p><p>Our next step was to contact the Better Business Bureau. We've opened up a case with them. This involved submitted all of our records detailing times in the shop, issues with the car, etc. Hyundai offered us $500 to which we said, "No thanks!"</p><p>Earlier this month, we sent them a Final Repair letter (which was the next step according to the BBB and North Carolina's Lemon Law). They received the certified letter and have requested a Final Repair. We are waiting to hear back from them on getting this scheduled.</p><p>I can't imagine that another repair will fix this issue but I would love it if that happened because I'm not sure what Hyundai will do after that. If they don't fix this according to our liking, I believe the next step is arbitration. <br /></p><p>All this to say - DO NOT PURCHASE A HYUNDAI. And if you have one, I'm sorry. I hope it's behaving better than ours. (Also please note - the paint on the hood is bubbling up and coming off. This is a known defect that happened on several years worth of Hyundai's and of course ours was one of them!)</p><p>On a happier note, my sweet Sarah has joined a sorority this semester! Her college experience so far hasn't been what she wanted it to be so she decided to take matters into her own hands and jumped into Greek life! She is now a Delta Zeta! Well, I guess technically she isn't a full DZ yet. That won't happen until the spring but she is so happy meeting new people and having a full social calendar.</p><p>Both kids are currently applying for internships for the summer. I hope and pray they can each find the perfect one! Peter attending the NC State - Miami game last night and sent this picture:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FshixsS1h_QVxjygV_nvDyNcAT8qHYmnPU6lzTw3BuzKLY5AywiX5-9TY4ffS1pWycQWrtaoc_5QhWcoGp2io2x0KZF73nJ3ClxZN6k_faw8hdYw3XE2zKRHEn_lV-ihWskwChSva9H0b2ThZyINi9HGLmyshyVhTU2GWTiBW7LClutfGbDPC-nH5QuH/s1280/728359380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FshixsS1h_QVxjygV_nvDyNcAT8qHYmnPU6lzTw3BuzKLY5AywiX5-9TY4ffS1pWycQWrtaoc_5QhWcoGp2io2x0KZF73nJ3ClxZN6k_faw8hdYw3XE2zKRHEn_lV-ihWskwChSva9H0b2ThZyINi9HGLmyshyVhTU2GWTiBW7LClutfGbDPC-nH5QuH/w480-h640/728359380.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Thankfully they won last night and ended a 3 game losing streak!<br /><p></p><p>Last year, (also when Dan was traveling), I watched season one of Love of the Spectrum. Last week they released season 2 and I watched it. I really enjoyed it. If you like the romance type shows, I highly recommend it. But definitely start at season 1. Season 2 brought back some old characters as well as some new ones. </p><p>I also started watching this season of the Bachelor. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I tried to watch the Golden Bachelor but just couldn't get into it and I haven't watched for several seasons prior to that. I'm getting burned out on real crime TV, though, and need something to watch when Dan is gone. </p><p>Before I end this "all over the place" post, I wanted to share with you my dinner for the last two nights.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyw8ok_txaAIITD4UA824UteNaN__j1HGGuPO64SiCsxxPHNiRCSf0Q16EE-dRjatp_vnu9P-bVFz94bJ0SWvFovgTEssegDAwGlOWZ4yA_EZXIZY_gO4pKyucibxGFTXUxe27b_FE6z8fCxpmCSqS-Sagy2eeRVn7CSRxf24RjGsU5KpfNfvI7aikSZu/s4032/20240129_185646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyw8ok_txaAIITD4UA824UteNaN__j1HGGuPO64SiCsxxPHNiRCSf0Q16EE-dRjatp_vnu9P-bVFz94bJ0SWvFovgTEssegDAwGlOWZ4yA_EZXIZY_gO4pKyucibxGFTXUxe27b_FE6z8fCxpmCSqS-Sagy2eeRVn7CSRxf24RjGsU5KpfNfvI7aikSZu/w480-h640/20240129_185646.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Salmon and arugula salad!</p><p>I covered the salmon in Dijon mustard and a bunch of Citrus Garlic seasoning from Trader Joe's and popped it into the air fryer for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. </p><p>And the salad is just arugula with shaved Parmesan cheese with a homemade vinaigrette dressing. </p><p><b>Greed Salad Dressing</b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 cup EVOO</li><li>1 T. dried oregano</li><li>1 t. sea salt</li><li>1/2 t. pepper</li><li>1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice (taste and adjust to your liking)</li><li>1 T. red wine vinegar</li><li>3 garlic cloves pressed</li></ul><p>Add all ingredients into a mason jar and shake well and enjoy.</p><p>The Dijon serves to keeps the salmon moist. I didn't really taste it when eating the salmon which is fine because sometimes Dijon can be over powering. And the key to the simple arugula salad is the shaved Parmesan. Get a block of Parm and use your vegetable peeler and get some nice strips of cheese on that salad. The more the better and enjoy!</p><p>What have you all been enjoying on TV lately? Do tell as Dan will probably only be home for a week or two before he's off again.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-40644227396590330242024-01-10T06:38:00.000-05:002024-01-10T06:38:00.136-05:00Lady Locks Recipe (aka Mini Cream Horns)<p>I love cream horns. Love. Them. And Sarah has inherited my love for them. </p><p>One time at work in the late 90s, a co-worker popped her head into my cubicle and said, "There's cream horns in the break room!" (After customer meetings, the admins would always put any leftover food in the break room for any one to take. It was a high light of sitting near the break room. <br /></p><p>I shot up from my chair, flew out of my cubicle and into the break room at record speed shouting, "There's cream horns in the break room! There's cream horns in the break room!" I gobbled up that cream horn so fast I left a cloud of powdered sugar in that break room. <br /></p><p>So imagine my excitement this past December when I was perusing the leftover cookies from the cookie platter we made for the owner at work and discovered <i><b>miniature cream horns</b></i> among the Oreo balls, jam cutouts, buckeyes, and gorgeous(if I do say so myself) chocolate peppermint thumbprints.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe4fa7Anumg2BwcOsFCMGYStvlXr6-B0UwZhsbdWO7rk_e6Fb9ywp6VNpNoLMRJ9QIXKskNWXKY1y_Nn-ZeXp3TKt14eVeyJ8871e0HCvRBC1GQJG2IoeEbvWtA36mqflrWN2Js1flQCl_GJYuZDqhFvHevWWet1S6F-LoLMlMEgQKRUc2nHIwYfxVTkB/s4032/20231212_132323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe4fa7Anumg2BwcOsFCMGYStvlXr6-B0UwZhsbdWO7rk_e6Fb9ywp6VNpNoLMRJ9QIXKskNWXKY1y_Nn-ZeXp3TKt14eVeyJ8871e0HCvRBC1GQJG2IoeEbvWtA36mqflrWN2Js1flQCl_GJYuZDqhFvHevWWet1S6F-LoLMlMEgQKRUc2nHIwYfxVTkB/w640-h480/20231212_132323.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This is the platter of <i>leftovers</i> so you can imagine the beauty of the platter that was given to the owner!<p></p><p>Do you spy the petite cream horns? My eyes were immediately drawn to them and I had to have one. Okay...I had two. It was all I could do not to eat every single one of them. And I could have done it to because no one else was in the break room at the time. I didn't want to be a pig - but man, they were delicious!</p><p>I asked around and found out who made them and then promptly requested the recipe. Turns out they are called Lady Locks and are a staple on wedding cookie tables. The woman that made them made a ton of them for her son's wedding cookie table. (He was married in Chicago so maybe it's a thing up there. I've never seen it here in NC but it's been a while since I've been to a wedding so maybe it's a thing now? A quick google search just informed me that cookie tables are big at Pittsburgh weddings.)</p><p>The day after she sent me the recipe, I saw her at work and thanked her for sending it to me and she said, "I was embarrassed to send it to you since it calls for Crisco." I laughed and said, "I'm from the South! I'm not afraid of Crisco - I was raised on it!"</p><p>Sarah and I finally had a chance to make them this past weekend and they were so delicious and not hard to make at all. </p><p>You can buy "forms" but I went the cheap route and used wooden clothes pins covered in tin foil. Wrapping the clothes pins in tin foil was the hardest part of this recipe. </p><p>This is the dough after I rolled it out. I then cut long thin stirps using a pizza cutter. I then wrapped the strips around the foil covered clothes pins. (Make sure to use old fashioned clothes pins without springs.) <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg6kShFX_mzTDTVv_7J95JiQpRQBByYG4Gtep6Tmrxydi_7GQrtiHE2l1B6hDPpkxhQknV-IwZTKCxTvh0PcgLC8uI51WyzaVdGR_wd4KN_wQ9FOul5BJSg0dj4r8xBiAMYXCXxLdGsSx3L8sCnlW50MIh_m2YU4gtZsa6lw9N0ad3V91lXkGLnAuUNcI/s1024/IMG_2666001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg6kShFX_mzTDTVv_7J95JiQpRQBByYG4Gtep6Tmrxydi_7GQrtiHE2l1B6hDPpkxhQknV-IwZTKCxTvh0PcgLC8uI51WyzaVdGR_wd4KN_wQ9FOul5BJSg0dj4r8xBiAMYXCXxLdGsSx3L8sCnlW50MIh_m2YU4gtZsa6lw9N0ad3V91lXkGLnAuUNcI/w480-h640/IMG_2666001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here's the first batch of dough going in the oven. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1trv9x5BgpMCYNth2OpzezlKG2hGDQVVoFZ9dxh1B889adWr3lBUyFNs6PT1qinEzvGs8Mwr6SjxPKNU_xg-rNpjm_V-iDnskMRUwTsy-l3zdtp3JqayRfTuMYoTojPxMjHfamRfXWdqV27G_LSCPB5nyHFWTMzz2nwixiN8BwPC_dbgLNHG6148vz8e/s4032/20240106_135136.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1trv9x5BgpMCYNth2OpzezlKG2hGDQVVoFZ9dxh1B889adWr3lBUyFNs6PT1qinEzvGs8Mwr6SjxPKNU_xg-rNpjm_V-iDnskMRUwTsy-l3zdtp3JqayRfTuMYoTojPxMjHfamRfXWdqV27G_LSCPB5nyHFWTMzz2nwixiN8BwPC_dbgLNHG6148vz8e/w640-h480/20240106_135136.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p> And here's the beautiful finished product:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSeGbKBq_LmyVdamc37Xz_eoDYBAQueUovQxUFvCpskCCbdn7TRTDd2F7HhtzeXw836dXTKAU4rm0Uwb131qXI9BvwkFLFfIdskp5h9q7FmwpJh6zzS2zr75JfDAZOHY0VYwOFyf-lSdrBIf2YWaZB27NTWhY68nYLclMEZRvjep-2EPWIx93fXKtdK9t/w640-h480/20240106_155924.jpg" width="640" /></div><p>Don't you hate it when you've googled a recipe and you have to scroll waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy down through a boring blog post to get to it? Me too! And yet, I've done that to you all. :)</p><p>So without further ado....</p><p><b>Lady Locks (Mini Cream Horns)</b></p><p><b>For the horns:</b><br /></p><p>1 box Pillsbury Puff Pastry thawed.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Take 1/3 of a sheet of pastry and roll out to 15x6 inches.</li><li>Take pizza cutter and cut long thin strips.</li><li>Wrap each strip around a clothes pin covered in tin foil. (I did not flour or spray these and for the most part they came off the form with no problem. I might spray them with cooking spray next time.)</li><li>Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes. (The recipe I was given says this but I left them in for closer to 14 minutes. I wanted them to have a little color.)</li><li>Let cool before removing the horns from the forms.</li></ul><p><b>For the filling:</b></p><div style="text-align: left;">2 pounds Powdered Sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 cup Crisco</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 cup butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp vanilla</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup milk</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 7oz jar of Fluff</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mix first 5 ingredients in mixer for 10 minutes. </li><li>Then add in the fluff and mix until smooth.</li><li>Use a piping bag to fill the horns with the filling and then try not to eat every last one of them by yourself. ahem... </li></ul><p><b>Side note:</b> I cut the filling recipe in half and there was plenty of filling for two sheets (one box) of puff pastry. <br /></p><p>These are the perfect bite. The dough to filling ratio is spot on. If you like cream horns, you need to give these little cuties a try! <br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-53861085697617341222024-01-05T17:48:00.000-05:002024-01-05T17:48:16.572-05:00Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! All the things...<p>And just like that - it's January!</p><p>December went by pretty fast for me. Sarah was home from school on the 4th. She had a paper to submit and an online exam due at the end of that week but they could be turned in/taken from home so that was nice. </p><p>Dan headed to Ireland on December 11th but flew out of Raleigh so he was able to have lunch with Peter after he finished his last exam. I was glad he got to see both kids before his trip since his time with them over their break was going to be minimal.</p><p>I worked 4 days a week while the kids were home and other than sleeping in and hanging out with friends, I'm not exactly sure what they did but they kept busy.</p><p>Dan came home from Ireland on December 22nd. He kept threatening that he might not make it home until the 24th so the fact that he was home on the night of the 22nd was wonderful.</p><p>Thanks to online shopping, I was ready for Christmas. I would estimate that I did roughly 85% of my shopping online and the other 15% was done at my work! (Thank goodness for my employee discount!) </p><p>We did our traditional Christmas Eve service at the Moravian Church I attended growing up. (My mom and brother still go there.) It's always such a beautiful service and this year was no different. Sarah's boyfriend Joe went with us and Jennifer's family joined us as well.</p><p>Afterwards, we came back here for party foods and festive drinks. We had a great time and as usual, I have zero pictures from the night. Next time we are together, I should just tell the kids to take a bunch of pictures and see what they come back with. <br /></p><p>Dan and I were up early on Christmas morning. Well, it felt early since we were up late on Christmas Eve, but we were up by 8:00. We put out all the gifts and filled all the stockings and got the kids up at 8:30. We made coffee and got to unwrapping! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KFXqpwEuxaWjBJXSNYCtzx4KdN9BMDPJ1Sjzlb9jZHxOGo4q5jOrMarKtNURceW2Xm1zcdwFcstBHeTFTZWUecxhi0fnu1RH2SyfHTfukj3U8VFEtkLBJEn8cJ7oZnUisCSOfnTFQ8krRGG2ZNZa6gRq_BwIHDInARiZuZQIOEFTbfJQ2SdU-K5hyphenhyphenadv/s4032/20231225_080624.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KFXqpwEuxaWjBJXSNYCtzx4KdN9BMDPJ1Sjzlb9jZHxOGo4q5jOrMarKtNURceW2Xm1zcdwFcstBHeTFTZWUecxhi0fnu1RH2SyfHTfukj3U8VFEtkLBJEn8cJ7oZnUisCSOfnTFQ8krRGG2ZNZa6gRq_BwIHDInARiZuZQIOEFTbfJQ2SdU-K5hyphenhyphenadv/w640-h480/20231225_080624.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxB9MWG1i_29OWFEoTVmfkhm_DzmptEwTyVxkyg554ePEi7_110gG9JztB0wfE3Hck8enPBlNsazX2hWKU7pCwR379oEiUCgCTJSWleJIRJZnCL3bqbgUnAJzxfM6_-vEok5o6C6WRZ5dSUnmqo1Xy-3BFNoM9DwbRxcJSnt66rpH9lM7icqKnStDScl2/s4032/20231225_083603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxB9MWG1i_29OWFEoTVmfkhm_DzmptEwTyVxkyg554ePEi7_110gG9JztB0wfE3Hck8enPBlNsazX2hWKU7pCwR379oEiUCgCTJSWleJIRJZnCL3bqbgUnAJzxfM6_-vEok5o6C6WRZ5dSUnmqo1Xy-3BFNoM9DwbRxcJSnt66rpH9lM7icqKnStDScl2/w640-h480/20231225_083603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKpxZ_HjQmrlL5uqtqaAgZS3FkZKyIOuc2gHptbBe2uXeX-m-9nQXtM190VY5fAeheGkXA_0-qgxzQMHSRRj9Cf-NWrT49schaVuX6muuiu5YhuiZfCwWbU5Apm1b4y_YFe6UXNl4lU1hp_UtP1qjuB4YxpqE9Q_CI8Ckt7f3K7YVow-tD22_WYqICrw-/s4032/20231225_083800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKpxZ_HjQmrlL5uqtqaAgZS3FkZKyIOuc2gHptbBe2uXeX-m-9nQXtM190VY5fAeheGkXA_0-qgxzQMHSRRj9Cf-NWrT49schaVuX6muuiu5YhuiZfCwWbU5Apm1b4y_YFe6UXNl4lU1hp_UtP1qjuB4YxpqE9Q_CI8Ckt7f3K7YVow-tD22_WYqICrw-/w480-h640/20231225_083800.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p>We always unload the stockings first - that's our favorite part! And then we do the other gifts. Unwrapping all the smaller unknown gifts in the stocking is always fun. There are always a mix of useful and fun. I thinking shopping for the stocking stuffers is my favorite thing too!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nE_3D0MtnHcJ8X9SNF-JKVbt3Ath6HyFy-UzDsOXkub5cdyaO7FMGAxtRBW1GRyDSMP9q9UXNaVWRYDrQBAwTtR9L-uyWDcnR8dHtGbhimesZcko97M-aLIjMUG_GOvjq87ubcsaqO87_QrJx53SB0SIgOX-RmWeqObISBT-Wpb0njoji353TSicWfLh/s4032/20231225_085458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nE_3D0MtnHcJ8X9SNF-JKVbt3Ath6HyFy-UzDsOXkub5cdyaO7FMGAxtRBW1GRyDSMP9q9UXNaVWRYDrQBAwTtR9L-uyWDcnR8dHtGbhimesZcko97M-aLIjMUG_GOvjq87ubcsaqO87_QrJx53SB0SIgOX-RmWeqObISBT-Wpb0njoji353TSicWfLh/w640-h480/20231225_085458.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQkzpB3b8L0UKTQd6DulIUT3vQDHSkaLexzEfjE9CrL9mKh8uncRBsfnw5MP-bUlo9crqe2kROFaxX3CFHsx7F5aqPZ75z_Ls5qIn4ge4FDPJIPOG5OsTpDZ9hESxwV9Xs6cyqZu0JZnqersGauoNcw1YmEgCOUwnGJhp-3qilcIQT0thzsaYYtkQvnyl/s4032/20231225_085416.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQkzpB3b8L0UKTQd6DulIUT3vQDHSkaLexzEfjE9CrL9mKh8uncRBsfnw5MP-bUlo9crqe2kROFaxX3CFHsx7F5aqPZ75z_Ls5qIn4ge4FDPJIPOG5OsTpDZ9hESxwV9Xs6cyqZu0JZnqersGauoNcw1YmEgCOUwnGJhp-3qilcIQT0thzsaYYtkQvnyl/w480-h640/20231225_085416.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjZVKV9KoRMb-FnCiBRYd8cibMsJKPhLB8GCfiCjmE6UzkUiHN2rASsg4KSGWPPHFYVRehUNylDnulFcYP2IFkrrWi4UpovwXUAe5o1gkVF7MUeQUzMh0spcfORzppGSp8R53VBsgxU6Hg1AtWbI02DjRESF93JT7bqF5IkYw8EdovOA9mHKJrM1m4ml3/s4032/20231225_085410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjZVKV9KoRMb-FnCiBRYd8cibMsJKPhLB8GCfiCjmE6UzkUiHN2rASsg4KSGWPPHFYVRehUNylDnulFcYP2IFkrrWi4UpovwXUAe5o1gkVF7MUeQUzMh0spcfORzppGSp8R53VBsgxU6Hg1AtWbI02DjRESF93JT7bqF5IkYw8EdovOA9mHKJrM1m4ml3/w480-h640/20231225_085410.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz-a3CbqTVpqSp7l-Mhlkl0w4HByK_XNgeFKxDq7tytG92vG9S2Zv59qkFh-rqaeeb3x5jLjYHoI_kGhlWFo4c1JkDhAp5z56R-3LDqlMFIwCYrxaqRlM-oWMsARmXaYOwLpL9lCOWWVYFkxGDzq-1enTHnB-2vLEAXtLGsE0L6cZQp49gVgp9xY9P14r/s4032/20231225_084241.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz-a3CbqTVpqSp7l-Mhlkl0w4HByK_XNgeFKxDq7tytG92vG9S2Zv59qkFh-rqaeeb3x5jLjYHoI_kGhlWFo4c1JkDhAp5z56R-3LDqlMFIwCYrxaqRlM-oWMsARmXaYOwLpL9lCOWWVYFkxGDzq-1enTHnB-2vLEAXtLGsE0L6cZQp49gVgp9xY9P14r/w480-h640/20231225_084241.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgJc4HKMPYyEtRXp5-lRwwbPh2rTwcflV5y90LcIN9xmKMIqLu9mQ0ETvbCEQYVPh3U9p0D3bD2v1rRxxACJbWpsWRT9hWCAysqCek-_qoFSwyZw43YH3DTjFjcsIYfbam1neQu9lkjAmmudJMK6cniY1XFSaVkfM74-2Gjb38YC2T6jbcJ0BUBW8pgkz/s4032/20231225_090505.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk-blAZlL-XznlMU_KFUVf-QvFhxlebAX829QtJVBRZqNM44oFrPD36Z3t4uNUeahBasSU71rNHJYAX-veggrYJvwHoPUrWQXA1sNVC_8vCGYg56gEigRo5dNTPaxPevIskiKD0kPMlMaE0TESOfN_mbn8yh1lsb-hKTxiX56PM-rEWv6wGR0_MRctiEG/w480-h640/20231225_091541.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIe4v-PuW70nrPBENQv27_4aB2HGfb4Fkgcb29kABG2SaJx7wBv-RYQc1n0S8SaEDR4hV0XI7MRlN_kdQb7biq9C7royDjI3sMctRpd6idFgFNO9Hwolny0lfhxmBTVtekeIpVKoQCI5rhoP9wPyF_dHfkr_EAfSuIMEJtWYtxeO1msrAlq49rj5vRM6j/s4032/20231225_092647.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIe4v-PuW70nrPBENQv27_4aB2HGfb4Fkgcb29kABG2SaJx7wBv-RYQc1n0S8SaEDR4hV0XI7MRlN_kdQb7biq9C7royDjI3sMctRpd6idFgFNO9Hwolny0lfhxmBTVtekeIpVKoQCI5rhoP9wPyF_dHfkr_EAfSuIMEJtWYtxeO1msrAlq49rj5vRM6j/w480-h640/20231225_092647.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd66ElmXoqYbmcoApx99egDIBbgmGqN_ZD5cqy9LYUPVTmOire4xqsJiL4rcgwlKuh_gcL5FcrcuEfvvY0zzS2cMk8AvAdpvq-SPgy4CQXywhx0ZiWkYTlyGTs74D6xvIVhgoIzWnRpYy-YdadUJ28Uvfi7wX31MkEQ7-DRJ-mqMwHazZ9cKbgt59GUC70/s4032/20231225_091529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd66ElmXoqYbmcoApx99egDIBbgmGqN_ZD5cqy9LYUPVTmOire4xqsJiL4rcgwlKuh_gcL5FcrcuEfvvY0zzS2cMk8AvAdpvq-SPgy4CQXywhx0ZiWkYTlyGTs74D6xvIVhgoIzWnRpYy-YdadUJ28Uvfi7wX31MkEQ7-DRJ-mqMwHazZ9cKbgt59GUC70/w480-h640/20231225_091529.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7746jmjTFjdhlDVE038GiV8i5m0oykT7VXTDn8D1sbNgj4nPoOzrT5mFXggc1-m0zbHwy-AAFEqFIkw2outP9j79mSkuWqEYvLOmo64p4i06w3zMlEiKrNnfV707PZTe1tKNiksnIrDS_m74E_ufJPWvr5vy_0y2wvwQL9xjjjfZ91rklUKtxXwWvAvb/s4032/20231225_090444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7746jmjTFjdhlDVE038GiV8i5m0oykT7VXTDn8D1sbNgj4nPoOzrT5mFXggc1-m0zbHwy-AAFEqFIkw2outP9j79mSkuWqEYvLOmo64p4i06w3zMlEiKrNnfV707PZTe1tKNiksnIrDS_m74E_ufJPWvr5vy_0y2wvwQL9xjjjfZ91rklUKtxXwWvAvb/w480-h640/20231225_090444.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>After gifts we got dressed and headed to Christmas Mass where we met Cathy (Dan's sister) who had just driven down with her partner Eric from Delaware.</p><p>After Mass we went to mom's house for a delicious lunch and more presents. We also took our annual Tesh Family photo. That's the picture that we've been taking since 1997. It's always in the same spot and whoever is with us for the meal at Christmas is in the photo. I love that I accidentally started a tradition in 1997 when I got a new camera with a timer and we are still doing it! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaZnrbcEbpv-ZGkJbkGReA769RrfsF9rP1jBiCY-QywdHnzy4jMwI7R92iXybYNhaesCK8piE3AoHFu9-GaD9GpdrTL01uwBcVZi1ikt9c3dATVYtwak3fvnI1H0HTXTlWgtq03VzNlDIPOHThT7X_Zi0jZQJNlloqrQVmUiSkTqPCaz3j05tWBdq7SpS/s3648/20231225_125729.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaZnrbcEbpv-ZGkJbkGReA769RrfsF9rP1jBiCY-QywdHnzy4jMwI7R92iXybYNhaesCK8piE3AoHFu9-GaD9GpdrTL01uwBcVZi1ikt9c3dATVYtwak3fvnI1H0HTXTlWgtq03VzNlDIPOHThT7X_Zi0jZQJNlloqrQVmUiSkTqPCaz3j05tWBdq7SpS/w640-h480/20231225_125729.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>A full lunch table needs to be documented. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2tbDFvUfvtsNnj_sd4eRVGpiuljouBBYxD6SGad9XH7gb_0Y5UfO2yaAywAV_vn6tAXaS7yrFQ2sDkuhio9fQWG1eMtrPgvh9FTzgkeqXKa6H1SH1_MORFWOmAaMpuxYX_qkw3y7qGPN8-G8H18FtDeRWe2D5wSbd8VBIUIJF6-sI8nRTtkTHUwDglOu/s4032/20231225_141018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2tbDFvUfvtsNnj_sd4eRVGpiuljouBBYxD6SGad9XH7gb_0Y5UfO2yaAywAV_vn6tAXaS7yrFQ2sDkuhio9fQWG1eMtrPgvh9FTzgkeqXKa6H1SH1_MORFWOmAaMpuxYX_qkw3y7qGPN8-G8H18FtDeRWe2D5wSbd8VBIUIJF6-sI8nRTtkTHUwDglOu/w480-h640/20231225_141018.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>My beautiful mom!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3TE3zYQT8ZFyUhTl1GnQncIbGYg3qwyLGyloNk0MAXvUrkPW45DfHmy64sDa73QOItDpEivopgxxJdUgz41y0BVGLn6j8Lgu_qIrrlkfQT2c1n4xTfINHuf3Tu1vqqfRN_vXILx-VkBsAct9U1Ic7ta5IMwUzAZTlRPglQzdd1hGfYdzUnC9p3hgl4ZN/s4032/20231225_141138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3TE3zYQT8ZFyUhTl1GnQncIbGYg3qwyLGyloNk0MAXvUrkPW45DfHmy64sDa73QOItDpEivopgxxJdUgz41y0BVGLn6j8Lgu_qIrrlkfQT2c1n4xTfINHuf3Tu1vqqfRN_vXILx-VkBsAct9U1Ic7ta5IMwUzAZTlRPglQzdd1hGfYdzUnC9p3hgl4ZN/w480-h640/20231225_141138.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa77Nl3i6Q5Pqp5k9H_59z6NNqlqbHXemVnssmsxNNCPrkikeSOfgg-5N9ZMf7k-76k-dzTdF_kTufcgXHF67W11BcIIVmJBKul2i5y1OYUb0gd56yrEuI2SS2FUzOzG7flA0-Dkpn2pqVrKD75hAqR9qA2SKkew-kqHAsXqAb7KOQ7zmKdaA4A3EIR_s/s4032/20231225_141154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa77Nl3i6Q5Pqp5k9H_59z6NNqlqbHXemVnssmsxNNCPrkikeSOfgg-5N9ZMf7k-76k-dzTdF_kTufcgXHF67W11BcIIVmJBKul2i5y1OYUb0gd56yrEuI2SS2FUzOzG7flA0-Dkpn2pqVrKD75hAqR9qA2SKkew-kqHAsXqAb7KOQ7zmKdaA4A3EIR_s/w480-h640/20231225_141154.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYUch8TmkqVkD9qD55eaj7OM0oDs6EnA7ya9IfWeq95XSXia9Kpi-tYqX3-EGVxy8tZz9aolFn13_PYHpvxg8WIFGBFpbJE8IJMto8n28BKbmtoDA2W5_CFxU6H_rx-smPEYibhLIfmKv5F5E7RWhbjvrf0lIO3rRxTBAhln1uvS7tHvGRNEW342Qvdvs/w480-h640/20231225_141223.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl6JKFhFKxhsjgZI1lDs9_GWB_Xyn-SW_JWB3aUCOZQsM0u4wNhAOLhLMpyyd6tfySdzOckhce2NOHs2t1H6DoOEA728Z0tGTLLcIN4blVeIJS9L25r8xqQpFOFEz9ol3RL5vcO9MEsI77H9sMu1dFJGsMr2eIdGk_8K6V77ujfiL0ZDW0tM69bThHlni/s4032/20231225_141203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl6JKFhFKxhsjgZI1lDs9_GWB_Xyn-SW_JWB3aUCOZQsM0u4wNhAOLhLMpyyd6tfySdzOckhce2NOHs2t1H6DoOEA728Z0tGTLLcIN4blVeIJS9L25r8xqQpFOFEz9ol3RL5vcO9MEsI77H9sMu1dFJGsMr2eIdGk_8K6V77ujfiL0ZDW0tM69bThHlni/w480-h640/20231225_141203.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG08bcbo475e2YP-STaFCNGQqgjOToNziVXAze8cJbu7bj2FMzfpjLJebFJw9yb2Pzcc4HbPP3K_gCr6q1rinH_YX1TWtZCokmMcSa8Xn6dWMqHqO6s_KT7QbPADIQ4VBucKll7aR1gSDS23EuEPuBVGglOhlpX7u7HXsWQXJy4WjKBzzYUy0ITmLqqnEZ/s4032/20231225_141906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG08bcbo475e2YP-STaFCNGQqgjOToNziVXAze8cJbu7bj2FMzfpjLJebFJw9yb2Pzcc4HbPP3K_gCr6q1rinH_YX1TWtZCokmMcSa8Xn6dWMqHqO6s_KT7QbPADIQ4VBucKll7aR1gSDS23EuEPuBVGglOhlpX7u7HXsWQXJy4WjKBzzYUy0ITmLqqnEZ/w480-h640/20231225_141906.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZeQ4cHqD8W5Y6coKM7Z2Cgcd3prgSR54RrAQc36vu1SWuiO9Cb0wqYpScXuV5OGEUxzOaPjCRYhAvdawGeWevFGbIkTup7wGYqXtUKJjO5k3o911Nl3nbWgAnwn_IRXiURAkyzskL0cp_g6jjc_cI2g3KiUFVn4LhOZhpsp-ujQdkyuNezmmbPRR8PSj/s4032/20231225_141124.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZeQ4cHqD8W5Y6coKM7Z2Cgcd3prgSR54RrAQc36vu1SWuiO9Cb0wqYpScXuV5OGEUxzOaPjCRYhAvdawGeWevFGbIkTup7wGYqXtUKJjO5k3o911Nl3nbWgAnwn_IRXiURAkyzskL0cp_g6jjc_cI2g3KiUFVn4LhOZhpsp-ujQdkyuNezmmbPRR8PSj/w640-h480/20231225_141124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>My mom puts together the best gift baskets!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheq_h9Ef4oGTu0dewiGNxq377g8AXUSb1O_p43El0oy9xYzW8Ok5DZcG3SHlwaB3yiZ-u5a40ZmCQIyEWRkGdpHsPN9ue59fMeEZrsiGYuM-FJCbC1nfUJrewFvzUMy_ngbec5mMCjOS4NwjaIfdT_zQ4HqhlyKz52SEAPciUCXQ_fgwjXQ2i2eZUo4n2/s4272/IMG_3556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheq_h9Ef4oGTu0dewiGNxq377g8AXUSb1O_p43El0oy9xYzW8Ok5DZcG3SHlwaB3yiZ-u5a40ZmCQIyEWRkGdpHsPN9ue59fMeEZrsiGYuM-FJCbC1nfUJrewFvzUMy_ngbec5mMCjOS4NwjaIfdT_zQ4HqhlyKz52SEAPciUCXQ_fgwjXQ2i2eZUo4n2/w640-h426/IMG_3556.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The annual photo!<br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p>After celebrating with mom and Brad, we came back here and unwrapped presents with Cathy and Eric and called Dan's brother Dick and his family and then called Dan's uncle. I made turkey and cranberry quesadillas which were actually quite yummy and then we settled down to watch Home Alone. Dan and the kids had never seen it and I hadn't seen it since 1990 so it was practically like seeing it for the first time. </p><p>The next morning we got up and ate breakfast and then piled in the car and headed to Asheville. It's a 2 and a half hour drive. Normally its a nice drive but it was pouring rain the entire time. It stopped raining when we got there though and we had a delicious lunch at Pack's Tavern. (We've been there several times before and it's always good.)</p><p>After lunch we headed to The Grove Park Inn to check out all the entries in the National Gingerbread Competition. The resort was beautiful and there were some really lovely gingerbread creations. </p><p><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVRY_we1B4WOKpaOubuHK5Qo8z14dLyDWJ9FsU2E0vxXZXw3zokRTuVxEau-YlWSb-IbbB50y5asnWjhVAXzNMw0aYIedas_hIOSlfwtxYYpLF93fobZvH18-OPUei0c5Zrud6EhFkg-K3FfOCedrsxq9ed92vt_Gvn4dMXwYyOOAu2iPa17Y2jXF-6sJ/s4032/20231226_140623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVRY_we1B4WOKpaOubuHK5Qo8z14dLyDWJ9FsU2E0vxXZXw3zokRTuVxEau-YlWSb-IbbB50y5asnWjhVAXzNMw0aYIedas_hIOSlfwtxYYpLF93fobZvH18-OPUei0c5Zrud6EhFkg-K3FfOCedrsxq9ed92vt_Gvn4dMXwYyOOAu2iPa17Y2jXF-6sJ/w480-h640/20231226_140623.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>View from the resort. The sun actually tried to come out for a second.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE1J5xqIYkyVkDRfqeSKYE4bAuba3-3bdyCDSZe-uMJU8aK7cHe5Dq2OJIH0GfyzTHHrBzv4X9JfsOTp1EW-JyjhVYrYTkHp_xolTXjAXEuC6z_ktd-sm2YzxZw6J4a9ofS3Em-ykb9lbV8hChNx7JX_nFp8wvVCuEEphgtJaeEKrf-Gab-jAWOzINJB-/s4032/20231226_145739.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE1J5xqIYkyVkDRfqeSKYE4bAuba3-3bdyCDSZe-uMJU8aK7cHe5Dq2OJIH0GfyzTHHrBzv4X9JfsOTp1EW-JyjhVYrYTkHp_xolTXjAXEuC6z_ktd-sm2YzxZw6J4a9ofS3Em-ykb9lbV8hChNx7JX_nFp8wvVCuEEphgtJaeEKrf-Gab-jAWOzINJB-/w480-h640/20231226_145739.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS27_LUkb-DDTx4nqEpnoYGhR59yWHLcBit_Vz397XdszHg9iISHLLbZ_EoSMwLBr_n7Fxke3bkIYfion9pg6JMfGtN0rWjKv2v-07Ponk5glNEZpNa0hTD173Y7U9Rkqq-v0zmD1WooawnCCxzZhDNmhrNJiDkLc3rp4hCqLVbG2q46Ccapiz_VBM2LB/s4032/20231226_145629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS27_LUkb-DDTx4nqEpnoYGhR59yWHLcBit_Vz397XdszHg9iISHLLbZ_EoSMwLBr_n7Fxke3bkIYfion9pg6JMfGtN0rWjKv2v-07Ponk5glNEZpNa0hTD173Y7U9Rkqq-v0zmD1WooawnCCxzZhDNmhrNJiDkLc3rp4hCqLVbG2q46Ccapiz_VBM2LB/w480-h640/20231226_145629.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHulc1Lznw7e0uhjEoUah77HfeMeT-g0DNsU1fapI2x8XjmH1ktA-m6Agq4-czyoW3KCw2h6oskE-gO3dpXKwpXBey0M7LyNDjtPXtCyLoHPKKMS8ztWntEto3WjxOPAysoq3vbKQHEOqH5wQBG68ZiKy0WVqh8ICLDzXmm_gFIr931jWKT81c2zSBIaVk/s4032/20231226_141147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHulc1Lznw7e0uhjEoUah77HfeMeT-g0DNsU1fapI2x8XjmH1ktA-m6Agq4-czyoW3KCw2h6oskE-gO3dpXKwpXBey0M7LyNDjtPXtCyLoHPKKMS8ztWntEto3WjxOPAysoq3vbKQHEOqH5wQBG68ZiKy0WVqh8ICLDzXmm_gFIr931jWKT81c2zSBIaVk/w480-h640/20231226_141147.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>These are just a few of the top entries in the competition. My photography doesn't do them justice and I couldn't even get a picture of the grand prize winner because it was behind glass and was rotating so that you could see all sides of it. <br /><p></p><p>The rain started again as soon as we got in the car to head home but we made it safe and sound and just in time for dinner. I made a really delicious chicken pot pie soup and then we all settled in to watch Heat. It was a three hour movie so I made popcorn too. It was a good movie and definitely didn't feel like it lasted three hours.</p><p>Cathy and Eric headed back to Washington on Wednesday morning and Dan headed to the doctor. He had been complaining of knee pain since he got back from his trip and his leg was swelling from the knee down whenever it wasn't elevated. The doctor wanted him to get a scan of the leg so that was scheduled for the next day.</p><p>Thankfully the scan did not show a blood clot (which is what the doctor was worried it might be) but instead showed a Baker's cyst. So he has been icing it, elevating it, and using a compression sleeve on it to help with the swelling and the pain. And his back started hurting to. This man is falling apart. <br /></p><p>On New Year's Eve, we had our traditional dinner at Tokyo with Jennifer and her family and then came back home where we watched football and Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve. After the ball dropped, Sarah and I immediately went up to bed but Dan and Peter stayed up until who knows when but we did get a Midnight selfie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2bHoaras8DgHDhECrqbKUGaNiYKkB87yvpHOaxX66Ux5oDx33HgSKIAIUS8h99n8u3p4YCf9_AGhCb8mhzwGnHlSTV9l8wJZ7GWqi3eYwA-n1oiGl2Q1xmEumDg-PpueEeweYB_Fw6rtORaTipw6aIUPRPc0W_DIe_5BRHOfdOAM8MGQUJVhrsClqQxm/s3648/20240101_000132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2bHoaras8DgHDhECrqbKUGaNiYKkB87yvpHOaxX66Ux5oDx33HgSKIAIUS8h99n8u3p4YCf9_AGhCb8mhzwGnHlSTV9l8wJZ7GWqi3eYwA-n1oiGl2Q1xmEumDg-PpueEeweYB_Fw6rtORaTipw6aIUPRPc0W_DIe_5BRHOfdOAM8MGQUJVhrsClqQxm/w640-h480/20240101_000132.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>New Year's Day was a lazy day. We went to McKay's which is a huge store that sells used book, records, games, etc. We poked around in there for a while then went downtown and got coffee at Bitty and Beau's. Bitty and Beau's is a small chain that employees people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dan and I have been to the location in Charleston but had yet to visit the location in Winston even though it's been open for a year. </p><p>Then I helped Dan pack for yet another trip to Ireland and we watched both more football. And on Tuesday morning Dan headed to the airport and will (hopefully) be home on the 12th but he warned me he might have to stay longer.</p><p>The kids have had haircuts and dentist appointments this week and I went back to work on Wednesday. It was nice having everyone together - even it was only for a week. I will always be grateful for the time we spend together and will never take it for granted. </p><p>We took this family selfie right before Dan headed to the airport:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtntTFnAZwxRKzak-_lAcPmnxtaHrplewvOeXjlzu7_G0QmTQQLlQdPtLCdww030zHKKrnqXOqYQ7KwJrk7jhgqGiBWA7W6uA4m0_V2oc8cO9qPez0ga2zxRPqbaO7FV5XtycW-iSzegQP4sexIk92NUlEgpuNjwMx-r3CdUpkCtvos3KRgWyiRi8uayE/s1600/IMG_7031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtntTFnAZwxRKzak-_lAcPmnxtaHrplewvOeXjlzu7_G0QmTQQLlQdPtLCdww030zHKKrnqXOqYQ7KwJrk7jhgqGiBWA7W6uA4m0_V2oc8cO9qPez0ga2zxRPqbaO7FV5XtycW-iSzegQP4sexIk92NUlEgpuNjwMx-r3CdUpkCtvos3KRgWyiRi8uayE/w640-h480/IMG_7031.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Aren't we cute? :)<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br />Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-59905968474691731682023-12-11T17:11:00.001-05:002023-12-11T17:11:18.993-05:00My new favorite cookie!<p>Last week, a co-worker had the idea that we should all bring in cookies for another coworker who has been going through a hard time lately. It was a lovely idea but I tend to have Grinch-like qualities when I feel like I have too much to do and not enough time to do it - like right now, since it's Christmas.</p><p>But I took a step back and decided it was a very nice thing to do (a very Christmasy thing to do, in fact) and I could find the time to make some cookies.</p><p>Once I put myself in the right frame of mind (more kind and giving and less grumpy and frowny), I had to decide what kind of cookies to make. Chocolate and peppermint are my favorite holiday flavors so I knew that was the route I wanted to take. Google led me to the <a href="https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a34128653/chocolate-peppermint-thumbprint-cookies-recipe/">Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies.</a></p><p>They did not disappoint! They were easy to make and so delicious and I knew I had to share the recipe here. I did make one minor tweak which I'll list below. I will definitely be making these again and every time I make them, I will always remember that I did a nice thing when I felt like I didn't have time and somehow ended up with plenty of time. Isn't that how it usually works?<br /></p><div class="css-1nrgze0 e7k5zd2"><h2 class="css-tzpzvq eno1xhi7">Ingredients</h2></div><div class="ingredients-body css-0 eno1xhi5"><div class="css-1csxh9k eno1xhi4"><ul class="ingredient-lists css-xm7ys2 eno1xhi3"><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1 c.plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1/3 c.unsweetened cocoa powder</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">3/4 tsp.baking soda</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1/2 tsp.kosher salt</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1 1/4sticks (10 tablespoons) salted butter, softened</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1 c.sugar</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1 large egg</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">1 1/2 tsp.vanilla extract <b>(I used 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract)</b><br /></li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">3/4 c.semisweet chocolate chips</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">4 oz.milk chocolate, chopped</li><li class="css-159vyx5 eno1xhi2">Crushed peppermint candies, for topping</li></ul></div><div class="chicory-order-ingredients"><div class="chicory-button-container chicory-noprint">
</div></div></div><div class="css-l74ltq evb48wp6"><div class="css-1nrgze0 e7k5zd2"><h2 class="css-12ehl1a evb48wp5">Directions</h2></div><ul class="directions css-j01fd6 evb48wp4" style="text-align: left;"><li class="css-wxhnnj evb48wp3"><ol><li>Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; set aside.</li><li>In
the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter
and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the
egg and vanilla and mix until combined.</li><li>Reduce
the speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, beating
until just combined after each addition. Mix in the chocolate chips.</li><li>Line
2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of
dough and roll into smooth round balls. Place 2 inches apart on the
prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or
overnight.</li><li>Preheat
the oven to 350 ÌŠ. Bake the cookies until just set, 9 to 11 minutes.
