watch nerissa (dis)appear......

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http://lisashafer.blogspot.com/

let the weekend begin

It's sort of a nasty way to get a three day weekend, but I have tomorrow off. Like most of us who turn 50, our doctor prescribes a "procedure" that takes place every 10 years, if you are fortunate. Tomorrow is my turn. Lovely.

I'm hoping I'm home by noon-ish, feeling not too bad, and can enjoy the afternoon and the rest of the weekend.

I have downloaded several books to my Nook as I figure I will be confined to quarters this afternoon and evening.

In other news, I need to bake a loaf of bread for church on Sunday. The new priest instituted a 'welcome bread' deal for new parish families. I volunteered to be on the bread committee. Easy enough and it enabled me to go forth and purchase pretty autumn ribbon to decorate the loaf! I'm thinking zucchini bread or banana bread. Have to see what I have in the freezer.

Okay. Off I go! and go, and go, and go..........starting this afternoon. lol

too early

Woke much too early this morning. My attempts to doze back off were not working, so I went ahead and got up. UGH.

Too much on my mind, I guess. I'll be so glad when this final program is off to the printer and the blue line is in the office. I'm not one to wish time away, but I'll really be glad to see November 6 roll around and to have the meeting behind us.

Watched the new Masterpiece Theater show, Home Fires, yesterday. I had taped the Sunday broadcast. What a nice show! I was thoroughly entertained and am looking forward to the entire series.

Off we go. We will be walking this morning as being up this early does leave me with extra time.

october

October sort of snuck up on me. I leave at the end of the month for Phoenix. We have the final program to finish. Is it really October?

Quiet weekend with the boy and the hubby gone. The boy and the team did very well for their first tournament of the season. They eared a 2nd place in the sweepstakes and the boy earned a 2nd place in extemp. Good job!! Another trophy for the collection.

In other news, I did quite a bit of reading and watched a few movies as well over the weekend. The weather was cool, damp, and dark. No need to go mucking about in the flower beds in that type of weather, so my plans for clearing and planting were ignored.

I did bake some peanut butter cookies though!

Enjoy the day.

rolling along

And here is Tuesday. I have a feeling this week will roll along and before I know it Saturday morning will be here. Good. Good. Good. While we have the vast majority of things completed for the national meeting, it seems that little things are being added to the list each day. Rather over all of it. I'm ready to switch gears. I guess that is why laying out one of the affiliate's newsletters wasn't too awful yesterday. Their crazy, they have their own brand, didn't get to me for a change.

I've been reading a historical novel about Empress "Sisi" of Austria. Needed to give the urban fantasy a rest for a bit. I'm really enjoying this book and may search out the author's debut novel, a story about Benedict Arnold's wife.

Okay, we are walking today! It is 53 outside this morning and since I woke at 4:30 a.m. I have plenty of time to get moving.

Enjoy the day.

rainy days and mondays

Always get me down.....especially when I over sleep.

Have a good one.

thursday

Ahhhh, Thursday. So glad to see you! Had a lovely call from the oldest last night. She was walking home from a lab and wanted to chat as she strolled across campus. She sounds good. Stressed and busy, but good. She also said she played soccer on Monday night and was still sore from that experience. Her team didn't win, but she had fun.

I'm reading the second Nathaniel Cade, vampire to the President, book. Enjoying it just as I did the first one. Our e-library only has three titles for this series, so I think that must be it. I will investigate further, just in case.

The weekend draws near as does our speech tournament. Saturday will be devoted to that and Sunday to getting everything else from the weekend completed.

Enjoy the day and the weekend!

midweek meltdown

The heat is creeping back into the area and while I'll need a jacket this morning for our stroll, I would imagine by the time I leave for work, the air is going to feel a bit sticky. UGH. Ready for fall.

Speaking of fall and things that come with fall, the boss brought me a Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday. Delish. Such a treat.

That's it! Happy Hump Day.

sleepy

I slept past 5:00 and I'm so sleepy! Ugh. Guess the cool weather has triggered my trained response for daylight savings time.

When we walked out to get the paper this morning, the air smelled of wood smoke. Guess the firepits are being put to good use now. Unfortunately, the heat returns starting tomorrow.

Fall is coming, and from the smell of it, the neighborhood is ready.

reading update

While I'm working my way through older series that I now have access to via the TN READS program (yippee!!!!), I have also started two new series. Kim Harrison's "Drafter" was such a good read. Twisty turny plot, cool characters, mind bending timelines, and Harrison's crisp voice all rolled into one delicious novel. Fun Stuff. I also, while placing holds on several books in the READS portal, stumbled on a series by Chris Farnsworth about a vampire who is blood bound to the office of the Presidency. I'm tearing through the first book. I believe there are two more about Nathaniel Cade and his handler, Zach. Looking foward to them! All of this reading, due in part to the access I have to our expanded ebook offerings, has bumped my yearly totals up in a quick fashion. And, it is moving the library stats on ebook checkouts as well. In the last reporting period, 1,000 more titles were checked out!! That is awesome.

Productive weekend around here. The cooler weather inspired me to get my fanny in the kitchen and cook some meals for the week. Speaking of cool weather, I will need a jacket this morning, It is below 60 out right now. Wowsa.

Football results were mixed: the Tide rolled, the Irish eeked out a victory but lost their QB for the season, and the Vols lost a heartbreaker.

Had a nice time at the neighbors. Always fun to visit and share a meal with them. Why we don't do it more often was a topic of conversation. Seems so hard to schedule at times. Next time it will be at our house.

Happy Monday!

new series

I was so excited to pick up the first book in the new Kim Harrison series from the library. I'm about 5 chapters in and all is well! Wished I could have stayed up late and kept reading, but I stopped myself and went to bed.

In other news, the rain finally arrived. With a vengeance. And flood warnings. So far this morning it has been dry. No rain falling although the humidity is making the air quite thick.

We have quite the weekend to do list. One thing, we all need flu shots. I guess flu and even pneumonia are already making the rounds at the high school. Lovely. I texted the girls to remind them to get the shot and to be sure to get the quad and not the trivalent injection. That extra strain will be important this year.

Okay, off we go. And it is Thursday!!

back

It was a wonderful weekend and I was sad to leave. But, now I'm back and the work to get ready for the national meeting continues as does the upcoming tasks for the speech and debate season.

The weather might cool down some over the next few days, a much needed break. I think I'm really ready for fall.

I did swing by the library yesterday after work and picked up a book I had on hold. Kim Harrison's latest is on my nightstand and reading will commence once I get home today.

Happy Wednesday!

thursday

Here we are. It is Thursday! The countdown to the weekend is on and I'm already thinking of what to take to T-town. I guess we will be cooking in one night, pot roast has been requested. LOL.

Enjoy the weekend. Happy Labor Day!

ready for fall

Last week was a tease of the fall weather to come. I guess that means this week is a flashback to the humid days of summer. It is sticky, muggy, warm, and gooey outside. Yuck. I'm ready for crisp, clear, grab a sweatshirt weather.

It will get here. I know that. Eventually, in a few weeks. I need to look at the forecast for T-town. Rain? Dry? Hot? Average?

Guess the daughter's roomie is going home for the long weekend, so we'll have the apartment to ourselves. Need to check with the other daughter about meals. Do they want home cooking (or is that apartment cooking by Mom) or to dine out? I did learn there will be no morning coffee as they don't have a coffee pot. WHAT?! lolz. Shouldn't be too shocked as I didn't drink java until I was a sleep deprived mom of two under two.

May have to get a Starbucks to go box and keep it for the weekend.

Speaking of coffee, mine is ready as is the paper.

Happy Hump Day.

ouch

Woke with a headache this morning. Ouch.
In other news, the long awaited new series from Kim Harrison debuts today. Even though I'm very tempted to just buy the e-book, I think I'll wait until I can get it for free through the library. They do have a way to recommend titles for purchase, so I may do that.

Okay, off we go. Headache or not, the walking is going to happen this morning.

the week ahead

The countdown to Labor Day is on. Very excited for that three day weekend. In the meantime, hubby is back on the road, but should be home tomorrow night. At least he isn't gone for a whole week. Had a nice weekend and even managed to get out to see the new Mission Impossible movie. Popcorn bucket entertainment at its finest. Not a fan of Tom Cruise, but fun to see Alec Baldwin and Jeremy Renner in this flick.

Did some reading. Did some cleaning, cooking, and shopping. Here's Monday.

girls weekend

So excited! I've been invited to go down to the oldest's campus for a girls weekend over Labor Day. Get to stay in her apartment, visit, cook, shop, and see the younger daughter as she will be in town too. Whoop! Should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

And that's it. Here is Thursday. Slept like a log last night. The three mile trick is the key it seems. It's working, so I'm going to keep it up.

Toodles.

open house

It is always a surreal feeling to wander the halls of the high school going from class to class during open house events. Usually hubby and I go together, but with his trip happening this week, I flew solo last night. Saw lots of similar faces and since the boy is in all AP or Honors classes, it was the same moms and dads over and over. One of the moms actually reminded me after we had the third class together how I told her the circle of kids shrunk as the kids progressed through school. Those kids on the more rigorous academic track become a school within the school. I took notes in each class, little tips and tricks the teachers passed on. They only had 15 minutes to talk to us, so it was quick, but I did get some good info.

All in all, the boy should have a good year. He has a nice mix of older, more experienced teachers and younger, fresh to the classroom teachers. I love that his APUSH class only has 14 students in it. I love that his AP Lit teacher is so passionate about writing. I love how all the teachers, even the AP Physics teacher, talked about writing. Whatever the critics have to say about Common Core, the emphasis on writing is not one of the bad aspects of that curriculum.

So, I'm glad I went. It was very worthwhile.

uh oh

Overslept! Wow. Amazing to sleep all night and then get an extra half hour to boot. This extra walking stuff has seemed to do the trick. But, of course, my extra half hour this morning means no morning walk. Guess I will have to make it up at lunch and after I get home.

