My parents were here for the holidays (which I plan to recap later this week), and they took Amelia back with them on Friday. For the first 48 hours or so after they left, Darryl and I basically rested on the couch, napped, read, watched TV, napped some more, went out for a bit only to return shortly to rest some more -- in other words, we were SPENT.
(Quick note: On one of our brief excursions out of the house, we saw Saving Mr. Banks. Excellent movie. See it.)
I told Darryl that the past few weeks had been exhausting and that I just needed to catch up on some rest. Darryl responded with, "Really, this whole year has been exhausting."
And he was right. This year HAS been exhausting.
2013 has not been a "bad" year by any means, but we do feel as though it has been a bit of a roller coaster. A non-stop roller coaster.
--Darryl traveled A LOT for work this year, more than he ever has before. That in itself has been tiring for him, but it has been tiring for me as well as I juggled a few more responsibilities at home while he was gone.
--We began the year believing we were making a move back to Atlanta - so much so that I turned in a resignation letter (that was able to retract, thank goodness) and even went to a job interview in Atlanta - only to have things not work out as planned. We STILL had to move to another rental house here. The whole process was exhausting physically and emotionally.
--This last semester was more challenging than any I remember in recent history. I taught freshmen for the first time in oh, twelve years or so, and they needed a lot of attention as they were adjusting from life at home to life at school. Our holidays were out of whack as well, with a really late Fall Break and a later-than-usual finish to the semester. Good times!
--We have been going nonstop since late October. Between Halloween festivities, all of our birthdays, the New York trip, and then the holidays...it has been a wild ride!
There were many fun moments this past year spent with friends and family, and we DO realize we are blessed in many ways, but yes, 2013 was definitely a tiring year. Not bad, just tiring.
So...on to 2014. I hope it holds many good things for everyone!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
A Look Back: Amelia Turned 6!
One more event I wanted to blog about before the "fresh blog start" of 2014 is Amelia's 6th Birthday.
Seriously, how is she 6?
Like her mom, Amelia enjoyed celebrating her birthday all week.
The day after Darryl and I returned from New York, my parents, Amelia, and I celebrated by having dinner at Chuck E. Cheese...her request, of course.
The next day was her actual birthday. She had requested that I bring "rainbow cupcakes" for her classmates, and I had lunch with her before the partaking of the cupcakes. She was SO excited to celebrate her birthday at school because she was going to get a visor, a pencil, a bookmark, and a couple of other treats.
Good grief, I love that girl.
On Sunday, we had her actual birthday party. She wanted to have her party at a painting place called Mud Pies and Masterpieces because she had gone to a friend's party there months ago and really enjoyed it. She wanted it to be a princess party as well, and we invited the girls from her class. Only four girls were able to come (one of her friends was out of town, another had committed to another birthday party, and so on), but it ended up being a perfect-sized group for this painting endeavor. :-)
(On a side note: I cannot recommend Mud Pies & Masterpieces strongly enough. The women who run it are not only great with kids, but they were also SUPER helpful in assisting me with setting up for the party. They made it so, so fun!)
Here are some different photos of her big day...
It was such a fun little party, and Amelia LOVED it. And isn't that what birthday parties are all about?
Seriously, how is she 6?
Like her mom, Amelia enjoyed celebrating her birthday all week.
The day after Darryl and I returned from New York, my parents, Amelia, and I celebrated by having dinner at Chuck E. Cheese...her request, of course.
The next day was her actual birthday. She had requested that I bring "rainbow cupcakes" for her classmates, and I had lunch with her before the partaking of the cupcakes. She was SO excited to celebrate her birthday at school because she was going to get a visor, a pencil, a bookmark, and a couple of other treats.
Good grief, I love that girl.
On Sunday, we had her actual birthday party. She wanted to have her party at a painting place called Mud Pies and Masterpieces because she had gone to a friend's party there months ago and really enjoyed it. She wanted it to be a princess party as well, and we invited the girls from her class. Only four girls were able to come (one of her friends was out of town, another had committed to another birthday party, and so on), but it ended up being a perfect-sized group for this painting endeavor. :-)
(On a side note: I cannot recommend Mud Pies & Masterpieces strongly enough. The women who run it are not only great with kids, but they were also SUPER helpful in assisting me with setting up for the party. They made it so, so fun!)