(Don’t over bake!) Let cool slightly, then press the handle of a wooden
spoon into the center of each cookie to make a small indentation. Remove
the cookies to a rack to cool completely.</li><li>Meanwhile,
melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals,
stirring. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon melted chocolate into the center of
each cookie and top with crushed peppermints. Let set.</li></ol> </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeyR3HpJi_EJnrl3JCSc2nqmYuiyf4pvq3cR1ldvFf0TWFCRCm231hjMSXJ6awcFcyOq2JO0OIK4PSinuU-gjpJpXuV6wBFGCB2STrwnykTntUR1oeNQVJqkSbG_2tryNW7DuCvznn-KETnE1sCEc7JLVx84OR9USfCD9JDW1JiWCmvSCP1FozQC4RMI1/s4032/20231209_153959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeyR3HpJi_EJnrl3JCSc2nqmYuiyf4pvq3cR1ldvFf0TWFCRCm231hjMSXJ6awcFcyOq2JO0OIK4PSinuU-gjpJpXuV6wBFGCB2STrwnykTntUR1oeNQVJqkSbG_2tryNW7DuCvznn-KETnE1sCEc7JLVx84OR9USfCD9JDW1JiWCmvSCP1FozQC4RMI1/w640-h480/20231209_153959.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="css-l74ltq evb48wp6">The chocolate in the center made these extra yummy! If you like chocolate and peppermint, you must make these!!!!!<br /></div><p></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-49927075400345002632023-12-01T16:45:00.000-05:002023-12-01T16:45:00.033-05:00Our Thanksgiving<p> Better late than never is my new blog motto! Now that it's Advent, let me tell you about Thanksgiving...<br /></p><p>The kids both made it home for Thanksgiving. Sarah rolled in on Monday evening and Peter rolled in on Tuesday afternoon (I think. That seems like ages ago.) Joe joined us for dinner on Wednesday and that was really nice. I like it when my dinner table is full even though I don't necessarily like to cook especially for non-family members.</p><p>Both kids brought with them head colds in addition to Peter's allergy to our cats. So there was lots of sneezing and hacking and general malaise. But we still managed to have a nice time. </p><p>We celebrated Thanksgiving at my mom's with my brother and Jennifer and her family. Again - I love a full table so it was really nice. Before lunch, we took our Christmas card photo and I think it turned out very nice considering it was kind of a last minute thing. For the last couple of years, we have gone to Old Salem on Sunday after Thanksgiving with my brother as photographer. But Peter had plans on Saturday at school so we had to do them on Thursday. Sometimes you have to pivot. (And now you are all thinking about Ross and that's leading you to think about Matthew Perry, may he rest in peace.)</p><p>We were up bright and early (for us anyway) on Friday morning and headed to the mountains. We went to Long's Tree Farm. We went there last year and were pleased with the selection and the speed with which we can get the tree. Some of the tree farms have Santa, hot chocolate, horses, etc. and those are usually packed. We don't need those frills - just a nice fresh tree. We found the perfect one and were putting it on top of the Pilot in no time!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU-p9RQCHrWiyTi1x7-g9rwRE9u3vw0h9fwpE-Fm1Y8JMAPugDYUIhRSYnmwn98zLXyqwn107TjtP8kvy2SkvAWM4Ns_y2Pcy_bc3g40spb6AcijNd8_WOZvl4_wFmGslt0TRpDKUfyOn33MZbA95KLdcjpZy02FI3XNDzHbU_TQpnPogXMoBKl_RMx1V/s4032/20231124_111023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU-p9RQCHrWiyTi1x7-g9rwRE9u3vw0h9fwpE-Fm1Y8JMAPugDYUIhRSYnmwn98zLXyqwn107TjtP8kvy2SkvAWM4Ns_y2Pcy_bc3g40spb6AcijNd8_WOZvl4_wFmGslt0TRpDKUfyOn33MZbA95KLdcjpZy02FI3XNDzHbU_TQpnPogXMoBKl_RMx1V/w480-h640/20231124_111023.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><br />After we got the tree, we headed to <a href="https://newriverbrewing.beer/">New River Brewing and Smokehouse</a> in nearby West Jefferson. There was a 45 minute wait so we did some shopping in the cute little shops on Main Street until I got the text that our table was ready. The beer was tasty and the food was delicious and then we headed home and started to decorate the tree.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIugYFxcnpCM_R-9wgOMX0GbZt5Je4mdUTYbcdsWwUuICVjc_xl3gkkwzV0eewcfI-xRkOn4QuOR8xO8MLiLqYjMSE45sJl9cK_Gvk2EV9ZOy-rDPAN-yltK0RLP1XKWjagvWkZVJ0rJte57j2aUzI6VYrAadW8tAIyT1HyLKkF6QC-cUpSoX1ncM1dEF/s4032/20231124_174820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIugYFxcnpCM_R-9wgOMX0GbZt5Je4mdUTYbcdsWwUuICVjc_xl3gkkwzV0eewcfI-xRkOn4QuOR8xO8MLiLqYjMSE45sJl9cK_Gvk2EV9ZOy-rDPAN-yltK0RLP1XKWjagvWkZVJ0rJte57j2aUzI6VYrAadW8tAIyT1HyLKkF6QC-cUpSoX1ncM1dEF/w300-h400/20231124_174820.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTMo0j-sgBZTspit7FiKij6YTo6kthNh1wqxpaUyF87Ka13VqZrla_PGma4UgbCHpIfHeWpcNK8VnZCIND-iFxjviMuHWyHwByQka8zH_8FvXmW2PpsIRlzVIB5-0hysAGnQbF3ob8k5i9I1ndet2WV3fkcYaq5BJumGaYkvyd7OPw8WJtN9upH6KJ-5H/s4032/20231124_174934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTMo0j-sgBZTspit7FiKij6YTo6kthNh1wqxpaUyF87Ka13VqZrla_PGma4UgbCHpIfHeWpcNK8VnZCIND-iFxjviMuHWyHwByQka8zH_8FvXmW2PpsIRlzVIB5-0hysAGnQbF3ob8k5i9I1ndet2WV3fkcYaq5BJumGaYkvyd7OPw8WJtN9upH6KJ-5H/w300-h400/20231124_174934.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5qbhlRuuKBINI4pyLIKZSgihIPEe53cJskld2LlTWvHVV9KzCfbqGJz8dCxBSNL3fGk8lIXmUGDrCxqEwDlCnkEeaU6OzRm23nbwrXJy5jgIiKffhqnieBgtpccZO8xKdQrjg310SipfrRgZiq7HlB34Fh__ZZDxFJT6i3lU8FKZ7-W0o49iNgt8hMfl/s4032/20231124_175206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5qbhlRuuKBINI4pyLIKZSgihIPEe53cJskld2LlTWvHVV9KzCfbqGJz8dCxBSNL3fGk8lIXmUGDrCxqEwDlCnkEeaU6OzRm23nbwrXJy5jgIiKffhqnieBgtpccZO8xKdQrjg310SipfrRgZiq7HlB34Fh__ZZDxFJT6i3lU8FKZ7-W0o49iNgt8hMfl/w300-h400/20231124_175206.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEH6Q7tXRN8t63b81VePzZOZjh8V6QYtyyCpoP-3hy4I7JRIGmUygDx_mhe6s8_FnW9Raft_PVBmC-lvdgMiaG4SJmlpROL_Ffgy3sSFqZebT2zidmEZyXPuAKq54eoHUtwYaIa85yMyKRb4XSFQgsCn33U0Sil_iXUPWgoCa-UZERSXGUT49pqSYo0Fl/s4032/20231124_175426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEH6Q7tXRN8t63b81VePzZOZjh8V6QYtyyCpoP-3hy4I7JRIGmUygDx_mhe6s8_FnW9Raft_PVBmC-lvdgMiaG4SJmlpROL_Ffgy3sSFqZebT2zidmEZyXPuAKq54eoHUtwYaIa85yMyKRb4XSFQgsCn33U0Sil_iXUPWgoCa-UZERSXGUT49pqSYo0Fl/w300-h400/20231124_175426.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UKBQ_KLax02Z1p-JJQqqyq7L8Hj9693Boqvp1c6G2l4hY74Erou6FE6sapbel21-ZSiCIWo7WiuBQ_YyEgqC3f2VO5rIYqNjA4NZRbYBNuKCu-5-Euin6Vl6DsQ-ZgyIDicRdCtKHgYsFBwKYO1IuP8GaNEWh4GIbLOX0DpJs4CPktN-kqBnM-j7tSL-/s4032/20231124_180242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UKBQ_KLax02Z1p-JJQqqyq7L8Hj9693Boqvp1c6G2l4hY74Erou6FE6sapbel21-ZSiCIWo7WiuBQ_YyEgqC3f2VO5rIYqNjA4NZRbYBNuKCu-5-Euin6Vl6DsQ-ZgyIDicRdCtKHgYsFBwKYO1IuP8GaNEWh4GIbLOX0DpJs4CPktN-kqBnM-j7tSL-/w300-h400/20231124_180242.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBg5h9uoJXVhu4n1ayG3GfXhF1XKNY0LBExP6XsC8mRjouFle3KMJTCpExmEtfegnMdx2TAjYp8PHOCFsofhSMo3lRraBMMMYJ0ogG3VDQfJXUKov9NlDe0Y0R1qQhXd_25tl5ouNjYdXkAS0wiFD_iMj2kNYM-BaaamfsG-Z7jqV8ceNjK8tkCw8QkIN/s4032/20231124_175525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBg5h9uoJXVhu4n1ayG3GfXhF1XKNY0LBExP6XsC8mRjouFle3KMJTCpExmEtfegnMdx2TAjYp8PHOCFsofhSMo3lRraBMMMYJ0ogG3VDQfJXUKov9NlDe0Y0R1qQhXd_25tl5ouNjYdXkAS0wiFD_iMj2kNYM-BaaamfsG-Z7jqV8ceNjK8tkCw8QkIN/w300-h400/20231124_175525.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>We ate dinner and then watched "Plains, Trains, And Automobiles" with the kids and then I went to bed because I had to work Saturday morning. :( That's really the worst part of my job honestly. I don't like working on the weekends.) Peter headed back to school because he had tickets to see NC State play UNC. They won! Yippeeee! </p><p>Sarah hung out with her Basement Crew on Saturday night while Dan and I went to church when I got off work. Then we had lunch on Sunday with mom and my brother and Sarah who was still feeling under the weather stayed until Monday morning. That's the nice thing about being an hour from your school. She feels better now but I have whatever she had! Oh well. From what I can tell, it's going around.</p><p>I've been keeping busy with work and online shopping and I'm trying not to get too far behind with my Christmas list. Considering it's only December 1st, I feel like I've got a good start on everything. So maybe in the next week or so I can get everything wrapped up. But I do believe if you go back and search the annals of this blog, you will see that I say something similar to this every year. I'm nothing, if not predictable!</p><p>I did remember to order new Advent candles and I have my wreath up and ready to light at dinner this evening so that's making me feel like I'm prepared and can do anything. </p><p>I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving and I hope your Advent is blessed. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-73891636490506428382023-11-13T18:07:00.000-05:002023-11-13T18:07:08.158-05:00Twenty-One Is...<p>Happy 21st birthday to Peter. I can't believe how quickly we've gotten here and yet...here we are. </p><p>I was thankful to have both Peter and Sarah home this weekend so we were able to properly celebrate him even though Dan is out of the country. Dan will be home Friday and he's flying through Raleigh so they will meet for dinner and a beer to celebrate this milestone!</p><p>When the kids were little I always did a birthday post for them but stopped when they hit 18. Being 21 feels like it deserves a special post to so here we go.</p><p style="text-align: center;">21 is...</p><div style="text-align: center;">Kind</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reserved</div><div style="text-align: center;">Intelligent</div><div style="text-align: center;">Witty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Laid-back</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lazy if it's something he doesn't want to do but will go all in 100% if it's something he's interested in <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tenderhearted</div><div style="text-align: center;">Easily angered if he feels like he or a friend has been wronged </div><div style="text-align: center;">A mama's boy (but in a positive way - like that boy really loves his mama. Lucky me!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">A sports fanatic (especially football, baseball, basketball, and hockey)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sentimental</div><div style="text-align: center;">Animal lover (it's unfortunate that he has allergies) </div><div style="text-align: center;">Handsome<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">21 loves to...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hang out with friends</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cheer on his favorite sports teams (NC State, Carolina Panthers, Boston Red Sox, Carolina Hurricanes)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Play his guitar </div><div style="text-align: center;">Play video games</div><div style="text-align: center;">Craft the perfect Spotify playlist(which thankfully now is full of classic rock instead of rap)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Play poker <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Take long drives through the city and explore</div><div style="text-align: center;">Grill and cook </div><div style="text-align: center;">Watch movies (He has quite the list on Letterboxd)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>21 has my heart!</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Happy Birthday, Peter </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfuixRCoya9CYDZu4Gt7qzrdC93HgYRD9JlIaXLFOeNNHTT0aLU6xoUi4Hvt3O6lZNggySw3agnAOHK7ZIAVLhHhG7J7WgUe1MDXpKh979yxRnQWY47qqh-W4iCq2lYotWFt7fBTqY0WIDLU-ALzX8CqLipwPJ3JOzTMr7qaBoWm1BuxK1hMvhRcdwQ3S/s4032/20231112_143219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfuixRCoya9CYDZu4Gt7qzrdC93HgYRD9JlIaXLFOeNNHTT0aLU6xoUi4Hvt3O6lZNggySw3agnAOHK7ZIAVLhHhG7J7WgUe1MDXpKh979yxRnQWY47qqh-W4iCq2lYotWFt7fBTqY0WIDLU-ALzX8CqLipwPJ3JOzTMr7qaBoWm1BuxK1hMvhRcdwQ3S/w640-h480/20231112_143219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG1dS_K3QHwMgHdVf_rbDqJkpc-Omxfr6z8tLoePIdh_zmkdTiKdJtSBSgXLe-599lnuPLzWzTeGcCHpLUrMPBhb9iSak_8sOm8PgLBwhwVWviHB43WfYFEi7Fqsxp4XR4ErgngGBJyVxUee531akZaB4ikIFVSBuGbhpMA-RSCd_0nm6Lrgvma_7yrJv/s4032/20231112_143147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG1dS_K3QHwMgHdVf_rbDqJkpc-Omxfr6z8tLoePIdh_zmkdTiKdJtSBSgXLe-599lnuPLzWzTeGcCHpLUrMPBhb9iSak_8sOm8PgLBwhwVWviHB43WfYFEi7Fqsxp4XR4ErgngGBJyVxUee531akZaB4ikIFVSBuGbhpMA-RSCd_0nm6Lrgvma_7yrJv/w480-h640/20231112_143147.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /> </i><br /></b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-78473045916422353762023-11-11T09:41:00.002-05:002023-11-11T11:10:18.349-05:00Seven Quick Takes<p>I thought I'd hop on here real quick and do a proof of life post! :) HA!</p><p>I am still alive and kicking but I don't ever feel like I have anything to post on the blog. Since it's Friday. I thought to get the old blogging juices flowing I would do a Seven Quick Takes like I used to do back in the day. </p><p>So, here they are in no particular order:</p><p>1. We have two maple trees in our front yard that we planted shortly after we built this house in 2006. I'm guessing they were planted in 2007. When we got them from the nursery the name on the tag was October Glory! We were so excited to have tree with flaming red leaves in October. But every October we would be disappointed. The leaves would slowly start to turn at the END of October but were always a darkish brown red. And most of the time, the tree would lose it's leaves before they had even turned. Dan was always the most disappointed in this and every fall would bemoan the fact that our trees were never a bright beautiful red in October as the name had promised.</p><p>He has been in Ireland for the last two weeks and will hopefully be home next Friday. And I know it's November but our October Glories are really beautiful right now. I sent him this picture to show him how pretty they are:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12xDn-7WbBZ_Q5SHmpTFNim_rFaRqEhnaKSLr0Zp0lRbyJvq1hpRg9RwJrnuiAjvvVG2oNmXWkxiabzlAdJ9c-dcSWnsq0RAx95OGoM9-Vz6f1PadOrDjf8uRyoVmC5h7qpO-Fks-7v4F70uNQ7kVVAGYnxWvrm0cuiupQPkqFGEDCdFv0IU5aaN2Tb8g/s4032/20231109_094205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12xDn-7WbBZ_Q5SHmpTFNim_rFaRqEhnaKSLr0Zp0lRbyJvq1hpRg9RwJrnuiAjvvVG2oNmXWkxiabzlAdJ9c-dcSWnsq0RAx95OGoM9-Vz6f1PadOrDjf8uRyoVmC5h7qpO-Fks-7v4F70uNQ7kVVAGYnxWvrm0cuiupQPkqFGEDCdFv0IU5aaN2Tb8g/w640-h480/20231109_094205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I snapped this as I was backing out of the garage and thought the trees looked really pretty. Perhaps they should have been named November Glories!<p></p><p>2. Both of the kids will be home for part of the weekend! I'm so excited! I love it when they are home. Even if they both have other plans and are in and out all weekend, I'll be content. Having someone in the house with me other than the two cats will be a nice change.</p><p>3. Work is going well. I think I'm finally getting the hang of everything I'm doing there. And every day is different so it's keeping me on my toes. It's a clothing boutique and all of the ladies that work there are real fashionistas. I am not so it's a good thing I work mostly behind the scenes so I can wear my regular boring clothes. I am hoping that some of their good style will wear off on me but I've been there almost 3 months and it hasn't happened yet, so it's not looking good! </p><p>4. If you know me, you know I am NOT crafty but about a month ago, I painted this after watching a quick tutorial on TikTok.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7_-OtDeZww_81w6O6mZLb9u1aCcvQtLF7pRBADdKRjgA2s2bKeJjckTbn8EQunl_WuKIWroYFcmEFmvV2ULXfj8e-EyI8mtfAFzcdbSSvBQI9GolNtcJlZ3Jdw1yHlSrR8wcGa03MovTHEzpEPFJ93WmwShlk5dQoi7HHWBTI5fetV_amTfHSzBZkO0m/s4032/20231110_171107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7_-OtDeZww_81w6O6mZLb9u1aCcvQtLF7pRBADdKRjgA2s2bKeJjckTbn8EQunl_WuKIWroYFcmEFmvV2ULXfj8e-EyI8mtfAFzcdbSSvBQI9GolNtcJlZ3Jdw1yHlSrR8wcGa03MovTHEzpEPFJ93WmwShlk5dQoi7HHWBTI5fetV_amTfHSzBZkO0m/w480-h640/20231110_171107.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>I loved how it turned out so much that I framed it and it's part of my fall decor. Well, it's perched among some fake pumpkins...that's about as much fall decor as I have around here.</p><p>Anyway, I was so inspired by this (and my obvious talent) that I decided to paint an abstract angel. I had seen in our gift shop some abstract angel art and thought "that looks so easy! I'm sure I could do that and save myself some big bucks."</p><p>So I found a YouTube tutorial and got to work. Y'all. It turned out so very bad that I'm almost embarrassed to show you. </p><p>But I can't mention it and not show you how horrible it is. So, here you go:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN17BwwIZ-6eFSoW7sey5EK8pjUwhrDY2AHtUC2DVEfmHmci8RwlOWqdvB9rQ3odDazfZb-bvYKuxLFwsU5HydciX4pYo9RHr-Mnas73J0BqspFu60G8WYQixoVUbhQuWpZhvBAeXfbeRbAlgDqGMB_3TgpxggERH9zMUf7b5dk4gtDa1R3gJjBZsSBmND/s4032/20231106_180001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN17BwwIZ-6eFSoW7sey5EK8pjUwhrDY2AHtUC2DVEfmHmci8RwlOWqdvB9rQ3odDazfZb-bvYKuxLFwsU5HydciX4pYo9RHr-Mnas73J0BqspFu60G8WYQixoVUbhQuWpZhvBAeXfbeRbAlgDqGMB_3TgpxggERH9zMUf7b5dk4gtDa1R3gJjBZsSBmND/w300-h400/20231106_180001.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>It looks like a child painted this! It's so horrible that it makes me laugh and is currently being displayed in the kitchen until Dan and the kids can see it and we can all laugh at it together. For reference, this is what it was supposed to look like:<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2FWB-6bB-a-2Gi64jKizgVepDXfsEPpiREtIO-KyEWhC20ifp0EQ06RaKoZ4m1FsdAVb_oObDN9vs4qWa7yhEf5SNChNUxDPiUrCmDr_lBQFZWJ7xO0pcV5jRlxa4rJ5rsJPalnZayk7owm0deEbdQp74mFpwGDFrFUrY8buQBoEso_uUVBX1BwPtjp8/s1402/Screenshot_20231110_172538_YouTube.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1052" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2FWB-6bB-a-2Gi64jKizgVepDXfsEPpiREtIO-KyEWhC20ifp0EQ06RaKoZ4m1FsdAVb_oObDN9vs4qWa7yhEf5SNChNUxDPiUrCmDr_lBQFZWJ7xO0pcV5jRlxa4rJ5rsJPalnZayk7owm0deEbdQp74mFpwGDFrFUrY8buQBoEso_uUVBX1BwPtjp8/w300-h400/Screenshot_20231110_172538_YouTube.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>I have since found several other tutorials of abstract angels that I like better but I am currently too lazy to attempt. Maybe I will give it another shot next week. <p></p><p>5. When I'm not trying to become the next Picasso, I've been watching Season 5 of Love Is Blind. It was released in September but Dan was home and knew I wouldn't be able to watch it. Then he went on a trip and I forgot all about it. Then he went on another trip and I was overjoyed when it popped up on Netflix. This season is all over the place but I'm loving every minute of it!</p><p>6. I attempted to start my Christmas shopping. I've gotten two presents and have stalled out. I have been trying to get online after work to get inspired but inspiration has yet to strike. Perhaps it's because it's been in the 80s here this week. It's hard to get in the mood to shop for Christmas when you are literally sweating. We have our work Christmas party on Sunday evening so I'm hoping that gets me in the Christmas spirit!</p><p>7. It's now Saturday morning. Sarah came home while I was writing this post. She and I went to Chipotle for dinner (I don't have a lot of groceries around when Dan isn't home.) Then we came back and watched quite a few episodes of Schitt's Creek. So it was the absolute perfect Friday night if you ask me! </p><p>I woke this morning to a text from Dan to the family group chat. Some times when has to spend the weekends in Ireland he has to work but this weekend wasn't one of them. So he headed to the town of Derry to explore and he sent us this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqI4O14B9JKytKnkq7Ku28rGiK4kzYu2-4IIkV00jwvqsIcHwwqLkYpG0bJcuUM-yHge22wZUgLUpUdCkloboLsdLdVT8HyHbo5vLKXLKO5A653iDHb0FI1wPIcRWFyUVEEPCgxUeMmMQptI_qPiMYiyB5jxEQUHKjzTSZqTmLSSL_eY2Q8w5UCJZB7nr/s1600/IMG_6855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqI4O14B9JKytKnkq7Ku28rGiK4kzYu2-4IIkV00jwvqsIcHwwqLkYpG0bJcuUM-yHge22wZUgLUpUdCkloboLsdLdVT8HyHbo5vLKXLKO5A653iDHb0FI1wPIcRWFyUVEEPCgxUeMmMQptI_qPiMYiyB5jxEQUHKjzTSZqTmLSSL_eY2Q8w5UCJZB7nr/s320/IMG_6855.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>He said it was a beautiful day in Ireland and he's not sure what he's looking at. :) </p><p>He's gotten very lucky with the weather in Ireland this spring and summer. It's been very sunny and dry. This fall though is a different story. They've had massive amounts of rain and lots of flooding where he is and many of the roads and have closed and quite a few people haven't been able to make it in to work due to all of this. I'm happy that he's got nice weather for the weekend!</p><p>And with that, I'm out. Have a great weekend!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-22180229461739374532023-10-17T08:42:00.001-04:002023-10-17T08:42:35.012-04:00UNC Charlotte Parents Weekend.<p> This past weekend we visited Sarah at UNC Charlotte for Parent Weekend! </p><p>We got there on Saturday morning around 11:30 and met Sarah at our hotel. She hopped into our car and we went to get lunch. We ended up at Landmark Diner. She's been there several times with friends and who doesn't love a good diner on a Saturday morning?</p><p>After eating, we headed back to campus and dropped some things off to her apartment and then we headed to the football game. We were playing Navy and it was such a horrible game. At the end of the first half the score was 0-0 if that tells you anything. At one point I told Dan it felt like we were watching two very bad high school teams play. </p><p>UNCC ended up losing 14-0 but we still had fun with our girl! It had been raining that morning but it cleared up in plenty of time for the game, there was lots of good people watching to do, and even with the loss, it was still a good afternoon.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQqRCxKgbtwkdrR0vZXZUbDUnnYDVJPPKaqn_q_pX1ofGi4q2ffMi80Zz-REKtRiJXGyz6_65kFYp9KBNW5jrzTThw8TNblwUObM6rKoZDEvhyphenhyphen5C1y4dN4LNA8ElOaqUh8XXs7WDri53XKqK6jCQuZ9W8Z73ZqNcYWpSsaQ8dZfSrwqyD3esa6Ew0kL2K/s3648/20231014_133921~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQqRCxKgbtwkdrR0vZXZUbDUnnYDVJPPKaqn_q_pX1ofGi4q2ffMi80Zz-REKtRiJXGyz6_65kFYp9KBNW5jrzTThw8TNblwUObM6rKoZDEvhyphenhyphen5C1y4dN4LNA8ElOaqUh8XXs7WDri53XKqK6jCQuZ9W8Z73ZqNcYWpSsaQ8dZfSrwqyD3esa6Ew0kL2K/w640-h480/20231014_133921~2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFKPmA3AUbzXKbeyhzAp5yfdR6fB5Qkfkkt0D00kitGl6fMNIULlcIAIAY7cSI2wR7KtrICBCMe631cTAryxJWElxFlgRQvo0KmL1MR-wGIJCVGnj4BsoVI2N_43NmNkIS7hmgJ_9hyphenhyphenCsHEvsIJw9bgta_yWKtWaM_bPznExprmBTBIi99WcOtujVPtdO/s4032/20231014_133855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFKPmA3AUbzXKbeyhzAp5yfdR6fB5Qkfkkt0D00kitGl6fMNIULlcIAIAY7cSI2wR7KtrICBCMe631cTAryxJWElxFlgRQvo0KmL1MR-wGIJCVGnj4BsoVI2N_43NmNkIS7hmgJ_9hyphenhyphenCsHEvsIJw9bgta_yWKtWaM_bPznExprmBTBIi99WcOtujVPtdO/w480-h640/20231014_133855.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDNUazoNUtJQfIuFuyuoVsyJzn4GAC58N_dMutYMfrEK6SJIBcvv2y587vTg2BHrxpir12SiS_0bqO00S1-cHQIR_suinCZD_Yr30hZ-XQdFlOjmm04sO7w7J_Zj75E3nO9q9wUkBde9z028WYwDR4RToeRSTSIV0vHHy8fSoCq607XMJjqWCrcjuYkuL/s4032/20231014_133842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDNUazoNUtJQfIuFuyuoVsyJzn4GAC58N_dMutYMfrEK6SJIBcvv2y587vTg2BHrxpir12SiS_0bqO00S1-cHQIR_suinCZD_Yr30hZ-XQdFlOjmm04sO7w7J_Zj75E3nO9q9wUkBde9z028WYwDR4RToeRSTSIV0vHHy8fSoCq607XMJjqWCrcjuYkuL/w480-h640/20231014_133842.jpg" width="480" /></a></div> <p></p><p>After the game, we headed to Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas and then went back to our hotel to check in. The hotel is about a block from the light rail so we hopped on and headed uptown. We ended up in South End at Hawkers, a restaurant that Sarah had been wanting to try. We got there a little before 8:00 pm and put our name on the list. </p><p>It was going to be a 45 minute wait so we walked through the Nebel's Alley Street Market. This was a cute little alley/side stree where they had live music and vendors set up selling their goods. It was such a nice night out and I enjoyed the whole vibe of the market. After checking out the market we waited for our table.