The weather outside is gorgeous. Cool air has moved in and the humid air is gone. Lovely.

In other news, I'm trying to finish my last downloaded book as it will expire today! UGH. If I can't get it completed before it goes "poof" off the Nook, I'll have to borrow it again.

Off we go. Happy Tuesday.

and here we are

Here we are at Monday, again. I'm ready for a three day weekend. Where is Labor Day and why is it taking so long to get to it?

UGH.

Had a wonderful Saturday and Sunday. We cooked, we cleaned, we shopped, and I spent 4 hours chatting and snacking with my former critique group. It was great. Even the rainy spells didn't discourage me. I'm reading a very interesting book. Good stuff all around.

But, it's Monday and its time to get going. We have the Speech and Debate club booster meeting this week. And, I'm sure, a host of other things as well.

Last week of August. Fall is arriving fast.

rainy maybe

Stepped outside and ahhhhhh. Coolness abounds! The front came through as expected. Now, will the rain actually show up as well? At the moment, we are good to walk. I've been trying to walk in the evening also. Just getting a few extra steps in. It seems to be helping with my sleeping issues, although for the last two nights I keep waking up at random hours. I think I'm afraid of oversleeping and then having to rush to be on time for work.

I could set an alarm, but why do that?? ha ha

In other news, I'm thrilled to be meeting two of my writing friends for breakfast Saturday morning. These are two gals I met when I first moved here 12 years ago. One moved away (military hubby) and has now moved back for a bit. She has two children now. She has published her first novel and has now published a collection of short stories. So proud of her for keeping her dream alive and keeping her fingers on the keyboard. It will be a wonderful reunion and I'm excited to chat the morning away with these two ladies.

Okay, off we go into Thursday. The weekend is in sight. I'm ready!

my oh my

My oh my. I spent several hours after work yesterday playing around with our new speech/debate website. Hubby got us the page and he set up several aspects of it, but with the parent meeting next week, it was time to really get busy.

I am not a web designer. The thing is pretty darn ugly. Well, maybe plain would be a better word. If I had time and was so inclined, I'm sure there are helpful tutorials to teach a would be designer how to make it look spiffy. Not going to happen. We just need important documents loaded and accessible. Slap a few photos up there. Add a calendar and some contact info. Good to go.

The lady who is going to be our webmaster may have the skills needed to make this thing look good. That lady is not me! She is coming over Thursday to "get the keys" and take this thing off our hands. But, we did feel like we needed to give her a solid frame with the contents more or less uploaded.

By the time I stepped away from the screen, I had a crick in my neck and an overall anxious feeling. Off for a walk I went. Without the dog. On the back path. It helped!!

The goodness in all of this is that the hospitality chair-mom took a group pic of the kids yesterday for us to use on our fundraising materials. Good pics and a HUGE group of kids so far. It always dwindles when the fee schedule is handed out. But, looks like we could have close to 40 speech and debate students this season. That is awesome.

new start

After working a 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. schedule for the last 4 years, yesterday I gave notice I was changing my hours. Yep, going to start working from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I'm awake early anyway and being able to get home and have more of the afternoon to enjoy is a good thing. It won't be fun to drive to work in the dark come winter time, but having more daylight once I get back home will make up for it. Plus, I will be able to see the square all lit up once the holidays roll around! That is a month of magic I can count on.

What did I do with my extra hour yesterday? Well, I dusted and vacuumed. Oh, and I downloaded the next Kitty book to my Nook. I'm on a tear with these and have now created a list of authors I used to read so I can look up those series as well.

Not quite as pleasant outside this morning, but rain is predicted for the rest of the week. Humid air has moved in on the front end.

Heard from the girls yesterday via text and phone calls. The oldest called to make sure she had left her playing cards here and that they weren't lost in her apartment somewhere. Yes, they were still in her desk. She also called to let me know she had gone grocery shopping as the meals at the sorority house don't begin until Wednesday. The middle texted me. She's still buried in recruitment duties for her sorority. I'm sure she will be very glad when that is all over for the year.

backlist

The new to us download and go library from our state is allowing me to catch up on series that I started years ago but was unable to finish. Lots of urban fantasy titles are available in this new system, plus so many cozy mysteries. I'm in book heaven as we enter into fall. Good Stuff.

The oldest left for school yesterday. UGH. Summer is now truly over. Both ladies are back on their campuses and classes start midweek. It was great to have them home, and like last year, I wonder if that was the final year for having all three of the kids under the roof during the summer months.

It very well could have been it.

The Duke and and I are off on our walk. The temps dropped and it is pleasant outside. Nice break from the heat and humidity.

Enjoy Monday!

bags

Bags under the eyes this morning. For some reason, I had a difficult time falling asleep last night and my normal 5:00 a.m. wake up time came much too early. I'm tired.

Good thing the heavy lifting at work took place yesterday. Today will be a lighter day, I hope.

In other news, the cold front that has arrived is so nice for our early morning walks. Lovely. I'm ready for fall.

in plain sight

Today I will begin working on the copy for September issue of the magazine. All day yesterday I went through it and looked for style errors. Captions weren't styled. Bullets weren't styled. It went on and on. Our graphic designer is quite the artist, but not a production specialist. It is tiring work. Today the copy has to be checked. When we drop text into the design program, sometimes things go wrong. Spacing issues will occur. And while I'm checking for that, I will also find other things that I missed on the first go around.

Good thing I slept well last night! Off we go.

off we go

School has started here in the Ville. The boy had a good first day and seems to be happy with all of his classes.

The middle daughter is coping with her responsibilities to her sorority. She also texted me a list of things she forgot to take that she now wants me to ship to her.

The oldest has a lead on a potential job for after graduation. She met a division director for a national company while we were at church on Sunday. The division: R&D. He is hiring and needs to hire women. He is a fellow K of C member, so hubby was able to facilitate an email connection. Who knows....she may wind up back in the area after all.

I was able to log into the new e-book portal for the library and struck gold. I've downloaded three titles and placed holds on 3 more. The books are from series that I long gave up on trying to complete because our library never had them. Urban fantasy isn't shelved too often down here. So excited!

So, it was a good Monday. The week is off to a good start.

chinese carry out

The middle daughter's farewell dinner was last night. Our grand plans of driving into the city, eating at a new place, and walking around a bit were dashed by a major storm. Lights out, wrecks on the interstate, thunder, lightning, water (lots of water) changed the plans. We ended up ordering Chinese food and hubby picked it up on his way home.

Still tasted pretty darn good. Still had fun. Still sad that she travels back east tomorrow morning.

Where did the summer go? She's been home for over 3 months and it seems like we just picked her up from the airport, our London girl, back in the states.

Feeling a bit nostalgic this morning.

new route

I usually take the same route when I walk in the morning, at least when the level of darkness allows me to. Seems like it is already time to give up that path and begin the winter routine. No more walking the path behind the subdivision until I can see better. Even with the flashlight, it is still too dark to feel comfortable.

Nearly running into a giant spider web with a giant spider in the middle will also cause one to change their walking route.

Even though the path is nice as it is away from cars and smelly lawn clippings, the spider's dinner collection efforts, along with the dim light, have convinced me to stay away.

In addition to smelly lawn clippings waiting for tomorrow's trash day pick up, it smells a bit like rain outside.

The boy picked up his schedule at the high school yesterday. School starts for him on Monday. He has finished his summer work and is spending today organizing what he needs to turn in and double checking that he didn't forget an assignment.

And here is Wednesday, again. Time to get started.

allergies

Sniffle. Blow. Sniffle. The allergies have struck. UGH. Not sure what is going on or what is in the air, but I'm having allergy issues. Can't remember the last time I had a reaction like this. One pill in the morning and a different one at night plus nasal spray and eye drops. I may need to get the nasal rinse stuff out and try that.

No other news to speak of or write about.

and we're back

Wow. That was a very quick trip, but so much fun. Two 10-hour drives (up and down) with two very fun days sandwiched in between them. While I don't miss the snowy and cold winters of northern Indiana, I do miss their comfortable summers. Temps were in the low 80s during the day and dropped into the 60s at night, with low humidity, and nice breezes. It was a real treat.

We had a great visit with our friends and even managed to squeeze in a quick trip up to the lake and see our other friends. Of course, coffee on the pier turned into a full blown breakfast, but that is how they roll. Their new house is jaw dropping and has plenty of room for visitors. They made us promise to come back next summer and stay with them.

It is always a wonderful thing to reunite with old friends and have the years drop away. That is how it always is with these two families and it never fails to amaze me.

As I can't read in the car, no reading happened while I was gone. I was so tired after I got home last night, that catching up on the laundry, having some supper, and chatting with the kids, took all of my energy.

So, back to reality today. Off to work I go. The middle kid heads back to school on Friday. Hard to believe. Going to miss her tons.

Happy Monday.

my friday

My Friday is today! Hubby and I are heading north for a long weekend to see friends and family. Just us. No kids. Wow.

That's two 'solo' vacations in one year. The shape of things to come. Speaking of vacations, I had dreams about London last night. Of course, the Beckhams were involved?! lol

I guess pizza for dinner will do that to you.

Enjoy the day. Catch up on Monday. Toodles.

and the beat goes on

Tuesday! Here you are. Good to see you. Why does it always feel like an accomplishment to survive Monday?

Still hot, but they say hope is in sight and the temps may drop on Thursday.

The back to school procurement process has started. The middle kid needed new bedding as her apartment comes furnished with a double bed, not a twin. UGH. Target had a decent sale going, plus we had additional coupons and discounts.

The big adventure will be taking the boy shopping. Oh how we both dread that. But, it must be done. Unless, I ask the girls to take him this weekend? Hmmmmm. That might just work.

Off we go.

stuff

Lots of stuff going on in the next three days before we leave for a quick trip north. Sort of feel like I'm on a carnival ride. Wheeeeeeeeee!

But up first, some coffee, some breakfast, and some reading.

Everything else will fall in line and before I know it, we will be on the road, again.