Here are some different photos of her big day...
It was such a fun little party, and Amelia LOVED it. And isn't that what birthday parties are all about?
Monday, December 30, 2013
New York, Baby!!
Hello there.
One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back to blogging more regularly. I want to start 2014 with a "fresh start" with blogging, but before I begin anew, I want to talk about one thing that happened last month...
A trip to New York City.
For whatever reason, I had NEVER been to NYC, but I had always wanted to go. As "the big 4-0" was looming in the horizon, I was telling Darryl that I wanted to do something really monumental and fun to mark this milestone birthday, and I hinted VERY strongly that I thought it might be a good time to take this trip. So we did!
My parents were sweet enough to come stay with Amelia for a few days and keep up her routine (school, mainly) while we were gone. We were/are very grateful to them for that.
Darryl and I left EARLY Thursday morning. Here we are as we were taking off on our adventure:
Once we arrived in the big city, we got situated at our hotel and set off to find the nearest Shake Shack (which for us turned out to be the new one at Grand Central Station). Shake Shack did NOT disappoint.
We were extremely tired, so we went to our hotel to take a nap. We had a show to see that night, and I knew that if I didn't get a nap in, I would never make it through the show.
Before our show, though, we met up with Darryl's cousin Malorie and her roommate, Ashley. We were so happy to get to meet up with them! We ate at the famous Junior's, and while my meal was just okay, the cheesecake was delicious!!
Our show, Pippin, was literally across the street. Malorie snapped this pic of us before Darryl and I headed over to see it.
And here I am, so excited to see Pippin. Our seats were phenomenal!
Y'all. This show was SO GOOD. I was somewhat familiar with the story, but after seeing the cast perform on the Tony Awards, I really wanted to see this production. (A huge selling point, too, is that the original cast is still performing.) Here's the Tony performance, if you are interested:
Friday morning, we were up bright and early so that we could hang out at GMA. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE the cast of GMA (especially Robin Roberts). I didn't care anything about getting on camera; I just wanted to hang out and watch. Malorie was sweet enough to hang out with us for the morning, too. I didn't get a glimpse of Robin, unfortunately, but we did see Sam Champion and Lara Spencer. And it was COLD.
After freezing our rear ends off at the GMA set, we looked in some of the touristy stores, like the M&M store and such.
We tried to get some good photos in Time Square, but the camera / lighting / whatever wasn't cooperating very well. We had fun trying, though!
We strolled over to the Museum of Modern Art. It was pretty cool -- I would have liked to stay longer, but we had tickets for the 9/11 Memorial AND we wanted to eat lunch (we can't skip lunch, y'all), so the trip to MoMA was quick. After lunch, Malorie had to leave for her own out-of-town trip, but we were glad to get to spend some time with her!
The 9/11 Memorial was, as expected, overwhelming...but it is definitely a must-see if you go to New York. Such a peaceful and beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives on that day.
We rested again at the hotel (NYC involves A LOT of walking) before dinner at a place my friend Tim recommended, Blue Smoke. This was probably one of my favorite meals. So good!!
After dinner, we strolled over to Top of the Rock for a view of the city at night. I know some people are not "big city" people and all that, but is this not beautiful? It looks as though the city is sprinkled in glitter...
Saturday, we decided just to walk around and look in some of the stores -- Bloomingdales, Saks 5th Avenue, and so on. (Before hitting the stores, we found a delicious bagel place.) It was just a low-key day with no agenda. We had lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Cuban place that we found via Yelp!, and the food was tasty.
That evening, we saw our second show, Newsies. I had several friends who had recommended it to me, and it did not disappoint. I can't really say that I liked one show better than the other because they are completely different shows, but Newsies was really, really good.
Sunday was our last day. We had decided to spend the morning in Central Park. If I had known how much I would have loved the park, I would have set aside more time to spend there. The leaves were AMAZING; and I'm pretty sure I could have sat on a bench and read a book and people-watched for hours. Here are a few shots:
After our time at the park, we had lunch at an Italian place Darryl had eaten at before, stopped by a couple of shops on our way back to the hotel, and then packed up our stuff to come home.