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesqDYa6LhmAzLrShcnP54HxIKLEqbyXLlSEzoc4poBm95PNHUnaThHT9b44eQ24JM4sD_iTD7FEAX9NhzVIG006EIka4pNq30nAOOzMZcSwl1sW1dLaWP4HYzFDLObfYudPuOHhCS0hHQJCSO7Kq3WCd3KSjwDgnx82LJ8q2SBKkUcFCscJeOuWoFkdno/s4032/20231014_195313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesqDYa6LhmAzLrShcnP54HxIKLEqbyXLlSEzoc4poBm95PNHUnaThHT9b44eQ24JM4sD_iTD7FEAX9NhzVIG006EIka4pNq30nAOOzMZcSwl1sW1dLaWP4HYzFDLObfYudPuOHhCS0hHQJCSO7Kq3WCd3KSjwDgnx82LJ8q2SBKkUcFCscJeOuWoFkdno/w480-h640/20231014_195313.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LBmhS-q8J2BUv-rcUZFv6rfuAyhK9hvxz7PoEYHEw1XiDOq2kuNUdL80RwfMes2KiZrEsLuwdxmJPcD4AabsO-4VsNZdqtzONNItA2t5XvOgdHHIxIBGW9Egl0JQhC_BDs68xITNOOStSjdW8x8ZJOy12evrVkprnUENtyvCdA0Q-WPjMkBXnmkyAw98/s2048/IMG_4253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LBmhS-q8J2BUv-rcUZFv6rfuAyhK9hvxz7PoEYHEw1XiDOq2kuNUdL80RwfMes2KiZrEsLuwdxmJPcD4AabsO-4VsNZdqtzONNItA2t5XvOgdHHIxIBGW9Egl0JQhC_BDs68xITNOOStSjdW8x8ZJOy12evrVkprnUENtyvCdA0Q-WPjMkBXnmkyAw98/w640-h480/IMG_4253.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://eathawkers.com/">Hawkers is an Asian fusion restaurant</a> where you can get small plates to share or larger plates for yourself. Sarah and Dan don't like to share food so we got out own plates. I think it would be fun to go back and get a bunch of things to share. We did share the Roti which was a Malaysian flatbread with a curry dipping sauce. It was delicious - so light and flaky! For diner I got the beef bulgogi and a side of jasmine rice. They both got some sort of ramen.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNll8TaUh_08nLDXcxuRTjbpiJOum1Go8oAuAKw6i-ZGEp9elS1gwZQgn0kF7MXTGgttQHiBXak7nxV8-dT4Iu0acHUPu1j3yTpTj-692PDScI5U0kRf_OBMp8-9xqjwIjrhUnOiKqDvLoMyW-JmRioNX4LS8Sy0iLiSG6X-pKMYK2M2tKCl6ZPUpDpk9N/s1024/imagejpeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNll8TaUh_08nLDXcxuRTjbpiJOum1Go8oAuAKw6i-ZGEp9elS1gwZQgn0kF7MXTGgttQHiBXak7nxV8-dT4Iu0acHUPu1j3yTpTj-692PDScI5U0kRf_OBMp8-9xqjwIjrhUnOiKqDvLoMyW-JmRioNX4LS8Sy0iLiSG6X-pKMYK2M2tKCl6ZPUpDpk9N/w480-h640/imagejpeg.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbrQ-c_DyrlwHJUqWZU3daIDmt8ez2G-R2oDuXnOKIjY55gdpQ3e5UsFw0QzUukpV8SKsKyTZOFkP05AYCEkIHwb3QkHNaZV2WvVXwClQhtN0wrSj59dYdhjyOOAYfri8bcgvGvM74RH-FR4FtCTCiicGQW_P9UAhsrSuykHDSsgUJSp1IjxcEmTbojGV/s4032/20231014_212208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbrQ-c_DyrlwHJUqWZU3daIDmt8ez2G-R2oDuXnOKIjY55gdpQ3e5UsFw0QzUukpV8SKsKyTZOFkP05AYCEkIHwb3QkHNaZV2WvVXwClQhtN0wrSj59dYdhjyOOAYfri8bcgvGvM74RH-FR4FtCTCiicGQW_P9UAhsrSuykHDSsgUJSp1IjxcEmTbojGV/w480-h640/20231014_212208.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYe6_zKpCoJ3gYchhWlJbPviIy_6usgiBw48MSESbX8Va3voUZOv43I9hGArv96Zv1J1kUBs1_z-2xO005P18fJDTbDrF_rg3X-MpdsmubmF9Ds81GkQ2pPvxfj_Us9vZgwp3b-Fb-nMvetCc12_iVbhinQzYsq9tLYqzdFzdyci9fxyLi1_l8aUw0wtkt/s4032/20231014_214123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYe6_zKpCoJ3gYchhWlJbPviIy_6usgiBw48MSESbX8Va3voUZOv43I9hGArv96Zv1J1kUBs1_z-2xO005P18fJDTbDrF_rg3X-MpdsmubmF9Ds81GkQ2pPvxfj_Us9vZgwp3b-Fb-nMvetCc12_iVbhinQzYsq9tLYqzdFzdyci9fxyLi1_l8aUw0wtkt/w480-h640/20231014_214123.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyI7E1sn0guYBIeyzoACvhbclmQAIKQJ2NTuj0B8Yy6DHWmCeJWMCX78tu2Rpqyj86m-Njhh9uA_BCMU3u3doEZLUUvl7bn8mnX3xqoHGKBmdBVXTzZJojK2-kyUj7IOKsL7YbvfLB95FGj7dPMSB60xTXcQl47Tx-ClwGGWGAbLTPdHGJOkjlmUYC_jy7/s4032/20231014_213826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyI7E1sn0guYBIeyzoACvhbclmQAIKQJ2NTuj0B8Yy6DHWmCeJWMCX78tu2Rpqyj86m-Njhh9uA_BCMU3u3doEZLUUvl7bn8mnX3xqoHGKBmdBVXTzZJojK2-kyUj7IOKsL7YbvfLB95FGj7dPMSB60xTXcQl47Tx-ClwGGWGAbLTPdHGJOkjlmUYC_jy7/w480-h640/20231014_213826.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Dan was not excited about using chopsticks but he did it anyway and was pretty successful. You could ask for forks if you wanted but we all managed the chopsticks just fine!</p><p>After dinner we went right next door to Jeni's Ice Cream. When we go to Hawker's there was a very long line at the ice cream shop but when we finally got out of dinner, the line was shorter and Sarah and I just had to have some ice cream. It was so good!</p><p>Then we headed back to the light rail and waited for the next train.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSs0l9dUmPljr81fJopimTFopY5lB9Nd7mxhmBLOjF6fOY3z9LkswWFyk_wNj2t4WAnx2Ad8BtjlEEvUgtsFbwIa110yptViU1XkRDMfHbrgCgSmx8NaQuC6ikrA4B4rhTJgr3FkHwqhqSVfG-ijwBBt5-nvyv1B03SheJOuxjY1qQBhuWUIKjaLlDtQy/s2048/IMG_4258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSs0l9dUmPljr81fJopimTFopY5lB9Nd7mxhmBLOjF6fOY3z9LkswWFyk_wNj2t4WAnx2Ad8BtjlEEvUgtsFbwIa110yptViU1XkRDMfHbrgCgSmx8NaQuC6ikrA4B4rhTJgr3FkHwqhqSVfG-ijwBBt5-nvyv1B03SheJOuxjY1qQBhuWUIKjaLlDtQy/w480-h640/IMG_4258.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>The next morning we got up and headed to campus to just walk around. I love checking things out on my old campus. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjv6i6HmIKUWCnF6gHjzYjaB9PKexjWWpHxLeVOwUFeyLfimQW4JAyrVaJM5pBkL0HGmlOhlOjAKlEXFGjGIr7FZ_DpiDAVe-qSCIdO6pXY6aQTzIFGtiwlJmXw4DZLEP5K73pw-5af3j5rtGVqrvxLPTNq_U7PvPOEAiaLcDCUHNAhBAFE1qQkvmarU4/s4032/20231015_112506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjv6i6HmIKUWCnF6gHjzYjaB9PKexjWWpHxLeVOwUFeyLfimQW4JAyrVaJM5pBkL0HGmlOhlOjAKlEXFGjGIr7FZ_DpiDAVe-qSCIdO6pXY6aQTzIFGtiwlJmXw4DZLEP5K73pw-5af3j5rtGVqrvxLPTNq_U7PvPOEAiaLcDCUHNAhBAFE1qQkvmarU4/w480-h640/20231015_112506.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdTXoQ97sLsHyFlD7CxXOfzx_pi7EecJjV_zy_az_ypQbZChVX90RaoE8hFQJYCzkhe-eShouFJ7oHPV-cwVl3yquHwwWYump89OZ5dBRk-vxglJ71vQ_lSALzHSBqiBj0dCj-uHe7jOP2YnT4n2McuTvBX9p-lueThPIQP3OtTzk9pdIm5E7GAYPcq3J/s4032/20231015_112422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdTXoQ97sLsHyFlD7CxXOfzx_pi7EecJjV_zy_az_ypQbZChVX90RaoE8hFQJYCzkhe-eShouFJ7oHPV-cwVl3yquHwwWYump89OZ5dBRk-vxglJ71vQ_lSALzHSBqiBj0dCj-uHe7jOP2YnT4n2McuTvBX9p-lueThPIQP3OtTzk9pdIm5E7GAYPcq3J/w480-h640/20231015_112422.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7u4KnCTs_gHy0HfGUv_x8amjjLy5fjQiWS3X4BDreqCMe3_f0LBzQVwxCr68AH7nXZYnSHNrxxZ-1K8elKMwQK0L1PJziKq1L4ntcNfgIuY8leEzmzKkHlt6Qf7Nyd_lt20RyjXyuyiXuqzLPTM8g58CHrNloAQa41-ha2kym-8_zUcR498rL8ZARnSk/s1280/IMG_4265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7u4KnCTs_gHy0HfGUv_x8amjjLy5fjQiWS3X4BDreqCMe3_f0LBzQVwxCr68AH7nXZYnSHNrxxZ-1K8elKMwQK0L1PJziKq1L4ntcNfgIuY8leEzmzKkHlt6Qf7Nyd_lt20RyjXyuyiXuqzLPTM8g58CHrNloAQa41-ha2kym-8_zUcR498rL8ZARnSk/w480-h640/IMG_4265.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Then we headed to lunch at a Mexican restaurant which is in the same space that the Rainbow Deli occupied when I was in school there. I had so many good memories of the Rainbow Deli. They had awesome live music on the weekends (Dennis Davis was my favorite!) and great beer specials like bring your own mug and they would fill it for a couple of dollars. You should have seen the size of some of the mugs people would bring in! So even though the restaurant has changed, it was still nice being in the same spot! </p><p>After lunch we dropped Sarah off at her apartment and gave her a big hug and we headed back home. But I won't have to go long before seeing her again because her fall break is next Monday and Tuesday so she should be home at some point this weekend!<br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-38072925542870240242023-10-03T09:22:00.000-04:002023-10-03T09:22:56.920-04:00NC State Parents Weekend. <p>Dan's travel schedule has been crazy this year so when I bought tickets for the NC State Parents Weekend football game, it was touch and go if we could make it. But the clouds parted and the heavens opened and the angels began to sing and we were able to go! Now, please note that he left for Ireland on Sunday morning but will be back Friday night. So we were able to make it to Raleigh AND his trip is a short one. We are considering this a win-win. </p><p>Interesting side note - as we were driving home from Raleigh Dan calculated that September was the only month so far this year that he has been home for the entire month. That's too much travel if you ask me.</p><p>For some weird reason, the Parent Weekend football game was a Friday night game. Boo. Hiss. Dan and I both had to take off work to attend but it was worth it.</p><p>We got to Peter's apartment around 1:00 and picked him up. We headed to Char-Grill for lunch. It's a hamburger joint that's been in Raleigh since 1971. Doesn't it look like it's been around that long?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4knyjiD-q-z3THFnPxnlgup6WAC-4b5fT0eLs4Vqosn67hZubV2oP2b9EhSMgdw0W0Ard5TYIWvYJye4G3yfN5zBdR8rMJsU-KKE8mdjYVY5A_43KBbGCDWydGscHwSs5KuEcMOQVq6dRbxmiOkbGKFQC6Gd88H74Cvw4Hejv8EOaLDGfhxDvaGjRy48/s836/chargirll.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="836" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4knyjiD-q-z3THFnPxnlgup6WAC-4b5fT0eLs4Vqosn67hZubV2oP2b9EhSMgdw0W0Ard5TYIWvYJye4G3yfN5zBdR8rMJsU-KKE8mdjYVY5A_43KBbGCDWydGscHwSs5KuEcMOQVq6dRbxmiOkbGKFQC6Gd88H74Cvw4Hejv8EOaLDGfhxDvaGjRy48/w400-h225/chargirll.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>You walk up to the window and order and then if you are lucky there will be a spot to eat at one of two picnic tables on the side of the building. The burgers were delicious!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroN4phKktpjfkbvA9GVorP6w4CqB467IXMsc3D2qpKB3g5LHjC58ejoOBZgHY6RzZpvcSD3qbJeSYIh88bSdtz3UuXESiJJG-jzMZOR1It4271SsnHg_jQ8JNwn-VEe8ATMkue8P8ZbDDwb0YDuvPxZiD0bhYcZ280BZc5khNsEjYfhnIAohFgJeXzFtZ/s3648/20230929_135115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroN4phKktpjfkbvA9GVorP6w4CqB467IXMsc3D2qpKB3g5LHjC58ejoOBZgHY6RzZpvcSD3qbJeSYIh88bSdtz3UuXESiJJG-jzMZOR1It4271SsnHg_jQ8JNwn-VEe8ATMkue8P8ZbDDwb0YDuvPxZiD0bhYcZ280BZc5khNsEjYfhnIAohFgJeXzFtZ/w640-h480/20230929_135115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>We wanted to make sure we got to eat there because soon they will be tearing down this little building and the little service station next to it to put up a 20 story building. But a new Char-Grill will go into one of the shops on the ground floor of the building. It won't be the same though so Dan and I were excited to make it here before they tore this down.</p><p>After lunch we had to go shopping for some black NC State gear as it was Black Out. The whole student section was in black and Dan and I wanted to be too! We went to the Red and White Shop and ever parent who came to campus was there. We got some gear and also went to the campus bookstore to see what they had. </p><p>After that, we dropped Peter off, checked in to our hotel, changed into our new shirts and headed to the fraternity tailgate. That was an experience. There is a special parking lot designated for all the fraternities. They all set up big tents, giant speakers. There's cornhole and die throwing and dancing. Lots of dancing. (Oh yeah, and there's beer.) Oddly absent was any food though. :) </p><p>We stayed there for a while, met the parents of one of Peter's best friends and tried to talk to them. The music from all the different tailgates was so loud we literally could not hear a word any one was saying. It was still fun though and I'm glad we go to go. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV20DaXcKs-mrvTIPmRB3aH-rOq27IDOaG4Zg_x3QIpN6q0wlKCB81nt5icaZme45UsJB0rWUADilHRitoeL13RKKgjOxeJXI0HhbAY6Wx_sOdri5pTqDPf1kvm-HJ63oAS7J_JeX_X7mI7_8eWvIfQ4toEbpqa_ps71-pga6cF0UJRxEiIh8_7aErNFL3/s4032/20230929_174450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV20DaXcKs-mrvTIPmRB3aH-rOq27IDOaG4Zg_x3QIpN6q0wlKCB81nt5icaZme45UsJB0rWUADilHRitoeL13RKKgjOxeJXI0HhbAY6Wx_sOdri5pTqDPf1kvm-HJ63oAS7J_JeX_X7mI7_8eWvIfQ4toEbpqa_ps71-pga6cF0UJRxEiIh8_7aErNFL3/w480-h640/20230929_174450.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>We left Peter and headed to the stadium. He had a student ticket and was sitting in the student section and we were not. At halftime, Peter left his friends and joined us at our seats. The people sitting in front of us left at halftime so that worked out great. </p><p>Bill Cowher (head coach of the Pitsburgh Steelers and former NC State all star) was inducted into the Ring of Honor and was at the game. We happened to be sitting in the section where they put his name.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqunGDvFL7t_w85m_sNQHJNNvMmDz28JnO_jnsd5a7tL7Kvk_MLJGFtvBqePe9yKDMLil2FonXkeVWl6jP4gEy0Q0xHgZJINawV9v3DzG9v88A5Yy5rd14BL6_VllFLfn425qSRl8GHaYpg6_iUt9zm75TqKpUWAyEks6rLwPjg7z_189nIvJotWeXUJw/s4032/20230929_194312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqunGDvFL7t_w85m_sNQHJNNvMmDz28JnO_jnsd5a7tL7Kvk_MLJGFtvBqePe9yKDMLil2FonXkeVWl6jP4gEy0Q0xHgZJINawV9v3DzG9v88A5Yy5rd14BL6_VllFLfn425qSRl8GHaYpg6_iUt9zm75TqKpUWAyEks6rLwPjg7z_189nIvJotWeXUJw/w480-h640/20230929_194312.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>We lost the game but we still had lots of fun hanging out with our boy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs36fSofSJ7kNFas1Tsx4twO342u7PxV86B2jACIfHdrnHsRqVbv2YkneljEzunuv3HmSrXZhPEjKZwxnAetB4mJhyphenhyphenYT_GNN1-LO97jA_HJgfdzSt4F08cjcWbxNybnXVtpgVTpXehv6LY_Bw0sla54Z682gQPsZF8LLZRSKMMzTuB83TKai0YORW8o97/s3648/20230929_205150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs36fSofSJ7kNFas1Tsx4twO342u7PxV86B2jACIfHdrnHsRqVbv2YkneljEzunuv3HmSrXZhPEjKZwxnAetB4mJhyphenhyphenYT_GNN1-LO97jA_HJgfdzSt4F08cjcWbxNybnXVtpgVTpXehv6LY_Bw0sla54Z682gQPsZF8LLZRSKMMzTuB83TKai0YORW8o97/w480-h640/20230929_205150.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4UkwH1z_ha3JTfaP4zudCC-nKKTZLKCL1dgPnJJj-SuLx0cPVccj1pCPt8gMBI7Ea1TWqQ9DmH8G643lyZY-p0HHFRf92kVNa8JV7YemGWtozMKQDJ4IEnFnNHrdaVy55e58kwUABX4Aa1PaW6xjGp2G3tOc9FzlhyTgNWOZKmkUxWR8jouGfqiNJY2R/s4032/20230929_204217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4UkwH1z_ha3JTfaP4zudCC-nKKTZLKCL1dgPnJJj-SuLx0cPVccj1pCPt8gMBI7Ea1TWqQ9DmH8G643lyZY-p0HHFRf92kVNa8JV7YemGWtozMKQDJ4IEnFnNHrdaVy55e58kwUABX4Aa1PaW6xjGp2G3tOc9FzlhyTgNWOZKmkUxWR8jouGfqiNJY2R/w400-h300/20230929_204217.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm9XiGECgXf1DBmlbf01O0TNjzmLN6WzBE3jvK42avXRv7FcwFYAkzjWlpzPAoJ6on64QmrZ9cSiig3_Yw9imcyLszPIaId7Ps36oMp5St49JLUx-g6nzKw8Hv6OKdPVEI3O63q658M0CkMu2CkbxkZre2q5BjkFXFK1o4iLcDShENr0d-AcI1CNXCbfU/s4032/20230929_203405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm9XiGECgXf1DBmlbf01O0TNjzmLN6WzBE3jvK42avXRv7FcwFYAkzjWlpzPAoJ6on64QmrZ9cSiig3_Yw9imcyLszPIaId7Ps36oMp5St49JLUx-g6nzKw8Hv6OKdPVEI3O63q658M0CkMu2CkbxkZre2q5BjkFXFK1o4iLcDShENr0d-AcI1CNXCbfU/w400-h300/20230929_203405.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyrEPzxOBewianLiD7dhD0RGpYmk4m4amWhNiIMrM6YObMZOsS2ED0DhGCWnZzXpWTwLJ0x6JLmFhT8bl6m1erBL1FfZ8gwKmWZYIhucW84nvLmNG40ystn6l0pv3EbsSNZDxa7qZhyphenhyphenDPczwwQN9M1Nz_82AUvUFC7VVD4KJdhPmah8Lb2Y57ESsT9dGB/s4032/20230929_200216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyrEPzxOBewianLiD7dhD0RGpYmk4m4amWhNiIMrM6YObMZOsS2ED0DhGCWnZzXpWTwLJ0x6JLmFhT8bl6m1erBL1FfZ8gwKmWZYIhucW84nvLmNG40ystn6l0pv3EbsSNZDxa7qZhyphenhyphenDPczwwQN9M1Nz_82AUvUFC7VVD4KJdhPmah8Lb2Y57ESsT9dGB/w400-h300/20230929_200216.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On Saturday morning we slept in and then headed downtown to kill some time. There was a blue grass festival going on. The streets were blocked off and they had multiple stages set up, craft vendors and so many food trucks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwm467KPYYiPXk8wU9WEJYA7DG0EDv7u7SjJKlFkiy8xMtM1_8Q4Uytx-jFYWx3wIQoDG6mZk3bgzd0DwaUwkVK4lOVmSxEcJCNzC7kkvcQzntPkuw9AP6M8ZRekMyb8_LmPnsct7RKuWi8kAybj1MQHhyUIvy_uyuYRmf1SPW_L57-BrAMPrmBmUJmc4Q/s4032/20230930_123726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwm467KPYYiPXk8wU9WEJYA7DG0EDv7u7SjJKlFkiy8xMtM1_8Q4Uytx-jFYWx3wIQoDG6mZk3bgzd0DwaUwkVK4lOVmSxEcJCNzC7kkvcQzntPkuw9AP6M8ZRekMyb8_LmPnsct7RKuWi8kAybj1MQHhyUIvy_uyuYRmf1SPW_L57-BrAMPrmBmUJmc4Q/w480-h640/20230930_123726.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>So many people...</p><p>I was trying to get a picture of the Capital House which you can see but it's under construction so the dome is covered. Oh well...</p><p>We left the festival and headed to the frat house where the boys were hosting a cookout for the parents. Peter's friend, Cal, smoked 3 giant pork butts and they were delicious. He did such a good job. The pork was moist and flavorful. We were actual able to talk to his parents this time and could actually hear what they were saying!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVJPhOeRvkb5IHl4lEXv5YAJ1dM1o8S217eDAWlfPy1W3SsBxwf_7-FSWDMzEUprahCcorQuZOjLeNXuqkn6uCYr0yJ2RmeVXgSvkiQPMIcBzfCNuxOMbL8jlBOqgtJD1kvkUHi0unlnD26XXkjD_wsY8mSERThxKDwE8e-MpvlcutY6U7mfuuJX6iBpI/s4032/20230930_142148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVJPhOeRvkb5IHl4lEXv5YAJ1dM1o8S217eDAWlfPy1W3SsBxwf_7-FSWDMzEUprahCcorQuZOjLeNXuqkn6uCYr0yJ2RmeVXgSvkiQPMIcBzfCNuxOMbL8jlBOqgtJD1kvkUHi0unlnD26XXkjD_wsY8mSERThxKDwE8e-MpvlcutY6U7mfuuJX6iBpI/w480-h640/20230930_142148.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO_GF3v91t6xw7JniSWM7KG_YMik2CJ3WmL_tuGXPlObUDbYnR6qzZuZHwVHULunvhShj_bOCfz8CpPt3GRxS1ot3Re32I4NkOWXQph1h1ad1RmtZ97J83ILH2Ue2K1iJ94QHbkcY2ELYkNmFfzzfa2uv1XdK8JPZPD-skVJC42slRCV_40Cs2mbEWhOh/s4032/20230930_143506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO_GF3v91t6xw7JniSWM7KG_YMik2CJ3WmL_tuGXPlObUDbYnR6qzZuZHwVHULunvhShj_bOCfz8CpPt3GRxS1ot3Re32I4NkOWXQph1h1ad1RmtZ97J83ILH2Ue2K1iJ94QHbkcY2ELYkNmFfzzfa2uv1XdK8JPZPD-skVJC42slRCV_40Cs2mbEWhOh/w300-h400/20230930_143506.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zym0qdm_uq24dUPLbpvj_MwprXy6B6MGzRbh8fxEp8yXLT8SLPwZAV8aMOqhdKCKutzGAQucIF3nbu2qXcSh9GDP2ixmyfqcDOWxC39KtY12rhfGTov0lNUjpnmKeUY4KK0MjCDu9XAxA1bBAiaBdRkIzvffW3_Dd0gzprNRdcvS7QdhA-xmw_eRIGY7/s4032/20230930_141914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zym0qdm_uq24dUPLbpvj_MwprXy6B6MGzRbh8fxEp8yXLT8SLPwZAV8aMOqhdKCKutzGAQucIF3nbu2qXcSh9GDP2ixmyfqcDOWxC39KtY12rhfGTov0lNUjpnmKeUY4KK0MjCDu9XAxA1bBAiaBdRkIzvffW3_Dd0gzprNRdcvS7QdhA-xmw_eRIGY7/w400-h300/20230930_141914.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Peter was excited to show us the composite! (Yes, his fraternity is small but he likes that about it. He actually knows everyone in his fraternity. Some pledge classes in other fraternities are as big as Peter's entire fraternity.)</p><p>After the cookout, we said our goodbyes and headed home. It was nice to see Peter in his element, with his friends, enjoying his life. And I am so glad we got to go!<br /></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-69386943125860604712023-09-18T09:55:00.003-04:002023-09-18T09:55:09.653-04:00Happy birthday to me! <p>Wednesday, September 13th was my birthday! I turned FIFTY-FOUR! I have that in all caps because, wow! That's old! I know I've said it on here before but I still feel 21 in my mind but my body tells me 54 is that accurate number. </p><p>I was off work on Wednesday and so was my brother. He joined me on my errands and treated me to lunch at Yamas. Yamas is a local restaurant that is very similar to Cava but I like it much better. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUd9TBrK52a8CsyGAHYo7ffzy99mC_GxlrBVJIaHPmxNxAQ1CLB2xk0Y6paYY-gD7HyBWymi5uLImQ8QwHI6Mi0MS7V4xqCGCcCf9ThhlTwXUl2YWIypaf-wI_LfazXV_Dc3YQJgZesPlSs_VMmNyurdoaf9DigO7uF_gPNIsY5CWCEUchqjmGX86hHpk/s4032/20230913_114500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUd9TBrK52a8CsyGAHYo7ffzy99mC_GxlrBVJIaHPmxNxAQ1CLB2xk0Y6paYY-gD7HyBWymi5uLImQ8QwHI6Mi0MS7V4xqCGCcCf9ThhlTwXUl2YWIypaf-wI_LfazXV_Dc3YQJgZesPlSs_VMmNyurdoaf9DigO7uF_gPNIsY5CWCEUchqjmGX86hHpk/w480-h640/20230913_114500.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />My go to order is always the 1/2 grain (basmati rice) and 1/2 salad (mixed greens is what I usual go for) bowl. For my protein I always chose the fig and chicken salad and then I top it with marinated chick peas, pickled red onions, picked red cabbage, feta, tzatziki, and Greek vinaigrette. I also get a few of their fresh pita chips on the side. PERFECTION!<p></p><p>When I got home, I was surprised to find a beautiful arrangement of flowers on the kitchen island. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqQV5fACi0-Hq4WdWoo2HSitJfxxN38G3DGBJ16b6lMQw5U5C4Y-Lgs2kj9YX5HVqg7GmOx-4khJtKTu8hd8xqtrjfc-ha7BcVISktMtDO9GhkPl_DFyL8sJOIbi9UodJC66HCaZPglcpef5VOL-Rf2hJTddcc1H4PIDpL6wncNIH1u1pjmEIGzNIAx4l/s4032/20230913_132206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqQV5fACi0-Hq4WdWoo2HSitJfxxN38G3DGBJ16b6lMQw5U5C4Y-Lgs2kj9YX5HVqg7GmOx-4khJtKTu8hd8xqtrjfc-ha7BcVISktMtDO9GhkPl_DFyL8sJOIbi9UodJC66HCaZPglcpef5VOL-Rf2hJTddcc1H4PIDpL6wncNIH1u1pjmEIGzNIAx4l/w480-h640/20230913_132206.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>The card read "Happy Birthday Mom and Dad! Love, Peter and Sarah." Seeing these flowers on the counter literally brought tears to my eyes. I immediatley texted a picture to the family group chat and thanked both kids. Then I separately thanked Sarah, because let's face it, she's the one that orchestrated the flowers. And I love that she included Dan because he turned 57 on the 12th. <p></p><p>On Wednesday evening was our regularly scheduled Cistas get together. (The Cistas are my old MOPS group and we've been getting together monthly since 2012 after we stopped attending MOPS) We were actually celebrating Christy's 50th but the ladies also made me feel extra special on my boring 54th. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmJNtrwoK1_E_EATuNiGmlpw2Cxm2zP8egDV0JpQMfbLyfVWU2zD42w4y11SQqXrBUn1e2bRdTgPogvX7z5S6aebc6PMjbn_6qwWEaBy-6Ft9WZo2S6rQyUyYta7GQ0UiI9bV9QTt8eUmfFGw48nzkdJmHqajDYjNWDPdXGgLdCFYVb7t-yqKBgdgUzRe/s960/cistas4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="656" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmJNtrwoK1_E_EATuNiGmlpw2Cxm2zP8egDV0JpQMfbLyfVWU2zD42w4y11SQqXrBUn1e2bRdTgPogvX7z5S6aebc6PMjbn_6qwWEaBy-6Ft9WZo2S6rQyUyYta7GQ0UiI9bV9QTt8eUmfFGw48nzkdJmHqajDYjNWDPdXGgLdCFYVb7t-yqKBgdgUzRe/w438-h640/cistas4.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_JY2IC6Z2Ymy5AFuThS5oQoDtRPJyHjOmpadRVz6S8aZGkRwn5dvAD0x-kOjTO2wmOuZMwHr6Snb1fkCJ77iHXBllbXwh20P6YDF3ex-7MPcA6ovZRK7len-JCgqCwyiRhsR13Vi-9epibxyzp4HYe43oM5naFblqGMaTZjEnzH1jIStQSgdJbcQ3Re3/s960/cistas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_JY2IC6Z2Ymy5AFuThS5oQoDtRPJyHjOmpadRVz6S8aZGkRwn5dvAD0x-kOjTO2wmOuZMwHr6Snb1fkCJ77iHXBllbXwh20P6YDF3ex-7MPcA6ovZRK7len-JCgqCwyiRhsR13Vi-9epibxyzp4HYe43oM5naFblqGMaTZjEnzH1jIStQSgdJbcQ3Re3/w640-h480/cistas3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ePyMhotMI3_gwIYzXTuazDbmnogZxQ8U2OWqvhPEbxSxVdW1hh9vpzmqI9JiynS8zlenoAFxVOmnJW1QFHEIhb34h0ABMRwMz7cdfiF85gZV-kFJxTiFAavi2XFnP4VrUHG_wUTkiwA8vIW-2OgQAg32CId6LXenqQJFq6dd5vi0AwwXm4X5NHUMjWl/s2048/cistas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ePyMhotMI3_gwIYzXTuazDbmnogZxQ8U2OWqvhPEbxSxVdW1hh9vpzmqI9JiynS8zlenoAFxVOmnJW1QFHEIhb34h0ABMRwMz7cdfiF85gZV-kFJxTiFAavi2XFnP4VrUHG_wUTkiwA8vIW-2OgQAg32CId6LXenqQJFq6dd5vi0AwwXm4X5NHUMjWl/w640-h480/cistas2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHdSJC5zGldKv1WYrNvBjYgC3S8vXSTa7IFmBZ4pUWpSAljxz0LuZz6Lx7BA18jYlp_MErA2PLref9U8YBUIBPPdZOSmlBYw72mL6GZu2IyRA_ElhJQ7s6L5_RbZIG_aVCVdURTiM19e3544NjkCnLmeTR-DGE_E7q4Dp0tYHtn-fVny6ODAKd7ii-Reh/s960/cistas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="830" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHdSJC5zGldKv1WYrNvBjYgC3S8vXSTa7IFmBZ4pUWpSAljxz0LuZz6Lx7BA18jYlp_MErA2PLref9U8YBUIBPPdZOSmlBYw72mL6GZu2IyRA_ElhJQ7s6L5_RbZIG_aVCVdURTiM19e3544NjkCnLmeTR-DGE_E7q4Dp0tYHtn-fVny6ODAKd7ii-Reh/w554-h640/cistas1.jpg" width="554" /></a></div>I worked on Thursday and was greeted with a host of Happy Birthday wishes, cake, and presents! I was not expecting that as I've only been working 5 weeks. So that was such a nice surprise!<p></p><p>I got home from work on Friday evening and Peter came in right behind me. I cooked Philly Cheesesteaks for dinner (one of Peter's favorite things I make) and then we headed to the Bishop Football game. Y'all. It was so bad. We were playing the team that won the conference last year and it did not go well. We left after the first quarter we were losing so bad. But that's the nice thing about not having any current players or students. You can leave without feeling guilty! :)</p><p>When we got home we watched some Friday night college football and I went to bed early and left the boys to their games. On Saturday, Peter and Dan did yard work and I did housework and Peter watched the NC State Football game. </p><p>Then my sweet Sarah came home and we all went to Mass together. After Mass we had dinner at Twisted Pine. The Coal Pit (where I went with my friends on Wednesday) was hosting their final concert of the summer so we headed there. We listened to Maiden Voyage - an Iron Maiden tribute band - for about an hour. If you recall, <a href="https://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2017/06/peters-first-concert.html">Iron Maiden was Peter's very first concert</a>. (Look how young and teenagery Peter looks in those pictures.) </p><p>I made everyone take a selfie as we were leaving. I really appreciate the family for putting up with me. :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr9x_gv5-3HSBrNagYE9492lWTgTKiXPFK42DCN8BHPDuigGIDxjnWKSovH-FDg4UT7X3Q3DePEwlf8bVZPkZxOgaAz1Jgs7k5affWaGgnkM4mVsXu9lLwt1vBbbNc-nalHTf_ZJbcHo3Odn_LSUK-S4DzyleeQdcdNwV4PnRYqrzYA6qP3s7jGC2UdyH/s3648/20230916_201750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr9x_gv5-3HSBrNagYE9492lWTgTKiXPFK42DCN8BHPDuigGIDxjnWKSovH-FDg4UT7X3Q3DePEwlf8bVZPkZxOgaAz1Jgs7k5affWaGgnkM4mVsXu9lLwt1vBbbNc-nalHTf_ZJbcHo3Odn_LSUK-S4DzyleeQdcdNwV4PnRYqrzYA6qP3s7jGC2UdyH/w640-h480/20230916_201750.