Happy Monday.

thursday

The abstract editing has started. I worked on a group yesterday and will work on them again today. It is tiring work. Sometimes, it is interesting work. I'll be glad when we finish them.

In other news, a rainy morning yet again today. The oldest is off to Arkansas for work and will be back tomorrow. She and hubby will head to T-town on Saturday to start moving furniture into her apartment.

Summer is winding down. I'm not ready for school to start for the kids.

Happy Thursday!

rain

The rain has moved in! Yippee!! We really needed it, so I'm not feeling too sad about not getting a walk in this morning.

Had a lot of fun at the olive oil/balsamic vinegar class we went to last night. Very neat recipe ideas, so many good flavors to taste, and crazy combinations. Who would have thought vinegar is good on ice cream, or in tea, or drizzled on fruit? Yum Yum.

Even more fun was just hanging out with the girls and watching them have fun and enjoy the night.

The ribbon cutting was fun too. a good sized crowd showed up and over half the library board was there, which made me very happy.

All in all, yesterday was a really great day. Wonder what today will bring?

cutting ribbons

The ribbon cutting is today. The library is under town control and a party is in order. I went into work early yesterday and will again today to make up the time I'll be gone.

Still hot.

No rain.

Yep, Tuesday has arrived.

the week ahead

Monday. Here you are, again.

I have to go in early and possibly stay late in order to make up time for being gone tomorrow. I'm going to attend the ribbon cutting for the library. Heck, I even went and bought a new dress for the occasion! Talbots had a sale going, and I picked up a cute dress for $60. Guessing it might be what I wear to the daughter's graduation next May. Yes, I had that thought as I was looking. Unreal.

Nice weekend. Quite a bit done, not nearly as much as last weekend, but enough. The house still needs to be cleaned, but hubby rearranged the garage so I can pull the van in now. First time since the house renovations began back in the Spring.

In other news, we finally watched "Gone Girl." Good movie. Wished I had read the book first!

Still super hot.

Off we go!

just early enough

Fifteen minutes does make a difference and I woke just early enough that Duke and I can take a walk this morning.

In other news, the webinar yesterday went off without a hitch. The articles are pouring in for the September issue. It is still hotter than HELL outside. I'm ready for the weekend!

Enjoy the day. Happy Thursday.

the last three

Up first, the big storm that roared through yesterday knocked our power out for 3 hours! So, once everyone was home, we went out for dinner. Had a great time at Lee Kan and came home, drove the neighborhood, and by the time we circled back around, the power was on. Yippee! Cranked the a/c down and settled in for the night.

I overslept, again. I guess I'm going to have to set my alarm if I want to walk. UGH.

In other news, my weekend reading recap: the two books I finished and the one I started.

Alexandra Ivy's "When Darkness Comes" is a typical vampire romance novel, but it was better than most. More action, some interesting  characters, and a quick pace. If another one of her titles becomes available via BookBub, I'd be tempted to spend the .99 cents to get it.

"Witch Hunt" by SM Reine was another Book Bub deal. Good Stuff here. Don't get male protags that often from women writers or in urban fantasy fiction. Nice world building, good characters, and a twisty plot. I liked it. Again, if Book Bub runs a deal on other titles, I'm in. Heck, I might even venture to B&N to see about just buying the next one at full price.

Last, but not least, is the latest from Erika Johansen, "The Invasion of the Tearling," I've been waiting for this one for a while. I'm only about half way through it, and wishing I had more time to read it. Love the characters, love the murky nature of our heroine, excited to see what happens next.

So, that's it! All caught up.

Happy Hump Day!

catch up

Totally forgot to blog yesterday. Oops. Today, due to the fact I had to take a melatonin last night to sleep, I overslept and didn't get to go on my walk. So, here I am trying to blog.

Weekend update: I read two books and started a third. When you have loads of laundry and bedding to do, reading happens. We shopped at the new Sprouts store and had a fun time and walked out with some good deals. We cleaned the house, top to bottom, and with all of us pitching in, it only took 2 hours. We also cooked a nice Sunday meal and had fun just being together.

Yesterday was crazy. My boss was out ill. It was our dry run for Wednesday's webinar. Thank goodness the IT guy was there and could take charge as I had no clue on how to use the webinar software and the new audio equipment. UGH. Then we had problems with the journals. One article needed a new figure, which we obtained. Then it didn't fit the layout. So, I fumbled around and made it work. UGH. Then someone called that their fast track article wasn't the final version of their work, plus the graphics looked fuzzy. Lovely.

In the end, I think we got it all sorted. I think. Guess, I'll find out this morning. Oh, and my work I needed to do? Well, I started on that about 1:00 in the afternoon! Ha! So much for writing the feature article and weaving together talking points about human on a chip technology. That is for sure a before lunch endeavor. For sure.

Okay, off we go. Wonder what today will bring?

and so it goes

The van is fixed and the price tag wasn't too awful. Yeah! What a relief. In other news, the boy has picked up a few volunteer shifts at the library. Service hours are always needed. He is making progress on his summer work and we learned yesterday that he earned a 5 on his AP world history test. Yippee!!

A few of us from work ventured over to the new Sprouts grocery store on our lunch break. Dangerous place, but the prices look to be good. Sampled a few things, strolled through the store, and laughed with folks stuck in aisles because it was so crowded. I think I will go next week and stock up on the sale items. They had some awesome $1 deals that would be nice to buy. This will be an easy stop after work and is much less expensive than Fresh Market on pantry staples. The meat counters were so crowded I didn't get a chance to check those prices, but did learn they have a 'wild game' section of frozen meats. Yes, saw ground kangaroo, wild boar (feral swine-ick), elk, and buffalo. The Aussie work friend was quite impressed with the kangaroo and said back home that is cheap meat. Interesting.

Okay. off we go on the walk. They've been promising rain all week, but it has yet to appear.

off she goes

My van is going off to the mechanic today. UGH. Got in yesterday and the a/c wouldn't turn on in the front. The blowers work in the back, but aren't cooling well. It was a warm drive to the office. The oldest will follow me to the garage and then take me back to get another car to drive for the day. Lovely. Just lovely. At least we didn't take this car to Florida and have this happen on a 7 hour drive!! This will be our fist big repair on my 10 year old Honda. Pretty good run.

Okay, in other news, a college friend is moving to my old hometown. I've already web introduced her to my two friends up there who have kids in the schools her two will be attending.

Been reading "The Falconer" at night. Good stuff. Steampunk and fairies. Nice combo.

Off we go. It's Wednesday!!

no blog

oops, no blog today.

second half

The second half of summer is about to begin. The slide towards school is on. But, what a way to start! The USWNT won the World Cup and brought that soccer trophy back to the States. Yes!! The team seemed to peak at just the right time and played some magical soccer.

The boy managed to earn an A in microecon and and A in logic during his summer session down at university camp. Now, he just has to finish all that summer work.

The rest of us are back to work after a lovely 4 day weekend and a quick trip to Florida!

And that is how the first day of the second half of summer will begin.

no paper

Duke and I are at a bit of a loss right now. The paper hasn't arrived. We've taken our walk and are now waiting. So, I updated by reading list. Seems like I'm a bit behind. I've ready 28 books so far this year. But, I did manage to clear off my Nook and am now only allowing myself a 5 book backlog. Work today and then Town Hall after. I need to stop by and sign some papers.

Ready for our long holiday weekend!

wednesday do over

While today is Thursday, it is going to be a repeat of Wednesday for me. I have to work on Saturday. Once a year the association leadership comes to town to meet, set goals, network, and socialize. This Saturday is that time.

So, I'll be at the office on Saturday from 7:30 until we are finished and then I'll go home, get hubby, and head downtown for the dinner portion of the event. At least he can come with me and we can make a date night out of it.

I'll have Sunday off and then back to work on Monday. I do get a comp day, which I will take on Thursday. Six days on, one day off, three days on, 4 days off. By the time we are well into that first full week of July, I'll be truly out of sorts!

Off to walk. The birds are singing. The heat is rising.

short

I woke at 3:30 AM and decided I need more sleep.  I then slept until 5:45. UGH. No walk this morning. Quick chat with the hubby. Breakfast. Lunch made. Paper skimmed. Time to get ready for work!

In other news: the boy is home, I'm chair of the library board for another term, it is still super hot, and the week plods on.

Happy Wednesday!

tuesday

Work.
Library Board meeting.
The boy comes home!

That is all. That is enough. Enjoy your Tuesday.

too early

I guess the busy week ahead was weighing on my mind. I woke at 4:30 and the last dream I had was a honey bees. Busy as a bee? Hmmm. Guess my subconscious is telling me something.

It is going to be a very hot week with a heat index of well over 100 every day.

The hubby is off to Arkansas for a work session. The boy comes home from camp on Tuesday. I have two meetings and a hair cut appointment. I think we have a few more things going on as well.

Here we go. Full steam ahead.

the curl is on

I've been letting my hair go curly this past week as the humidity, heat index, and actual temperature are not conducive to taming this mess. Better to embrace the curl than try and straighten the locks.

The result, well, most everyone asked if I got a perm. Perm? Do they even do that at the salons anymore? Nope, no perm. All me. Just sans the big round brush, some extra product, as well as some extra time.

I'm enjoying the break from a styled look and am having fun with my wild hair.

It is like a hair vacation! The bigger, the curlier, the wilder the better. Yep.

Happy Thursday.

again?

Woke at 5:30 again. I guess I need to set an alarm!! We got our walk in, but I'm missing that extra half hour to putter around before I have to get moving towards the office.

UGH.

In other news, the USWNT won their group and will advance. Yippee!! More soccer in our future. Always a good thing.

Happy Wednesday!

overslept

Not sure why I didn't wake at my normal time, but I'm a half hour behind today. I did manage to get our walk in and breakfast is underway. Not much time for anything else!

Hello, Tuesday. Good to see you.

nope

My three day weekend went by much too quickly and I'm just not feeling this whole Monday thing. Nope. Not one bit.