We really had an amazing time; as much as we might see NYC in movies, TV shows, the news, etc., I think it is something that needs to be experienced in real life. Our plan is to take Amelia when she is just a little older, so that is why we didn't do things this time around like the Statue of Liberty, the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular, and so on.
And while I don't really have a desire to LIVE in NYC, if anyone would like to buy me a little apartment so I could visit a few times a year, I would be okay with that...
One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back to blogging more regularly. I want to start 2014 with a "fresh start" with blogging, but before I begin anew, I want to talk about one thing that happened last month...
A trip to New York City.
For whatever reason, I had NEVER been to NYC, but I had always wanted to go. As "the big 4-0" was looming in the horizon, I was telling Darryl that I wanted to do something really monumental and fun to mark this milestone birthday, and I hinted VERY strongly that I thought it might be a good time to take this trip. So we did!
My parents were sweet enough to come stay with Amelia for a few days and keep up her routine (school, mainly) while we were gone. We were/are very grateful to them for that.
Darryl and I left EARLY Thursday morning. Here we are as we were taking off on our adventure:
Once we arrived in the big city, we got situated at our hotel and set off to find the nearest Shake Shack (which for us turned out to be the new one at Grand Central Station). Shake Shack did NOT disappoint.
We were extremely tired, so we went to our hotel to take a nap. We had a show to see that night, and I knew that if I didn't get a nap in, I would never make it through the show.
Before our show, though, we met up with Darryl's cousin Malorie and her roommate, Ashley. We were so happy to get to meet up with them! We ate at the famous Junior's, and while my meal was just okay, the cheesecake was delicious!!
Our show, Pippin, was literally across the street. Malorie snapped this pic of us before Darryl and I headed over to see it.
And here I am, so excited to see Pippin. Our seats were phenomenal!
Y'all. This show was SO GOOD. I was somewhat familiar with the story, but after seeing the cast perform on the Tony Awards, I really wanted to see this production. (A huge selling point, too, is that the original cast is still performing.) Here's the Tony performance, if you are interested:
Friday morning, we were up bright and early so that we could hang out at GMA. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE the cast of GMA (especially Robin Roberts). I didn't care anything about getting on camera; I just wanted to hang out and watch. Malorie was sweet enough to hang out with us for the morning, too. I didn't get a glimpse of Robin, unfortunately, but we did see Sam Champion and Lara Spencer. And it was COLD.
After freezing our rear ends off at the GMA set, we looked in some of the touristy stores, like the M&M store and such.
We tried to get some good photos in Time Square, but the camera / lighting / whatever wasn't cooperating very well. We had fun trying, though!
We strolled over to the Museum of Modern Art. It was pretty cool -- I would have liked to stay longer, but we had tickets for the 9/11 Memorial AND we wanted to eat lunch (we can't skip lunch, y'all), so the trip to MoMA was quick. After lunch, Malorie had to leave for her own out-of-town trip, but we were glad to get to spend some time with her!
The 9/11 Memorial was, as expected, overwhelming...but it is definitely a must-see if you go to New York. Such a peaceful and beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives on that day.
We rested again at the hotel (NYC involves A LOT of walking) before dinner at a place my friend Tim recommended, Blue Smoke. This was probably one of my favorite meals. So good!!
After dinner, we strolled over to Top of the Rock for a view of the city at night. I know some people are not "big city" people and all that, but is this not beautiful? It looks as though the city is sprinkled in glitter...
Saturday, we decided just to walk around and look in some of the stores -- Bloomingdales, Saks 5th Avenue, and so on. (Before hitting the stores, we found a delicious bagel place.) It was just a low-key day with no agenda. We had lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Cuban place that we found via Yelp!, and the food was tasty.
That evening, we saw our second show, Newsies. I had several friends who had recommended it to me, and it did not disappoint. I can't really say that I liked one show better than the other because they are completely different shows, but Newsies was really, really good.
Sunday was our last day. We had decided to spend the morning in Central Park. If I had known how much I would have loved the park, I would have set aside more time to spend there. The leaves were AMAZING; and I'm pretty sure I could have sat on a bench and read a book and people-watched for hours. Here are a few shots:
After our time at the park, we had lunch at an Italian place Darryl had eaten at before, stopped by a couple of shops on our way back to the hotel, and then packed up our stuff to come home.