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqOlHqApuK_Gl2eTZRRniRgkvxKzM_tnPcZlub7MlgTMSwiHQ8_ZT7IcZ69UFp8RkNZHyjVp35vdMuUv01MFIHeQNn7UgHE6xSHvjzdEMEwas6J4uHOWP4-vGOsHgc1GnXy1DI2IPuVGI88QRXhaULRup_YQlzK4G6ZSyDODo9CrKwTlqQp2_-TApsI1s/s4032/20230916_201509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqOlHqApuK_Gl2eTZRRniRgkvxKzM_tnPcZlub7MlgTMSwiHQ8_ZT7IcZ69UFp8RkNZHyjVp35vdMuUv01MFIHeQNn7UgHE6xSHvjzdEMEwas6J4uHOWP4-vGOsHgc1GnXy1DI2IPuVGI88QRXhaULRup_YQlzK4G6ZSyDODo9CrKwTlqQp2_-TApsI1s/w480-h640/20230916_201509.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGMrwsZHHIg0A61lwl5uTwNo5KK2p03JbmxUN2fHAOVxP_HckCfrn-j6OfHCGuy_KNDj444C45whGuqGEGWWvQtElGyl1NRxqphJpi9GC821ln5M6ZKdo0qS-sMy4ZeWYkhe9LBGXNyueX1DC5TPb10WDJPhni_1SMCSmYD3ZYEBh-C7fZNfFvzFkDp6I/s4032/20230916_194423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGMrwsZHHIg0A61lwl5uTwNo5KK2p03JbmxUN2fHAOVxP_HckCfrn-j6OfHCGuy_KNDj444C45whGuqGEGWWvQtElGyl1NRxqphJpi9GC821ln5M6ZKdo0qS-sMy4ZeWYkhe9LBGXNyueX1DC5TPb10WDJPhni_1SMCSmYD3ZYEBh-C7fZNfFvzFkDp6I/w480-h640/20230916_194423.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>A Guns and Roses Tribute band was playing after but we didn't stay. I would have loved to see that but maybe next time. We headed home and all hung out together. Sarah did her nails, we watched more football, had some drinks, and before I knew it, it was almost midnight. Of course, the old lady had to go to bed but everyone was proud of me for staying up so late. :)</p><p>On Sunday we had our BirthAversery Lunch where we officially celebrated our anniversary and both of our birthdays. The food was delicious and so was the beautiful cake my mom made. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnuV0wwgFKcRfYmcqMr-eXoRYKPxSkxwSGEm_FYpkBv6k1v4WhZmgvKXjRLdxKi3EAb9lg_5qTO_UIB9z9EP-WC-aXUCP-31Ib8fk9y7YBy1GwIEB5bxJmWOTJm-bLpQ2bSZga0yzUa3bJB-H_qJTvIGmm75v-6d-eGDf5TdPu7w63jtlYzqh20EMlq3r/s4032/20230917_122619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnuV0wwgFKcRfYmcqMr-eXoRYKPxSkxwSGEm_FYpkBv6k1v4WhZmgvKXjRLdxKi3EAb9lg_5qTO_UIB9z9EP-WC-aXUCP-31Ib8fk9y7YBy1GwIEB5bxJmWOTJm-bLpQ2bSZga0yzUa3bJB-H_qJTvIGmm75v-6d-eGDf5TdPu7w63jtlYzqh20EMlq3r/w480-h640/20230917_122619.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINUiaJb6uaa8ieOaQ1enX9CpcA2ZvSEVqVc0PANpoTAGyPoMu3FCG7DzH4doqseMr--V6tux6o-w4OC_6trW8KpbfiffB472imkG1O9p7EPto3o6HpqF8Jr6_fZvmWwVgnVPjTBwghr2USpYtNj2qBT6OlmOkccMuqK6pO_FT8fPQIKbCE9YpKnVPeFGi/s4032/20230917_133034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINUiaJb6uaa8ieOaQ1enX9CpcA2ZvSEVqVc0PANpoTAGyPoMu3FCG7DzH4doqseMr--V6tux6o-w4OC_6trW8KpbfiffB472imkG1O9p7EPto3o6HpqF8Jr6_fZvmWwVgnVPjTBwghr2USpYtNj2qBT6OlmOkccMuqK6pO_FT8fPQIKbCE9YpKnVPeFGi/w480-h640/20230917_133034.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gSG50GAATM7oomJ2vgyqsZ3L_LckEe1_2MDd1gGwd-mujAHTcl4Ik-q9zfuBHW2PpUTlxsEgbWy_TVDVVXkeI4LdxCtnvY3Y8rWho_OL7y6Uq1fS487JNgPOv94N0BYqkbsVgmy7QpLH6bdo3_8i7nFWP1au_cjSVJWgT_Y13ottgBUrc611108D4FpT/s4032/20230917_130811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gSG50GAATM7oomJ2vgyqsZ3L_LckEe1_2MDd1gGwd-mujAHTcl4Ik-q9zfuBHW2PpUTlxsEgbWy_TVDVVXkeI4LdxCtnvY3Y8rWho_OL7y6Uq1fS487JNgPOv94N0BYqkbsVgmy7QpLH6bdo3_8i7nFWP1au_cjSVJWgT_Y13ottgBUrc611108D4FpT/w480-h640/20230917_130811.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS2kpaEDPPzzJyQaJEIm2S5oMEuyjdseiv0kp1HpfHkum8lV-IqL5wyrgVs1RGx--t9b6ZPF_Zga7LqNKCTLUCb40e_L6lKyBQMekAHBfnwoyCexNlsiewk5Nxt_pz2ilDvmcRvCTppHACwC5JLAkI_gVI1hXHktj2imSa84WB8sdDxWk1LF5GUYX58-7/s4032/20230917_130927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS2kpaEDPPzzJyQaJEIm2S5oMEuyjdseiv0kp1HpfHkum8lV-IqL5wyrgVs1RGx--t9b6ZPF_Zga7LqNKCTLUCb40e_L6lKyBQMekAHBfnwoyCexNlsiewk5Nxt_pz2ilDvmcRvCTppHACwC5JLAkI_gVI1hXHktj2imSa84WB8sdDxWk1LF5GUYX58-7/w480-h640/20230917_130927.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p> But the best part of all was the FULL TABLE!! I love it when we are all together. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lQEm31eV09JgZDPVE1KqvELbE_d6oPpXeSTv-P6w2M2fLI23YrXlFMEd2JEUaQaVib7nmJSJHaeVGX_2CZBZSCnTS5IXyJHYlDCRtNM7MS1eoOeS_FDKiJ9seBc9CwHMUI3Ru4qfBxRUIyTqc3TJEsTMupQv9YWIN5pCbshM7wBu2kJ2ayZ3KcH9d6Cp/s3648/20230917_123316(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lQEm31eV09JgZDPVE1KqvELbE_d6oPpXeSTv-P6w2M2fLI23YrXlFMEd2JEUaQaVib7nmJSJHaeVGX_2CZBZSCnTS5IXyJHYlDCRtNM7MS1eoOeS_FDKiJ9seBc9CwHMUI3Ru4qfBxRUIyTqc3TJEsTMupQv9YWIN5pCbshM7wBu2kJ2ayZ3KcH9d6Cp/w640-h480/20230917_123316(0).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>After lunch, Peter headed back to Raleigh and Dan and I went with Sarah to get new tires on her car. Then she headed back to Charlotte and Dan and I watched the Patriots lose. It's going to be a long season. The Panthers play tonight so I'm hopeful that at least one of our professional teams will win in week 2.</p><p>Dan has a ton of vacation to use before the end of the year or he will lose it so he's taking today off. We will be running errands and just hanging out together - which is my very favorite thing. 💕 <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-79896460731542606882023-09-12T08:03:00.004-04:002023-09-12T08:05:42.584-04:00Weekend update.<p>We had a nice little weekend but it included every single one of our football teams losing. </p><p>Friday night we headed to Bishop McGuinness and saw them lose by one point. On Saturday, Dan did yard while I did work work. It was my first Saturday and boy was it busy in that store! So many shoppers. I can only imagine how busy it will be at Christmas.</p><p>While I was working, Peter attended the NC State Notre Dame game. NC State was expected to lose as Notre Dame is in the top ten but one thing I love about Peter is that for him, hope springs eternal. So, we were all hopeful, especially since it was a home game. But alas, they lost after a two hour delay in the middle of the game for rain.</p><p>Peter texted us that when they evacuated the stadium, he and his friends had to run through a torrential downpour to some other friend's apartment where they waited out the delay while being drenched. They finally made their way back into the stadium for the rest of the game. After the game, Peter posted this picture to his Instagram which had been featured on Barstoolpack's Instagram. Can you find him? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyCfh1A452-fl46eihMOI3dAdU11HTmEQTup8CQUPm5GUIan779AU3nn4Gv7hyTocdpiEysWiCd_mbBHp9ZDCj0p42JqsjABIDxeNfq7gl8uMLY_fe7ExUF17ibmKus-tjhkjUM9vV3qEwK53Jxd3Opzey0BeckKOzyNq8sYSCtIKJOptJjmak01VqKy8/s659/Screenshot%202023-09-12%20at%2007-46-04%20Barstool%20NC%20State%20(@barstoolpack)%20%E2%80%A2%20Instagram%20photos%20and%20videos.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyCfh1A452-fl46eihMOI3dAdU11HTmEQTup8CQUPm5GUIan779AU3nn4Gv7hyTocdpiEysWiCd_mbBHp9ZDCj0p42JqsjABIDxeNfq7gl8uMLY_fe7ExUF17ibmKus-tjhkjUM9vV3qEwK53Jxd3Opzey0BeckKOzyNq8sYSCtIKJOptJjmak01VqKy8/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-12%20at%2007-46-04%20Barstool%20NC%20State%20(@barstoolpack)%20%E2%80%A2%20Instagram%20photos%20and%20videos.png" width="262" /></a></div>When we saw it, Dan said, "Of course, he's on his phone!" Ha! <p></p><p>NC State has a brand new giant jumbo tron screen and it got struck by lightening during the storm but luckily it appears to still be functional.</p><p>After I got home from work on Saturday, we went to Mass and oh, I forgot to mention, it was our 23rd wedding anniversary! Last week, I told the only thing I wanted to do for our anniversary was go to a rooftop bar downtown and have a drink. Dan said that sounded like a good plan and we went on with our lives.</p><p>On Friday evening (day before our anniversary) Dan said that he made plans on Saturday for us to meet a coworker and his wife for drinks downtown. Whomp whomp. He totally forgot that it was our anniversary and that we had made a plan. Oh well. The rooftop bar will still be downtown and we had a lovely evening with his coworker and his wife so it was still a nice evening. </p><p>And meanwhile, UNC Charlotte, who had started off strong against Maryland, proceeded to lose their game as well. And then Sunday brought a Panthers loss and a Patriots loss and that rounded out our weekend of no wins in football!</p><p>On Sunday, Dan, Mom, and I, headed to Raleigh bright and early to take Peter to lunch.He wanted to make sure we were finished with lunch by 1:00 so he could watch the Panthers game. We hadn't seen him in weeks and were missing him. (I think he was missing us, too.) And Mom and Dan had not seen his new room yet and neither had eaten at the restaurant where Peter works. It was good to see my boy and get to hug his neck and talk with him in person!<br /></p><p>Here is a picture of us on a bridge with the best view of the city in the background.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvdS7QTd-Syp7kbgccrQNOqdfqmia6PdnLGnjMu_GNMK3xHVW0O7PIKWRLWlLLNv5WsFsJKwwfCeW8M7KRKGuIt6qf_yCzuKxE7jjHvsGAUP08oBLHQPxMGHPzqM5l_fG6Nx5yn3cWXGU7bgLAb9x61a5d2IFuAHy3lIFid0v-0gta_-4PZmkVftu2V7o/s4032/20230910_130302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvdS7QTd-Syp7kbgccrQNOqdfqmia6PdnLGnjMu_GNMK3xHVW0O7PIKWRLWlLLNv5WsFsJKwwfCeW8M7KRKGuIt6qf_yCzuKxE7jjHvsGAUP08oBLHQPxMGHPzqM5l_fG6Nx5yn3cWXGU7bgLAb9x61a5d2IFuAHy3lIFid0v-0gta_-4PZmkVftu2V7o/w640-h480/20230910_130302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5y6OCCxAK8ZwGkGUvkX1VgsvT3qghRz17lLCJ8GCaL8dRcwoTsDhRg8ibxRUTM1_MiwmZCx00MhpFgRLBK5FGaz4FMCNT-agMfpUfegBlGs4pD26cNYjc4_b-AxwA5Ez35DYAsUumbYfv1U3Xy4EY3vmwuiKZqKUeQOXD2lsKbcY3gVKs_DwhBITAc4R/s3648/20230910_130216.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5y6OCCxAK8ZwGkGUvkX1VgsvT3qghRz17lLCJ8GCaL8dRcwoTsDhRg8ibxRUTM1_MiwmZCx00MhpFgRLBK5FGaz4FMCNT-agMfpUfegBlGs4pD26cNYjc4_b-AxwA5Ez35DYAsUumbYfv1U3Xy4EY3vmwuiKZqKUeQOXD2lsKbcY3gVKs_DwhBITAc4R/w400-h300/20230910_130216.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO56hSn3jshrPFyU9t6848bDJgIsxt2YP0ZSX5lu63yOrUz5e9AbymOzzdGbeDPVxyHH7MzcxsWr7TqLkT9XEwNM3rNitQFEtuY_mDfmiSQXimmFh3LTt-HjmKzx3-5Dz8eHn8LqGcScH0zUZi74T0xoiWhlJ5rcWNypM8wd9BE_WrtNLdImNClwVe2vJ/s4032/20230910_130118.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO56hSn3jshrPFyU9t6848bDJgIsxt2YP0ZSX5lu63yOrUz5e9AbymOzzdGbeDPVxyHH7MzcxsWr7TqLkT9XEwNM3rNitQFEtuY_mDfmiSQXimmFh3LTt-HjmKzx3-5Dz8eHn8LqGcScH0zUZi74T0xoiWhlJ5rcWNypM8wd9BE_WrtNLdImNClwVe2vJ/w640-h480/20230910_130118.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>And that was our weekend!<br />Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-10489308714298331142023-09-07T08:03:00.003-04:002023-09-07T08:03:15.095-04:00What we've been doing and a link to "how I met my husband"....<p>This is my <b><i>fourth</i></b> week of work and so far so good! The women I work with are all very friendly and outgoing and don't mind showing me how to do something <strike>three</strike> <strike>four</strike> five times. The atmosphere is very laid-back which I appreciate and everyone seems to work well together.</p><p>I think the plan for me is to learn how to do several different things. They are teaching me the inventory check-in process and how to get the merchandise ready for the sales floor. They are teaching me how to work the sales floor (cash register, where everything is, how to best help the customers,etc), and they are teaching me how to update their website with new merchandise. I think this is what I will be focusing on a little more each week as the person that currently does this is pregnant and will go out on maternity leave some time at the end of November. The plan is for me to take over her duties while she is gone.<br /></p><p>Each day is different (which I like) and I'm learning new things each day (which I also like). I just hope I don't become a "Jack of all trades, master of none." I feel like right now, I know just enough to be dangerous. :) But I'm sure I will feel more confident and (less dangerous) as the weeks continue to pass.</p><p>The kids seem to be enjoying their classes and are settling in to the new school year pretty well. Peter and his fraternity just made it through Rush and I think he's glad it's over. The first couple of weeks of the school year in a fraternity/sorority can be pretty exhausting. Also it's been HOT in Raleigh and his attic bedroom is definitely not the coolest. <br /></p><p>Sarah just got a new job on campus and is currently filling out paperwork and meeting with HR so she can become an official campus employee and then start her training. The job title is Student Philanthropy Representative and I think she and the rest of the people they hired will be soliciting funds from alumnae to support programs for scholarships and academics. </p><p>She's excited because this is currently what she's thinking of as a career. She's a communications major but is very interested in philanthropy (raising money) so this should look good on her resume and help her to see if this is something she is truly interested in. We can thank her time working on the LLS Student of the Year campaign for her interest in philanthropy. You never know where each thing you do in life might lead you!</p><p>We didn't do much for Labor Day weekend. Peter stayed at school because they had a full weekend of Rush activities but Sarah came home. She had a doctor's appointment Friday afternoon and split her time hanging out with us and hanging out with Joe.</p><p>They both joined us for Mass on Saturday evening and then we went to dinner at Twisted Pine. It's always nice spending time with them and getting to know Joe better. He's a big sports football and baseball fan so he and Dan have a lot to talk about. :) </p><p>Two weeks ago, Dan and I went to Bishop McGuinness to see the home opener football game. They won! It was great! We have a new coach. He recently retired from the public schools and has coached much bigger programs so we have high hopes for the season. If the weather holds out, we are planning on going tomorrow night too. It's fun to be at the games but also a little weird since our kids don't go there any longer. There are still some familiar faces in the stands so we aren't too out of place. It's honestly just nice to go and watch a game and feel like the boys actually have a chance to win. We didn't get that experience when Peter played. And fun fact, the new coach actually went to my high school and was in my brother's graduating class. </p><p>I'm sure by now you have all heard that Jimmy Buffet died. We spent the rest of the weekend playing his music. That felt like a great way to remember him. Peter sent us this picture...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYVPyTUhpBvdxWXSBTNJjzdw5D6uzEcNlrNeZ1mE0PXLo7r9wCXukoDSNceTQJbfaeHuuy9zY7kHakP6Yl3GtzgeydwCOaFbxnDJJTJzNfRWfGmifrwaWq1jza9TC1VUqGR5lqK5wnDGQh0QpbqXpn5qvqWhw5w1uX8mgLcHGJ738tojlYquwwWQKcIuH/s2048/715375638001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYVPyTUhpBvdxWXSBTNJjzdw5D6uzEcNlrNeZ1mE0PXLo7r9wCXukoDSNceTQJbfaeHuuy9zY7kHakP6Yl3GtzgeydwCOaFbxnDJJTJzNfRWfGmifrwaWq1jza9TC1VUqGR5lqK5wnDGQh0QpbqXpn5qvqWhw5w1uX8mgLcHGJ738tojlYquwwWQKcIuH/w300-h400/715375638001.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>One of his friends made a big batch of margaritas using his dad's recipe and they were listening to his music all day too. </p><p>I know I've told you guys the story of Dan and I meeting at a Jimmy Buffet concert once before but here's<a href="http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2007/09/grow-old-along-with-me-best-is-yet-to.html"> the link in case you want to read about it. (It's short.).</a> That link is from a post I wrote in <b><span style="font-size: large;">2007</span> </b>when we were celebrating out <b>SEVENTH</b> wedding anniversary and now in two days we will be celebrating our <b>TWENTY-THIRD</b>. My how time does fly!</p><p>And with that update, I need to go and get ready for work! <br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-77555857877444810222023-08-21T13:56:00.001-04:002023-08-21T13:56:04.357-04:00Moving the girl. Year 2.<p>We moved Sarah in to her on-campus apartment on Saturday.. I am so thankful that she was home all summer. Dan was gone for almost the entire summer so it was absolutely lovely having her here to keep me company. </p><p>Yes, she worked a lot and yes, she spent a lot of time with her boyfriend but she was very thoughtful and tried to be home before my bedtime so I would be able to go to sleep without worrying. And even though we didn't finish it, we watched a lot of Schitt's Creek. We are both sad that we didn't finish it but maybe we can finish it over Christmas break. She is such good company and I really do love that sweet girl of mine! It hasn't even been 48 hours since we left and I already miss her.</p><p>Her check-in time was 10:30 and we were right on time. She got her key, we got everything dumped out on the sidewalk in front of the dorm and started getting everything upstairs.</p><p>She lives on the 5th floor and this dorm is very large. It's a sort of U-shaped building with very long halls and it seems that her room is about as far from the door as possible. (There was a side door that got you to her room quicker than the main door but it was up a very steep hill and we had a lot of stuff to carry so after one attempt at that, we powered through the long halls - at least they were flat.</p><p>We spent a bit of time deciding how to arrange the furniture and then realized that we never washed her new sheets so we had to do that before we made the bed.. We are very thankful that this apartment has a washer and dryer! How convenient! </p><p>She had a heavy mirror that she wanted to hang so Dan got to work on getting that taken care of and putting together her nightstand that we ordered from Amazon. </p><p>Sarah and I got to work getting the clothes in the closet and getting things our of <a href="https://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2021/08/college-move-in-day.html">the big blue bags</a> and in their correct spots. (These big blue bags are a lifesaver and I would recommend them again and again. They also have straps on the back if you want to carry them like a backpack and we definitely did that. It's a nice feature. Also, if you look at Peter's pile in that post, he only used 6 bags. We have 8 and used all 8 for Sarah plus had a ton of other stuff to move in outside of what was in the bags. If only I had about 4 more blue bags! :) Also, boys are certainly easier than girls in this regard. :)<br /></p><p>We stopped for lunch around 2:00 and then headed to Walmart to get a few things she needed to round out her room. BIG MISTAKE!</p><p>Saturday was day 4 of 4 days of move-in at UNC Charlotte so guess what was wiped out? ALL of Wal-Mart and ALL of Target. The bathroom, kitchen, school, and college section of both stores reminded me of Covid days - all empty shelves with a few random misplaced items laying around. I'm not sure how we did it (and it took about 2 hours) but we managed to find what we needed. We headed back to her room and she decided to change the position of her desk. Which meant Dan had to move the mirror and we had to make a few other slight changes but it was worth it because it turned out so cute and I think she's happy with it.</p><p>Dan really wanted to go to Mass (so we could sleep in on Sunday) so he and I left Sarah at about 5:15 so she could put the finishing touches on her room in peace. (Sometimes, I can be a lot and Sarah is too sweet to tell me that I'm being a lot.) There's a Catholic church right across from campus and we made it there right at 5:30. There were lots of announcements and the priest gave a 40 minute homily so when we got out, I had texts from Sarah asking where we were and why it was taking us so long. <br /></p><p>We had to stop at Target after mass to get a rug gripper for her little area rug and then finally made it back to her room where she had everything just the way she wanted it. We took our pictures and then took here to dinner because by this time, it was almost 8:00! After dinner we dropped her off at her dorm and gave her lots of hugs goodbye and we headed home. We made it back by 10:00 pm. Good thing we could sleep in on Sunday morning because we. were. tired.</p><p>Here's Sarah's room:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk45zUBLPctc6vk-BrRUYD7AuylAqCElGh-qK9y4DZexowvJey5Lg78N9hSQbucZoIn0MwX4dvnwKt3ntbiOwLdu-fZfvCU1kDSK33uqPtvf2x5eIww8FAlI0x1zYLGDgEeeU7rGOdTn6oLsrNyWWDbglquK8d0C0bLBtBBBeGwhW1UaCDvwdMk7YAQFL/s4032/20230819_194254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk45zUBLPctc6vk-BrRUYD7AuylAqCElGh-qK9y4DZexowvJey5Lg78N9hSQbucZoIn0MwX4dvnwKt3ntbiOwLdu-fZfvCU1kDSK33uqPtvf2x5eIww8FAlI0x1zYLGDgEeeU7rGOdTn6oLsrNyWWDbglquK8d0C0bLBtBBBeGwhW1UaCDvwdMk7YAQFL/w480-h640/20230819_194254.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lfBXzNqaPkL3JyPCXjoNC3F0-kI-QZCgPZ90Ud8_IpdVnWFA7Zkd5GaiDWa6uBg68UskGNTlCVimXuqV_aLyHPK55quDTVVNUHIieWnwu9MW525CwJknc5cnx1GmELZaoH6-IQIgqD-CHUCBMEvqV6dxEl2ExY2EKGDvp8wcXgXrsgLBlGWtI8ihNcSU/s4032/20230819_194303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lfBXzNqaPkL3JyPCXjoNC3F0-kI-QZCgPZ90Ud8_IpdVnWFA7Zkd5GaiDWa6uBg68UskGNTlCVimXuqV_aLyHPK55quDTVVNUHIieWnwu9MW525CwJknc5cnx1GmELZaoH6-IQIgqD-CHUCBMEvqV6dxEl2ExY2EKGDvp8wcXgXrsgLBlGWtI8ihNcSU/w480-h640/20230819_194303.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGefUKEi3Wg6juYqr83nloNkH1eQumYhwgMypY_LOg0pTgASaANxZYrtZ0J72KO-oMe56uaDI6-Z2_TIsgd09r48NTscoZr55FDrxfu-HFIuV_GffDKKqcE5pCedNsBmpymKxMy_n57m9F6MPCt23_BvhYFe3NZ8tEPesMticFkejEQ5II5i6NTOm5OXSm/s4032/20230819_194352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGefUKEi3Wg6juYqr83nloNkH1eQumYhwgMypY_LOg0pTgASaANxZYrtZ0J72KO-oMe56uaDI6-Z2_TIsgd09r48NTscoZr55FDrxfu-HFIuV_GffDKKqcE5pCedNsBmpymKxMy_n57m9F6MPCt23_BvhYFe3NZ8tEPesMticFkejEQ5II5i6NTOm5OXSm/w480-h640/20230819_194352.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAn1RQVPnqfWE58Ol_Mm1A0H8fVodn1BUQywswDsYroauTc0H9wuz-x8YltOHRMfNUa5I4VcKI_k8XfPeCxzqNDGR9CMUTsgRWS_lEV3r8fDxdyA6ZHQIXaNj2i0vfT9389Lp2mcaLq66j_WhriHRreS3qUua11NXtVH_ZHwmc77-LgcnElOnsrQsvFLq/s4032/20230819_194520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAn1RQVPnqfWE58Ol_Mm1A0H8fVodn1BUQywswDsYroauTc0H9wuz-x8YltOHRMfNUa5I4VcKI_k8XfPeCxzqNDGR9CMUTsgRWS_lEV3r8fDxdyA6ZHQIXaNj2i0vfT9389Lp2mcaLq66j_WhriHRreS3qUua11NXtVH_ZHwmc77-LgcnElOnsrQsvFLq/w480-h640/20230819_194520.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6Bugz1T5QQVygapQl0wktuaF2FCRYxRjRkB4KathIo9w-i2gT5u3x1WCvaJJQ94anAmKAqTjrWyyR7Q85ODwrfWahVHpNLfm5T5iPHCJt-SeeewDmSLaitgpjOJkn1AeaDGHQEEOf9RHTt-45MYxMecQsYb6OG4Dv53PK9i6-v42DHK5AHmXZ9cDo9Ra/s4032/20230819_194536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6Bugz1T5QQVygapQl0wktuaF2FCRYxRjRkB4KathIo9w-i2gT5u3x1WCvaJJQ94anAmKAqTjrWyyR7Q85ODwrfWahVHpNLfm5T5iPHCJt-SeeewDmSLaitgpjOJkn1AeaDGHQEEOf9RHTt-45MYxMecQsYb6OG4Dv53PK9i6-v42DHK5AHmXZ9cDo9Ra/w480-h640/20230819_194536.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Didn't she do a great job decorating it?</p><p>Here are some other areas of the apartment... <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrcO97powzcKRedbyvbfq0euID4pz-6K6uecqiklg5tqTGdgi2MMlFrxJETIWlVLXOf03wbwTAt_wjkKBMcsneHNhpwcqjsLuGSyc-e6K4d_Q3hK2Jj7xvjrLmWBMWWdu319QgAqk2fva5QBs4PsM_JssOmVOrVsecqxoMPa26YuLZ1F20T2HMLzNaORp/s4032/20230819_192518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrcO97powzcKRedbyvbfq0euID4pz-6K6uecqiklg5tqTGdgi2MMlFrxJETIWlVLXOf03wbwTAt_wjkKBMcsneHNhpwcqjsLuGSyc-e6K4d_Q3hK2Jj7xvjrLmWBMWWdu319QgAqk2fva5QBs4PsM_JssOmVOrVsecqxoMPa26YuLZ1F20T2HMLzNaORp/w480-h640/20230819_192518.