That is all.

my friday

Seems like such a long time ago that I had every Friday off. I miss those steady three day weekends. But, full time work does have its advantages. I do have tomorrow off as I have taken a day of PTO to endure a trifecta of medical appointments. It will be good to get them all out of the way.

So, today is my Friday!

Tomorrow the boy will come home for a visit. It will be good to spoil and fuss over him a bit. He's doing well at his university camp, but he seems ready to be home for a bit.

So, enjoy your weekend! Mine starts at 3:30 today. Sharp.

gray skies

Gray skies. The sun is hiding this morning. I think the rain is going to try and move in today. I haven't looked at the radar yet, but the lack of sunshine seems to indicate a wet start to the morning.

In other gray sky news, had a text from my boss. He over did it yesterday and had to take a sleeping pill.....at 3:00 a.m. this morning. Sort of doubting he will be in today, and we have a ton of things to do. UGH. But, severely sprained, ligament/tendon damaged ankle/foot trumps the National Meeting.

If it rains during my lunch break, I guess I will head over to Target to pick up a few things. I have walked the last two days. It has been hot, but not horrible. Always makes me feel better to get out of the office and away from the desk and computer.

Off to take a few steps.

soccer

So, in case you didn't know, the FIFA women's world cup is happening right now up in Canada. The US played Australia last night and came away with a 3-1 win. They got off to a shaky start. If you ask my girls, they looked like sh!t for the first 20 minutes. Thank goodness Solo was in the goal and was able to make two awesome saves. Whatever her personal issues, she is the best female goalie in the world. With goals from Rapinoe and Press, we clinched it.

I love watching these matches. I love watching them with my girls. So much fun. On to the next match. Up next, Sweden. Bittersweet that one, as their coach was coached our team.

Good to have the beautiful game on the telly this month.

hello summer

Well, hello summer. Opened the door to let Duke out to fetch the paper and was greeted with a blast of hot, moist, thick air.

Summer has arrived.

Morning walks are just not quite as refreshing when the humidity is sauna-esque. But, walk we must.
Off we go!

program fun

Today we will be editing and formatting the content for the preliminary program. Lovely. It will make the day fly. It will give me a chance to pick out some sessions to highlight in the September issue of the magazine. It will not be that bad.

Really.

Only 57 pages. Only 57 pages. Only 57 pages.

LOL

yikes

I started working on National Meeting materials yesterday. Yikes. The meeting is in November. Yes, it is that time. This will be the first year I take the lead on these projects and it is a bit intimidating. But, it will all get accomplished and things will be just fine.

We've arranged for the boy to come home for a visit/weekend. Opting out of the Nashville trip, he'd rather spend some time at home. Sounds good to me. So, hubby will drive down and get him on a Friday afternoon and then we will take him back on Sunday. After that weekend, he will only have two weeks to go until the session wraps up. It will be interesting to hear his stories and to see what grades he earns in those two classes.

In other news, it is a crisp 61 outside this morning. Hope that means we will see the sun today as the cloud layer has moved out and some clear skies have moved in.

Off we go! Hump Day!

runny babbit

A few days ago, I let Duke out to fetch the paper like we do every morning. Except this time, a very fluffy rabbit was sitting across the road on the sidewalk. Said rabbit was frozen in place hoping to avoid being seen. Duke sensed the rabbit, but couldn't quite see him in the shadows. It is still a bit dark at 5:00 a.m. Today the cheeky rabbit was in our drive way as I opened the door. It darted across the road as we left the house. Thank goodness Duke was more intent on watering the bushes and didn't see him/her. So, no chasing after the dog chasing after the rabbit.

Yet.

Odds are the rabbit would make a fine escape as a young bunny is much quicker than an 11 year old hound.

I know they are both quicker than a 50 year old. LOL

the struggle is real

Back to blogging. Back to walking. The struggle is very real this morning. After a lovely weekend, Monday has arrived. No rain at the moment. Yeah! Although my plants are loving it.

The boy is doing well, according to what he is telling us, in his two classes. He called yesterday to talk to wish his Dad a happy birthday. Good Stuff. He had just been to mass and was on his way to lunch with the group. I guess laundry was also in his future.

We went up the road to a friend's house for a party/cookout. Their oldest was in town from back east. Had fun catching up with the couple who coached the girls way back when.

In other news, we went to see the new Mad Max movie on Saturday. Wow. Lots of action. Edge of your seat stuff. Then we went to an Italian restaurant we'd not tried before. Delicious. Think the leftovers are in my future for lunch today.

Okay, that's it. Time to get to walking.

out of the groove

I seems to be a bit out of the groove when it comes to blogging. Took a bit of a break and now that I'm inclined to start back up again, I'm having trouble collecting my thoughts. Or at least identifying thoughts that I want to blog about. So, here are some very random observations.

Right now in my world, the boy's alarm is going off. I need to truck upstairs and unplug the darn thing.

The birds are singing. The hummingbirds are feeding. The sun is trying to peek through a fairly heavy cloud layer. We may see rain today. The paper has been fetched and the Dukie-dog has been given his treat and his breakfast.

Today at work I need to load all the content for the June issue onto the website. And I need to load the digital edition as well. And I need to load a response to a USDA-APHIS petition from my committee.

It is Friday eve. The hubby's birthday weekend nears.

Enjoy!

a new normal, for a bit

Today marks the start of a new normal for us, at least for the next month. We took the boy off to a local university for his month of "summer college for high school students." He will be taking two classes: microeconomics and logic/critical thinking. His roommate is a young man from Mexico. Very diverse group of students from all over the country and world. The program takes up to 200 for each session. They attend class with university students and are expected to work along side them as if they were freshman in college instead of juniors in high school.

He was nervous, excited, eager, anxious and ready to get started. His counselor for the month is a PhD candidate in Economics. He is also Greek!

The ladies will both be at their summer internships starting today. The oldest began yesterday. She has an official name badge and a 10% discount on groceries. LOL. Will save us the sales tax for the summer. Sweet.

The younger girl is back at town hall for the summer, but will be paid this time around. Sounds like they have several projects for her to work on in various departments. Good!

So, poor Duke will be having a new normal as well. His people won't be around to wait on him.

Off we go!

a relaxing morning

I'm looking forward to Saturday. I think, fingers crossed, that I can start putting my house back together again that day. The flooring is finished. The island should be painted soon. More on that in a minute.

I'm tired of the boxes, the stacks, the furniture in odd places, the whole sense of construction that has been our vibe for a month now.

The island is going to be painted next and that is more or less the final touch. We had selected a color, but when they painted a drawer front, I realized it was not as dark as I wanted it. I picked a new color and let the contractor know.The paint store can retint that batch of paint and they should be ready to roll, spray, brush or whatever technique they are using. Yipee! It's going to look great. I pinned a few pics on Pinterest of the color choice on an island. Of course those kitchen don't look exactly like mine, but the idea is black island, white cabinets.

So, while Saturday will not be a relaxing morning, afternoon, or evening....looks like Sunday might be!

time to study

The boy takes his first AP test on Thursday. Good! By this point in the year, with only a few weeks to go until school ends, a few teachers have stopped teaching. They are watching Mythbusters episodes in one class. They've taken up books in another. Now, that being said, the Algebra II teacher told them she will be teaching until the minute they walk out the building for summer break. Love her! It will be a sad day when she retires. The English teacher is still having them work; Dr. C does not let them slack off!

Interesting to note: the two teachers still making those students work are both women. The two teachers who have the TV on are both men. Hmmmmm.

Now, to be fair, this commentary is all based on what the boy has shared with me. However, I do recall the girls making similar comments about Dr. C and Ms. K (the Alg II teacher). They taught right to the end. No wasted moment. No movies. No parties. NO making ice cream! Yes, he has to take in ingredients for ice cream today. Oi Vey. I think for Chemistry class....or at least I hope that is what it is for.

in early

Have to make up some time at work since I will be taking the boy there and back for his AP World History exam.

Quick update. I finished the third book in His Fair Assassin trilogy. Thoroughly enjoyed these novels. Thumbs up.

Off we go!

progress

In the home renovation that will never end, or so it seems, progress was made yesterday. It truly does feel like 2 steps foward and one step back. But, the back porch is underway and the new ceiling is being installed. Painting is happening. Things are taped and papered off in the kitchen for the island to be painted.

The tire did have a nail in it and it has been repaired. So, that is a good thing.

In other news, I've been reading a lot with hubby out of town.

The honeysuckle is blooming and it smells wonderful in the mornings for our walk. It helped a lot this morning as today is trash day.

And on that note, off I go. Thursday. Yeah. Friday eve. The weekend is in sight.

Walking walkers

The spring walking season is underway. I've managed to walk in the morning before work as well as on my lunch break for two days now! Nothing to truly celebrate about, but I do feel better and I'm not enduring the afternoon drowsy spell that seemed to be hitting on a regular basis.

And, I woke up early enough to blog today. Hi, Mom!!

In other news, the house renovations continue. We do have a new sink and running water in the kitchen. Yeah!

In other, other news, I may have picked up a nail in my tire. I'm guessing a stray nail in the driveway from the new siding installation. Lovely. I filled the tire up yesterday and will check it this morning. May mean a detour to either Costco or our local mechanic to have it checked out.

I'm reading again!! Started the second of the Robin LeFevers book, "Dark Triumph." Not bad. I managed to check out this title and the third in the series via the library's digital service. Very cool.

Off we go into Wednesday. Midweek. Yippee!

good start

When you open the front door to let the dog out to fetch the paper and the air is crisp and cool. Perfect.

Happy Wednesday.

countdown

The oldest will be home Friday and I'll have all my chicks under one roof for the first time since January. That's a record for us.

Yesterday during my annual review, the associate executive director asked me if I had a 3 year plan. In 3 years, hubby and I will be well on our way to a truly empty nest. The boy will be in college and the girls will be out and in the world and off the payroll.