We really had an amazing time; as much as we might see NYC in movies, TV shows, the news, etc., I think it is something that needs to be experienced in real life. Our plan is to take Amelia when she is just a little older, so that is why we didn't do things this time around like the Statue of Liberty, the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular, and so on.
And while I don't really have a desire to LIVE in NYC, if anyone would like to buy me a little apartment so I could visit a few times a year, I would be okay with that...
Saturday, November 02, 2013
"I still remember when 30 was old..."
Two points if you know the song that lyric is from...
(I want to clarify to any interested parties that this song is in no way autobiographical for me.)
(However, that song played pretty much on a constant loop during my mid-20s because HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT???)
Anyway. The point of this post...
Today is my last day I can say I'm "in my thirties."
Yes, my friends, tomorrow is the big 4-0. And if I can "remember when 30 was old," I can also remember when 40 was ancient. And I'm almost there.
This week has been busy, but I have also had a little "introspection time" here and there. While we have had some challenges of late (that's another post for another time), I have to say the 30s were maybe my favorite. Here are a few reasons why:
Bring it, 40!!
(I want to clarify to any interested parties that this song is in no way autobiographical for me.)
(However, that song played pretty much on a constant loop during my mid-20s because HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT???)
Anyway. The point of this post...
Today is my last day I can say I'm "in my thirties."
Yes, my friends, tomorrow is the big 4-0. And if I can "remember when 30 was old," I can also remember when 40 was ancient. And I'm almost there.
This week has been busy, but I have also had a little "introspection time" here and there. While we have had some challenges of late (that's another post for another time), I have to say the 30s were maybe my favorite. Here are a few reasons why:
- When I turned 30, I was working my only job outside of academia -- I was a paralegal for a little over a year. I kind of hated the work (and missed teaching desperately), but I made a couple of friends that I remain friends with, and I'm thankful for that.
- I began and ended (although perhaps only temporarily) a job as a high school teacher. Now, to appreciate this fact, you must know that there was a time I said, "I will NEVER teach high school." I think God likes it when we say things like that because He must be thinking, "The joke's on you, girlfriend." HOWEVER, for seven years I had that job, and it gave me the opportunity to work with some amazing people and teach some great students. Most rewarding job, for sure.
- I've made some awesome friends who, I think, are friends now for life -- friends in Georgia, new friends and old friends here in Baton Rouge. As frustrated as I get with social media sometimes (yes, people, we know your health insurance costs just skyrocketed!), I am grateful for it simply because I still feel very much in touch with everyone.
- I think I gained some perspective on things. While I'm still very much a people pleaser, I also have accepted that not everyone is going to like me, and that's okay. And a bad hair day doesn't put me in the bad mood it used to pre-30s. (Confession: In the early days, I was known to throw a hair brush. I'm not proud, but I've come a long way!)
- Most importantly, I became a mom, something I have wanted to be my whole life, and it has been even better than I ever imagined. If things had gone "our" way, we would have had a kid much earlier in life, but I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Again, that whole perspective thing I just mentioned has been, I think, very important in how we have approached parenthood.
Bring it, 40!!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Well, that month went by quickly...
It really doesn't seem possible that I've gone almost a month without blogging. How are we in the middle of September???
Here are a few updates...
Kindergarten for Amelia
Y'all, by the end of the first week of kindergarten, I wasn't sure we were going to make it.
The evening of Amelia's second day of school, I was tucking her in to bed. She seemed exhausted, and I said, "Are you sleepy, sweetie?"
She replied, "Yes. I got SO TIRED coloring my parrot today. Kindergarten is a lot of work."
The next day, as we were pulling into our driveway, she said, just out of nowhere, "I am just so tired. Today I had to make a snake. Kindergarten is so hard."
I thought we might have a long 13 years ahead of us, but now, about a month in, Amelia has adjusted to the rigors of kindergarten and seems to be doing fine.
(I also want to say, for the record, I have yet to see a parrot or a snake my child has made. Did she give up? I want to know.)
School for Me
I started back to work a week after Amelia started kindergarten. This year, I'm teaching freshmen, and it has been an EXPERIENCE so far.
"I'm emailing you, Professor _____, because I can't find your class." (I should probably correct that "professor" thing...but I don't. Ha.)