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen (with bar stools on the other side of the bar)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceWw7GcjkJlo9b-rzi56TiicWXzYH3oI4pSifayB7PlW4VS8HPb4AB6bwCa6kbjA7WKMPMvw-iivEiHXxPJJXNxCHMf1jMPPnAmX7HH9BIjtadDIPk0d0uLF3W0vp9c8MAhDwhOsyxbXvcAIdBHJUIa3h3oL3BqCaeeQd0Ffycg_wq8jVyWmqzHwunvXr/s4032/20230819_192528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceWw7GcjkJlo9b-rzi56TiicWXzYH3oI4pSifayB7PlW4VS8HPb4AB6bwCa6kbjA7WKMPMvw-iivEiHXxPJJXNxCHMf1jMPPnAmX7HH9BIjtadDIPk0d0uLF3W0vp9c8MAhDwhOsyxbXvcAIdBHJUIa3h3oL3BqCaeeQd0Ffycg_wq8jVyWmqzHwunvXr/w480-h640/20230819_192528.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room with a tiny table.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xoUH_XjV95uSrU5ybvh8zI9-V4RPcXQh63A3wvV1VzRummsTzAJCuiHOhGcW0NAL5Zs_T9gB1U3F18Xp1oSnQi1rbcNpJEvFQFhVOJJ34dAjODU25nCnnnPP_mLDM4vOA4dK-ndOgv3AwMyw67GOVb3CezC7mWXjcx3URVwO4_ICjPZ93nRwWGSLT0uI/s4032/20230819_192530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xoUH_XjV95uSrU5ybvh8zI9-V4RPcXQh63A3wvV1VzRummsTzAJCuiHOhGcW0NAL5Zs_T9gB1U3F18Xp1oSnQi1rbcNpJEvFQFhVOJJ34dAjODU25nCnnnPP_mLDM4vOA4dK-ndOgv3AwMyw67GOVb3CezC7mWXjcx3URVwO4_ICjPZ93nRwWGSLT0uI/w480-h640/20230819_192530.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Hallway leading to two bedrooms and 1 bathroom.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-RtG3RF12GozOT-IWOSRaENlWppwg9xBi11ghjZhGrTV5mSMQTAxCdlAT_hUsnOU4tpuvVq_TUjyxWVpEnyC6J0mnEHNRjziie0X1cuwxoRYbQje1r4DQDpzbHht1qSp0NzsP5p-7jQGctddaMzBt-HTA5IZ6OplXAhgCux2R-k9EcASLX3Xv60tTEO4/s4032/20230819_192534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-RtG3RF12GozOT-IWOSRaENlWppwg9xBi11ghjZhGrTV5mSMQTAxCdlAT_hUsnOU4tpuvVq_TUjyxWVpEnyC6J0mnEHNRjziie0X1cuwxoRYbQje1r4DQDpzbHht1qSp0NzsP5p-7jQGctddaMzBt-HTA5IZ6OplXAhgCux2R-k9EcASLX3Xv60tTEO4/w480-h640/20230819_192534.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>The other hallway leading to the other two bedrooms and bathroom.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBv2xayfd4JSxBCocpIldA2iyEJOqXW8ToPst64csnfDdtiaPDXeJxbm8fWdeWsirgiL6hrcEgPZFJ7Bc7lnjmbGttCdJ9nHXl70zylpddmawUBnrmy4AVMijzdpAS4Dd_r2wd8UY66eX3ME06Ea0NWKrbtSj1S4YdgcqF9Ou9i_AZiNYuqjsfXju5w6t/s4032/20230819_192539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBv2xayfd4JSxBCocpIldA2iyEJOqXW8ToPst64csnfDdtiaPDXeJxbm8fWdeWsirgiL6hrcEgPZFJ7Bc7lnjmbGttCdJ9nHXl70zylpddmawUBnrmy4AVMijzdpAS4Dd_r2wd8UY66eX3ME06Ea0NWKrbtSj1S4YdgcqF9Ou9i_AZiNYuqjsfXju5w6t/w480-h640/20230819_192539.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the bathrooms.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I am praying that she has a great year and that she and Gabi (her bestie) get along well with their other two roommates. Great roommates can really make or break your year.</p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-30612429111342549152023-08-18T08:33:00.001-04:002023-08-18T08:33:42.883-04:00Cape Cod Trip - Part 2<p> On Tuesday morning, we were up bright and early as we were heading to Boston for the day!</p><p>We stopped for coffee and donuts at Dunkin which is also a tradition every time we head off the Cape. (I don't think I mentioned that when we went to Newport on Sunday.) This usually adds 15 to 20 minutes (at least) to any trip so we have to factor that in to our time. There are a million Dunkins in Massachusetts and every one of them has a long line. They love their Dunkin up there! </p><p>Our drive in was very rainy. And by the time we got there it was pouring down rain. We had checked the weather and knew that the morning would be rainy but it was so windy and there was so much rain. We finally (after I caused Dan to miss an exit and that added another 15 minutes to our arrival time) got to Regina Cleri to pick up Dan's uncle. Regina Cleri is a retirement home for priests. Thankfully as we pulled in, the rain stopped and a little later the sun came out and it ended up being a beautiful day.<br /></p><p>Dan's adopted uncle (Ron) is also in Regina Cleri now. Longtime readers might recall that every year we pick up Uncle Bob and take him to Glouchester to visit Uncle Ron and have lunch. Before we left for lunch we had a nice visit with Ron. Due to health reasons, he was unable to go with us.</p><p>We headed out to Needham to meet Dan's brother Dick, and Jen and Jillian. There was a lot of texting and calling on the way because apparently the little storm we drove through caused a lot of damage in Needham where they live. There were trees and power lines down and a lot of flooding. The restaurant we were meeting them at (along with quite a few other businesses and homes) had no power. So we had to pivot and go somewhere else but we finally made it! It was so great to see them and spend time with them.</p><p>After lunch we dropped Uncle Bob off and walked around Boston for a bit. We normally park in the Boston Common garage but decided to park in a garage that was closer to Fenway. This garage was very small. So small in fact that you had to let an attendant park your car. Some of the cars were even up on lifts in kind of a makeshift second level. On our way out of that garage I noticed a sign that said the garage closed at 11:00 pm and no cars could be removed after that time. I mentioned it to Dan and he brushed it off. But the more we walked around, the more nervous I got. So right before the game we moved the car. It ended up costing more money but I didn't have a good feeling about this garage and I just knew that if we didn't move it, the game would go into extra innings and we would have to leave to get the car and that would have been horrible.</p><p>Here's some pictures from our day in Boston.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTGc1lWYkKdtlIz0vyBICY8FM7MexMWCVJ01nyb4gpxdGfDmf1D5PAaBXw1MnZDlBdU5BsseEugZ6Y7N2goq9UG05jWLWaaIFb2Qnn45BACIqGVPywvoAh31YJhsr3GpAr2qzGoIaDvEBSi2mY7hVH87vc5tFVmvhjY8Iq9WPj_EWgn4w43LVWFlwKJiA/s1024/IMG_2968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTGc1lWYkKdtlIz0vyBICY8FM7MexMWCVJ01nyb4gpxdGfDmf1D5PAaBXw1MnZDlBdU5BsseEugZ6Y7N2goq9UG05jWLWaaIFb2Qnn45BACIqGVPywvoAh31YJhsr3GpAr2qzGoIaDvEBSi2mY7hVH87vc5tFVmvhjY8Iq9WPj_EWgn4w43LVWFlwKJiA/w480-h640/IMG_2968.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzQ7rSfkMlQSQ5WUijy8HSfraAaY2k2l3uFkzapcVDhPVxqh4BuNk9hGUjE9GLho0ggrAlVgFP05CNA9M8R-43xU9qrIC3H9PZyQ2I5d2Y5Tsm_mC_mRl7taMLHsXxYCGBZahcZXIBSc6M20c2vVw7kbV4zK2ciOyGNgz7xMcjLRvOF6wjHaLVpLQ4aoN/s1600/IMG_2979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzQ7rSfkMlQSQ5WUijy8HSfraAaY2k2l3uFkzapcVDhPVxqh4BuNk9hGUjE9GLho0ggrAlVgFP05CNA9M8R-43xU9qrIC3H9PZyQ2I5d2Y5Tsm_mC_mRl7taMLHsXxYCGBZahcZXIBSc6M20c2vVw7kbV4zK2ciOyGNgz7xMcjLRvOF6wjHaLVpLQ4aoN/w480-h640/IMG_2979.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYqc1MyHOewoqK7V8P8GkNU9EEBFW0hc6QOObexfVyh9yWhG59NAFQuyXzC8PKVtAyT8iCFvdAgmAxoAxGJmdekBzSPG1xScz3UK3znhqbGYzLl8QPvp1hHi7WTIN-c9DKZjAJvCE1tyDBtdQ3AJU85RnNNTCjaZ3nCwTMZGb2DDLSORzDSAAZH2ogYak/s1024/IMG_2970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYqc1MyHOewoqK7V8P8GkNU9EEBFW0hc6QOObexfVyh9yWhG59NAFQuyXzC8PKVtAyT8iCFvdAgmAxoAxGJmdekBzSPG1xScz3UK3znhqbGYzLl8QPvp1hHi7WTIN-c9DKZjAJvCE1tyDBtdQ3AJU85RnNNTCjaZ3nCwTMZGb2DDLSORzDSAAZH2ogYak/w480-h640/IMG_2970.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jlf_oEYTqJF1KDsAfizWBMCJOpaClnvxDLRxO1wZubYgM461rfVRipe3kIHLEJuUudSaiHwoJSvgH8Ov79I2W5tx19M5wE93QQniuo07lPgZ6Y0NSjxzPohGSy2rl3-G7pqxe8sVLSAAmvJEZH0eHebH628rfMGHmQCg1x74jds-rvcNc6ctsk2MLbeL/s4032/20230808_155629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jlf_oEYTqJF1KDsAfizWBMCJOpaClnvxDLRxO1wZubYgM461rfVRipe3kIHLEJuUudSaiHwoJSvgH8Ov79I2W5tx19M5wE93QQniuo07lPgZ6Y0NSjxzPohGSy2rl3-G7pqxe8sVLSAAmvJEZH0eHebH628rfMGHmQCg1x74jds-rvcNc6ctsk2MLbeL/w640-h480/20230808_155629.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhYqsQjW03unb0ne4dWEKdQsEDkxOxFXYjuDPMi7A4ZynIf8dof0FfHJ6L7QIZzdkr1RORaT5MyLFgxzo1H70nNEMEX2bAOMX3w2Ywcn4NZEPtA83eHv5ZHRXUa7A_sFu3f6ucL3OO83PcaS-tpdwzrVhOf0CYtKa6PVvrvxgTJZJLlrqZKSoHZMitXP_/s4032/20230808_154832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhYqsQjW03unb0ne4dWEKdQsEDkxOxFXYjuDPMi7A4ZynIf8dof0FfHJ6L7QIZzdkr1RORaT5MyLFgxzo1H70nNEMEX2bAOMX3w2Ywcn4NZEPtA83eHv5ZHRXUa7A_sFu3f6ucL3OO83PcaS-tpdwzrVhOf0CYtKa6PVvrvxgTJZJLlrqZKSoHZMitXP_/w480-h640/20230808_154832.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVT4gK5kOyGhBYefHnY_gLWMgszbICv_ONkUyncsQ2V-59lrXcWqz05BV8vcjIDskqiqiO_R0uk9UFD0XZB_ovcZKDfrvdcFtwV__I4dLI7pFYwxFl6dOTIjNChb_41pNSeRNgoIwiExwcXXQXuTPOZd1mHuWtnIitmCJR-w6z4TlE6d1mSCh0J8DglRV/s4032/20230808_154712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVT4gK5kOyGhBYefHnY_gLWMgszbICv_ONkUyncsQ2V-59lrXcWqz05BV8vcjIDskqiqiO_R0uk9UFD0XZB_ovcZKDfrvdcFtwV__I4dLI7pFYwxFl6dOTIjNChb_41pNSeRNgoIwiExwcXXQXuTPOZd1mHuWtnIitmCJR-w6z4TlE6d1mSCh0J8DglRV/w480-h640/20230808_154712.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yoQ9B9AvihpoKDoPadY7mwpAWQG3tVMGuNNIR6itbZvyCQnTBMhezKtsseTRIfrg4NcrrMqJVu3r68njQKQtRH4dkaORrOLF2w4BqlnlHPehW32FPLlIS3X0hGOG9Hxfijm0zcHdlEQQbz0uvnlylfl4zHO7HU_s3s5Ca6Q-ti5endwuxn7RUsR6luiE/s4032/20230808_154638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yoQ9B9AvihpoKDoPadY7mwpAWQG3tVMGuNNIR6itbZvyCQnTBMhezKtsseTRIfrg4NcrrMqJVu3r68njQKQtRH4dkaORrOLF2w4BqlnlHPehW32FPLlIS3X0hGOG9Hxfijm0zcHdlEQQbz0uvnlylfl4zHO7HU_s3s5Ca6Q-ti5endwuxn7RUsR6luiE/w480-h640/20230808_154638.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEIHF7Jq-a3j039jnTMqGZU_ElSNQ9nGEl7NMj70AOnk2ytoZSG9GFnyrWbD8IAOv8gG_O7UpwQJqVN0XbWYaAoUGxYqq_sj8UmBAVjbJPaWdslQX52puTZdXf9DAa5jllK_GBPGqdQXkxjldqwS-8a0VA7bXdeQAFpyH3x5bfNXfQ89H-I4q8TfDzWfK/s1600/IMG_2981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEIHF7Jq-a3j039jnTMqGZU_ElSNQ9nGEl7NMj70AOnk2ytoZSG9GFnyrWbD8IAOv8gG_O7UpwQJqVN0XbWYaAoUGxYqq_sj8UmBAVjbJPaWdslQX52puTZdXf9DAa5jllK_GBPGqdQXkxjldqwS-8a0VA7bXdeQAFpyH3x5bfNXfQ89H-I4q8TfDzWfK/w640-h480/IMG_2981.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Please note that Sarah and I are already dressed for the game but Peter and Dan didn't want to walk around wearing their Red Sox shirts as well because if we all had on Red Sox gear would look like "tourists". Which I guess technically Peter is a tourist but Dan is not since he grew up there. :)</p><p>Here are some pictures from Fenway:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dqxLgStvlu8cussCIFi4SZGLSFyuzYyNL5ZHrEJCTjVCeupDO0BA0dRgBqR8CLEca07-5-wQXqlWV56bRZ0zq9BT2joJzgGkELP6nzhrF6DgIQ1beZJJBmCdcbPWlrg091KJVITPTjbsxtuuiqMnaawxwUHEgVbwREQAlDWhqmGJ6c_lDyDt9ClItu6x/s1600/IMG_2988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dqxLgStvlu8cussCIFi4SZGLSFyuzYyNL5ZHrEJCTjVCeupDO0BA0dRgBqR8CLEca07-5-wQXqlWV56bRZ0zq9BT2joJzgGkELP6nzhrF6DgIQ1beZJJBmCdcbPWlrg091KJVITPTjbsxtuuiqMnaawxwUHEgVbwREQAlDWhqmGJ6c_lDyDt9ClItu6x/w640-h480/IMG_2988.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu4I-EJhUi_03yELIQNmlhEG5FXGQn4_ddoXmHFmw6HUXvHOiraq-k_5a2J1R2VUd7cYQKwVXmEJE-R9Ms_ruLh8KdYkfAbGN22QdlGdNmoiIJN3eU5b-YZIA4wCjnRmmSMAp04kYBwHQ9n5HuK8ar76_a345RPaTZ8AJTGvwhiQM7bgCmnFZ5IzOv2eB/s1600/IMG_2995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu4I-EJhUi_03yELIQNmlhEG5FXGQn4_ddoXmHFmw6HUXvHOiraq-k_5a2J1R2VUd7cYQKwVXmEJE-R9Ms_ruLh8KdYkfAbGN22QdlGdNmoiIJN3eU5b-YZIA4wCjnRmmSMAp04kYBwHQ9n5HuK8ar76_a345RPaTZ8AJTGvwhiQM7bgCmnFZ5IzOv2eB/w480-h640/IMG_2995.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl0A9S4x2BkeuV2GNaW5OD7vu77gxJloGkotv41NL-HXIsnPtmobiIYH0fK6qX04_aNzGoNgPT7cOg48EhbO3QLV2a89gN9bbb-8-prjz7EwsjmwavAAuIfQFuXgXKdXCA9kR6Eqz104dyWgmo0jWHaAUaVxVl40J34F7fsdZxB_S8aEVj9G3pJS38JVu/s2048/IMG_2994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl0A9S4x2BkeuV2GNaW5OD7vu77gxJloGkotv41NL-HXIsnPtmobiIYH0fK6qX04_aNzGoNgPT7cOg48EhbO3QLV2a89gN9bbb-8-prjz7EwsjmwavAAuIfQFuXgXKdXCA9kR6Eqz104dyWgmo0jWHaAUaVxVl40J34F7fsdZxB_S8aEVj9G3pJS38JVu/w640-h480/IMG_2994.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg9akoJXl44wXPidc6IwsV1GIH2wGajtiFRfSEFEc2hsazvqaTmxRv6XofWshstuTcIBorM-F_NBMulk-gHuo59rHKj1BpsTIZAEjhcU3jOck8PAMmQvX4wv_csaRUBP7uBOsYygCM7hj2e6BIqk-Vf_LdPw-RrMJ6EZ0tyLCG6FRVI-mh-U0q1ctVUVj/s1600/IMG_2997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg9akoJXl44wXPidc6IwsV1GIH2wGajtiFRfSEFEc2hsazvqaTmxRv6XofWshstuTcIBorM-F_NBMulk-gHuo59rHKj1BpsTIZAEjhcU3jOck8PAMmQvX4wv_csaRUBP7uBOsYygCM7hj2e6BIqk-Vf_LdPw-RrMJ6EZ0tyLCG6FRVI-mh-U0q1ctVUVj/w480-h640/IMG_2997.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEh30xtyXhX0TSURQ7k9JqVY58PS5bdNuQTStalIRoX4FTylS5H7WELjebv_N6EQMRCBDwBsbIf0-YF8UqyRV8A8WX6_0C4cOZgfk4zVze2LSXut-XzFYaR68qj2HViBXmgC2QtA8_rIh_-5K_eO-cuaRRu9zztJ2otIHbrRviR9m_4x7k5IiNn6bGb_r/s1600/IMG_3001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEh30xtyXhX0TSURQ7k9JqVY58PS5bdNuQTStalIRoX4FTylS5H7WELjebv_N6EQMRCBDwBsbIf0-YF8UqyRV8A8WX6_0C4cOZgfk4zVze2LSXut-XzFYaR68qj2HViBXmgC2QtA8_rIh_-5K_eO-cuaRRu9zztJ2otIHbrRviR9m_4x7k5IiNn6bGb_r/w640-h480/IMG_3001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIJKSTSqG8PXGJICK-vh2iHCZz1ntWieh4lJbjGfzA7eodsyY5rOHx4UFt7zJDEg2MDEle6N6gOFxM6-LDgHpF-mJB8BeFP5aOdUHh7g4zIhXLmylujsESyb0E1Shvm0uctOUuzkVQJlTBXAGMZPajmELpME2hrLGxjYDIhaIh1b25brByWIOQc7Tfg4U/s1600/IMG_3002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIJKSTSqG8PXGJICK-vh2iHCZz1ntWieh4lJbjGfzA7eodsyY5rOHx4UFt7zJDEg2MDEle6N6gOFxM6-LDgHpF-mJB8BeFP5aOdUHh7g4zIhXLmylujsESyb0E1Shvm0uctOUuzkVQJlTBXAGMZPajmELpME2hrLGxjYDIhaIh1b25brByWIOQc7Tfg4U/w640-h480/IMG_3002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFOoRMyarxdkxzfO-u219aL7OLPTBUaSKC0SwlEPOTo_zAaV-JdLVwv51oLyOFDBdVFAu8nTu-hRp3r3VBkBVhJ4AUZvwTi_FTmDiN06QeSAxFKg43x1AD-zzrF2mdIwkfD6-vtWThfqhwlG8WMxUcp_Nij931JUyRGY7r5OqEVmoLzsl_9GCcH9BHRy9/s4032/20230808_195658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFOoRMyarxdkxzfO-u219aL7OLPTBUaSKC0SwlEPOTo_zAaV-JdLVwv51oLyOFDBdVFAu8nTu-hRp3r3VBkBVhJ4AUZvwTi_FTmDiN06QeSAxFKg43x1AD-zzrF2mdIwkfD6-vtWThfqhwlG8WMxUcp_Nij931JUyRGY7r5OqEVmoLzsl_9GCcH9BHRy9/w480-h640/20230808_195658.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPTGzGC0yZ7bAtA5on3klFgCtRSZwnC5Tsi8fSiJwr1y4RIo6vZ2kU9kP-GW5UyOIah1m8sNFLDdIGpYNDeVoFlM5Y8CemAO2pBPQdv-kxhUNprTFvTsaQs4QuJmhvpr06uZnTBXTbJt5uy9bZ7AkEJjS1gzGsVo75P6snGepgB_aExHfx3ZMAqXjIfa1/s4032/20230808_195706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKghLba6s7ipZ7yQSAJCekt4XOaNCjqO7-huDPAj5DkdP5SQRAK1dd7LgoPcFQ23KrrkA9k2Xd2_gNjMDi9MAKyiuFvUw_KDNJWjablIEKB5ls6OUl9nM4Lb8-z1wcwnpttg4db9MGZvg5DLb6HE7Da7QN7bmTgqIT8wmQmPltjz2T2U10d_4PmFEbUCSl/s2048/IMG_3005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKghLba6s7ipZ7yQSAJCekt4XOaNCjqO7-huDPAj5DkdP5SQRAK1dd7LgoPcFQ23KrrkA9k2Xd2_gNjMDi9MAKyiuFvUw_KDNJWjablIEKB5ls6OUl9nM4Lb8-z1wcwnpttg4db9MGZvg5DLb6HE7Da7QN7bmTgqIT8wmQmPltjz2T2U10d_4PmFEbUCSl/w640-h480/IMG_3005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The Red Sox lost to the Kansas City Royals but we still had a great day with Dan's family and had a great time at Fenway!</p><p>Wednesday morning Dan and I took a walk through the neighborhood and down by the water while the kids slept in.(We didn't get home from Boston until after Midnight.) Then the kids and I ran some errands while Dan worked on a project at the house. Then we had lunch at home and Sarah and I headed to the beach for a couple of hours. We read our books and picked up shells. Look at the pretty ones we found:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fTrJmf5MTd4upzQilzuN_N5F1QWpAWPObbjaWTmiNGW3PZY424JnQ-s2n46mhcQo2NRztbk2yxwFY1Q3D5i6hu1PIzFPj7cP_ANVpJJCSjTduwdjoXEA9EcoLcW2VPqcZUm6MlYiloMhtJD4GenCprn0qWn--DWRWOARuh8gDOaOApoGcwG3_VcRCt2N/s2048/6A4D9F46-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fTrJmf5MTd4upzQilzuN_N5F1QWpAWPObbjaWTmiNGW3PZY424JnQ-s2n46mhcQo2NRztbk2yxwFY1Q3D5i6hu1PIzFPj7cP_ANVpJJCSjTduwdjoXEA9EcoLcW2VPqcZUm6MlYiloMhtJD4GenCprn0qWn--DWRWOARuh8gDOaOApoGcwG3_VcRCt2N/w480-h640/6A4D9F46-.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaYiLsOF60JowZG1L4FWXf6RTDyluQpg7Og5xVzxBEM694gPJncoKbP_CHcJ2h6eEWFRgXf5jdMrvCTU2l2Xw0o8-xFMJ0dXEVIi57dy3-NevEyTaFh0tTy6oFdh-VI-mdd_9RiPnr6wOzGX4v_viFQz0n4McFMMxDcwIHEwdB-8mCUhbDvY20K3bvdBi/s4032/20230809_155426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaYiLsOF60JowZG1L4FWXf6RTDyluQpg7Og5xVzxBEM694gPJncoKbP_CHcJ2h6eEWFRgXf5jdMrvCTU2l2Xw0o8-xFMJ0dXEVIi57dy3-NevEyTaFh0tTy6oFdh-VI-mdd_9RiPnr6wOzGX4v_viFQz0n4McFMMxDcwIHEwdB-8mCUhbDvY20K3bvdBi/w640-h480/20230809_155426.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Dan and Peter made their way to the beach and swam for a while then we headed back home where we grilled hamburgers and the kids worked on a puzzle. We aren't a big puzzle family but we usually try to work on one while we are at the Cape. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgXYA2caAUIhge7taLegyJq8PPvAhj3C_vOyVtG2-r_AL28Rn8Um1qdq5YL5qDPHFkXmDA-xwdT4gq_DuZZxIBu2BmwxKYe_ag4Emy1quW44A6P6s8rIj519I5mp0Lgp9o4K32A6TtNrn-pHqdQnc6C5YcsWS9LOeCnOlvYpIC0MkKoUrDVmYZK-K4Kko/s4032/20230809_130129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgXYA2caAUIhge7taLegyJq8PPvAhj3C_vOyVtG2-r_AL28Rn8Um1qdq5YL5qDPHFkXmDA-xwdT4gq_DuZZxIBu2BmwxKYe_ag4Emy1quW44A6P6s8rIj519I5mp0Lgp9o4K32A6TtNrn-pHqdQnc6C5YcsWS9LOeCnOlvYpIC0MkKoUrDVmYZK-K4Kko/w480-h640/20230809_130129.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvNqNtaMrCeMComuTX8W3OqsZfYBkoUhx-3Lnzc-3VtNqye93I17neJjl4XDu0Z9bdUD-dTt_8A12PT3DNXxL2i5uK_uvJRvseW9DNg-WX1YzAEM5adz6Nwj8p8wEXy6Hae4j8x4geiNKzLlLR66cQNuBKnYA-ecf2TuSYH1pTEbYpL2O1OjP0gkbnwyD/s4032/20230809_130108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvNqNtaMrCeMComuTX8W3OqsZfYBkoUhx-3Lnzc-3VtNqye93I17neJjl4XDu0Z9bdUD-dTt_8A12PT3DNXxL2i5uK_uvJRvseW9DNg-WX1YzAEM5adz6Nwj8p8wEXy6Hae4j8x4geiNKzLlLR66cQNuBKnYA-ecf2TuSYH1pTEbYpL2O1OjP0gkbnwyD/w480-h640/20230809_130108.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>After dinner we went to Skull Island for a round of mini golf. It's been a long time since we've played mini golf on the Cape so that was a lot of fun! Sarah was determined to beat Dan but she lost by one point. Peter and I duked it out for last place.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDxelW5ZRcHxXtCAneaFI_iArci95tX3kokT4FV0sYm30MbcUP1T8xVOCpxou_6S9pNLiyZPgisc7OPImtuZZWlrhitVTleVDJTyvPTmAd9boq-pb6S2THGpW3HVazrWtuH3qMl4RzQq7U_7VHAzCI4RGGVnJg4Np6fTS1DBJTFCqWjO5-WmqN03Z1ZgJ/s4032/20230809_192146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDxelW5ZRcHxXtCAneaFI_iArci95tX3kokT4FV0sYm30MbcUP1T8xVOCpxou_6S9pNLiyZPgisc7OPImtuZZWlrhitVTleVDJTyvPTmAd9boq-pb6S2THGpW3HVazrWtuH3qMl4RzQq7U_7VHAzCI4RGGVnJg4Np6fTS1DBJTFCqWjO5-WmqN03Z1ZgJ/w480-h640/20230809_192146.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_EpLnaLRcRdDkM4YqrW99MAagv-YXbTyzs_MkvLTE1Vi5L9qVbX6K0lCoe_yogQZM2qsAOtOSwqfmY_repdWw7uVPvqkNQBYoC3yrxowUGy7vzDlxTCqlKG1UiX6mLZciM6ngGCbM4D9I_1fdkA47D1dQredgtbsDgxyZREdEsehkeL_e0rceY9kSGN7/s4032/20230809_192150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_EpLnaLRcRdDkM4YqrW99MAagv-YXbTyzs_MkvLTE1Vi5L9qVbX6K0lCoe_yogQZM2qsAOtOSwqfmY_repdWw7uVPvqkNQBYoC3yrxowUGy7vzDlxTCqlKG1UiX6mLZciM6ngGCbM4D9I_1fdkA47D1dQredgtbsDgxyZREdEsehkeL_e0rceY9kSGN7/w480-h640/20230809_192150.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy_13Lh-k-9sy16_sZByRh9KHgoiE1nYnDV9HLztSY_SwfWi-dmT_TaZFozzmjQulrT0JvZwVbYUfHYsUWaxd7KsNJH-h_0jnr2LWd4qz_hZYQPjbS9C2Hrz_3YrURr83VnjX0uGrYKOuejMh9KvARDS94BSnOMmfF1nE3XRyuyMfCWGCWrRgbujdNmWP/s4032/20230809_192634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy_13Lh-k-9sy16_sZByRh9KHgoiE1nYnDV9HLztSY_SwfWi-dmT_TaZFozzmjQulrT0JvZwVbYUfHYsUWaxd7KsNJH-h_0jnr2LWd4qz_hZYQPjbS9C2Hrz_3YrURr83VnjX0uGrYKOuejMh9KvARDS94BSnOMmfF1nE3XRyuyMfCWGCWrRgbujdNmWP/w480-h640/20230809_192634.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1WSV0EYjbZNfHF2ujDOUgvPPoyf_gNVN4IdOIcvpvM5eyuISsO1biJ5gyI0-O8xjHrMryj0u-zUuw_kHdTXIzDqqtH00ujUlFJTA2cWUb6qiCgyBGCB5NmSIv1IKCPwlEj3Mb2e76jqmnBdK5DfJZQTSAJbc-bP5jQb5R1Lc3KcDxJS0xXeK2oc5rgWj/s4032/20230809_201142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1WSV0EYjbZNfHF2ujDOUgvPPoyf_gNVN4IdOIcvpvM5eyuISsO1biJ5gyI0-O8xjHrMryj0u-zUuw_kHdTXIzDqqtH00ujUlFJTA2cWUb6qiCgyBGCB5NmSIv1IKCPwlEj3Mb2e76jqmnBdK5DfJZQTSAJbc-bP5jQb5R1Lc3KcDxJS0xXeK2oc5rgWj/w480-h640/20230809_201142.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g1FPm3QEihXTmc6p_QiWru46RdLp5wNnvGWPeyQoMjQvvDhmz_FrC6e1FlLwdUSO10N7-9HJmrwS_TY9ioCCMKFuCggtVHVDa4lc6hiKumVr29JcZHf2HBDbUiNabIVs5UnZB8sMAci0VrqL0LWZxm_8gg1jZX57a_fdkT4h-iMFRkNHCfddjtGdHDhB/s4032/20230809_204537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g1FPm3QEihXTmc6p_QiWru46RdLp5wNnvGWPeyQoMjQvvDhmz_FrC6e1FlLwdUSO10N7-9HJmrwS_TY9ioCCMKFuCggtVHVDa4lc6hiKumVr29JcZHf2HBDbUiNabIVs5UnZB8sMAci0VrqL0LWZxm_8gg1jZX57a_fdkT4h-iMFRkNHCfddjtGdHDhB/w480-h640/20230809_204537.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />After mini golf we headed to the new Cuffy's location. <a href="https://cuffys.com/">Cuffy's</a> is the premier place on the Cape for tee shirts and sweatshirts and they just recently opened a 20,000 square foot location with a boardwalk and ice cream shop, a sandwich shop, and all kinds of cool gifts and souvenirs. You could literally wander through that store for an hour or more. And they have a neat candy shop with this on the wall: <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuFHAhw_z0CW2xAtCJ77SD7yVEXWXnX7QJh9ibDmhhtmy3Yuqz8wiOWv68vbb6Vwej8ket5cbIWkKitbEEfoGClB1Xu9cnhdIgUjg8nSEztYRkz3XAD3k2czV9gOJxHOQlIhfRmfg2mn3lXPJxxaDXUGvYqI9X28TczOZ6BxWlYPUz5_IID7NBwBX10NC/s4032/20230809_210136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuFHAhw_z0CW2xAtCJ77SD7yVEXWXnX7QJh9ibDmhhtmy3Yuqz8wiOWv68vbb6Vwej8ket5cbIWkKitbEEfoGClB1Xu9cnhdIgUjg8nSEztYRkz3XAD3k2czV9gOJxHOQlIhfRmfg2mn3lXPJxxaDXUGvYqI9X28TczOZ6BxWlYPUz5_IID7NBwBX10NC/w640-h480/20230809_210136.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>That's all done in JELLY BEANS!!!</p><p>After we left Cuffy's we headed to the Sundae School in Dennis for ice cream and then came back home and worked on the puzzle more. The puzzle is of the area of the Cape where we stay. You submit your address to this company and they turn the map of the address into a puzzle. It was really cool putting the street part of it together but everyone got bored of it when it was just water. Like I said we are not puzzle people. :)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpOTZJ_fq85TFwXgRcU3w6g0oGPLQBix1ftMwgcOLADJOzWvU-v8aKGr1t8saqWmQJAEg7MV5wTXvM2cAdcQJbm3BTiDeUk52uk8LG5RT44gyU2FKJ0WHwPb9W-p1kLEVrDPhoWqWIp8scmpSelGEhXk-usVPgJisLSapK4KG1lehMhUipOnTCRZ8yERc/s4032/20230809_231924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpOTZJ_fq85TFwXgRcU3w6g0oGPLQBix1ftMwgcOLADJOzWvU-v8aKGr1t8saqWmQJAEg7MV5wTXvM2cAdcQJbm3BTiDeUk52uk8LG5RT44gyU2FKJ0WHwPb9W-p1kLEVrDPhoWqWIp8scmpSelGEhXk-usVPgJisLSapK4KG1lehMhUipOnTCRZ8yERc/w480-h640/20230809_231924.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>It was cloudy on Thursday but Dan and I did our morning walk and then we went to some thrift shops on then at lunch at the Black Cat in Hyannis. It was quite tasty.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mnOE4TzWORS2JJSNBjBDGu_ARYg5epJArBj1q54G4fDlbpMkq_MM4QDm3vtt8hhwnxIjrSDJ63UVBU_lFfb-9PAragUVSIm33dZOAtEYfiphvHr4N0kN_ZCFGFIEihAUVQ13mD3_dWd43fpb5bzdpkPGaqLU8B89njZgH-Yq2diQsq2es7_k9kxUfBrr/s1346/Image_1692359210101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mnOE4TzWORS2JJSNBjBDGu_ARYg5epJArBj1q54G4fDlbpMkq_MM4QDm3vtt8hhwnxIjrSDJ63UVBU_lFfb-9PAragUVSIm33dZOAtEYfiphvHr4N0kN_ZCFGFIEihAUVQ13mD3_dWd43fpb5bzdpkPGaqLU8B89njZgH-Yq2diQsq2es7_k9kxUfBrr/w514-h640/Image_1692359210101.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><p>After lunch, we visited with one of the neighbors and then I made spaghetti. After dinner we headed to another Cape League game even though it was starting to rain a little. We stayed for a while but the rain was too much for me and Sarah so we went to the car and waited it out until Dan and Peter were done. Sarah really wanted a hot shower after sitting in the rain so she and I went home while Dan and Peter got ice cream. </p><p>Friday was our last day on the Cape which meant a lot of work. After breakfast and our morning walk, we went to the dump, returned cans, found Dan some Yarmouth tee shirts (after looking in a bunch of tee shirt shops), and started cleaning and doing more laundry. After lunch we hit the beach for a few hours as a family. We took some drinks and the speaker (Peter has an excellent Spotify playlist) so we hung out enjoying the sunshine, the water, the music, and our time together.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGwX9by7yn50FIizjISBNHS90UY0w4PYEaSyWTmkfDS_E8GEMthew11v3ysMwy5tluNPnLV_Z50x5A2rblIRim5HHjdGd4iepSJxV4s9tEkvo_B1nPyVvYouqSXm71xMzkR1T_VOnnB2WA6b5wvO1H-58sJoOmbiRY8QzIAN4U-K4sYbRcPBQNCL0ludt/s3648/20230811_165239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGwX9by7yn50FIizjISBNHS90UY0w4PYEaSyWTmkfDS_E8GEMthew11v3ysMwy5tluNPnLV_Z50x5A2rblIRim5HHjdGd4iepSJxV4s9tEkvo_B1nPyVvYouqSXm71xMzkR1T_VOnnB2WA6b5wvO1H-58sJoOmbiRY8QzIAN4U-K4sYbRcPBQNCL0ludt/w640-h480/20230811_165239.