New chapters are about to begin as the oldest is starts her senior year of college. And more new chapters will follow, quickly, in the blink of an eye.

Yep. And that is what I'm thinking about this morning. Oh, and I really need to get the hummingbird feeder out, cleaned, and filled. They're back!

Happy Tuesday.

kind of, sort of, halfway pulled together

The house is functioning. We have new floors! They look awesome. I'm so pleased with the look and after leaving with icky carpet for 12 years, it is such a treat to have nice carpet to walk on and enjoy. I really like my new hardwood in the kitchen, dining, and foyer. The tile in the bathrooms is wonderful. That half carpet half tile mess is GONE. The outside work is almost complete as far as the new siding installation goes. Then all of that will need to be painted.

Up next, the ceilings in the kitchen and dining have to be finished. The master bath shower floor needs to be grouted. The new counter-tops need to be installed and the island trimmed out. Then the painting will start.

No reading this weekend. I played catch up and watched the few TV shows I follow on a regular basis. And we cleaned, moved, shifted, and then collapsed.

Happy Monday!

too much stuff

Even with the de-cluttering effort that took place over the last two months, it seems we still have too much stuff. Books galore. Knick-knacks. Baskets. Random things.

UGH.

They start the new floors today. Demolition and installation. It will be great when it is finished, but for now, I'll be living in chaos.

I don't do well with chaos.

LOL

rainy morning

The rain came in just at the right time to lull me into a deep sleep.....right past the alarm and my waking up time. LOL.

Running late. Off I go.

fun night

Had such a fun evening last night. The ladies were all in rare form and we laughed a lot. So good to see the one who moved away. Pretty soon my real buddy in the group will be moving as well. Once her hubby retires, they are off to Savannah.

Another place to visit!!

We are having rainy season now that spring is truly here. Sort of nice to fall asleep to the sound of raindrops. The only negative is the paw wiping that must be done as Duke comes and goes.

Tuesday! One week and one day until the girl is home. I asked her if she had any final trips planned and she still wants to make it to Stonehenge and maybe Bath or Brighton. She has her last day at work on Friday.

Can't get over how quickly the semester went. Seems like we just put her on that plane to London.

Enjoy the day.

monday, really?

I woke up this morning and was totally not ready to admit it is Monday. UGH. Had a good weekend. The weather was wonderful. We cleaned out some more closets. Made a run to Costco and restocked the pantry. Made a run to Aldi for more things. Made it to church. Made it to Goodwill. Read another book from my Nook. I'm now down to two titles left until it is empty, cleaned off, and ready for new titles. I did laundry. Hubby and son helped me clean the house. We cooked some tasty shrimp on the barbie! We watched the premiere of Game of Thrones.

Good Stuff.

But, it is Monday! Tonight, I'm meeting the ladies, mostly former Friends of the Library gals, for dinner at our fave place. One of the gals moved away, her second retirement, and is back for a visit. Can't wait to see her!! It should be a fun, laugh-filled night.

Cheers!

and it is thursday

Glad to see Thursday arrive. This week is dragging along. But, my work on the magazine is picking up as the deadline to submit for the June issue is Monday. Yeah! I have several things to do for that issue, lots of emails to send, and unexpected submissions to format and send out for review. Most of the reviewers are available and ready to go. I think only one is on vacation during crunch time.

In other news, looks like spring is here to stay. The first big storm of the spring season is going to hit tonight. We may see our first tornado warning of the year. Let's hope it moves through fast and we aren't up and listening to sirens in the wee hours of the morning.

Friday is coming with the weekend right behind it. Lots to do!

countdown

So, two weeks from today the girl will get home from London! Yes, the countdown is on.

cleaning off the nook

I had accumulated several books on my Nook. Deals or freebies, if it looked decent, I took a chance. Some have been great, others have been pretty dismal. But, I am nearing the bottom of the pile. I have one underway and three left to finish.

I really want to go into May with a clean slate, or Nook.

New resolution, to be a bit more discriminating.

I've added several titles to my list for 2015. I have now read 15 books this year. Number 16 is underway. Yes, I am on track.

Tuesday. Here we are!!

day 9 home again

We woke on day 9 not quite ready to go back to the States. Hard leaving the city I love. Harder leaving the girly to finish her semester.

But, we packed, had breakfast, straightened up the flat, and walked to the hotel to hail a cab. As we said our goodbyes to our girl, yes, I did cry. I really didn't want to leave! The cab came much too quickly and whisked us off to Paddington Station so we could get the Express back to Heathrow.

We were quiet on the trip. I was lost in my thoughts about the amazing week we had. I was already thinking of how soon could we get back!!

The trip home was uneventful. Easy. Comfortable for a 9 hour flight. My hubby even let the flight attendants know it was my 50th birthday and they brought us first class dessert plates! Delish.

We arrived back home, after our layover in Atlanta, about 11 PM. It had been a very long day. We did some basic unpacking, gave the two kids we'd left in the States their gifts, and collapsed into bed.

Sunday was a blur of jet lag and laundry. Off to work on Monday.

It was an amazing trip. I can't pick a favorite day or activity as each day was wonderful and everything we did was so much fun.

I do want to go back. My hubby is right, England is my Hogwarts. It is my magical place and I love it so.

day 8

Our final full day in London started with an eclipse. Not that you could see it as it was overcast, but an eclipse did happen. I think it got a bit darker, but that was about it. We planned on tackling the V&A and do some shopping, so we set out in that direction.

I adore the V&A. It is by far my fave museum. I'm not sure why, but I just have an attachment to the place. Last time I was in London, I spent a day by myself in there, had lunch, and took my time. We didn't have a full day to spend, but we did stroll through for the whole morning, had a wonderful meal, and then went on our way. For me, spending time in the V&A is a must if you are in London. I love the casts, but didn't get to see Henry and Eleanor's effigy casts as they are working on that room. Darn, guess I need to go back to see my fave queen's face one more time! David was there in all his glory though as was the amazing boar and bear hunt tapestry, the fairy cup, and Thomas Beckett's reliquary.  We missed the wedding dress special exhibit by days, but the Alexander McQueen exhibit had just opened and they were queued up for yards to see it.

When we left we went down the road to Harrods. Not much more to say about that. The food court is mind blowing. The watch section had my hubby drooling. The window scenes outside were all about Cinderella and the glass slippers on display from a host of shoe designers had my young 20ish feet drooling. Could never wear a pair of Jimmy Choo's now, but darn, those heels were FINE! We did leave with several bars of Harrod's dark chocolate as gifts for friends and coworkers. Tasty!!

We then took the tube over to Oxford street and went to Selfridges. A grand old department store that looks like a huge government building from the outside. Fun to wander around there.

It was getting to be late afternoon and we went on back to the flat to start to pack. The girly was going to come over and get us so we could go out for dinner and drinks.

We picked a Thai place on Charolotte street, trendy, hip, young. Good food! After dinner we walked back towards her flat and wound up in another restaurant and sat in the bar and had some after dinner drinks and talked for hours.

It would be an early day on Saturday for us and her. UGH. Vacation was coming to an end.

day 7

Day seven in London arrived and we had plans to have all three meals with our daughter. We met her at her flat and walked towards her office. Breakfast stop was at Pret a Manger. These little coffee/tea/food places are all over London. Think of a Starbucks with good meals. We then walked on to her office, said goodbye, and headed to Covent Garden. We strolled around there, bought a few things, and then walked to meet my pen pal's sister for a late morning cup of tea. We had a great visit with her and spent and hour chatting away. She had to go back to work though, so we went on to meet our girl for lunch as Shakespeare's Head pub. Fun!

After lunch we went to the British Museum and spent the afternoon wandering around in there. We saw the Rosetta Stone and a lot of other artifacts. The place was crawling with students on field trips, so it was a very loud and busy afternoon.

When we left the museum we wondered home by a different route and enjoyed walking along some very historic streets. The buildings where famous people lived are all marked with round, blue, engraved markers telling all the details. Pretty neat! Bloomsbury is loaded with such places, so the walk was educational as well.

Once we arrived back at the flat, our girl let us know that our lunch plan to secure tickets to see Wicked was successful and she showed up with those in hand and we made our way to dinner and the show.

While I am not a fan of musicals, at all, this was entertaining and fun. We fell into bed and realized that the next day would be the final one in the city I love.

day 6

Day six of our visit to London saw us catching a tour bus and leaving the city. Bus tours are not the way to see things if you can not resolve yourself to the idea that you only have about 90 minutes to explore each venue. Warp speed touring. Yep. It was the only way we would be able to see these three places as making full long day trips to each was not possible. We were happy to get a taste of each place and if we are ever able to return, would love to spend more time in two of the places.

Our first stop was Windsor. A royal residence, an adorable small town, and not that far out of London. Due to us touring in March, we were able to see several rooms that are closed to the public when the queen and family are at home. The castle is beautiful, the restoration work done there due to the devastating fire is amazing. The vistas from the windows are gorgeous. Beautiful place with beautiful spaces. The chapel on the grounds is where Henry VIII and Jane Seymour are buried. We stopped in there and then finished by watching a part of the changing of the guards.

Back on the bus to eat our picnic lunch and enjoy the drive to Stonehenge. Along the way we went past Ascot racecourse, a town with thatched roofed buildings, and assorted quaint pubs.

Stonehenge is on the Salisbury Plain. And it is plain. Wide open and flat, except for the barrows dotting the countryside. You catch a shuttle bus at the visitor's center to access the stones. The walk way around them offers you various views of the henge. One side of the walk curves in fairly close to them. They are stunning. It is a magical place, not in that you get any vibe from the stones, but in just knowing how old these man-made structures are. The weather was perfect for our visit. Clear blue skies and blustery.

Back on the bus, wanted more time to peruse their museum, but I spent too much time pondering the stones. Now we were on our way to Bath. The drive down was again quite scenic. Saw a Norman church, lots of sheep and lambs, some military vehicles and tanks on field exercises, and cute cottages.