"I accidentally bought the wrong textbook. Do I need to return it and get the right one?"
"I don't think you can open PDF files on a Mac computer."
In a nutshell -- Bless. Their. Hearts.
(Also, if you are wondering, "Didn't you teach freshmen last year?" the answer is no. I taught a 2000-level composition/argument course that is typically taken by students who are at least in the second semester of their sophomore year.)
I'm also teaching a lit class. They are faithful attenders, but I'm not sure of the depth of their appreciation of fine literature.
Alas.
Other Stuff, In No Certain Order
--I am possibly funding my oral surgeon's children's education. I have had an ongoing "issue," and I won't bother going through my Maw-Maw explanation of what it is. The hope is that it has been fixed by a super-strong antibiotic, but if it isn't, he will have to -- in his words -- "go back in there surgically and clean it out." Good times. Also? Over it.
--This past summer could possibly be called, "the summer Amy caught up on a lot of TV shows." Because of that, I am eagerly awaiting the season premieres of Scandal, Parks and Recreation (y'all, I'm convinced there is no better show, at least a comedy, on TV right now), and How I Met Your Mother. Of course, rather inconveniently, the first set of essays I have to grade is coming in the week of most of the season premieres. Add to the list other shows I was watching anyway: Nashville (Connie Britton is my woman crush), Modern Family (it is wearing thin for me), and Parenthood (um, the best drama on TV, hands down).
--I could tell you about my "fit by 40" plan, but it would be the zillionth time I've discussed a new weight loss / fitness strategy, and I want to save you from witnessing another failure in that department.
(I have brownies in the oven right now.)
(But they aren't for me.)
(The smell is driving me insane.)
--I've also started scrapbooking again. Mock me if you want.
And that's it for now, folks.
Here are a few updates...
Kindergarten for Amelia
Y'all, by the end of the first week of kindergarten, I wasn't sure we were going to make it.
The evening of Amelia's second day of school, I was tucking her in to bed. She seemed exhausted, and I said, "Are you sleepy, sweetie?"
She replied, "Yes. I got SO TIRED coloring my parrot today. Kindergarten is a lot of work."
The next day, as we were pulling into our driveway, she said, just out of nowhere, "I am just so tired. Today I had to make a snake. Kindergarten is so hard."
I thought we might have a long 13 years ahead of us, but now, about a month in, Amelia has adjusted to the rigors of kindergarten and seems to be doing fine.
(I also want to say, for the record, I have yet to see a parrot or a snake my child has made. Did she give up? I want to know.)
School for Me
I started back to work a week after Amelia started kindergarten. This year, I'm teaching freshmen, and it has been an EXPERIENCE so far.
"I'm emailing you, Professor _____, because I can't find your class." (I should probably correct that "professor" thing...but I don't. Ha.)
"I accidentally bought the wrong textbook. Do I need to return it and get the right one?"
"I don't think you can open PDF files on a Mac computer."
In a nutshell -- Bless. Their. Hearts.
(Also, if you are wondering, "Didn't you teach freshmen last year?" the answer is no. I taught a 2000-level composition/argument course that is typically taken by students who are at least in the second semester of their sophomore year.)
I'm also teaching a lit class. They are faithful attenders, but I'm not sure of the depth of their appreciation of fine literature.
Alas.
Other Stuff, In No Certain Order
--I am possibly funding my oral surgeon's children's education. I have had an ongoing "issue," and I won't bother going through my Maw-Maw explanation of what it is. The hope is that it has been fixed by a super-strong antibiotic, but if it isn't, he will have to -- in his words -- "go back in there surgically and clean it out." Good times. Also? Over it.
--This past summer could possibly be called, "the summer Amy caught up on a lot of TV shows." Because of that, I am eagerly awaiting the season premieres of Scandal, Parks and Recreation (y'all, I'm convinced there is no better show, at least a comedy, on TV right now), and How I Met Your Mother. Of course, rather inconveniently, the first set of essays I have to grade is coming in the week of most of the season premieres. Add to the list other shows I was watching anyway: Nashville (Connie Britton is my woman crush), Modern Family (it is wearing thin for me), and Parenthood (um, the best drama on TV, hands down).