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>After the beach we had pizza (also a last night tradition) and got our final Cape ice cream at the Lil Caboose. It was such a lovely last day on the Cape. <p></p><p>After closing up the house, we were on the road by 7:00 on Saturday morning. We (of course) stopped at Dunkin for coffee and donuts and made it to a Shake Shack somewhere (no clue where we were) for lunch. I had never been to Shake Shack before and it was delicious! We normally go to mass in Winchester, VA but we knew we wouldn't make it so we stopped in Hagerstown, MD for mass at St. Mary's. </p><p>On Sunday morning I was reading my email in the car and got a note from someone who reads my blog and doesn't comment (Hey, Catherine!) and she was asking if we were at St. Mary's on Saturday evening. She thought she recognized me! How cool is that? </p><p>After mass we made it to our hotel in Winchester and then headed to Old Town for dinner. It's another tradition. They have the cutest area where Loudoun Street is closed to traffic and you can walk on the street and shop or eat. They have a bunch of restaurants. This time we tried the Water Street Kitchen. It was excellent! </p><p>Dan snapped this pic of me outside one of the old buildings on Loudoun St.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyfdmvkVkDCNo60vGQYJ7bbexxHCD4aaoeARhIoR6C__UE_O-qNE5jjbM0Srtd4oekp_glIAf3qcycrZv1BY7_X9j8prAmvdhyQ5GmuqOn5nROMnKnGHkePOHV3yrtPmHX-c5VGWDNGVE_PHvIV8p1vanyiGgIsc-tIBnWCy4vRpXnqQgjK2aYtTzTorF/s1280/IMG_3042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyfdmvkVkDCNo60vGQYJ7bbexxHCD4aaoeARhIoR6C__UE_O-qNE5jjbM0Srtd4oekp_glIAf3qcycrZv1BY7_X9j8prAmvdhyQ5GmuqOn5nROMnKnGHkePOHV3yrtPmHX-c5VGWDNGVE_PHvIV8p1vanyiGgIsc-tIBnWCy4vRpXnqQgjK2aYtTzTorF/w480-h640/IMG_3042.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Sunday morning we slept late, enjoyed another delicious (well, free anyway) breakfast at Hampton Inn and made our way home. We got unpacked, got the laundry going, played with the cats and then joined Mom and Brad for a delicious home cooked meal at her house!</p><p>It's nice to be home but I had such a wonderful time with my little family. Now that the kids don't live at home any longer, I really do cherish our time together. </p><p>And here are a couple of parting shots. Dan took this picture on Friday evening when he and the kids went for a quick bike ride together...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEXijri6LpqRyki7jyKfQ6ZDiJXvlkiN8FsZR07m25KC8q29tLaQSHdPOab5KnE9QQELm7Q0zyegSrWkh9iTe2tnW2gjf6M7vgTSYFCWnkBEpFzJXfuJ9iPrYFYWbQ3aWaHw9ywO6Y5-d2xlBvI64u1AcZ-gh-Cm3Lv0mul_IxlasMIFMoaa6WiHmnr8_/s1600/IMG_3014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEXijri6LpqRyki7jyKfQ6ZDiJXvlkiN8FsZR07m25KC8q29tLaQSHdPOab5KnE9QQELm7Q0zyegSrWkh9iTe2tnW2gjf6M7vgTSYFCWnkBEpFzJXfuJ9iPrYFYWbQ3aWaHw9ywO6Y5-d2xlBvI64u1AcZ-gh-Cm3Lv0mul_IxlasMIFMoaa6WiHmnr8_/w480-h640/IMG_3014.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>And I took this one when I went down to the beach to see if I could spot them.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6E0WsgIr5loEAby9tVwcz15S0J2hBS_J9yhTiNO_FEqZpKKuOON5n88FTpuAldvwFfHIPUfLm0pkGs8GonAxQp1BB9O1J9VoGQ3Mdm6PJdbWCTG71uFdhUrAvLSYe2BF95LCuHGOR5aoZ_tJ2PR8CYAz90c2haiFGNdPae64bLQfFbTLl6ZWQ6KN4wOY/s1600/IMG_1788001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6E0WsgIr5loEAby9tVwcz15S0J2hBS_J9yhTiNO_FEqZpKKuOON5n88FTpuAldvwFfHIPUfLm0pkGs8GonAxQp1BB9O1J9VoGQ3Mdm6PJdbWCTG71uFdhUrAvLSYe2BF95LCuHGOR5aoZ_tJ2PR8CYAz90c2haiFGNdPae64bLQfFbTLl6ZWQ6KN4wOY/w480-h640/IMG_1788001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Until next time, Cape Cod.<br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-47156507830528696102023-08-16T16:23:00.000-04:002023-08-16T16:23:08.945-04:00Cape Cod Trip - Part 1.<p> It's time for the annual vacation post. We started our yearly trek to Cape Cod on Thursday, August 3rd. We left around 8:30 AM and arrived in Newburg, NY around 7:15 PM. We had dinner at Longhorn and then hit the bed early. After a delicious (well, free anyway) breakfast at Hampton Inn, we were on the road on Friday morning by 9:00 AM and were at the house on the Cape by 3:00.</p><p>Our first day there consists of turning the water on, opening the windows (no A/C at the Cape house), unpacking, getting groceries, etc. After doing all the boring things, we went to the beach briefly and then we always order pizza our first night on the Cape. It's tradition after all! After dinner we went to the Cape Cod Creamery for ice cream because we get ice cream every night after dinner when we are on the Cape. That's also tradition!<br /></p><p>On Saturday, the weather was nice. Dan and I had a couple of household errands to do while the kids slept in and then Sarah and I went to the beach. We came back for lunch and then headed back to the beach. Dan and Peter went for a drive and then joined us. They aren't as into sitting on the beach and relaxing as much as Sarah and I are. </p><p>We then went to Mass at 4:00 PM and then ran to TJ Maxx looking for cheap Red Sox gear. We came home and I prepared delicious burrito bowls. We went to Gray's Beach to see the sunset. We almost didn't make it before the sun totally set but I'm glad we did as this has become another tradition - at least one night we try to make it their to see the gorgeous sunset.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPalqr0RJphVAA00xbLXLpdfTFfwCZug-qMD06qtBTTDM9GpfBjMY1QujMYEYWenrPJj-yKy7s647tRd0ZqZeOj0bco9qLQZAMWRf8NpmPmycJOlk5aOHR7pjfjod-T19okVS3yijuQBzB9UnuzYJ_LxtoYLTbJDQlKi6d73i8OT4EbodfG4V1F8pKZYm-/s4032/20230805_201239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPalqr0RJphVAA00xbLXLpdfTFfwCZug-qMD06qtBTTDM9GpfBjMY1QujMYEYWenrPJj-yKy7s647tRd0ZqZeOj0bco9qLQZAMWRf8NpmPmycJOlk5aOHR7pjfjod-T19okVS3yijuQBzB9UnuzYJ_LxtoYLTbJDQlKi6d73i8OT4EbodfG4V1F8pKZYm-/w480-h640/20230805_201239.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghck8yXKcqkuJ1qsfEHher9dg71sqral5dic0B7JTmfznDwiKBSAF6AZi1slsVGok8aQ0OweZHNb_hVx1Dz1sEDoqd-BBQyP_vf4S_cAutq5v1iOfJ-epifBGJzQX5301bxlk_gQChI-OQRqUf9gQjXkTH7hD6Wpr4J5gm-XHICDFSWLKL--1f2U4it1bc/s4032/20230805_201137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghck8yXKcqkuJ1qsfEHher9dg71sqral5dic0B7JTmfznDwiKBSAF6AZi1slsVGok8aQ0OweZHNb_hVx1Dz1sEDoqd-BBQyP_vf4S_cAutq5v1iOfJ-epifBGJzQX5301bxlk_gQChI-OQRqUf9gQjXkTH7hD6Wpr4J5gm-XHICDFSWLKL--1f2U4it1bc/w480-h640/20230805_201137.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>And then we headed to Ice Cream Smuggler for...you guessed it! Ice Cream!</p><p>We were up and out the door early on Sunday morning headed to Newport, RI. If you will recall, last year we visited Newport for the first time and had a really great day. But this year, we were doing something special - Eric (Dan's sister Cathy's partner) is now a member of the <a href="https://nyyc.org/harbour-court">New York Yacht Club</a> and he invited us to join them for lunch at their Newport location! We were so excited! (Eric and Cathy had just finished competing in a race which is why they were in Newport. The race ended the day before.)<br /></p><p>We got to Newport early and took a trolly tour around town. It was very informative. Even though we were there last year and toured around ourselves, we saw a lot on the tour that we didn't even know was there and learned a lot about the area too. After the tour (which was supposed to be only 90 minutes but ended up lasting a little over 2 hours) we headed straight to the yacht club and were only a few minutes late for the reservation. We were late because the driver stopped along the beach for photos:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOW1PKdLwac8srrdT4wvUa7orRVh0De8kvdRwgA-I3RGPXc7r1wtoHFS3fcIdN5mOYhOMRq-2oC9Ri71aAL5BYFN1wgJbEJGvUAs9XiozN0VMAdx5Vqjxnq_irCVdWsPX7Oz_qDEX4NceXmUpXF5TKbvpD5hFXIFgFujmE86Crv9THX11n8J7gX2tN1WT/s1600/IMG_2902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOW1PKdLwac8srrdT4wvUa7orRVh0De8kvdRwgA-I3RGPXc7r1wtoHFS3fcIdN5mOYhOMRq-2oC9Ri71aAL5BYFN1wgJbEJGvUAs9XiozN0VMAdx5Vqjxnq_irCVdWsPX7Oz_qDEX4NceXmUpXF5TKbvpD5hFXIFgFujmE86Crv9THX11n8J7gX2tN1WT/w300-h400/IMG_2902.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQONIq9bxzFTTOg5-5vQ8cHIspJiFbKb20PC_Aqo_XXpjC9mlqkbOIunF7A1kt18DYhCME4LQJXw1hJkfwHn0iWbT8wgZ2ydgKSOLzdy283SrziDyLFbezXPExrQ4z3VHzfSFff-HXaEPMDy3B3e-iwTRFmTOgyWqw0McWyMAmO1B5vwk9twQHYAA1Jnj/s1600/IMG_2895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQONIq9bxzFTTOg5-5vQ8cHIspJiFbKb20PC_Aqo_XXpjC9mlqkbOIunF7A1kt18DYhCME4LQJXw1hJkfwHn0iWbT8wgZ2ydgKSOLzdy283SrziDyLFbezXPExrQ4z3VHzfSFff-HXaEPMDy3B3e-iwTRFmTOgyWqw0McWyMAmO1B5vwk9twQHYAA1Jnj/w300-h400/IMG_2895.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjj8DHPy4hDzjb4fVM9ZHSmIIGYBRdvyyn5Y-WliEoqu5WdO7EDkyqjUrG1iw_NPjoyUYkQVQwroBD8fEvAStmulKA16FiC5ekth0KFW39I4e4EeFY1u6PeIJRlYSeu30TBTO0p9AsEyVSpqLkcY3z7C9KRYXgxDoKK5nDfrSxRJzcOptoGSFFUdrayBj/s1600/IMG_2891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjj8DHPy4hDzjb4fVM9ZHSmIIGYBRdvyyn5Y-WliEoqu5WdO7EDkyqjUrG1iw_NPjoyUYkQVQwroBD8fEvAStmulKA16FiC5ekth0KFW39I4e4EeFY1u6PeIJRlYSeu30TBTO0p9AsEyVSpqLkcY3z7C9KRYXgxDoKK5nDfrSxRJzcOptoGSFFUdrayBj/w300-h400/IMG_2891.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>We sat outside at the yacht club and enjoyed an absolutely beautiful view of the harbor. Sadly, there are no pictures because you aren't allowed to take any pictures while you are on the grounds of the club. <a href="https://nyyc.org/harbour-court">Click here to see what the outside of the club looks like.</a> We had lunch under the green and white awning. After a delicious lunch, Eric toured us around the grounds and then we all headed to the Breakers.<p></p><p>The Breakers is a mansion in Newport that was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1893. Cornelius is the brother to George Vanderbilt who built the Biltmore House in North Carolina. (Trying saying all that 5 times fast. That's a lot of bilts and builts.)</p><p><a href="https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/the-breakers/">The Breakers was gorgeous</a>. It was so ornate and the view was breathtaking. It's a lot smaller than the Biltmore House but in all of our opinions, much more beautiful. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy1McDCz-5BWwqBpK0wDUKcxaelVnNklb9lLuUi31OrLoTFGKzEcTtpm4r7bl9svPaRHgpwI7NmBbwBBfJWkaMsUjjng0mM-b9GF3NWAhYKffyQ1VkQELuXxek9uuBU0qJYxr_Mw4yUHz3KCph9zIRdcIzt7Xjyv9eyRAjKqGmnA2Qdy2rN_v_Ri5mTcK/s4032/20230806_144253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy1McDCz-5BWwqBpK0wDUKcxaelVnNklb9lLuUi31OrLoTFGKzEcTtpm4r7bl9svPaRHgpwI7NmBbwBBfJWkaMsUjjng0mM-b9GF3NWAhYKffyQ1VkQELuXxek9uuBU0qJYxr_Mw4yUHz3KCph9zIRdcIzt7Xjyv9eyRAjKqGmnA2Qdy2rN_v_Ri5mTcK/w300-h400/20230806_144253.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS447yNFAVbYZpUdPwcJpP6SuSrXxkQAn6MBhU2MqqU_AYK-Xs6UPxkMMoWAIOlRh7fqBLFuyYjrapAqWepyqiaK_0CRCfzXt_m5nvEnkzK6dAISuokCbhV8xWjhiBqIfUY2Iusho-jx8SFMZiM-YYSi70LzT1sZe0WW6uVD2L5DfWlqGDah0QOYmtH5ew/s4032/20230806_144437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS447yNFAVbYZpUdPwcJpP6SuSrXxkQAn6MBhU2MqqU_AYK-Xs6UPxkMMoWAIOlRh7fqBLFuyYjrapAqWepyqiaK_0CRCfzXt_m5nvEnkzK6dAISuokCbhV8xWjhiBqIfUY2Iusho-jx8SFMZiM-YYSi70LzT1sZe0WW6uVD2L5DfWlqGDah0QOYmtH5ew/w300-h400/20230806_144437.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68bmTZE6_tuH6YU7Z04WdToOKH4Vls-nC16RPooOKbHvpBCcZdmDaNKuc04P7JTqWhJzhQJ2p1WlpYdwv0la2goO8TxRExweMRINhUuk0Q08di8SA4YbtsAPPcoE4xPoWezHBuLl50XqTVsgQcEYD0o9Iis3x8hV0rXxSe2-mU0Z0sc9o3QC61G_AF_mK/s4032/20230806_151617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68bmTZE6_tuH6YU7Z04WdToOKH4Vls-nC16RPooOKbHvpBCcZdmDaNKuc04P7JTqWhJzhQJ2p1WlpYdwv0la2goO8TxRExweMRINhUuk0Q08di8SA4YbtsAPPcoE4xPoWezHBuLl50XqTVsgQcEYD0o9Iis3x8hV0rXxSe2-mU0Z0sc9o3QC61G_AF_mK/w300-h400/20230806_151617.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB4z_2D13alaIDjbQD4uqc01o9KnbHXl9F6AF4QUjq4pkIFls3ytWDuKeXzJMnH6Kf7wqA_uhFzhBBnsmfrnXBJ_iiaXad7i1L5f6zoSC6ISwHRWRVURHTav3FRumDjXDwTvBb78bPap9yftkHTjYq80xTfKVHGGWFT13cUckn7NmEmfNFpVt6zv2mgzq/s4032/20230806_150201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB4z_2D13alaIDjbQD4uqc01o9KnbHXl9F6AF4QUjq4pkIFls3ytWDuKeXzJMnH6Kf7wqA_uhFzhBBnsmfrnXBJ_iiaXad7i1L5f6zoSC6ISwHRWRVURHTav3FRumDjXDwTvBb78bPap9yftkHTjYq80xTfKVHGGWFT13cUckn7NmEmfNFpVt6zv2mgzq/w300-h400/20230806_150201.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-Uxodq6vMTzA05Vux2tXiroIbBfcb6toNCX__A53_LJnk2Bg2348ooeG7TM5vWOwPqzZFo15EKM8yAcTroD-N9pA0SRVJnO4tUWVasAWc6WY2uJShwwU-QhFliX2ZPu5Q3knYEhZGaxVMwZ3-pS9tpy6uKGAjoRVcf-mM9XVkKVWYzW2VEB7KtdAD37/s4032/20230806_152058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-Uxodq6vMTzA05Vux2tXiroIbBfcb6toNCX__A53_LJnk2Bg2348ooeG7TM5vWOwPqzZFo15EKM8yAcTroD-N9pA0SRVJnO4tUWVasAWc6WY2uJShwwU-QhFliX2ZPu5Q3knYEhZGaxVMwZ3-pS9tpy6uKGAjoRVcf-mM9XVkKVWYzW2VEB7KtdAD37/w300-h400/20230806_152058.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My pictures aren't very good and certainly don't do it justice. Here are some shots from the balcony or piazza or terrace - can't remember the exact word they used for it... (it's the back porch if you are a redneck from the south).<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5Uo_DMc24GOFW16vFXAlIFC14Ji_hzO0RLdV0V3l7WeC1abc6mKBTsh5cpvxjAQN5k0dku7P_GsSCjmcDPju7Eco4JfbRFTKfrYL273edfH3KpD-b0FU-lFd04twe4j_-jokNmAAf3E5ZWphr4pbeogYHTeVimI-fTu4VgRgIomK3DhZMqg1PE59Nqwn/s1280/IMG_2916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5Uo_DMc24GOFW16vFXAlIFC14Ji_hzO0RLdV0V3l7WeC1abc6mKBTsh5cpvxjAQN5k0dku7P_GsSCjmcDPju7Eco4JfbRFTKfrYL273edfH3KpD-b0FU-lFd04twe4j_-jokNmAAf3E5ZWphr4pbeogYHTeVimI-fTu4VgRgIomK3DhZMqg1PE59Nqwn/w300-h400/IMG_2916.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnv_Ne9liAC_KG8iCGd268jd8wJW7lN5tykCVRyDC4JSE2c5QM9ossIAAmD6wYOhBYR4gFXDpplVTW-84XxopcwDI7PQ5FrWXg0Oaz-P4NLw1I_8erRc8CIkrXQ4cffDLWIkCGqLKHLFILvQUQyxIC1nj-1VZoSoF7wcUr_1osWRGQlrg7sN5Y99K26ZA/s1600/IMG_2920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnv_Ne9liAC_KG8iCGd268jd8wJW7lN5tykCVRyDC4JSE2c5QM9ossIAAmD6wYOhBYR4gFXDpplVTW-84XxopcwDI7PQ5FrWXg0Oaz-P4NLw1I_8erRc8CIkrXQ4cffDLWIkCGqLKHLFILvQUQyxIC1nj-1VZoSoF7wcUr_1osWRGQlrg7sN5Y99K26ZA/w300-h400/IMG_2920.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-vdR8ILmmaJ4FrDxLJiTx_pw9Rfoi9qhwcZt28rLwmHX5cXr0h0D8qo78n2eNOe3290CDBVHNni2XAomuHJy0Dg7hmxN2khhQGUm-OuTJVht4x6nK-saAeleFrR74YktTnCo4hV5SSGdn2fs0v_HhZEuwI4BtQ6j-ZgvZe2VtcrtVY0iNt7Spj5MKhrd/s2048/IMG_2918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-vdR8ILmmaJ4FrDxLJiTx_pw9Rfoi9qhwcZt28rLwmHX5cXr0h0D8qo78n2eNOe3290CDBVHNni2XAomuHJy0Dg7hmxN2khhQGUm-OuTJVht4x6nK-saAeleFrR74YktTnCo4hV5SSGdn2fs0v_HhZEuwI4BtQ6j-ZgvZe2VtcrtVY0iNt7Spj5MKhrd/w400-h300/IMG_2918.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd92f-D2EPnrgqA56LgoE3Bn9aIg_N7etbrP2zvrEQSAvVamWo6ThQ0BsSXcz7W9xJa4hJldUIIff4ZspJJfLKuDPntCQc-6CXOV_nYiQXdkKKpelOQKaOp9O8Wx2B4qvYS4rn4v2VfEPQAlAPGouL8bUbmuuBZzgJ7AJ6H3o-hn4BGVj-6T4X3vvNefL/s2048/IMG_2911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd92f-D2EPnrgqA56LgoE3Bn9aIg_N7etbrP2zvrEQSAvVamWo6ThQ0BsSXcz7W9xJa4hJldUIIff4ZspJJfLKuDPntCQc-6CXOV_nYiQXdkKKpelOQKaOp9O8Wx2B4qvYS4rn4v2VfEPQAlAPGouL8bUbmuuBZzgJ7AJ6H3o-hn4BGVj-6T4X3vvNefL/w300-h400/IMG_2911.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PLj__B1JT8gbBS7XutG27jk4DU8bodQZUUxKKbpGA4PiM4PKlPi_0uc9RGAoc3dz69NTmnpnH3xZ84pY5TDcFId5OsaOx0mU7_TOy2ltYN8KeCR4Qrzj1z2S19woBnUs273JZ6ryE5XvpMvi7n9sB1NVJDMIbEqL4lczkXmxFKnkwFsc0XFMvRa_Y2Ka/s2048/IMG_2912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PLj__B1JT8gbBS7XutG27jk4DU8bodQZUUxKKbpGA4PiM4PKlPi_0uc9RGAoc3dz69NTmnpnH3xZ84pY5TDcFId5OsaOx0mU7_TOy2ltYN8KeCR4Qrzj1z2S19woBnUs273JZ6ryE5XvpMvi7n9sB1NVJDMIbEqL4lczkXmxFKnkwFsc0XFMvRa_Y2Ka/w300-h400/IMG_2912.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Then we went outside and walked along part of the Cliff Walk. The <a href="http://cliffwalk.com/">Cliff Walk</a> is a three and half mile walk around the cliffs and outside of some of the mansions in Newport. We had some great views of the ocean on our walk.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjwfGxS-YzQliEHlKBf_ZserPuVaNrCkPYgbFfTGKol594kll61PUJzo5SdpFOdl2adOMI7xeDu34t9kXUmv3uzUOXZl5hpJdGfRLkIh5XEEj3AV72sU1Hcj9YkqlQ1ZJl7_6sLQ9ePie1kea7280BtXsMnvTQrA3yaR6PFD3gGhrI5vsJKZZBLVRxRpl/s1280/IMG_2939001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjwfGxS-YzQliEHlKBf_ZserPuVaNrCkPYgbFfTGKol594kll61PUJzo5SdpFOdl2adOMI7xeDu34t9kXUmv3uzUOXZl5hpJdGfRLkIh5XEEj3AV72sU1Hcj9YkqlQ1ZJl7_6sLQ9ePie1kea7280BtXsMnvTQrA3yaR6PFD3gGhrI5vsJKZZBLVRxRpl/w640-h480/IMG_2939001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhrUbtOHobmwjM25FK1uEot4XW3KnsfCM0lLu4a1iJnbOna6M1G90ZGhyjnV-Nvtv3zq6tSHqEN0a4sGxaTWJDqarMZmPnCZwMEyGuXL_B-f65ay19Rk7NSM8wfrcIr894-BeGBZM0wBUQPo-tWfL9u06fCV5CMpybbRJLS9PDg76NDJUG6YZy5K8Y4EG/s1600/IMG_2943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhrUbtOHobmwjM25FK1uEot4XW3KnsfCM0lLu4a1iJnbOna6M1G90ZGhyjnV-Nvtv3zq6tSHqEN0a4sGxaTWJDqarMZmPnCZwMEyGuXL_B-f65ay19Rk7NSM8wfrcIr894-BeGBZM0wBUQPo-tWfL9u06fCV5CMpybbRJLS9PDg76NDJUG6YZy5K8Y4EG/w640-h480/IMG_2943.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSiP3_3PoIxzh4Wz976IpTjeDnk2gxpNZkF3-ENzXPKGg6yhzjQClkPeIRhFexIygzK2gKVExCudAuJ66vVOMlqMI7LBb0wiJYjdXijAp55PdJb7IWTXL8CSXe9gbngfXOFrMIAxIXsP6eQp48viLQuO7yejsXgRQLhJLVcPvNWsnqNQpdl1AEZ2LRhVK/s1600/IMG_2934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSiP3_3PoIxzh4Wz976IpTjeDnk2gxpNZkF3-ENzXPKGg6yhzjQClkPeIRhFexIygzK2gKVExCudAuJ66vVOMlqMI7LBb0wiJYjdXijAp55PdJb7IWTXL8CSXe9gbngfXOFrMIAxIXsP6eQp48viLQuO7yejsXgRQLhJLVcPvNWsnqNQpdl1AEZ2LRhVK/w640-h480/IMG_2934.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-2VxJw3OZO_UjkMP9EENRB5J58sZBndJLLHusapsIpHqG35BTRkQO-fgTfFkNWUDECn-tYdkpimzEC_Ynol9UdMlRK0_QtY3sBitodrE-42ubbRcQWsHnTS8hCOLk2FRY7f4paOOFHAcS4NiiawV63Ozvee-fGtlNMebJ7d04OWbJoSDmcSL1z0FDjPq/s4032/20230806_161951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-2VxJw3OZO_UjkMP9EENRB5J58sZBndJLLHusapsIpHqG35BTRkQO-fgTfFkNWUDECn-tYdkpimzEC_Ynol9UdMlRK0_QtY3sBitodrE-42ubbRcQWsHnTS8hCOLk2FRY7f4paOOFHAcS4NiiawV63Ozvee-fGtlNMebJ7d04OWbJoSDmcSL1z0FDjPq/w480-h640/20230806_161951.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7v9aZmPjI5jLpeiBz-km5WEy9qXl3vp7aOEdR8w9qJYJOfuvBH_zxRi2u7UiakU3dcxhIorKAvf63uF1nPkvCKPBVf67QSWWNrIagR39oFL1AQDQg9rFiVemtMVHupy3S6xTNlsrZ62bPQlugg8Rp7isjvHfXJqI0faSSzO7LAlWTtDyxXMHd_GAh893W/s4032/20230806_161934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7v9aZmPjI5jLpeiBz-km5WEy9qXl3vp7aOEdR8w9qJYJOfuvBH_zxRi2u7UiakU3dcxhIorKAvf63uF1nPkvCKPBVf67QSWWNrIagR39oFL1AQDQg9rFiVemtMVHupy3S6xTNlsrZ62bPQlugg8Rp7isjvHfXJqI0faSSzO7LAlWTtDyxXMHd_GAh893W/w640-h480/20230806_161934.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xydk6gXQG1Rju2aWZ_lzN-bA7-mXFXls1kmdqbNtulzgaGyf3lhIohpUf1ORRJW9-KljxVDX9HiqIGutcviWQaGW0Q9sItiau4VqNg5c2AJwV3GVysOwSD6bgaODryRLaRiF0HtRuD4tdoHO-ALv9BihVj7fAW-ZAm9IapIFgRkEW88k415HaazkOlhd/s4032/20230806_161807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xydk6gXQG1Rju2aWZ_lzN-bA7-mXFXls1kmdqbNtulzgaGyf3lhIohpUf1ORRJW9-KljxVDX9HiqIGutcviWQaGW0Q9sItiau4VqNg5c2AJwV3GVysOwSD6bgaODryRLaRiF0HtRuD4tdoHO-ALv9BihVj7fAW-ZAm9IapIFgRkEW88k415HaazkOlhd/w480-h640/20230806_161807.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ABdHEOp-kbDZ2H-OEmAxAx-yukrMvncTnNXGlntB1gKUMfXEBIH6V67SU2KCGrRVMVyHr0KVSDfKMB44VFE0nwopWIZtiNu_d8IS4s7KR9wJ39UMHAtXan0ViU3QFP0olPXJ20l4EfwKQ4kutKhuPAurj0oWJEClVmIzcDhVnCw088MAvQXvaEjvd4K1/s1600/IMG_2931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ABdHEOp-kbDZ2H-OEmAxAx-yukrMvncTnNXGlntB1gKUMfXEBIH6V67SU2KCGrRVMVyHr0KVSDfKMB44VFE0nwopWIZtiNu_d8IS4s7KR9wJ39UMHAtXan0ViU3QFP0olPXJ20l4EfwKQ4kutKhuPAurj0oWJEClVmIzcDhVnCw088MAvQXvaEjvd4K1/w640-h480/IMG_2931.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>We said our goodbyes to Cathy and Eric and then headed back to the Cape. On our way back, we stopped in Fairhaven to visit <a href="http://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/">Colleen'</a>s Ice Cream Cottage. <a href="http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2023/08/we-made-it-to-ice-cream-cottage.html">Check out my post here</a>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGM2ewjSKVgqx8PkrCHdIHZQQz-UvCUkhe9N2oUZpLKd_6U15QGwshxhPDUPuxjRUgehhDMS8vpfxZA2mzZUtUpAgR9aMrBNRjtToKKwwaj7kltI9rlXgTBiXc999_wmHMrTnf30L34SdpQcIJbv12IoPaTO6KK9QL--QnL2dNqbEs8LVrcIy2LSkZWy/s4032/20230806_182711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGM2ewjSKVgqx8PkrCHdIHZQQz-UvCUkhe9N2oUZpLKd_6U15QGwshxhPDUPuxjRUgehhDMS8vpfxZA2mzZUtUpAgR9aMrBNRjtToKKwwaj7kltI9rlXgTBiXc999_wmHMrTnf30L34SdpQcIJbv12IoPaTO6KK9QL--QnL2dNqbEs8LVrcIy2LSkZWy/w640-h480/20230806_182711.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Monday turned out to be a cloudy day so we decided to head to Captain Parker's for lunch. We got our traditional clam chowder and then afterwards headed to Hyannis to do a little shopping. There was a cool record store with lots of posters and the kids spent a lot of time there. There are apartment walls to be decorated you know! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsT_FbyionnZaNaQL839o19IWDfxWWxi49UHgZoSXYUqdd4LYnDRhW7Mu6EOZbHXTtdWmHheQCZB4GoRu-cS2BLvnN4NYL5boZi0ZN4gd_d_9t8h48bt7wPjZScAjpBLg-qTmkkZsRcr7SwQz1cluF0yyMqWO46ngtYEx_R20yk6KSsL2llaztRy1pQE6/s4032/20230807_125734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsT_FbyionnZaNaQL839o19IWDfxWWxi49UHgZoSXYUqdd4LYnDRhW7Mu6EOZbHXTtdWmHheQCZB4GoRu-cS2BLvnN4NYL5boZi0ZN4gd_d_9t8h48bt7wPjZScAjpBLg-qTmkkZsRcr7SwQz1cluF0yyMqWO46ngtYEx_R20yk6KSsL2llaztRy1pQE6/w480-h640/20230807_125734.jpg" width="480" /></a></div> <p></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnwCGuBgIz4xIzSbJ-W6XjXtFnRlV7FrsVmA3V0uXRPhtBivnCudbx9q-XcGS2q9HKxPsBoZgjRr1GYh9nCj7ahy1byN0fefqbn3qCC9ziUEjwnNQgM4_w6DdLv-xh1fvpqRsmYohRkXLdKp-jZHOGL_XrWN6xXUeKkwz8j883SW7anhw2UAIUc7opYzL/s4032/20230807_140318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnwCGuBgIz4xIzSbJ-W6XjXtFnRlV7FrsVmA3V0uXRPhtBivnCudbx9q-XcGS2q9HKxPsBoZgjRr1GYh9nCj7ahy1byN0fefqbn3qCC9ziUEjwnNQgM4_w6DdLv-xh1fvpqRsmYohRkXLdKp-jZHOGL_XrWN6xXUeKkwz8j883SW7anhw2UAIUc7opYzL/w480-h640/20230807_140318.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Then we headed to a <a href="https://www.capecodbaseball.org/">Cape Cod Baseball League</a> baseball game. The Cape League is the nation's premiere summer college baseball league. It was officially founded in 1923 but has roots dating back to 1885. Players from all over the country are recruited to play in the 10 team league. Currently there are over 350 MLB players playing right now that were part of the Cape league. (Aaron Judge for one.)<p></p><p>We saw the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox play the Orleans Firebirds. It was a great game and we enjoyed ourselves even though the Yarmouth team lost. There was an obnoxious fan from the other team who was really getting on our nerves. We later learned that this guy was the other team's mascot (out of costume because he was not at his home field). He just yelled constantly and was so loud and annoying. Peter can do a great impression of this guy yelling.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIREtm-UGjKMr7hSwagZQbFAdaiMAppfhFKxPSNXRH8ni1471kmCpe-LhTptMypXkd0AueMSFPdnj6xuMagGhNAAS0dMziTtTxB1hDwHSoDih1r9NDsDzAKruNWUCgLH06MRM2EvHlfVWsLfNT4Yu-YimiavCGlQPsMdllC1Wv-BFBtdaoFTBvQvo6_US/s4032/20230807_162139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIREtm-UGjKMr7hSwagZQbFAdaiMAppfhFKxPSNXRH8ni1471kmCpe-LhTptMypXkd0AueMSFPdnj6xuMagGhNAAS0dMziTtTxB1hDwHSoDih1r9NDsDzAKruNWUCgLH06MRM2EvHlfVWsLfNT4Yu-YimiavCGlQPsMdllC1Wv-BFBtdaoFTBvQvo6_US/w480-h640/20230807_162139.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjwhodvob9dqfIFeDsSN1FZatlixE2LIXfAqSq80seG2QtlFVpnXvcI-GOsfzFBgGy-xuYZx64y_YzAowyG1qdHjxNmVTZl9pGfJkAHGmmhdYUTD_pKi9GbxUQz_HZYhfoHABAgcmRYD7ofAbWZlhScuOUU8lwLkSS2-QaunB9hS5S52HRFBA-0cikNRG/s4032/20230807_163834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjwhodvob9dqfIFeDsSN1FZatlixE2LIXfAqSq80seG2QtlFVpnXvcI-GOsfzFBgGy-xuYZx64y_YzAowyG1qdHjxNmVTZl9pGfJkAHGmmhdYUTD_pKi9GbxUQz_HZYhfoHABAgcmRYD7ofAbWZlhScuOUU8lwLkSS2-QaunB9hS5S52HRFBA-0cikNRG/w640-h480/20230807_163834.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />We came home from the game and enjoyed hot dogs and then got ice cream from