Bath is a resort town from old. Like old as in Roman times. The bath itself is rather impressive. The statues and engineering are really wonderful. The contrast of the Roman statues against the backdrop of Bath Cathedral was awesome. I could spend days in Bath just exploring all those windy, cobblestone streets. Oh, and Johnny Depp has a place there!

We managed to visit a small pub before we got on the bus and had a pint and rested. Nice! Then it was back on the bus for the 2.5 hour drive back to London.

We left at 7:15 and were back in our flat by 8:30 PM. A long day filled with wonderful things.

It was worth it.

day 5

Here is an abbreviated post for day 5. I woke up late! We started off at the Tower of London. Always an amazing place to visit, the beefeaters almost steal the show. Great storytellers and bring the history of the place to life. The crown jewels are amazing, as you would expect. Not sure if I like the new display though. Kind of liked them all piled in one case like they used to be.

From the Tower we went to St. Paul's. So different from Westminster, but beautiful. We toured there and hubby climbed to the top. I took a break in the cafe. No where near as good as the Cellarium.

We walked from St. Paul's across the Millennium Bridge to the Globe Theatre. No tours when we arrived, bummer, but we explored that side of the Thames and saw quite a few things. Would have loved time to make it back that way and go to the Borough Market. Didn't happen.

From there we caught the tube back to the flat to meet the girl for dinner. We were pretty exhausted by the end of this day after several days of sightseeing. It was an early night as we needed to be up and ready to go by 7 AM on Wednesday, Day 6, for our bus tour!

day 4

My morning routine at the flat was pretty similar to my routine at home. Wake at 5ish, make the first pot of coffee, do some reading (the tour books instead of the paper), wake the hubby, have breakfast, get ready, and out the door we go.

Our first stop on day four was Churchill's War Rooms. Part of the Imperial War Museum, this underground bunker was where the British military commanders planned their attacks, decoded messages, and endured the blitz. The rooms are furnishes as they were during the war years. You can see Mrs. Churchill's room along with the rooms and office of her husband, and all the generals. You can see the typist pool room, the map room, and so many others including the tiny kitchen. At the back of the space is the museum dedicated to Churchill. Exploring his life from childhood to his death, that part of the museum is just as fascinating.

We spent 3 hours down there, realized time had slipped away from us, and headed off for the tube station to zip across town to find our girl's office and meet her for lunch.

She works off of High Holburn Street in an office that faces Lincoln Inn Fields, yet another one of the pretty parks in the middle of a square of houses/buildings. We had a nice Thai meal for lunch and then she went back to work and we went back to tour the Abbey.

I could write pages on Westminster Abbey. It was wonderful to be able to visit it again as things had changed. The throne no longer has the stone under it as the stone was returned to Scotland. The throne is also now behind glass in its own room. Wasn't like that in the 1980s. They also charge now to tour, something I don't believe they did on my first visit.

The graves and effigies and architecture and art are all just as stunning as I remembered. I get chills standing alongside Elizabeth I and her sister Mary's tomb. Across the chapel lies Mary, Queen of Scots. Walking through poet's corner is always amazing. Seeing so many graves/tombs of kings and queens I have studied and read about over the years is incredible.

We took our time through the Abbey and by the late afternoon were ready for a break. We wandered into the Cellarium and found it was now a cafe. We nabbed a table and enjoyed a lovely break. I had cream tea and hubby had an espresso. The cream teas was served on lovely china, was absolutely delicious, and truth be told, was probably my favorite thing I ate on the whole trip. It was delightful.

We found our way back to the tube stop and went back to the flat. For dinner we met with our girl again and enjoyed a nice meal at an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. Wonderful! We then made our way to the London Eye and as it was late, encountered no lines, got on a pod and took the half hour journey around. London at night sparkles. Very, very fun!

By the time we were back at our flat, we could barely walk another step, but we had a full day ahead of us on Tuesday and were ready to tackle the Tower, St. Paul's, and the Millennium Bridge!

day 3

Once we arrived back in London from our visit to see my pen pal and her family, we spent a bit of time in the flat just catching our breath. So, we had a snack, got the tour books out and planned our next activity.

We strolled to the tube station and hopped on over to the Buckingham Palace area. We walked past the Royal Mews, stopped in a few of their gift shops, admired the daffodils, took pictures in front of the Palace and then walked along the edges of both Green Park and St. James Park. We went past St. James Palace and Clarence House. We gazed at the Victoria Memorial. We walked down the Mall, passed through the Admiralty Arch to Trafalgar Square.

There was a concert going on in Trafalgar, an early St. Patrick's Day celebration. Lots of music and a few drunk people stumbling along Whitehall towards Westminster.

Whitehall is filled with things to see from the Horse Guards, to the Banqueting Hall, to a glimpse of the entry to 10 Downing Street. The sun was starting to set and by the time we made it to Parliament, it was dusk. We walked around Parliament and the Abbey and found our way to the tube stop and back to the flat.

It was a 3.5 hour walk and we loved every minute of it. We took our time, took pictures, took silly selfies, and talked, and walked!

Once back at the flat, we planned our Monday. We would be heading back to Westminster to tour Churchill's War Rooms and then the Abbey.

my pen pal

Day two of our trip found us up and and it early. We had a train to catch. We packed an overnight bag and made our way to the nearest tube stop, Warren Street station. From there we went to King's Cross Station.

Using the tubes in London is easy, but full of stairs, escalators, lifts, noise, interesting sights, and smells. The whole experience is something to experience! And there is nothing like wandering around the big hubs like King's Cross or Paddington.

Of course at King's Cross we had to stop and join the queue for Platform 9 3/4. We took the pics pretending we too were going to run the baggage cart through the wall and board a train to Hogwarts. A very fun way to start the morning. Even more fun was seeing all the different kinds of people who were in line with us or standing nearby to watch the rest of us pose for the camera. All ages. All nationalities. Harry is global in a way that unless you experience something like that, it is almost difficult to imagine.

We boarded the train for Stevenage and took the 35 minute train ride out of the city. Several stops along the way, but it was fun for us to see the outlying towns and villages.

Once we arrived and made our way from the platform to the station, Donna spotted us and with a shout, ran over and gave me a huge hug. We both got teary eyed. Pretty amazing that two girls who began writing each other almost 40 years ago, but only met in person one other time, have such a connection. She guided us to the parking lot where her husband waited with the car. Off we went to their house! Stevenage is a typical post war community. It was bombed in WWII and the rebuild gave it a modernity that most villages don't have in that scope.

We had a cuppa, got unpacked, and headed out to Knebworth for lunch. Knebworth is a short drive away and has the distinction of being the "home village" to the Queen Mother. Her family estate is there. We got a glimpse of it through the trees. We also drove past author Ken Follet's house.

The Lytton Arms was our destination and once we arrived we enjoyed a couple of pints and a lovely, full on, English pub lunch. Chicken pie, roasted potatoes, carrots, green beans. Very tasty. The pub is adorable. Here is a link to their site: http://www.lyttonarms.co.uk/

We caught up over lunch and the conversation flowed like we had just visited the prior week instead of 27 years before.

After we went back to their house and they began to prepare for the arrival of all of Donna's family. She set out a spread of food. Enough for an army! Everyone began to arrive at 6:00 PM. Her parents came, her three daughters, plus two of her sisters, spouses/significant others, and her grandson. The house was packed! We hugged, chatted, laughed, told stories, answered questions, and laughed some more until after midnight. And we ate! We even had haggis!! Donna's hubby is Scottish as is her father.

In the morning, she made us a full English breakfast: eggs, bacon, scottish sausage, rolls, jam, etc. She was going to make blood pudding, but forgot it! Didn't matter, we were stuffed as it was.

Then it was off to the train station for our trip back to the city. We have a plan to see each other again as soon as we can. She'd like to see NYC as would I. So, we are thinking some time between Christmas and New Year's would be fun. If all goes well, we will be reunited again in a few years.

It was an amazing visit with my pen pal. What a friend I found when we became pen pals all those years ago.

And that was day two and the start of day three!

and we're back

After an amazing whirlwind of a trip/vacation, we are back home. Off to work today for us and off to school for the boy.

I'm going to blog a bit about our stay in London, but I need to gather my thoughts and I'm feeling a bit wonky this morning. Touch of jet lag I guess, but I did manage yesterday to stay on my normal schedule.

But, to start, we had a very smooth flight over the pond. Loved having the extra leg room. The upgrade on our tickets was well worth the money. When we are both tall people with long legs, 8 hours of flying time with no room for your knees is misery. We had an exit row on the way over so that meant even more room. It was wonderful. We both managed to sleep a fair amount so when we did land we didn't feel too off. We wound our way through Heathrow and found the Express train without any problem. Again, a good splurge to take that way into the city. It arrives in 20 minutes at Paddington station. Caught a taxi there to the flat. We figured out the instructions to retrieve the key, a bit of James Bond type activity there, and let ourselves in. The flat was clean, cute, and cozy. Perfect for us. We unpacked and sent a text to our London girl. We had time to get some groceries, so we set off on foot for the nearest Sainsbury's. First order of business: chocolates and dark chocolate Digestives! I did make a list of things I wanted to buy, before we left the home, which was smart thinking on my part. Thinking on your feet after a long flight is not my strength.

So with breakfast foods, snack foods, and some beverages in hand, we walked back to the flat and waited for the girly to arrive. She did, with flowers in hand!! A lovely bouquet with a lovely smile and big hugs and tears. So amazing to see her.

We picked a nearby place, Fishbones, and had the most wonderfully fresh fish and chips. Delicious and the perfect way to start our stay.

We followed the girl back to her flat and got to see where she lives, up many flights of narrow, twisty stairs in what was the servant quarters. Cute and snug!

We then wound up in a pub for a pint. The Jack Horner was hopping with young Londoners enjoying a Friday night out. We enjoyed ourselves for a bit before we both started to feel the jet lag and took ourselves off back to our flat.