--I could tell you about my "fit by 40" plan, but it would be the zillionth time I've discussed a new weight loss / fitness strategy, and I want to save you from witnessing another failure in that department.
(I have brownies in the oven right now.)
(But they aren't for me.)
(The smell is driving me insane.)
--I've also started scrapbooking again. Mock me if you want.
And that's it for now, folks.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
And so it begins...
Today was a day that has been on my radar for a while now.
Amelia started kindergarten.
How did she go from this...
...to THIS??
But I did NOT cry.
We really couldn't have asked for a better day. Amelia woke up in a good mood, and we got ready quickly enough to have an obligatory photo session before we left.
The collage below makes me laugh. Amelia wanted us to do happy, sad, angry, etc. poses, but I don't think we ever got our act completely together. Oh, well. Good times!
And here is Amelia with her teacher. Amelia just walked right in, and I don't think she ever even told us goodbye!!
Then Darryl and I went to Another Broken Egg for a breakfast date. Not a bad way to spend the morning.
When I picked Amelia up, she said she had a great day. She told me all about the new rules for her class and how even though her BFF Grace isn't in her class, she still was able to see her at lunch time.
We're so proud of our little kindergartener!!
Amelia started kindergarten.
How did she go from this...
...to THIS??
But I did NOT cry.
We really couldn't have asked for a better day. Amelia woke up in a good mood, and we got ready quickly enough to have an obligatory photo session before we left.
And here is Amelia with her teacher. Amelia just walked right in, and I don't think she ever even told us goodbye!!
Then Darryl and I went to Another Broken Egg for a breakfast date. Not a bad way to spend the morning.
When I picked Amelia up, she said she had a great day. She told me all about the new rules for her class and how even though her BFF Grace isn't in her class, she still was able to see her at lunch time.
We're so proud of our little kindergartener!!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Summer 2013: A Retrospective
If I were to try to "catch up" with things on this blog, I would probably never blog again. But because Amelia is starting kindergarten tomorrow and I want to document her year (as well as other goings on), I feel I need to look back on Summer 2013, also known as "the summer that wasn't my favorite."
First, there was the move to a different house. I might also add that the longer we are in it, the less we like it. While we are grateful to have a roof over our heads, it seems that every month (sometimes every week) unveils a new problem: AC issues, ant issues, electricity issues, funky kitchen layout, etc. Thank goodness this is just a rental!! And in some ways, I feel as though we are still settling in. It doesn't feel like "home" yet. Sigh.
Second, I had my wisdom teeth out at the ripe age of 39. While it wasn't a TERRIBLE ordeal, it wasn't fun. And I'm still having an issue with my lower jaw that has yet to be resolved.
Third, Darryl has traveled for work most of the summer. Again, we are grateful he has a job and provides for us, but we've missed having him around.
We HAVE had some fun, though, especially these last few weeks.
First, Amelia's friend Grace and Grace's mom invited us to Houston to do the "American Girl" experience to celebrate Grace's birthday. Amelia didn't have an AG doll, but I had always figured she would get one at some point (plus we had been having a pretty blah summer), so we decided to live it up and go. We had so much fun, and the girls were great and pretty well behaved (except for one incident involving Pepper the Dog, a pet of Grace's doll). Yeah for all girls' trips!!
On our way to Houston!
For Grace's birthday lunch, we dined in the AG Bistro. Amelia had fun helping her doll drink from the teacups.) (By the way, Amelia has named her doll "Amelia." That doesn't get confusing at all.)
Sweet friends.
IMMEDIATELY upon returning from Houston, Darryl, Amelia, and I went to California. (When I say "immediately," I mean that I threw out our dirty clothes from the Houston trip and packed our already-arranged-before-I-left clothes for California within an hour and we headed to the New Orleans airport.) Darryl's Aunt Margaret had passed away, and Darryl wanted to go to her funeral, so we tagged along as well.
We really enjoyed getting to see some of Darryl's family that we don't see that often. (Also, can I just say that the weather in California was nothing short of AMAZING??) We spent a few days just hanging out with family and catching up. One day, we strolled the Huntingdon Beach area. I would say that I plan to do a separate post on California, but let's face it...I probably won't. I'll just share some of my favorite photos.
Somehow all of us girls (although I am by far the senior member of this group) ended up playing various games with a ball with Amelia in Aunt Margaret's front yard. At some point Amelia left, and we realized we were still playing... Lots of laughs with this crew!!