Katie's in Hyannis for dessert. After ice cream, we walked around Hyannis Harbour for a little while.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DxGY544q-bwocNZAE52eOwH4fQaopgEpH17HEWU0eTiNWVaTnNftxMcUzcbm-G8ygGoq2UITPYPTf_8y4hYHLR4hDYtox9a3rC3W9F-JqkdMJYfXdnX9-oVzpWgSTT8QZfI0omLXbWlMH0d5OaWmgWtO7IyYb637CN6uQpKMTn7__zvjm_IOQsOazedD/s4032/20230807_213004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DxGY544q-bwocNZAE52eOwH4fQaopgEpH17HEWU0eTiNWVaTnNftxMcUzcbm-G8ygGoq2UITPYPTf_8y4hYHLR4hDYtox9a3rC3W9F-JqkdMJYfXdnX9-oVzpWgSTT8QZfI0omLXbWlMH0d5OaWmgWtO7IyYb637CN6uQpKMTn7__zvjm_IOQsOazedD/w480-h640/20230807_213004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW848DBewmKh72QbInBEDgANiC5JbCPPJa_a4VOlu-RIKMtwTc3lgvZHUBLAzypj5ELyAB7oJrFJobQL-ltKmTdHVeyhd5KwlwMJycFqCPwEGlPei-eil1UsBgNXeiaugON_ROUwWxdkSc7dZDa0hgi_72mH098vmDBVFCC8dn4VO0Rz1AitcKOKIE6Bzq/s4032/20230807_213209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW848DBewmKh72QbInBEDgANiC5JbCPPJa_a4VOlu-RIKMtwTc3lgvZHUBLAzypj5ELyAB7oJrFJobQL-ltKmTdHVeyhd5KwlwMJycFqCPwEGlPei-eil1UsBgNXeiaugON_ROUwWxdkSc7dZDa0hgi_72mH098vmDBVFCC8dn4VO0Rz1AitcKOKIE6Bzq/w480-h640/20230807_213209.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKci82ahZhq5qknwrTjoP0n25ocMCvjxAcC0u03DXRxOI7jHywr_UDT4lUy0lMMx29rUSSVIL5kgiW9hCz08PXmKQNDPfudzjx9aI6tmq746ZnJZ0xVlTLgiMsQkYM7RCrHb6uniRXVt-Raddg1Zbj7UdwCxNkEikfYIE2spGQJMEquahlj9c-mQ9jTwSn/s4032/20230807_213318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKci82ahZhq5qknwrTjoP0n25ocMCvjxAcC0u03DXRxOI7jHywr_UDT4lUy0lMMx29rUSSVIL5kgiW9hCz08PXmKQNDPfudzjx9aI6tmq746ZnJZ0xVlTLgiMsQkYM7RCrHb6uniRXVt-Raddg1Zbj7UdwCxNkEikfYIE2spGQJMEquahlj9c-mQ9jTwSn/w480-h640/20230807_213318.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> Even though it was cloudy all day, it
turned out to be such a nice day spent with my little family.<br /><p></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-61169075856213243102023-08-14T07:13:00.000-04:002023-08-14T07:13:10.194-04:00We made it to the Ice Cream Cottage!<p>We got home from Cape Cod yesterday and before I do my full vacation post (not sure when I will get to do that because today is extremely busy and tomorrow I start my new job), I wanted to post this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFZZ3xSjUVvBTkDVHBnXtWaGQJBkLGTgRZ8v-vUN2I6_Wx3bLJ0afFCsqaB6bYz2o6qw7dRQqKlPYPMLgyoZ8Pd2Koub6J3xJfvunh4VYgSV3L776TLGERuG0lfclM-maVz-kkjnZxTV11JVv9qyyR-w8TwPMfOyK44lbJ9-eiss6r1jtqzypzzYUeHVI/s4032/20230806_182713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFZZ3xSjUVvBTkDVHBnXtWaGQJBkLGTgRZ8v-vUN2I6_Wx3bLJ0afFCsqaB6bYz2o6qw7dRQqKlPYPMLgyoZ8Pd2Koub6J3xJfvunh4VYgSV3L776TLGERuG0lfclM-maVz-kkjnZxTV11JVv9qyyR-w8TwPMfOyK44lbJ9-eiss6r1jtqzypzzYUeHVI/w400-h300/20230806_182713.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHsMTBmaKlSWrZR2ke91qLi43wmpF7h06sRWfkPGbpJTrSkqapb_U0KeiTYdh9N7kryj7rxjOQKMj8ZA7c2j9sXWSExqyjzsh3nV-IFDHeXTDRBDJdgyf2SIfNmB-OTxhXwkVTbH37KMvj4DbIORFq5J8Zaohy_uO6Mj01DKTccGQZpMj3O-aUysL-9R7/s4032/20230806_182710.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHsMTBmaKlSWrZR2ke91qLi43wmpF7h06sRWfkPGbpJTrSkqapb_U0KeiTYdh9N7kryj7rxjOQKMj8ZA7c2j9sXWSExqyjzsh3nV-IFDHeXTDRBDJdgyf2SIfNmB-OTxhXwkVTbH37KMvj4DbIORFq5J8Zaohy_uO6Mj01DKTccGQZpMj3O-aUysL-9R7/w400-h300/20230806_182710.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b> WE MADE IT TO THE ICE CREAM COTTAGE!!!!!</b></h3><div style="text-align: left;">The Ice Cream Cottage<b> </b>is Colleen's ice cream dream<b>. </b>Colleen and I have been reading each other's blogs for years. YEARS! <a href="https://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-ice-cream-cottage-story-part-one.html">You can read all about Colleen's history with ice cream and her family's dream to open an ice cream shop in Fairhaven<b>, </b>MA starting here.</a> It's a several part series and it's worth the read <b>- </b>I always love a good blog series but I love even more reading how God works things out and is involved in all the tiny details of our lives.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I knew I wanted to try to make it to the Ice Cream Cottage to possibly meet Colleen but definitely to support her new business. I knew in order to make that happen the visit would need to occur as we were either coming on the Cape or going off the Cape as Fairhaven is about an hourish drive from West Yarmouth where we stay on the Cape. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I knew that after two days in the car, a stop on the trip up was not going to happen and I knew that it wouldn't work stopping on our way home at the end of vacation because it would be too early. We were going off Cape two times during our trip this year - on Sunday to visit Cathy and Eric in Newport, RI and on Tuesday to go to Boston for a Red Sox game. It had to be Sunday because we were going to be leaving very early for Boston to visit Dan's uncle and his brother's family and we wouldn't be home until very late after the game. So, Sunday was our only chance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And obviously as you can tell by the picture - we made it! It was about 5:45 on Sunday evening after a lovely visit with Cathy and Eric and a great day in Newport, and Dan said, "We're coming up on the Fairhaven exit do you want to see your friend's ice cream shop?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, of course! So we decided we would get ice cream for dinner. We pulled up to the Cottage and there were a few people in line. We waited our turn and JP took my order and I could see Andrew scooping ice cream in the back (along with a lot of other busy bees but those were the only two face I recognized). I asked JP if his mom was there and he said that she wasn't. :(</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We got our ice cream (and it was delicious - but I knew it would be!) and after we finished eating it and headed to the car, there were at least 20 people in line (at 6:00 pm on a Sunday) getting ice cream! I think Colleen and family are going to be in business for a very long time!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was so glad we were able to visit. Meeting Colleen would have been the cherry on top but maybe we can make it work another year. <br /></div>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-18754245966664346942023-08-02T13:37:00.003-04:002023-08-02T13:37:38.290-04:00An update!<p> It's a new month and time for a quick update post.</p><p>On Monday, July 24th, my brother Brad and I went to Raleigh to move Peter from one room in his fraternity house to another. It's a bigger room and he was excited! </p><p>Dan was still in Ireland, so my brother, being the wonderful human that he is, took off work and headed to Raleigh to help us! (And this is in addition to all the yard work and other various things he's been helping me with since Dan has been in Ireland. Thank Brad! You're the best!)</p><p>It was hot in Raleigh and Peter's new room is basically in the attic so there was a lot of sweat but we got in done! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMj8ePWUvVOBEhunqkbg5oFeDq30r9bq0ysvzXBgXyqxPXMXEpU8ck5b9I0vYaeqeyeGrr8px08c79p0_jm7ZlOSr1CNNA04_bnvwKpnx--EZSubpY5iC-NDKIx9OUkLwQPQrQkjJttdU8FKjHvQf1peB5AG0i52vV602rTy4urSA4Hdp8QDhKGL1Ea0E/s4032/20230724_164104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMj8ePWUvVOBEhunqkbg5oFeDq30r9bq0ysvzXBgXyqxPXMXEpU8ck5b9I0vYaeqeyeGrr8px08c79p0_jm7ZlOSr1CNNA04_bnvwKpnx--EZSubpY5iC-NDKIx9OUkLwQPQrQkjJttdU8FKjHvQf1peB5AG0i52vV602rTy4urSA4Hdp8QDhKGL1Ea0E/w480-h640/20230724_164104.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Yes, there's a random door propped up by the porch, yes there's random furniture on the porch, yes there's trash that needs to be picked up BUT - they don't care! (Sometimes as a mom, I just have to keep repeating to myself..."They. Don't. Care." And then like Elsa, let it go.) .This is during moving all of the boys (some in, some out, some to different rooms) so neatness on this day wasn't a priority. (I am CERTAIN after everyone got moved in everything was immediately tidied up. wink wink)<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyY5h3o1tgkNsjCkTiPpIuDlVEa_PhhEq1jyZO0Ymb4o2LBsNQTc7Hf3nNVZ0IbhfAkaizmz_fx-SSC4lNads1YJISeFzi6ivK2B5CiEV-qi8iOIS3BrXlwXCZ0UCkOlaOEpLrgCmhmco9Mm7G0rBj13OBFTjtBcXXXq1faHrteGY8VsywSRlc_0J-N0L/s4032/20230724_163729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyY5h3o1tgkNsjCkTiPpIuDlVEa_PhhEq1jyZO0Ymb4o2LBsNQTc7Hf3nNVZ0IbhfAkaizmz_fx-SSC4lNads1YJISeFzi6ivK2B5CiEV-qi8iOIS3BrXlwXCZ0UCkOlaOEpLrgCmhmco9Mm7G0rBj13OBFTjtBcXXXq1faHrteGY8VsywSRlc_0J-N0L/w480-h640/20230724_163729.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">His new room is longer so he has an area for a futon and a TV and a desk on one end. <br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2hikXAvYiyH9I7GjHAjNL_RcNVZIS9lM9lChlWBM0rSq8U-VmWUGZ2MBQvTvDzVRl9SBG1N3TYMwfyXDhz2HoVydD56P1dGBaXPt_okSxWPhwhXGsXPHDxNkOJliwQr9brOAaLGczXg0u4oQCJkSqUghycL9smC46VUQPiKM7HmdtfHD7-al4_Ua0NFo/s4032/20230724_163703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2hikXAvYiyH9I7GjHAjNL_RcNVZIS9lM9lChlWBM0rSq8U-VmWUGZ2MBQvTvDzVRl9SBG1N3TYMwfyXDhz2HoVydD56P1dGBaXPt_okSxWPhwhXGsXPHDxNkOJliwQr9brOAaLGczXg0u4oQCJkSqUghycL9smC46VUQPiKM7HmdtfHD7-al4_Ua0NFo/w480-h640/20230724_163703.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>And there's a bed and a nook that you can't see where he keeps two guitars and an amp on the other end of the room. And the closet (which is door-less and can be seen in this picture) is almost twice the size of his old closet. 120 year old homes aren't known for their closet space! </p><p>We paused for lunch and headed to <a href="https://www.raleightimesbar.com/">The Raleigh Times</a> where Peter has been working all summer. I failed to get a picture of us there but the food was good and we met the general manager and one of Peter's fraternity brothers/co-workers. Then we headed to Target for a few items because is it even a move without at least one Target trip?</p><p>He has since bought some new posters and got some more things hung on the wall and is enjoying his larger room and as long as he's happy, I'm happy! <br /></p><p>Sarah and the Basement (and a few other friends) headed to the beach last Friday for a long weekend. They had a ton of fun - played on the beach, mini golfing, eating out, etc. I'm so glad they got to all hang out together because everyone has been so busy this summer that they haven't been able to get together very often. </p><p>I'm stealing these two pictures that she posted on her Instagram. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTvzlumyNlUVcPsZWsBNXqQANa2XxVGIl0XPE_8_9rlddGyxVRSrdwlu6LuABCaNRNK0V7tfjH2j2y7vgiDOCKbUyXd10oHlyXz0xp9DEzwZR070KRD26mudnhgEGADyhaA4j6e__jzVSLzxaBclbidpXHqB1Bi4Ew2DpVSg1rBTh_h4Pgv-ZDUO5GM4J/s1800/1F25A11E-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTvzlumyNlUVcPsZWsBNXqQANa2XxVGIl0XPE_8_9rlddGyxVRSrdwlu6LuABCaNRNK0V7tfjH2j2y7vgiDOCKbUyXd10oHlyXz0xp9DEzwZR070KRD26mudnhgEGADyhaA4j6e__jzVSLzxaBclbidpXHqB1Bi4Ew2DpVSg1rBTh_h4Pgv-ZDUO5GM4J/w512-h640/1F25A11E-.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir5-3YaNXlHELhj5YaK5vtkVr12VWOJNmOt5mt037Iz3ycH0x8vR6XdyGvXJbfFOowGF7mGs0hyyf4Pj7pSzvnvpTYFxzZWe_N1NPexRP3KpLiiGdS2RcfJYFyzgo0xW3LmDWaVzrK4lsFoh3lAmNr2kWO-ZSBVS8RSqLT3fQWxjHO2bUPOZRoUWQdKeH/s1800/4B736A3B-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir5-3YaNXlHELhj5YaK5vtkVr12VWOJNmOt5mt037Iz3ycH0x8vR6XdyGvXJbfFOowGF7mGs0hyyf4Pj7pSzvnvpTYFxzZWe_N1NPexRP3KpLiiGdS2RcfJYFyzgo0xW3LmDWaVzrK4lsFoh3lAmNr2kWO-ZSBVS8RSqLT3fQWxjHO2bUPOZRoUWQdKeH/w512-h640/4B736A3B-.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><p></p><p>So while she was off having a grand old time at the beach, DAN CAME HOME!!! Yippee!!! </p><p>We did normal weekend things - yard work, laundry, Mass, out to dinner, lunch at Mom's, etc. It was a lovely weekend (the only thing that would have made it better was if the kids were home.)</p><p>Thankfully, Dan got home in time that we can all go to the Cape before school starts. We were worried earlier in the summer that his stay was going to get extended even longer which would have meant vacation without the kids. That would have been a huge bummer. But thankfully, it has all worked out! (My fervent prayers were heard!) </p><p>Peter will be home today, Sarah and I are packing and running last minute errands and we are heading to the Cape tomorrow! I'm so excited to get to spend time with my family.</p><p>And in probably the biggest news of all......</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><b><i>I have a job!!</i></b> </h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"> </h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"> </h1><p>Two weeks ago, I had a phone interview that went well. Last Friday, I had an in-person interview that went well. Yesterday, I got the call that I had been hired! </p><p>I start the Tuesday we get back from the Cape. I will be working as a sales associate at a local gift shop and boutique. I will also be training in other areas of the boutique - website management, merchandising, etc. </p><p>I will be starting at 20 hours a week with the opportunity to add more hours in the future. Based on how bored I have become with no one at home, I feel like I will want to add more but I'm going to wait and see how part-time goes first. </p><p>Also, management seems very interested in having me learn all the areas of the business so that excites me. So even though this isn't a corporate job, it feels like there is lots of room to do different things and really figure out where I can add the most value.</p><p>So, wish me luck on my new endeavor and hopefully I will have lots of great Cape pictures to post on my return.<br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-19247631544478321662023-07-06T11:17:00.001-04:002023-07-06T11:17:07.412-04:00Let Freedom Ring!<p>We had a very lovely long 4th of July weekend! Sarah had to work a double on Friday so when Dan got home from work, we ate dinner, went to the park and walked a couple of miles and then came home and got caught up on a couple of our favorite shows.</p><p>On Saturday, Dan did yard work and I just did things around the house and Sarah worked at the pool. (She's co-manger now!) In the evening, Joe attended Mass with us and then joined us for dinner at 4th Street Filling Station. Sarah had to work on Sunday so it was just me and Dan and Mom and Brad for lunch on Sunday but Peter came home Sunday evening after his shift at work ended! </p><p>I'm happiest when all my birdies are in the nest!</p><p>Speaking of birdies - I took down the feeders on Friday to prepare for our little 4th of July cookout. Birds make a mess of everything and I didn't want to risk anyone getting pooped on so it had to be done. I felt bad for the birds because they kept coming by looking in the window with big hungry eyes. I've put one of the feeders back up but I haven't put the window feeder back up yet. So many birds keep hitting the window that I think it's dangerous for them. But the doves and the chipmunk hog the hanging feeder and the little birds aren't getting to eat as much. Not sure what I'll do. I'll probably break down and put the window feeder back up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruuDRtkgtI8tp5f3qCoBkwTER6oiXve05RfGPA_Uj-LmcEx8UIf33c_gRNODdz42DW7RL3Y2DYDgD7JfxwqNYrRzP_KkaLqjtSq6mGDyc0LU7o_WZsogr-3smvVnq0iaZZAesY9MUw5G-Pq2T68NlbuGjgFKY0xnRDaV1KqHLJwVX-WoWLaj6Z9fH1QRp/s4032/20230706_090042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruuDRtkgtI8tp5f3qCoBkwTER6oiXve05RfGPA_Uj-LmcEx8UIf33c_gRNODdz42DW7RL3Y2DYDgD7JfxwqNYrRzP_KkaLqjtSq6mGDyc0LU7o_WZsogr-3smvVnq0iaZZAesY9MUw5G-Pq2T68NlbuGjgFKY0xnRDaV1KqHLJwVX-WoWLaj6Z9fH1QRp/w300-h400/20230706_090042.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of our chipmunk Alvin. He can jump into the feeder from here or he can climb up the little black post the feeder is hanging from. It's fun to watch him eat - his cheeks fill up with food. It's adorable.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We had our little 4th celebration on Monday instead of Tuesday so everyone could enjoy themselves without worrying about work the next day. I made a few dips and Dan grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, my mom made baked beans and hash brown casserole and Jennifer brought two desserts! I also made a big batch at Sangria that was pretty good!</p><p>My brother put on a fabulous fireworks display and before that, God gave us a little sunny shower and capped it off with a double rainbow. I'll share the rainbow picture because my fireworks pictures never turn out...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOQd1EIVd2Z3lgSFfDfqtrssr8YLrTy8n6IR0wQFH7HjN42LvW7LzJ0-8oGmh76o_8N7WZWkAU326f8ChxgzfuSjb3M80lqhuuQIzX8gX3FXB2mSn4reOE1jAwS30Njge-rz5KktLpTXy7bELCNCcDCYM7pgNo4pdcGY0P-siz7sF1kimWeyerKGoEeV1/s4032/20230703_195548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOQd1EIVd2Z3lgSFfDfqtrssr8YLrTy8n6IR0wQFH7HjN42LvW7LzJ0-8oGmh76o_8N7WZWkAU326f8ChxgzfuSjb3M80lqhuuQIzX8gX3FXB2mSn4reOE1jAwS30Njge-rz5KktLpTXy7bELCNCcDCYM7pgNo4pdcGY0P-siz7sF1kimWeyerKGoEeV1/w400-h300/20230703_195548.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>This one isn't that bad...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEHPDCSjUzydtK9lG6-__jhg0_78EJz3iyvzNU-3xtM15y70qojK5uz5_WP0mX9r_-WNOmIIcxy6YsKmn5ejSF3xqWOJ9fDikUCR3-M_z9lBMuUo9HHEomiun2zZKDqLtl5p759yy_zApr-DESiIr0lS8yITXBiSjxMbFeXEyS3u82dZbU8jh0SFu-efz/s4032/20230703_211513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEHPDCSjUzydtK9lG6-__jhg0_78EJz3iyvzNU-3xtM15y70qojK5uz5_WP0mX9r_-WNOmIIcxy6YsKmn5ejSF3xqWOJ9fDikUCR3-M_z9lBMuUo9HHEomiun2zZKDqLtl5p759yy_zApr-DESiIr0lS8yITXBiSjxMbFeXEyS3u82dZbU8jh0SFu-efz/w480-h640/20230703_211513.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>On Tuesday, we all slept in and then Sarah had to work the afternoon shift. Dan, Peter, and I headed to Pilot Mountain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25enocNUQatcb546LA5QXmsNm8ixCrP68mUseOzxL7DpkRpaZXEncqocItI32XDQvkWW5nHxpwHn9-iILSbov4i2dMJFbCCtg5WfYP4nqrOZMzr-DSDEHt1C14eLeL7wI1uRBq7D_OXfjMdopsYXLeDhAooA61yrCmO91PGXn8lA1yDRWMPDt25jSHfB8/s4032/20230704_160524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25enocNUQatcb546LA5QXmsNm8ixCrP68mUseOzxL7DpkRpaZXEncqocItI32XDQvkWW5nHxpwHn9-iILSbov4i2dMJFbCCtg5WfYP4nqrOZMzr-DSDEHt1C14eLeL7wI1uRBq7D_OXfjMdopsYXLeDhAooA61yrCmO91PGXn8lA1yDRWMPDt25jSHfB8/w300-h400/20230704_160524.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkDowo-6pRJUZlTX4NsJWf3EPyyb8WQKVpZGLbYeFYTSDiFtG9iTLsx7iWREpcFVDCg6nZSiWzq7nINQ4UM7OvTLDjquN1PVHef7PAUa-7qRrKf1IIoXAv1YOowE811B0DSfx2bAKAaBz0gK5QR_IRWWVW3TViQXoBtWbmrIRiJFDtbkvVn6qH7G4n6q_/s4032/20230704_155143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkDowo-6pRJUZlTX4NsJWf3EPyyb8WQKVpZGLbYeFYTSDiFtG9iTLsx7iWREpcFVDCg6nZSiWzq7nINQ4UM7OvTLDjquN1PVHef7PAUa-7qRrKf1IIoXAv1YOowE811B0DSfx2bAKAaBz0gK5QR_IRWWVW3TViQXoBtWbmrIRiJFDtbkvVn6qH7G4n6q_/w400-h300/20230704_155143.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLdlql_hiM-PpkeylwOvd5ev_R9aqmAAiOCLYAouMcPE71KeIETXD78-SjI6ExupWmVpD0wUzuaL3RS_q_ukfMs_YN-CDKYnozXhgws30VXuKhXJilLSRsGn-3v0Z46_K5A9g4ikZd0prT3R0WQskF7NR7LBZ3BX-nQge8-IH99Dm_VSzdZ3NNQbSJklx/s4032/20230704_155123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLdlql_hiM-PpkeylwOvd5ev_R9aqmAAiOCLYAouMcPE71KeIETXD78-SjI6ExupWmVpD0wUzuaL3RS_q_ukfMs_YN-CDKYnozXhgws30VXuKhXJilLSRsGn-3v0Z46_K5A9g4ikZd0prT3R0WQskF7NR7LBZ3BX-nQge8-IH99Dm_VSzdZ3NNQbSJklx/w400-h300/20230704_155123.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnf0BzGEMk1uy3yyojdSANHF2RaOU0wlmceo1SLDc_QBqkndWJRT7AA5scGZ08cIWda89LFmxlqRY7kSJSQ6RVZ82qV-ahgJ9pu4to3N7Xpx9riAJtwAV0y5QffrtR72pzMwbjXruHPZQd_L6RMHZQLDjK1uOLA0YJ7HheaIUE9EN_2sKcK8AAk7fhCd9/s4032/20230704_155113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnf0BzGEMk1uy3yyojdSANHF2RaOU0wlmceo1SLDc_QBqkndWJRT7AA5scGZ08cIWda89LFmxlqRY7kSJSQ6RVZ82qV-ahgJ9pu4to3N7Xpx9riAJtwAV0y5QffrtR72pzMwbjXruHPZQd_L6RMHZQLDjK1uOLA0YJ7HheaIUE9EN_2sKcK8AAk7fhCd9/w400-h300/20230704_155113.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>We also swung by <a href="https://www.cityofws.org/facilities/facility/details/Quarry-Park-97">Quarry Park</a> and then had dinner at Hungry Palate. And just like that, the long weekend was over and Dan was back at work on Wednesday. Joe came over to hang out with Sarah and ate dinner with us last night and just like that it's already Thursday!</p><p>Peter is heading back to Raleigh today and I'm a little bummed but I'll be heading back to Raleigh in a few weeks to help him move into his new room. He's staying in the same house with his fraternity brothers but some are moving out, some are moving in, and Peter's getting a bigger room. He's excited! </p><p>And then hopefully a little bit after that we will be heading to the Cape for vacation. Fingers crossed that everything works out for that to happen.<br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-80383936289217861072023-06-29T08:11:00.001-04:002023-06-29T08:11:27.137-04:00What I've been up to for the last 24 days since my last post.<p>Well my efforts to blog more regularly have clearly failed so here I am with a "what I've been up to for the last 24 days since my last post" post.</p><p>Dan was in Ireland for almost a month and was set to return home this past Saturday night but was stuck in Newark in the great airport debacle. His flight was cancelled and it appeared that the next one out was not going to be until Monday night so he and a coworker rented a car and drove through the night and made it home on Sunday morning! I was very very happy to see him. </p><p>He was originally scheduled to be home for one week then head back to Ireland for a couple of weeks and then come home so we could go to the Cape for vacation. But, the project is woefully behind schedule so he's going to be home for a couple of weeks (not sure exactly how long) and then will go back to Ireland and return home so we can (hopefully) go the Cape in early August. I say "hopefully" because the way this program is going, there's not telling what is actually going to happen. We are hoping really hard that it does work out for an early August Cape trip because if it doesn't, that means the kids won't be able to go to the Cape this summer as school for both of them starts on August 21. </p><p>So, what was I up to while Dan was gone? Hmmmm....the area behind the kitchen sink needed to be recaulked so I got out the caulk gun and got that done. I also did the bathroom sinks as well. I got better the more I did it because practice really does make perfect. </p><p>My brother remounted our flagpole which had been down for <strike>several</strike> many years because of various issues with it and I just love having our flag up again! (Thanks, Brad!)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFvTlwD1hm5RLEgfCHgKXhBI5pB8Hm01UH45sObN4da0gUqXi5rnue7a5GsI582nyjrcjlYhjW-Y377gBt5PIFyuTbeCHsC2CpZHTSR9Q-7vSgWbXPugq74UG7OYDJLX86263zzqoM1YC2rbMh-2Yh9k71occW0GXBkXdfR_R-2bziteyqi0V1zukD02I/s4032/20230618_070948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFvTlwD1hm5RLEgfCHgKXhBI5pB8Hm01UH45sObN4da0gUqXi5rnue7a5GsI582nyjrcjlYhjW-Y377gBt5PIFyuTbeCHsC2CpZHTSR9Q-7vSgWbXPugq74UG7OYDJLX86263zzqoM1YC2rbMh-2Yh9k71occW0GXBkXdfR_R-2bziteyqi0V1zukD02I/w480-h640/20230618_070948.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>And it's fixed just in time for the 4th of July! And thanks to the issues Dan is having at work, he will be home for the 4th instead of in Ireland as originally scheduled. (I'm trying hard to look for all the positives with his work situation right now. He's very stressed out and it appears things keep going south.)</p><p>I enjoyed a delicious lunch with Jennifer at <a href="https://mozelles.com/">Mozelle's</a> while Dan was gone. It was so nice to eat, laugh, and catch up with my bestie. We don't spend nearly enough time together these days. I really do miss all the afternoons we spent at each others houses while the kids were younger. When the kids were in elementary school we were together almost every afternoon doing the week. Those were such good times!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyX0suYG7GiGi4b0WhLvwz0NUSFiyCriko1Sk2HDTwK2FmZMHs_JCMqm-5RoSW1LrQN_bjhkFbzLuh56TW2E1_84-RY8IDvoMCJ8JcNy2HLjmp4vlUnUYr0C3cZtNCHJEe63GDQTGWiT4M1RHAm7WTcQsmcQdZrbnRW7CCEtkH9gxujIg2ZDNyDZ2hTeIX/s4032/20230610_125021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyX0suYG7GiGi4b0WhLvwz0NUSFiyCriko1Sk2HDTwK2FmZMHs_JCMqm-5RoSW1LrQN_bjhkFbzLuh56TW2E1_84-RY8IDvoMCJ8JcNy2HLjmp4vlUnUYr0C3cZtNCHJEe63GDQTGWiT4M1RHAm7WTcQsmcQdZrbnRW7CCEtkH9gxujIg2ZDNyDZ2hTeIX/w480-h640/20230610_125021.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>I am doing the best I can with our little garden while Dan is gone. We
got everything in late (and less plants than normal) because of his schedule.