Lights out by 8:00 PM as we had an early train to catch from King's Cross in order to visit my pen pal and her family out in Stevenage.

And that was Day 1!!

off we go

We leave tomorrow for London! So excited to revisit this city. So excited to have my hubby with me. Super excited to see our girl!! Amazing that I will get to see my pen pal again!

So, on that note, I will be signing off from the blog until I return. May take a while to get back to it once we do return. No idea how I will handle the jet lag on the return trip.

Cheerio!

getting ready

I think Mother Nature is trying to help us out by providing a glimpse of what the London forecast will be for our stay. Gray skies and puddles. Lots and lots of puddles.

It rained all night. So hard at times that it woke me. It is still raining and going to continue all week. I did check the London forecast and it will rain on Friday when we arrive, but should be just overcast for the rest of the week we are there with temps in the low 50s. Not bad.

The girl is at her internship, day two underway. She said her office is by a park and it will be nice to have her lunch break there when it warms up a bit.

Hard to focus on much else other than getting ready to leave!

So much to do. So little time.

Happy Tuesday!

time change

The time change is kicking my butt. And we leave in four days. WOW.
Tired and mind blown.
That is all.

Happy Monday!

snow days

Snowy morning after a night of sleet. UGH. Work is off until 9:00 AM when they will reevaluate the conditions. It isn't supposed to stop snowing until 8-9 and from what I've seen on Facebook, parts of the interstate have actually been closed at times. Lovely.

In other news, the traveling girl is back in England. She visited Spain and Morocco on her spring break trip. She will be off to Dublin in a week and then she mentioned a trip to Scotland and maybe one to Amsterdam.

For a young lady who had only flown once before she flew to England, she has certainly made up for lost time.

Okay, off to watch the news and see the weather folks get amped up about Winter Storm Thor.

here we go, again

Here we go. Winter storm approaching. It might be more nasty than anything we faced in February. Lots of ice. Lots of sleet. With a nice snowy topping to hide it all.

UGH. YUCK.

In other news, I am on day 3 of the raging head cold. I feel better this morning, but still have some sniffles and a bit of a wonky feeling. It will pass. Lots of honey lemon tea, lots and lots of it, has been consumed.

Other things consumed, books. I read a few books while I was trapped in bed Sunday and Monday. In no particular order:

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley: Flavia is at it again. This time in Canada at a boarding school. I adore this series. Great writing. Great characters. Great plots.

Miss Buncle's Book by DL Stevenson: This was a freebie on Nook a while back and I snatched it up. It was delightful. This series was written back in the 1930s and has been republished. Small town life in pre-war England. Lots of hilarious characters.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear: Another series book, and another mystery to boot. Set in post WWI England, Maisie has risen from a housemaid to a private investigator. Well written and the setting/time is captivating. Downton Abbey fans would enjoy this.

A Touch of Midnight by Lara Adrian: supernatural trashy romance. It was okay.

So, my long weekend had a decidedly English flavor as three of the four books were set in England or featured English characters! It made dealing with a head cold much easier, and almost pain free.

two snowy mornings

We woke to a winter wonderland today. It started snowing yesterday about 3:00 PM and went on into the evening hours. The roads aren't covered, but look to be slick in spots as the temps did fall to below freezing over night.

No school, yet again, for the boy. Day 6 this year.

Another snowy morning, 21 years ago, I woke after a very restless night. With little sleep, lots of nerves, and a good measure of excitement, I checked my hospital bag and began to wait until the contractions were just right before I had hubby drive me to the hospital. We were about to have a baby. Our first!

Rather cool, at least to me, that on this birthday the weather is snowy and cold like it was back then.

Will have to see if her campus received any snow. They were supposed to, but the weather model for this storm was a weird one.

So, happy birthday to my first baby...my oldest....my darling daughter!

midweek meltdown canceled

No meltdown today. In fact, we may see more snow. To top that off, the oldest has a snow day at her university due to the fact they may get 2-4 inches of snow.

I'm so ready for spring. So ready.

I started reading a new to me mystery series. The first book, "Maisie Dobbs," has been very good so far and coincidentally is set in the same part of London where we will be staying!

Had fun at the office yesterday celebrating my boss' 40th birthday. I'm sure when I arrive back to work from our trip that my 50th will also be celebrated in high style.

Off we go! Happy Wednesday. Hoping not to see any white stuff today.

planning

Last night I printed off a slew of 2-4-1 vouchers for London landmarks. If you purchase a travelcard, not an Oyster card, from National Rail it is good for the underground and it lets you see the big sights at a major discount. So, after reading until my eyes were ready to fall out of my head, I think I have it figured out.

Oi Vey.

I also printed one for a restaurant that looked like a good bet.

Hard to believe, but our trip is coming! After so many months of planning, we are just over two weeks away from departure.

So, while I'm not ready, I am very ready! Can't wait to see the girl!

Tuesday. Yep. The boy heads back to school with a firm wish that we do not experience any more weather/snow days.

Enjoy!

brrrr part two

We had a very nasty sleet/ice storm last night. The boy doesn't have school today. I do have work. The roads out front look to be okay, not sure what I will find once I venture out of the neighborhood.

Great. Monday. UGH.

brrrrrrr

It is 15 outside right now. Brrrrr. And it is Thursday. Yeah.

Crazy week. I'll be glad to see it end.

Off we go!

robins

I've seen two robins hanging out around my birdfeeder since the winter weather arrived. With the snow that fell last night, the boy is out of school for the third day. They had called it off last night due to icy spots on sidewalks and parking lots.

I'm not sure how we ever completed a school year up north. LOL

So, I'm off for the office today from 10-4 unless she changes it now that we've had snow fall on top of the icy spots. When the director got there yesterday, she came to my cubicle to check on me and quipped that she was sure all the Northerners would be in the office. Well, yes, I didn't want to take a day of PTO! It wasn't bad. I had a meeting with her about my crazy committee, got a lot of email handled, finished up a lingering project, and chatted with my coworkers a bit.

Today will be interesting. Not sure if we will have more or less folks show up. Some of them have so much vacation time accrued that they could take the rest of the week off with no problem.

Okay, off I go! Time to read the paper.

icy part two

Yesterday our office was closed for the federal holiday, so the nasty weather didn't impact me. Only fallout I had was my trip to the grocery store for a big shop was postponed. I did get the house cleaned.

Today is another matter. The director decided to open from 11-3 or you can take a day of PTO and not come in at all.

Lovely. I will be going in. Slowly, carefully, and hoping that the main roads look much better than our driveway. Hubby was out in it all day yesterday and he said the main roads weren't bad. Of course at 19 outside, the melting that happened has now refrozen. On a good note, he came and got the boy and took him parking lot driving in the icy mess. Great experience.

Should be okay, but I wish she would have just closed the darn office.

Oh well!! The boy is out of school again. So, he can lounge and hang out. I want to try and get to the store after work and get some things for the week. I would guess the bread aisle is empty and may still be that way if deliveries couldn't make it in.

Life in the South in the winter. Yep. Here it is, folks!!

ice

Ice, ice, baby. If we do see snow it is going to arrive on the heels of the ice we are now experiencing. It is hitting the house, windows, and making the chittering sound that will strike fear into everyone. The run on bread and milk happened yesterday. No, I didn't go. Pics on Facebook and Instagram of the lines at the store convinced me to bypass getting my weekly groceries until later this week.

School was canceled last night. So, the boy is sleeping away. Hubby is still snoozing too. I do need to go and stir him so he can read the police advisories. I guess they have shut down the bypass as the bridges are frozen over and accidents have already happened.

In other news, we had a wonderful 90 minute chat with the Londoner yesterday. Heard all about her trip to Munich, Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. She heads off to Spain in two weeks, but before then she has another class to take.

Hard to believe we will be seeing her in less than a month. WOW.

Okay, I need more coffee and a plan for the day.

Happy Monday!

getting there

Hubby and I traveled over to the flooring store and selected the wood, tile, and carpet. Time to get this project rolling. It didn't take much time at all, we know what we like, what we don't like, and our budget. Then with that task completed, we went next door for a very early Valentine's dinner. We were home before 7 PM.

In other news, saw a haunting image and a beautiful image from the daughter in Poland. She has a photographer's eye, unlike me, and is taking some incredible photos. I'm going to encourage her to download them from her phone and create a photo album/memory book for herself.

The tournament is days away now and we are still getting volunteers to help, which is a very good thing. This event may actually get pulled off in a pretty smooth way after all!

Off we go. Walking today. It's cold, but we both need it!!

midweek

Yeah, Wednesday. No midweek meltdown as of yet. It is cold outside, but a bit warmer than the last several days. We are walking!! I really need that exercise to get my mind going, my blood moving, and my attitude adjusted. It just helps and I've missed it.

Hubby and I are supposed to go and look at new flooring today. Should be interesting. Carpet, tile, wood. Who knows what we will find!

In other news, our upcoming tournament is turning out to be quite small. In some ways, I'm okay with that. In other ways, rather irritating due to the fact our traditional tournament date left with the old coach. At his new school that date saw huge numbers of schools/students. Oh well. It is an opportunity to learn on a small scale and be ready for next year.

Off we go on our morning stroll. Time to bundle up. It's over 30, but not by much!

checking in

No time to blog. Texting with the middle girl as she travels to Krakow from Prague. She's having a great time and has posted a ton of amazing pics on her Facebook page.

So happy for her!! Trip of a lifetime!!

too fast

Too fast. The weekend zipped by. Ugh. I did manage to get some stuff done that I wanted to do, but today arrived much too fast for me.

I finished reading Bernard Cornwell's "The Empty Throne." Ah, love this series and love his writing. It is always fun to spend time with Uhtred.

We also watched a few movies. "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Edge of Tomorrow" were both good.

Had a lovely dinner out with our friends. Good food, good conversation.

And here it is, Monday morning already.

Oh well. Off we go!

glitch

I wasn't the only one who kept thinking yesterday was actually Thursday. I heard several people comment on how it just didn't feel like Wednesday. It felt like Thursday.