Here we are at Huntingdon Beach.
Malorie and Amelia watch the surfers as they attempt to catch some good waves.
This is how Darryl cooperates with my requests to take a photo. He looks like he would rather be getting a root canal.
Amelia enjoyed riding on Uncle George's shoulders.
A few shots of places we visited our day at the beach.
The last two days we were there, we decided to have a little fun by going to California Adventure and Disneyland. The first day was a shorter day because we wanted a chance to visit a little more with Darryl's family that evening (family members were gradually starting to fly home by that point), but the next day was a long one.
California Adventure was pretty awesome. Just their Cars attraction alone is reason enough to go; it is amazing. And the park is pretty new (I think it was built in 2001?), so it just feels newer. We all loved it.
Disneyland (which we didn't even get to the first day) was lots of fun as well, but I think Disney World in Orlando is better. Disneyland has a certain retro charm to it, though, and it has some of the things like Tom Sawyer's Island and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride that aren't at Disney World any longer.
I have TONS of photos of those two days, but because I need to wrap this up (and because I'm tired and still have several things to do before going to bed), I'm just sharing a few. Maybe I'll share more later, but...possibly not. (You know how I am.)
Radiator Springs!! (Seriously...it was amazing.)
I just realized that this is the photo that has Amelia with closed eyes. I know I should put a better one, but...
Darryl does the "spinning round and round" rides with Amelia because I don't like 'em.
This was as we were about to depart on the Radiator Springs Racers ride. This is BY FAR the most popular attraction at California Adventure. We were grateful we were able to ride it three times over the two days!
If any of Darryl's co-workers still check in on this blog...you're welcome.
Amelia in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle!
First, there was the move to a different house. I might also add that the longer we are in it, the less we like it. While we are grateful to have a roof over our heads, it seems that every month (sometimes every week) unveils a new problem: AC issues, ant issues, electricity issues, funky kitchen layout, etc. Thank goodness this is just a rental!! And in some ways, I feel as though we are still settling in. It doesn't feel like "home" yet. Sigh.
Second, I had my wisdom teeth out at the ripe age of 39. While it wasn't a TERRIBLE ordeal, it wasn't fun. And I'm still having an issue with my lower jaw that has yet to be resolved.
Third, Darryl has traveled for work most of the summer. Again, we are grateful he has a job and provides for us, but we've missed having him around.
We HAVE had some fun, though, especially these last few weeks.
First, Amelia's friend Grace and Grace's mom invited us to Houston to do the "American Girl" experience to celebrate Grace's birthday. Amelia didn't have an AG doll, but I had always figured she would get one at some point (plus we had been having a pretty blah summer), so we decided to live it up and go. We had so much fun, and the girls were great and pretty well behaved (except for one incident involving Pepper the Dog, a pet of Grace's doll). Yeah for all girls' trips!!
IMMEDIATELY upon returning from Houston, Darryl, Amelia, and I went to California. (When I say "immediately," I mean that I threw out our dirty clothes from the Houston trip and packed our already-arranged-before-I-left clothes for California within an hour and we headed to the New Orleans airport.) Darryl's Aunt Margaret had passed away, and Darryl wanted to go to her funeral, so we tagged along as well.
We really enjoyed getting to see some of Darryl's family that we don't see that often. (Also, can I just say that the weather in California was nothing short of AMAZING??) We spent a few days just hanging out with family and catching up. One day, we strolled the Huntingdon Beach area. I would say that I plan to do a separate post on California, but let's face it...I probably won't. I'll just share some of my favorite photos.
The last two days we were there, we decided to have a little fun by going to California Adventure and Disneyland. The first day was a shorter day because we wanted a chance to visit a little more with Darryl's family that evening (family members were gradually starting to fly home by that point), but the next day was a long one.
California Adventure was pretty awesome. Just their Cars attraction alone is reason enough to go; it is amazing. And the park is pretty new (I think it was built in 2001?), so it just feels newer. We all loved it.
Disneyland (which we didn't even get to the first day) was lots of fun as well, but I think Disney World in Orlando is better. Disneyland has a certain retro charm to it, though, and it has some of the things like Tom Sawyer's Island and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride that aren't at Disney World any longer.