And the weather here has been weird. It has finally warmed up but early July
was very cool for around here and our garden is not thriving. We had a hail storm on Monday night and the tomato plants look a little
worse for the wear. I'm still hopeful that we can get some tomatoes by
the end of summer but I'm not too confidant. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XSnkB5lZtyMH8i7omg9k-8AsJ4EzvaEHdjtMMnXd1XvzyMVjNUEXrQ7KsOQgpjEiSYfyD8Drf-eZA50ImfMad-lSaWTYl4DYBAf6CNKTYYih_pX3KYHk4CR5EOSDKb2Zfdvbbr61fPd3Y0ftbDYHbdRatUSwd1pAga1RfReDNerYVY2sOfcteE9lmAV/s4032/20230614_175600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XSnkB5lZtyMH8i7omg9k-8AsJ4EzvaEHdjtMMnXd1XvzyMVjNUEXrQ7KsOQgpjEiSYfyD8Drf-eZA50ImfMad-lSaWTYl4DYBAf6CNKTYYih_pX3KYHk4CR5EOSDKb2Zfdvbbr61fPd3Y0ftbDYHbdRatUSwd1pAga1RfReDNerYVY2sOfcteE9lmAV/w480-h640/20230614_175600.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>This picture was from two weeks ago so the plants are bigger now. But usually by this time of year they are three times the size of this. <br /><p></p><p>Peter came home for a few days while Dan was gone. It was so nice to have both kids home at the same time. We watched a lot of baseball - college world series and Red Sox, the kids played a lot of Speed and I even did a little cooking. I made homemade Chipotle bowls and have perfected the Chipotle vinaigrette. <a href="https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html#tabrecipe">This is the recipe I use if you want to make your own</a>. Pour it over the top of the bowls or mix it with sour cream to make a creamy sauce and it will definitely elevate your bowl and make it extra delicious.</p><p>Speaking of Peter, he is working at a <a href="https://www.raleightimesbar.com/">restaurant in Raleigh</a> and I think he is really enjoying it. Several of his friends work there so that adds to the fun. He is a food runner currently. I'm not sure if he wants to work his way up to waiter or not (I think he would actually be a very good waiter) but right now he's enjoying running the food. I think his current plan is to continue working during the school year so we will see how that goes. </p><p>Sarah has applied to work as a life guard on campus in the fall. She said she's heard that there's always a lot of people that apply and limited positions so hopefully she can get the job. </p><p>And speaking of jobs...no, I still don't have one yet. I continue to apply to jobs I see that might be a good fit and continue to hear absolutely nothing back. But I am hoping that something comes up that would work for me that I would be good at. Sarah's going to be back in school soon and it sounds like Dan will be gone most of the fall for work so I really need something to do to keep me occupied!</p><p>I hope everyone has a nice weekend and a happy 4th of July! My brother is putting on his fireworks show so check back next week (maybe) for some awesome phone photos of fireworks! :)<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br />Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-69821793799060839362023-06-05T16:05:00.004-04:002023-06-05T16:16:21.741-04:00Just catching up on the last two weeks. (And a 19th birthday!)<p>Two weeks have passed and I'm just now getting around to updating the blog. When last I left you, we just had a lovely weekend with a visit from Cathy and a full table at Sunday lunch. Let's see if I can remember what happened after that...</p><p>The week of May 22nd was spent watching a lot of sports of TV. (Peter was still home.) We watched a lot of Carolina Hurricanes hockey and a lot of Boston Celtics basketball. Unfortunately, our time spent rooting for these teams wasn't fruitful as neither team made it to the final round of their respective playoffs. Oh well, better luck next year!</p><p>Sarah worked and Dan worked but we had lots of dinners together which I've missed with the kids being away in school. Saturday, May 27th we attended Mass. It was a rainy night so the pool closed early and Sarah was able to make it to Quanto Basto in time to join us for dinner. (The meat and cheese board was delicious!) <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6gk3SKnfyaE60FHo0PmulbGo5KqVYrMl-4_NLkpcu9ugiXlLAqrh1Q-NGG52XCpm9E3AOEk6XgdNtCMhPEPMWOMWiUq9kYolOYevgP4zL5WB8HZ4uIFd61fq8hXHMMjSzkrA1QpCwH8hqiBIHNANkUMqsL5O3NAbNGwl43xJlQ0SucFCdBPuZNsa2g/s4032/20230527_184356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6gk3SKnfyaE60FHo0PmulbGo5KqVYrMl-4_NLkpcu9ugiXlLAqrh1Q-NGG52XCpm9E3AOEk6XgdNtCMhPEPMWOMWiUq9kYolOYevgP4zL5WB8HZ4uIFd61fq8hXHMMjSzkrA1QpCwH8hqiBIHNANkUMqsL5O3NAbNGwl43xJlQ0SucFCdBPuZNsa2g/w480-h640/20230527_184356.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>On Sunday, the 28th, we attended the celebration for the 125th year at Enterprise Moravian Church - the church I grew up in and the church that my mom and brother still attend. There was a delicious potluck and it was so nice to see everyone.</p><p>Monday, the 29th was Labor Day and it was raining and cool (we've had a really weird spring - very cool and very rainy) so the pool didn't open which meant Sarah was able to spend the day with us.We headed to Greensboro with my brother and had lunch at Mac's Speed Shop and went to Edward McKay's, a very large used book store. Later that evening we grilled hotdogs and watched a movie. </p><p>And then last Tuesday, Dan headed back to Ireland and Peter headed back to Raleigh. We took a quick family selfie before they left.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_taYxJ3W4PeqvRdWDyPnXz_K8jKGqSWp7j48fxGkQu1mXpqlAKMKyQXElbvvIzUhCm2Jpu_O6MLlevIL8edosczORKBR9c-I7ipsGpvRXafX392Bp_uNUYJNfFzWBdDA7jaG1cZkg3Z8tYIZsaZYjdX-gbMKTUcT-_y1CvzJc7itEm4LK_kNUEappuw/s3648/20230530_091732.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_taYxJ3W4PeqvRdWDyPnXz_K8jKGqSWp7j48fxGkQu1mXpqlAKMKyQXElbvvIzUhCm2Jpu_O6MLlevIL8edosczORKBR9c-I7ipsGpvRXafX392Bp_uNUYJNfFzWBdDA7jaG1cZkg3Z8tYIZsaZYjdX-gbMKTUcT-_y1CvzJc7itEm4LK_kNUEappuw/w640-h480/20230530_091732.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br />Dan left early that morning which is why Sarah looks sleepy and Peter is shirtless - we got them both out of bed to say goodbye. (And I appreciate them indulging me with the selfie.)</p><p>Peter was home for three weeks and Dan was home for two and I will tell you, I enjoyed every minute of the 2 weeks when everyone was home. The cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the grocery shopping, the bickering (yes, the two adult siblings still occasionally bicker), the sports on TV, the movies, the dinners out, the laundry (yes, I listed that twice), all the vacuuming due to Peter's allergies -<b> I considered it all JOY! </b>It was such a blessing having this time together as a family. <br /></p><p>Wednesday, May 31st was my mom's <b>80th birthday</b> so I took her to lunch at Firebirds to celebrate! It was delicious but I failed to get a picture of her. Later that afternoon I had my annual visit to the OB/GYN. I also did not get a picture of that! :)</p><p>The next day I went to the plastic surgeon to have a basil cell carcinoma removed from my forehead. You can see the divot above my eye (in the picture above) that was leftover from the biopsy I had 2 months ago. I'm hopeful that the place above my eye will be less noticeable now that the plastic surgeon has stitched everything up. I go back later this week to have the stitches removed. Hopefully instead of a small divot, there will just be another line to add to the growing number of lines on my face. </p><p>On Thursday evening, I had my monthly get together with my Cistas. We met at Lisa's house this month and her husband made us all pizzas in his new pizza oven. Such a nice evening!<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrz4GqUWWGt8D8s4sVvOwQsL8EUhreYnyQmlafjBuqxid9sNSbZFL5F8XeFMfc-KKyjX6OMrtmJnTJv4SUNj054fcnLtu9-er7sXykld9QjEP3qbw27NrrSaPcz3TwC6LqMpGYmDELZWJQMY31KsEHpV3eu2Q_Y6p4yPORWpAOAMt4WibIVyXXKITNQ/s2048/cistas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrz4GqUWWGt8D8s4sVvOwQsL8EUhreYnyQmlafjBuqxid9sNSbZFL5F8XeFMfc-KKyjX6OMrtmJnTJv4SUNj054fcnLtu9-er7sXykld9QjEP3qbw27NrrSaPcz3TwC6LqMpGYmDELZWJQMY31KsEHpV3eu2Q_Y6p4yPORWpAOAMt4WibIVyXXKITNQ/w640-h480/cistas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>On Friday, I had lunch with Jennifer at her work and we got all caught up on all the things! You can see I've been trying to keep myself busy while Dan's gone. I think I'm doing a pretty good job.</p><p>Sarah worked all day on Saturday but made it home in time to join me at Mass and then we went to Yamas for dinner. Yamas is the local version of Cava and it is soooooooo good! </p><p>And then yesterday was my sweet girl's NINETEENTH birthday!!! I still can't even fathom that my baby is 19. She was originally scheduled to work on Sunday but there was a schedule change so we made the most of it!</p><p>Mom, my brother, Sarah, and her boyfriend Joe, and I went to lunch at 2520 Tavern and then came back to Mom's to unwrap presents and have cake. Mom made this beautiful and delicious pink cake!</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSafwxLWY119A9gadBgOEahnbIRhuQ8ceB7sqKAtD2xwWT4XC6zn1RlkZFTgxIG2-SJNPQFAsbnEIMm5ODBUpHKxoT04Qv2w1zJyD1Ty4Tx8OcW4X_TxsfclFo-GXXaROcfV-2T04STcblDWDzr9w8HypU9DH4yrfUJNo4eS51e05MrsE1pDmCrH330A/s4032/20230604_143512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSafwxLWY119A9gadBgOEahnbIRhuQ8ceB7sqKAtD2xwWT4XC6zn1RlkZFTgxIG2-SJNPQFAsbnEIMm5ODBUpHKxoT04Qv2w1zJyD1Ty4Tx8OcW4X_TxsfclFo-GXXaROcfV-2T04STcblDWDzr9w8HypU9DH4yrfUJNo4eS51e05MrsE1pDmCrH330A/w480-h640/20230604_143512.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR-ywrPDQ8jSP7oZXCHdY6GfHZWwMYpGzLDG3-N24MCC00DF5QDHsJ25B5vBKxrLO8WskjSP3MlNJ5XYmpIFCGycmQGUQF7DiBsO9Uh0AnuaTYHCn7uvcFx3EtVhgT1g85hvCe0iWa2AaTgemmUuNZLDaQPZMuAKmt0Jct39cWbJ43rW7TM-t5euPlw/s4032/20230604_141425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR-ywrPDQ8jSP7oZXCHdY6GfHZWwMYpGzLDG3-N24MCC00DF5QDHsJ25B5vBKxrLO8WskjSP3MlNJ5XYmpIFCGycmQGUQF7DiBsO9Uh0AnuaTYHCn7uvcFx3EtVhgT1g85hvCe0iWa2AaTgemmUuNZLDaQPZMuAKmt0Jct39cWbJ43rW7TM-t5euPlw/w480-h640/20230604_141425.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3dqzeH_ePSoxJ9uoSE5-GYdcqvtw3nCH08OZysHU0GsziI7TgRYpcamx_hzS-jKjT2iGZfb7isiJSoLRpzgcVddpcFY4VJQAG94xfHVZSpG3JX7WO8ajjh3PezLj7Qa0dKCFYpNG7xWfSUFeXbeGf2GUmQwr4avkYXIF29DzLucdQnhPo4pats6zfg/s4032/20230604_141658.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3dqzeH_ePSoxJ9uoSE5-GYdcqvtw3nCH08OZysHU0GsziI7TgRYpcamx_hzS-jKjT2iGZfb7isiJSoLRpzgcVddpcFY4VJQAG94xfHVZSpG3JX7WO8ajjh3PezLj7Qa0dKCFYpNG7xWfSUFeXbeGf2GUmQwr4avkYXIF29DzLucdQnhPo4pats6zfg/w480-h640/20230604_141658.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>Last night, Sarah and her friends went to dinner at Don Juan's in Kernersville and when she got home we watched the first two episodes of Shiny Happy People (the Duggar Documentary) and here we are back to Monday and now you are all caught up! <br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-54246696851684584292023-05-23T08:01:00.000-04:002023-05-23T08:01:00.818-04:00A lovely weekend.<p>We had a very lovely weekend. On Friday evening we cooked out and then went to Sonic for dessert. We wanted to watch a movie and after much discussion to find a movie we could all agree on, we landed on <i>Smokey and the Bandit. </i>I know, odd choice, but we enjoyed it even though a lot of the dialogue would be considered politically incorrect today. </p><p>On Saturday, I finished my uncle's birthday cake and Dan and Peter mowed the grass and Dan's sister Cathy arrived. She wanted to come for a visit to see Sarah for her birthday but on Sarah's actual birthday no one will be home (Dan will be in Ireland and Peter will be in Raleigh and Sarah will be working). Luckily, it all worked out that she could visit on Saturday and join us for our annual end of school year celebration at Tokyo!</p><p>After she arrived, she and Sarah went to one of the local strawberry farms and picked up a bunch of strawberries. Cathy uses them to make jam. Then we had lunch (tomato, bacon, quesadillas which I realized later I accidentally left out the bacon - they were still delicious) then we headed to the local garden shop to get some tomato plants. </p><p>Dan and I have been going back and forth about the garden this year. Normally by now we have tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos and bell peppers planted. But Dan's been traveling and is about to head out again and will be gone essentially the whole summer so he won't be here to tend to the garden.</p><p>I can't stand the thought of no homegrown tomatoes so we decided at the last minute to plant a few tomatoes and a couple of jalapenos. I will be in charge of watering them and hopefully keeping them alive. There won't be a big crop but hopefully enough that I can get some sandwiches!</p><p>After the trip to the garden store, we planted them and then we all showered and got ready for Mass. After Mass we headed to Tokyo for dinner.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRguhxaFs0aDBZVEQ4hleY7oLVFbEyIK6CwKZX3GG70O4b51nfaT-YClSVWq0VF97qSTtuLDUlHyf4cciWXVJ7ZTzYnVkwLWeywSmxaq7CET_ROuqdqPjphJe-7OLRzJLZ33P1JetzosnuAb8GQFUS1quXlHGsx5a7Hj8-Pm16q1SRwCDiVGhvafG8uA/s4032/20230520_182128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRguhxaFs0aDBZVEQ4hleY7oLVFbEyIK6CwKZX3GG70O4b51nfaT-YClSVWq0VF97qSTtuLDUlHyf4cciWXVJ7ZTzYnVkwLWeywSmxaq7CET_ROuqdqPjphJe-7OLRzJLZ33P1JetzosnuAb8GQFUS1quXlHGsx5a7Hj8-Pm16q1SRwCDiVGhvafG8uA/w400-h300/20230520_182128.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, my brother loves to mess up our photos by making faces!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW__E7mTmC_T56DDaYm6vVZLSjkL-TJRdAYua2zE-qxv9cfVPSyL8qdRJFTGd8ViMKrAyvuM2Wvm5eMvjWTw0ncP1SZIivUJ-dP-UQ6pAjYwzu3Uv04Abru3hwRmUm6fl5hmeuG1bu_l_LjHly0CEaxhusguK0Fgv9MaPO7bv6l2hY_jrv9Ey3bjmyRQ/s4032/20230520_182127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW__E7mTmC_T56DDaYm6vVZLSjkL-TJRdAYua2zE-qxv9cfVPSyL8qdRJFTGd8ViMKrAyvuM2Wvm5eMvjWTw0ncP1SZIivUJ-dP-UQ6pAjYwzu3Uv04Abru3hwRmUm6fl5hmeuG1bu_l_LjHly0CEaxhusguK0Fgv9MaPO7bv6l2hY_jrv9Ey3bjmyRQ/w400-h300/20230520_182127.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the best one I could get.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Oa3X_-SjIX9eBqnxOovl8LJWz0Q3DfsLNg35vKcu_zsrZ4cStKf9dc8djbUwtOkkFRTiJYUQTAfAVrJUTDO-FU6JgCwjKcfX3m6os79fQP9dYG6Q3PXrSRiAYtZw0pWmsO3px-3EwtuOQGmeFff6o7VQoiuIh6y48qFR62egxE7PP69cOQ7uTNt6zQ/s4032/20230520_182201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Oa3X_-SjIX9eBqnxOovl8LJWz0Q3DfsLNg35vKcu_zsrZ4cStKf9dc8djbUwtOkkFRTiJYUQTAfAVrJUTDO-FU6JgCwjKcfX3m6os79fQP9dYG6Q3PXrSRiAYtZw0pWmsO3px-3EwtuOQGmeFff6o7VQoiuIh6y48qFR62egxE7PP69cOQ7uTNt6zQ/w400-h300/20230520_182201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then one of me with Sarah since I wasn't in the group shot.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UOnA0sOwgsoRWICQrsESJOMRs4wMqSgmEG2QF0rO211GXE6SUxzq7GqwH6Ous0dmGoZNSq8QuynIKaAhcqrhJmvTBm1ddemfxwR_096usU9Pe4t3xpQ-bfCUCXjioZemf1QT00HEEh0VhJPj-4kUDc2NdKuLHGMQHkCuegJDFdB0nPylZndY4CUVCA/s4032/20230520_183125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UOnA0sOwgsoRWICQrsESJOMRs4wMqSgmEG2QF0rO211GXE6SUxzq7GqwH6Ous0dmGoZNSq8QuynIKaAhcqrhJmvTBm1ddemfxwR_096usU9Pe4t3xpQ-bfCUCXjioZemf1QT00HEEh0VhJPj-4kUDc2NdKuLHGMQHkCuegJDFdB0nPylZndY4CUVCA/w300-h400/20230520_183125.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />After dinner, we came home and spent the rest of the evening around the fire pit chatting and listening to music. It was such a nice evening.<p>On Sunday morning, we discovered that something had come through the garden and eaten some of the tomato plants! We planted 7 plants and several of them were completely gone! This has never happened before in all of our years of gardening. We had a couple extras that we had left over so we planted those and later discovered that they had been nibbled but were still basically there. If this continues, I may be going to the farmer's market for my tomato sandwich tomatoes this year!</p><p>We had Sunday lunch at my mom's and for the first time in a very long time, we had a full table! It was so nice I had to take an awkward selfie...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv7xZBVEadylMzSe9XO0dCmbp7azOpiay0VL4noIpYNdbutsHyp8vwk_D5-3kOCSccfHXsW9-jFw3v7eCzprhPxHzeyHqMuld6nxhqIXYsdoZEHniso9EFm9SboKcSwwNXa5qGACKrBm5iWCv-T6asdSGcEICsDKU3NYcBJLvfL6OKg-LiJUyj-8zfg/s3648/20230521_124314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv7xZBVEadylMzSe9XO0dCmbp7azOpiay0VL4noIpYNdbutsHyp8vwk_D5-3kOCSccfHXsW9-jFw3v7eCzprhPxHzeyHqMuld6nxhqIXYsdoZEHniso9EFm9SboKcSwwNXa5qGACKrBm5iWCv-T6asdSGcEICsDKU3NYcBJLvfL6OKg-LiJUyj-8zfg/w640-h480/20230521_124314.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br />And we celebrated my Uncle David's 88th birthday with cake!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPcs9y2E2LZXzxKUjHLp5JtlJxvKrYUr6-AriWBbXj430dLVjWsLpMHWzryZN2KHbAugkPj3o8pAUvvnjyq1iytymHPy1Gewr0ZDxYgK_VEMtvKlnwfGdqxNnZSp-RYor_XT3GbMKWu0hn4mW_MEy3L4pJcXAlo9p1wN-EAMg17q0jS1DEzghPLi0vA/s4032/20230521_131724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPcs9y2E2LZXzxKUjHLp5JtlJxvKrYUr6-AriWBbXj430dLVjWsLpMHWzryZN2KHbAugkPj3o8pAUvvnjyq1iytymHPy1Gewr0ZDxYgK_VEMtvKlnwfGdqxNnZSp-RYor_XT3GbMKWu0hn4mW_MEy3L4pJcXAlo9p1wN-EAMg17q0jS1DEzghPLi0vA/w300-h400/20230521_131724.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjic7gTr_rn7f2ls6RIRODJoad227Q4NWNVW9q5PCYG1JRt1cF8uJcQ-RETYXQH4BUrW-AeeiAM3bGAiol_xRqO7P-4MpyfuXgJf9fupBYeCaPVX8jXlcwr58Bu7ydqziObCP6qz-6ndftaThUHhE70UkO164AszIDLI3fP0cQtx_ULQ8Vx_rEtRaZ35Q/s4032/20230521_131901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjic7gTr_rn7f2ls6RIRODJoad227Q4NWNVW9q5PCYG1JRt1cF8uJcQ-RETYXQH4BUrW-AeeiAM3bGAiol_xRqO7P-4MpyfuXgJf9fupBYeCaPVX8jXlcwr58Bu7ydqziObCP6qz-6ndftaThUHhE70UkO164AszIDLI3fP0cQtx_ULQ8Vx_rEtRaZ35Q/w300-h400/20230521_131901.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bmNJXB94pb8tQbMrGQN9Duq6YO1asjFVs5pYvIjyk9H4Mw105GoLeQAXGM4-Y9JZpk7vQzBdooY4PiUFCPrTJKGLNPzh7EwqKBie6_rbGU6v6N1RrseLytsbv0wfLxtLrX3cpjJ4eqzs2zNsokbFavy5WSXfx3IVQQee0VMimVm4f2CYMc24_PwicQ/s4032/20230521_131921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bmNJXB94pb8tQbMrGQN9Duq6YO1asjFVs5pYvIjyk9H4Mw105GoLeQAXGM4-Y9JZpk7vQzBdooY4PiUFCPrTJKGLNPzh7EwqKBie6_rbGU6v6N1RrseLytsbv0wfLxtLrX3cpjJ4eqzs2zNsokbFavy5WSXfx3IVQQee0VMimVm4f2CYMc24_PwicQ/w400-h300/20230521_131921.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was a great weekend and I am thankful that we all got to be together. I am currently enjoying one last week of everyone being under the same roof. Savor the little moments, folks!<br />Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-23911397177517229852023-05-19T08:45:00.000-04:002023-05-19T08:45:18.125-04:00More bag talk, more bird talk, a science experiment, and a recipe!<p>Happy Friday! </p><p>I have been up to my eyeballs in laundry (Dan brought home a ton of it with him and most of it required ironing. Plus with both kids home there is more laundry in general!), vacuuming (Peter is allergic to our cats and when he lived here became sensitized ((or is it desensitized?)) to them. But when he comes to visit I have to vacuum a lot to keep him from sneezing for hours on end because he's no longer used to them), and cooking (Kids are home so meals must be planned and cooked!). </p><p>Please note - I am not complaining about being up to my eyeballs in laundry, cleaning, and cooking. I AM THRILLED TO BE DOING ALL OF THIS!!! I am sure there are many blog posts in my archives where I was complaining about doing all of these things. Now I am thankful that I get to do them. 💜</p><p>In my last post, I mentioned the beloved blue bags. <a href="https://busybeesuz.com/">Suz</a> wanted a picture of them. Here they are in action when we moved Peter into his dorm freshman year. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAQQHKIePV27SpqQL5r0Y51zeI61uZ_28Bo1eOnLWh8XL0-GnwbPPp1dY5qSk_AMBIBWkJcyztrxQ3b9xMv8Z3XRm3K-HHleeKNTtuSgKq538gnFzRf6U-LlH8M7xydzXCHGab64xWhifM4GtnbgeOtnRWJUzm0eqH48YTSzEoHpdjdt0DWSgRT_rww/s9248/20210813_103846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAQQHKIePV27SpqQL5r0Y51zeI61uZ_28Bo1eOnLWh8XL0-GnwbPPp1dY5qSk_AMBIBWkJcyztrxQ3b9xMv8Z3XRm3K-HHleeKNTtuSgKq538gnFzRf6U-LlH8M7xydzXCHGab64xWhifM4GtnbgeOtnRWJUzm0eqH48YTSzEoHpdjdt0DWSgRT_rww/w640-h480/20210813_103846.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />That was all we needed to move Peter. All his clothes were on hangers in those bags and all of his desk stuff, personal items, shoes, everything else. were crammed in there as well. So handy! So convenient! <p></p><p>I originally ordered two Ikea Frakta bags from Amazon to see if I thought they would work for moving. The Frakta bag is the one you can see with the yellow zipper. After I got those two, I decided I definitely needed more for the move and when I went back on Amazon I found some non-Ikea bags that were cheaper and I like those equally as well. The Ikea Frakta bags do have shoulder straps on the bottom if you wanted to put the bag on your back and carry it like a giant backpack. I guess that might make it easier but I never used that function as I am not a pack mule and found that carrying them by the top handles worked just fine.<br /></p><p>Peter opened the garage fridge yesterday and called for me to come out and look. "What's this weird brown icy looking stuff?"</p><p>I had put a pack (still in the cardboard box) of mini Diet Pepsi's on the top shelf of the fridge. Things have been known to freeze on that shelf but I assumed since the drinks were in the cardboard box they would be insulated. I WAS WRONG!</p><p>One of the drinks had frozen, the ice expanded in the can so much so, that the top of the can shot off and WENT THROUGH THE CARDBOARD BOX!!!!!!</p><p>Y'ALL!!!!! Look at this...</p><p><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t44u8Wv_jklrnHXSMZKO2SSmWdL3GwEWh3Ps_t9PhTn1tcYSoFFb5PejW76q46OdjI2_hZMY18FwG_FQhoGjibmc1guV0bzS8sQQoH-lmsJ8XI0XYKlnizFwfnzMlBJCt0izn5TUT_pdoIMuiCAbpxXJnZfLQFemtsEEDwAfdvl1XN6e5ftqi8S-1A/s4032/20230518_164501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t44u8Wv_jklrnHXSMZKO2SSmWdL3GwEWh3Ps_t9PhTn1tcYSoFFb5PejW76q46OdjI2_hZMY18FwG_FQhoGjibmc1guV0bzS8sQQoH-lmsJ8XI0XYKlnizFwfnzMlBJCt0izn5TUT_pdoIMuiCAbpxXJnZfLQFemtsEEDwAfdvl1XN6e5ftqi8S-1A/w300-h400/20230518_164501.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJVLF-x4W4vk5yh2dQgm_Hcy01qoxx3DY5y3bh1pbLS5PfxbMHUXs6oGZaU-Ur8G-m_wKvQsda0BfMs_l97awgMpgXi5CuV2J3dFl5k7sKoMB_2A0xyn474CBQoDpjksAfQ0J5ev08kTVX6Zcl_6jpPslFerrVGQl0mrTWoDy8Y9bs-ITgnK_gYGUvA/s4032/20230518_164512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJVLF-x4W4vk5yh2dQgm_Hcy01qoxx3DY5y3bh1pbLS5PfxbMHUXs6oGZaU-Ur8G-m_wKvQsda0BfMs_l97awgMpgXi5CuV2J3dFl5k7sKoMB_2A0xyn474CBQoDpjksAfQ0J5ev08kTVX6Zcl_6jpPslFerrVGQl0mrTWoDy8Y9bs-ITgnK_gYGUvA/w300-h400/20230518_164512.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>The box was INTACT when I put it in the fridge. Do you see the giant hole?? And do you see how the entire top of the Pepsi can looks like it was literally sliced off?? </p><p>I had been in the kitchen the day before and heard a loud noise/knock/pop sound. I thought someone was at the door but no one was there so I just brushed it off as a random household noise. I am now thinking that what I heard was the physics experiment happening in the fridge in the garage!</p><p>The kids have been keeping busy. Peter went to the driving range to hit balls with one of his friends from high school yesterday. Sarah has spent a lot of time with Joe the last few days. He got home from Ireland and heads out of town again this weekend for a graduation. So they hung out a lot on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. She also started working at her pool. She has been cleaning it and getting it ready to open next weekend. She sent this to to family group text...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbO5cZY6Eud58_YrdzRou2VpDVlxvZHKOMc-GpJkGkcs5YB0kpbsfXkwwfZ1QyXdmUsPEHHeNlOiDurea0Ny1eX2kRhdnE3NjWs-K-dT60GW9U9jx87Wu6C7YkF-ooOSHyzZsQs07uCMSKkmoRm-tTUIjWhJZakjKItEIJPyOZ9RWtpcQh5A87XWC10A/s1280/IMG_0619002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbO5cZY6Eud58_YrdzRou2VpDVlxvZHKOMc-GpJkGkcs5YB0kpbsfXkwwfZ1QyXdmUsPEHHeNlOiDurea0Ny1eX2kRhdnE3NjWs-K-dT60GW9U9jx87Wu6C7YkF-ooOSHyzZsQs07uCMSKkmoRm-tTUIjWhJZakjKItEIJPyOZ9RWtpcQh5A87XWC10A/w480-h640/IMG_0619002.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Look under that bush!!!! EGGS!!!!</p><p>She was cleaning the lazy river (it does look filthy!) and noticed this pile of duck eggs underneath the bush. She also said there was a mom and dad duck swimming in the big pool! <br /></p><p>We googled last night and duck eggs take 28 days before they hatch and she said these eggs definitely weren't there last weekend when they first started working on cleaning the pool. And the pool opens next Friday so these won't be hatched by then. She's working again this afternoon and her supervisor will be there so she's going to ask her what to do. </p><p>I just googled it and found this on the US Department of Fish and Wildlife Service's website:</p><p><i>Mallards are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. <b>It
is illegal for any person to take, possess, transport, sell, or purchase
them or their parts, such as feathers, nests, or eggs, without a
permit. Active nests with eggs or chicks may not be touched or destroyed
without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</b>. Inactive
(empty) nests do not require a permit to destroy. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service does not issue permits to remove Mallards, eggs, nor
nests that are occupying a pool or an enclosed yard.</i></p><p>Who knew???</p><p>It's been a minute since I've shared a recipe. Peter loves Chipotle and when he's home, I always make homemade Chipotle bowls. I make fresh guacamole, rice, seasoned black beans, lettuce, seasoned chicken, pico de gallo , and serve it all with sour cream and taco sauce. </p><p>But this time I wanted to spiff it up even more and I made a homemade version of Chipotle's Honey Vinaigrette. I didn't even know Chipotle had a dressing but I saw people talking about it online. And I saw people mixing it with sour cream and adding that to their bowls. I've done that and it is delicious. I found a recipe online and IT WAS SO GOOD! So, if you make homemade Chipotle bowls, you need to make this vinaigrette. Heck - this stuff is so good that you should make it even if you don't make burrito bowls at home. It's great on salads and is good as a dip when mixed with sour cream. The chipotle peppers add such a nice smokey flavor and the honey keeps it from being too spicy! DELICIOUS!!!</p><p>The recipe I used comes from <a href="https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/copycat-recipe-chipotle-mexican-grills-chipotle-honey-vinaigrette.html">Once Upon a Chef and can be found here</a>. <br /></p><p>All right. I must get to work! Dan's sister is coming for a visit this weekend and the guest room needs some attention and it's my Uncle's birthday and he will be joining us for Sunday lunch and a cake must be made! It's not a birthday without a cake. :)<br /></p><p>Have a great weekend!<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-22900422724431587162023-05-16T07:38:00.004-04:002023-05-16T07:57:40.584-04:00Full nest, full heart!<p>Ahhhhhh...my heart is happy! My nest is full - for the moment and I am enjoying every minute of it!</p><p>On Thursday, Brad and Peter and I headed to Charlotte to move Sarah home for the summer. Thanks to the big blue bags, we made quick work of it! If you aren't using the big blue Ikea (or similar brands from Amazon) bags to move then you are doing it wrong. These bags are life savers. I purchased 8 of them before we moved Peter his freshman year and am not looking back. You can pile/shove/cram so much stuff in these bags and they zip up and stack so well when they are full. We don't even take clothes off of hangers. We just fold them in half on the hanger and put into the miracle bag. It makes moving a dream. (Well, moving is never a dream but it definitely makes things run go much smoother.)</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-LRmgnMcIzaMx2CmgmKx9jwjf7lGH8EtBQ3Fh36IT_6cwPBsucE45iK_1h4wrMC6YS4PCVjh24Zw7jjYjFZB-0ubWHQxsFQqQiaZX3COlN6KkJNmuan0bx1F4W5dERe6pxlbwhBM_Ub1JrF44ExL3Zfho48y24oRxSwIK0DiqCGesexMLTPoCZZLhQ/s9248/20230511_151343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-LRmgnMcIzaMx2CmgmKx9jwjf7lGH8EtBQ3Fh36IT_6cwPBsucE45iK_1h4wrMC6YS4PCVjh24Zw7jjYjFZB-0ubWHQxsFQqQiaZX3COlN6KkJNmuan0bx1F4W5dERe6pxlbwhBM_Ub1JrF44ExL3Zfho48y24oRxSwIK0DiqCGesexMLTPoCZZLhQ/w480-h640/20230511_151343.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory empty dorm room photo.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>On Friday, I helped Sarah sort out clothes from her closet and got rid of things she didn't wear any longer and helped her sort through the pile of stuff in the bonus room. The pile of stuff being everything previously contained in said blue bags.</p><p>On Saturday, I had lunch with Jennifer at the Village Tavern. It was so nice to catch up with her. We've made a date to do it again in June! </p><p>On Saturday evening, I put Peter in charge of the grill and as he cooked burgers, Sarah and I hung out with him and we listened to music. It was such a beautiful evening, we ate outside. It was so nice and the burgers were delicious. And then around 8:00 PM, Dan got home from Ireland!!!!! Finally, everyone was home.</p><p>I woke up to a nice little treat on Mother's Day...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKb2wJTsXnvRlnlXRlFxzbSIK1Fnjw0vm0YgXhmEGpvF8BNysJVf3le0kbUpz3U-B2ZsCJcRhg3vyDqjrBrDdfp5p5tvcEPVwkJZEr2BG-Ud1h9PFSk3Jep8DXInI_GGkSDgn7cku-QNMYtkF_En0o7GJYVjJ_Cwx-Xn8hczbwVdDvgMzZichcJ93rw/s9248/20230514_082247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKb2wJTsXnvRlnlXRlFxzbSIK1Fnjw0vm0YgXhmEGpvF8BNysJVf3le0kbUpz3U-B2ZsCJcRhg3vyDqjrBrDdfp5p5tvcEPVwkJZEr2BG-Ud1h9PFSk3Jep8DXInI_GGkSDgn7cku-QNMYtkF_En0o7GJYVjJ_Cwx-Xn8hczbwVdDvgMzZichcJ93rw/w300-h400/20230514_082247.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Cards, flowers, and earrings! My first stop in the morning is always at the Keurig so they put my cards and gifts there. :) </p><p>We went to Mass and then headed to my Mom's to celebrate Mother's Day with her. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmo9UxsEzC1bZ5k_TqvbRDfTs8HguzUwmtumOahx7S-wMOAfMu9MYgFFKrEfR9jtJPORpuSHaqJGo_GjTNzKAgx5aQwXqj18SbgSoOhlQCkc740SJEQZZnxPNiGd7dz9V4THV7mUDY5ZmQvTjkKa0aaTDat2l9_15IgcbCLXdFKeUpaDOmNf2_CLyDQ/s9248/20230514_134617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmo9UxsEzC1bZ5k_TqvbRDfTs8HguzUwmtumOahx7S-wMOAfMu9MYgFFKrEfR9jtJPORpuSHaqJGo_GjTNzKAgx5aQwXqj18SbgSoOhlQCkc740SJEQZZnxPNiGd7dz9V4THV7mUDY5ZmQvTjkKa0aaTDat2l9_15IgcbCLXdFKeUpaDOmNf2_CLyDQ/w640-h480/20230514_134617.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with my babies.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxIPR_hydCuPU74QI5rbeYx_8D1pP9X-HRVkLhvJWhkam2Uv-53o5iEZm5EU7DPxQi8hPguS7nLeqyEjf7e99-593syZJN-kDSGM3hmN9RSt1G54QyPdMFpV1GKG3sGa_CJhus7p-8hHckB6A5RUUhwSmkuUBdw0W-dJlws9hK7yMf2RaPB49tamzwg/s9248/20230514_134441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxIPR_hydCuPU74QI5rbeYx_8D1pP9X-HRVkLhvJWhkam2Uv-53o5iEZm5EU7DPxQi8hPguS7nLeqyEjf7e99-593syZJN-kDSGM3hmN9RSt1G54QyPdMFpV1GKG3sGa_CJhus7p-8hHckB6A5RUUhwSmkuUBdw0W-dJlws9hK7yMf2RaPB49tamzwg/w640-h480/20230514_134441.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom with her babies.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Later that afternoon, Dan and I headed to Goose and the Monkey to enjoy an adult beverage and to catch up on all the things he had missed while being in Ireland. </p><p>Yesterday was another busy day. After I got groceries, I ran errands with Sarah. We took a big bag of her castoffs to Plato's Closet to see if they would consign any of them. They kept some of the items and we left with an extra $21.50 in our pockets and came back home with a bunch of the stuff they didn't want. I will try to list some of it on Poshmark and the rest will go to Goodwill. She also needed a few things - shoes to wear at the pool, sunscreen, socks, etc.. so we headed to Starbucks and Target. Then we came home and finished sorting through all of her stuff and organizing it so that we don't have to do that in August when it's time to move her back.<br /></p><p>And now it's a cloudy Tuesday. I will hopefully getting in my 3 mile walk and catch up on laundry. It's funny how you don't mind laundry, errands, grocery shopping, and cooking when all your people are at home. Peter heads back to Raleigh in two weeks and Dan heads to Ireland again soon so I am going to enjoy every last little chore and every moment spent together while everyone is home.💗 <br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080789300460674006.post-43996230540629954462023-05-09T08:50:00.001-04:002023-05-09T08:50:09.060-04:00My house has a revolving door, the birds are all grown up, a good book, and my new favorite spice!<p>Dan left for Ireland again on Saturday. He will be back this Saturday and home for two weeks, then will be gone for a month. Then home for a week and gone for two. Then home to go on vacation then back to Ireland. In other words, he will be gone for most of the summer. :(</p><p>But in good news, Sarah came home on Friday afternoon as she had training/orientation at the new pool she will be working at this summer. She headed back to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon to finish up her exams. Peter, who is done with finals, came home Sunday night and will be here for a little bit before he heads back to Raleigh to look for a summer job. It's starting to feel like the front door is revolving...<br /></p><p>My brother and I along with Peter will be heading to Charlotte on Thursday to pack up Sarah and bring her home for the summer. I know she will be busy with work and friends most of the summer but it will be nice to have someone home(ish) with me while Dan is gone.</p><p>Sarah got home on Friday before I did. I was out running errands with my mom and as soon as I walked in the door, Sarah said, "Are those new glasses?!" I knew she would notice my new (and totally different looking!) glasses! :)<br /></p><p>Peter sent me this photo on Saturday...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_Q6-GavE29W6z6o7oqGdfFNhLGKiq6AK6keEiksIDGed8EcOctqzReW6Vxi9bhMfrjE6bay58pIc15P8IVoxEQyo7WZT9I8YuTB1TdBUAhrpRaPirLlkjiW9wuxdm46PajtdSIVtwFldx3a7T_grtVB1yOHrWRJLwtx__3Ju-lY6rYHpfF_dzf4PBw/s2048/705097385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_Q6-GavE29W6z6o7oqGdfFNhLGKiq6AK6keEiksIDGed8EcOctqzReW6Vxi9bhMfrjE6bay58pIc15P8IVoxEQyo7WZT9I8YuTB1TdBUAhrpRaPirLlkjiW9wuxdm46PajtdSIVtwFldx3a7T_grtVB1yOHrWRJLwtx__3Ju-lY6rYHpfF_dzf4PBw/w300-h400/705097385.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>He was telling me that the parents are spending less and less time with the babies. And then on Sunday, he sent me this one with the caption of "My babies are all grown up."<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5iCa2uYEvaN7Ae8cfON-ZGHftVbS6M3Qf9F3r-u3oNcZrlYah9ZiqcTzMQiILFN2pwG3r1YEwaFrIw3EfGMcnFUGLstx1xJQ6S7CgxeMocd6vx3h3_tv6Q2JIW-kvtnaaOkoN8mErU7NDWm22WvCx34xINz0GXND4kMAEM-GUnIqNTEq0yi_5So98Q/s2048/705168434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5iCa2uYEvaN7Ae8cfON-ZGHftVbS6M3Qf9F3r-u3oNcZrlYah9ZiqcTzMQiILFN2pwG3r1YEwaFrIw3EfGMcnFUGLstx1xJQ6S7CgxeMocd6vx3h3_tv6Q2JIW-kvtnaaOkoN8mErU7NDWm22WvCx34xINz0GXND4kMAEM-GUnIqNTEq0yi_5So98Q/w300-h400/705168434.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>And let me tell you, I felt that caption. I responded with some crying face emojis and saved him from a discourse on how hard it is to watch your babies leave but that they have to because it's how life works - it means the parents have successfully done their job. I also failed to mention that Empty Nest Syndrome is real and will leave you feeling a little sad even though you've done your job well. <br /></p><p>We are both wondering if the birds will come back to the same spot nest time they have a brood. I was googling and doves attempt 2-5 nestings a year up until September. He may get to see another set of babies as doves typically use the same nesting spot if they had a successful brood there. <br /></p><p>I just finished <u>Defending Jacob</u>, a book that was recommended to me by <a href="https://gigisramblings-gso.blogspot.com/">Gigi</a>. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was well written and there were a couple of twists and turns at the end that I did not see coming. My only issue with it (and I have this issue with a lot of books) is that 90% of the book is the basis of the story and then the last 10% is twists, turns, wrapping things up, etc and you are left reeling a bit. So I needed some time to process the last couple of chapters but it was a great book and even though it was long, I read it in a week. Thanks, Gigi! </p><p>Before I go (I need to get my walk in before it gets too hot - it's supposed to be 84 today), I wanted to share this spice with you...(Sorry for the screenshot. I'm too lazy to get up, go to the kitchen, take a picture, upload it to the computer etc....)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMafSEKlDithUV0zAcMCe2P_tGZw2LThhUDrprj8FaFS6p8Xr-Td0F-goOj41pUv-RaJls-lG5kYAHoq_wjPbsJRglq6CtZte6l4wdBMWuy6db7IQNHAxXza2FLbnCV6Te2T1ORgRmwASRh9zcu6DzFXPlst8dZio732cijIlOxRY_d8k7NUepdXtWA/s1600/spike.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMafSEKlDithUV0zAcMCe2P_tGZw2LThhUDrprj8FaFS6p8Xr-Td0F-goOj41pUv-RaJls-lG5kYAHoq_wjPbsJRglq6CtZte6l4wdBMWuy6db7IQNHAxXza2FLbnCV6Te2T1ORgRmwASRh9zcu6DzFXPlst8dZio732cijIlOxRY_d8k7NUepdXtWA/w640-h360/spike.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This stuff is so good! I enjoy salads but have trouble eating them without a ton of dressing so I've started putting this on my lettuce and it adds so much flavor <b>that I hardly need dressing</b>. </p><p>The ingredient list is as follows: <span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Salt Crystals (Earth and Sea), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (No Added
MSG), Soy Granules, Mellow Toasted Onion, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic,
Orange Powder, Dill, Kelp, Horseradish, Mustard Flour, Orange and Lemon
Peel, Celery Granules and Powder, Sweet Green and Red Bell Peppers,
Parsley Flakes, Celery Root Powder, White Pepper, Turmeric, Rosehips,
Summer Savory, Onion Powder, Parsley Powder, Mushroom Powder, Coriander,
Fenugreek, Basil, Cayenne Pepper, Spinach Powder, Cloves, Cumin,
Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Tarragon, Cinnamon, Safflower,
Paprika, Tomato, Rosemary, Celery Seed Ground. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: small;">Have you guys ever used it? Does anyone have any other tips on how to eat less dressing on a salad - because to me that's the best part!<br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p>Beth Cotellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536268080265726705noreply@blogger.com7