A glitch in the matrix, perhaps? Today is Thursday. Maybe, for the second time!

The weatherman hinted at the possibility of some white stuff dusting the ground come morning. Well, Mother Nature had other ideas. It is cold, but no snow.

Fine by me. We are off to walk!

Enjoy today.

tournament

The boy's speech team hosts its speech tournament on Valentine's Day. So, what will hubby and I be doing that day? I'll be judging and he will be tabulating. Yep. We had our third organizational meeting last night and about 35 parents came. Great turnout. Lots of hands on deck, as they say. Should be good!

We've worked hard to partner with local restaurants, stores, etc to obtain donations. This is a fundraiser for us, but it is also a huge learning experience as we've never done this before. The tournament was canceled last year due to bad weather.

In other news, what about Harper Lee's new book? Or is it an old book? The original book? Not sure what to call it, but however we categorize it, the novel is coming out in July. Will probably be the hottest thing this summer!

Prediction, a new host of kids named "Scout."

Off we go...we're walking today!

spring break

The London girl just sent her spring break itinerary. I'm so excited for her. A bit nervous, but mostly just excited.

She spent last weekend in Stockholm and is off to a variety of older cities for break. She's traveling with a group of 10 and they have it planned out to the smallest detail.

Mom, I'll send you the details later this morning. xoxo

Okay, I over slept. It is only 24 outside. No walking today. More coffee, however, is in order.

Happy Tuesday!

ugh, monday

That is all.

it is January, right?

50.
I just checked. Yep. It is 50 outside.

My daffodils are out of the ground and ready to work on blooming. This is nuts. No wonder my eyes are itchy, my nose is stuffy, my head aches.

No rest from allergy season this year. But, I'm going to just take an allergy pill and keep on going. The tummy bug, and I'm convinced that is what it was, has left the building. I started feeling better yesterday afternoon and was able to eat a full dinner without feeling queasy.

Thursday!!! Ready for the weekend. The boys will be off to a tournament, so Duke and I will have a quiet Saturday. Looking forward to it.

Maybe I can finish the book I'm reading, or at least skim it until the end. Note to self: even if a Dan Brown book is free, don't download it. I'm slogging through "Inferno." Ugh. Hate to quit books when I'm half way finished, but I've been tempted.

Off I go!

crud

I ended up leaving work a bit early yesterday as I was feeling really cruddy. This morning I'm not feeling quite as icky, so I will be heading off to work. Strange virus. Seems a lot of weird viral bugs going around of late.

Had the opportunity to chat with both girls yesterday. The oldest called as she was walking home from a lab and the other one emailed/texted off and on all day. Nice treat!!

Not much else to report or comment on this morning. Hoping the coffee wakes me up a bit and doesn't make my tummy any more queasy than it already is.

Off into Wednesday!

blizzard envy

I heard some folks mention that they had what I would term blizzard envy. Yep. They wish that what the northeast is experiencing would magically appear in the mid-south. Oh for Mother Nature to create a winter wonderland, enforce a slowdown, enable us all to stay home for a bit and hunker down for several days.

Sounds okay, maybe. I don't really get blizzard envy. I guess growing up and experiencing two major blizzards where and entire city was shut down for a week cured me of that desire. Snowdays, yes, I do enjoy one every now and then. And for our area, just the hint of more than flakes in the air sends folks to the store to empty the shelves.

We usually get a snow day in February. Or at least, that is what has happened for the last several years.

So, let's go out and enjoy this 55 degree day and let the northeast have their blizzard. I'd rather take a walk in the sunshine on my lunch break than be trapped at home for days on end!

reading recap

Eh, it was just okay. Not the feeling you want to have after you plunk down $10 for an e-book. The library didn't have the title on order. I wanted to read the latest in this series. The other books have been great. This one, not so much.

Disappointed. Yep.

Too much head hopping. Too little plot development. Too many characters to juggle. A few clever moments, but over all, I was left knowing I would never spend that kind of money again on a title in this series. I will wait for the library to get their copy.

Lesson learned.

Off into Monday we go!

lists

One of my goals this year is to work on some lists at work. More of a what do we have to do each month kind of list. We have so many different things going on now that we have committees assigned to us, that trying to keep track of it all is becoming a bit much.

The list will turn into an SOP, of sorts, for the department. We need one.

Fun stuff!

I don't mind making lists and they usually help me get things done. Yesterday I had five errands to run after work. Knocked them all out and got home earlier than I expected. It helped the library director wasn't in when I dropped off book donations. I'm sure we would have chatted for a while and I would have been delayed from that visit.

Well, no list for today. I think we are in good shape as we head into the later part of the week.

Happy Thursday!

too much, too little

So the night before last, I overslept. Didn't have time to blog as I needed to get out for my morning walk. Last night I had a really difficult time sleeping. Yes, I'm awake on time, but I'm not really alert. The coffee is brewing. The laptop is on and humming. My brain is doing neither.

I splurged yesterday and downloaded the latest in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I checked the library to see if they had "Burned" and I found nothing. I also checked for the latest Flavia book, again, zilch. UGH. Looks like I will be downloading Flavia as soon as I'm finished with Mac and Dani.

I really need to stop in the library and see what is going on. Two of the biggest books of the quarter and they weren't in the catalog. What. The. Heck.

Okay, enough complaining. Thank goodness for B&N gift cards, my Nook, and the need to read.

Off into Wednesday I go. I love a short week!!

Ttown fun

We spend the weekend in Ttown for the boy's Speech and Debate tournament and to see our oldest. Fabulous weekend. The weather was perfect. I had a great time judging 3 rounds (duo interp, HI, and poetry interp). Hubby was busy judging public forum debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The boy did well. While he didn't break in extemp, he did make it to the semi finals in Impromptu. This is a tough competition, so we were happy with his results. The team did have two finalists and took a second place prize in prose and a fourth place prize in original oratory.

After competition was over on Saturday, we met up with our girl, one of her good friends, and the other daughter's boyfriend for dinner. We went to the amazing little pub in the revitalized downtown district. Great local beers and amazing food. Best fish and chips I've had in a very long time. The cod was perfect and the fries to die for.

The rest of them had burgers. I had a taste of one and it was fantastic. Great meal, but even better company.

Came home yesterday and was so happy to see how happy the Duke was. Great dog sitter! Wish she didn't live in NYC for school!!

Off into the day we go!

jimmy

When we first moved to our town, one of the first folks we met was Jimmy L. Hubby met him through the Leadership class and then I met him when I participated in that group. We both thought, wow, he really is welcoming to newcomers. He really knows how to represent the town. So nice! We learned over the course of 12 years that he really was just that nice, it seemed, all the time. Always with a smile, a warm greeting, a twinkle in his eye, a kind word, a big laugh.

Our town lost a wonderful servant when he died this week. He'd been ill for a while, but it is never easy to say goodbye.

We went to the visitation last night. The line to sign the book was 50 deep. The line to greet the family wound around the church. We were there for over an hour and saw so many other friends from the boards and volunteer groups we've served on through the years.

Not sure if a big turnout for a visitation and funeral is a comfort to a family or not, but it clearly shows that this man's life touched a lot of people. A lot of people.

Rest in peace, Jimmy and thanks for welcoming these two northerners and for never making us feel like we didn't belong!

clever

Saw a clever post the other day from a young lady who babysat my three once upon a time. She is an avid yoga devotee and I guess is being squeezed at the studio by all of the new year resolution types. She was hoping, for her sake, that their resolve has wavered and she can have room to do her sun salutations in comfort.

Closer to home, in a way, was the middle daughter's post that she had taken a trip to Westminster "abbae"......a clever play on words of the whole "bae" phenomena and her first name. Hope she took time to stand on Mr. Dicken's grave and wander around The Poet's Corner a bit.

I'm not feeling very clever, but I am determined to go for a stroll this morning. Need to get my sluggish blood moving and the lungs cleaned out and refilled with some fresh air. Wake up the gray matter.

Off into Wednesday I go....and as a bonus, I get to visit the salon for a haircut today!

okay, let's go

No rain.
Temp at 32 and holding.
Okay, let's go.

Off to walk! I think it has been a week since we went on our morning stroll. Between the rain and below 20 temps, I held off. Not this morning! Looking forward to it.

Happy Tuesday!

not a word

I didn't even open my Nook case this weekend. We were too busy to read. Between household chores, a football party, and an NBA basketball game, the fam was out and about.

Today brings rain. What is it with Mondays and rain of late. UGH. It rained so hard last night it woke me up. UGH.

No walking this morning for me and Duke. Too gross outside. I hope it passes through before it is time to leave work today. I wanted to stop by Aldi and get some groceries this afternoon. I hate grocery shopping in the rain. Wet cardboard is nasty.

On the bright side, we actually talked with the Londoner yesterday!!!! I was so excited to hear her voice and to learn of what she is doing. Very, very cool.

Sounds like the team there is keeping them busy, getting them acquainted with the city, and they are off to a great start for their semester. She texted yesterday to ask for input on where to travel to for her 7 and 10 day breaks.

Glad at this moment that she wasn't interested in Paris.

Okay, off into the week I go! Monday, get ready. I'm recharged and ready for battle.

downton time

On Sunday I taped the premiere of Downton. The kids were playing a game in the kitchen and I need to be able to hear every bit of dialogue. Don't want to miss any gems from Dame Maggie Smith! We watched the episode last night after we took the girly to the airport. She's on her way! Haven't heard from her yet, but she should be at Heathrow now.

Anyway, the episode was great. Going to be a good season at Downton Abbey.

My two Abbeys are now in the same country! lolz

Off we go into Thursday. The week is zipping by, a very good thing.

Cheers!

london bound

In a few hours we we drive our middle daughter to the airport and send her off to London. Wow. When she first earned a spot in this program, the departure date seemed so far away. It's here.

She's packed. She's ready.

The house is going to be really quiet tonight.