I have TONS of photos of those two days, but because I need to wrap this up (and because I'm tired and still have several things to do before going to bed), I'm just sharing a few. Maybe I'll share more later, but...possibly not. (You know how I am.)
This photo makes me LAUGH AND LAUGH whenever I see it. (Yes, I'm wearing a fedora. I needed a hat ASAP because of a sunburned scalp.) (And to Darryl's co-workers...you are welcome once again.)
And FINALLY, a few days after we returned home from California, Amelia and I took a road trip to Florida to see my parents. I did a horrible, horrible job of taking photos on that trip. I think I took one. I'm pretty sure my mother will blog about it, though...so I'll link up to her much-more-thorough recap when that happens.
So here we are, at summer's end. I'm glad we ended on a high note. :-) I must say, however, I'm LONGING for some routine and structure.
Tomorrow I'll be sure to document Amelia's first day of kindergarten!
(I'm not even proofreading this post. The English teacher in me disapproves, but the rebel in me applauds.)
Monday, July 01, 2013
Recipe Review: I Went on a New Recipe Binge
Until last week, I really hadn't cooked much in the last month or so. With all the moving and Darryl's recent travels for work, there really hasn't been much opportunity to cook. But last week, I
was chomping at the bit to try some new recipes, so here are some links to some recipes you might want to try (or avoid):
Salted Oatmeal Cookies: Several years ago, when I was still teaching high school, a student's mother made some delicious oatmeal cookies that had a hint of a salty taste. Then a couple of weeks ago, my friend Tim (seriously, Tim...bring back the blog) posted a photo on Facebook of some salted oatmeal cookies he had ordered from a bakery up North. I was intrigued. A quick Google search found this recipe for me, and I thought they were amazing. They are thick and chewy with just a hint of salt.
Verdict: Definitely keeping these in the cookie recipe rotation.
The Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce: I love spaghetti and always have. No one else in my house seems to appreciate it. Darryl will "tolerate" it on occasion, but he claims I made it all the time when we were first married, and now he is tired of it. (Dude, that was fourteen years ago. Whatever.) Thursday night, Darryl was out of town, and I decided just to try a spaghetti sauce recipe for my own personal happiness. PW's seemed easy -- and I haven't tried many of her recipes I haven't liked -- so I gave hers a go.
Verdict: I didn't love it. I halved this recipe and had a good bit left over that I froze (Darryl, there is definitely some spaghetti in your future), but it was lacking something for me. I think the bay leaf flavor is a little strong. It certainly isn't BAD, but it didn't rock my world.
Chicken and Rice Casserole: I had pinned this "healthy" recipe a while ago on Pinterest. (Truth: I typically pin something healthy and then pin something like a cupcake recipe. It's a problem. I want to be skinny, but I like my cupcakes too much. Or my oatmeal cookies. Or my spaghetti.) ANYWAY...I think this recipe originally appeared in Cooking Light. I have made some CL recipes in the past, but I have found their recipes are super time-intensive or to have 25 ingredients. This one looked fairly simple.
Verdict: This recipe takes more time than you think, and it is a casserole, for Pete's sake. That being said, it WAS very good. I had already taken one shortcut in buying a rotisserie chicken breast from Fresh Market, and now that I've made this dish once, I think there are a few other shortcuts I could take. So basically, this is good recipe that I plan to try again, but I want to try a few other ways to save time.
The Pioneer Woman's Baked Creamed Corn with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapenos: I actually made this from her cookbook rather than from the recipe I linked to here, and that recipe is a little different. The most notable difference is that the cookbook calls for just one red bell pepper, and I thought one provided just enough red bell pepper-iness. (But if you are a fan of red bell pepper, go crazy and use two.) Interestingly enough, in the cookbook, this is referred to as a "casserole," but that term is misleading...so I'm glad the website basically names it what it is.
Verdict: Y'ALL. THIS CORN WAS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING. So, so, so good. Like slap yourself good. (Also, I served this with a slotted spoon, and a good bit of the heavy cream and butter is left in the dish...so while I'm sure this dish wouldn't qualify as a "healthy food," I don't think it is as bad as you might think when you see the list of ingredients.) Bottom line: Make this dish. You won't be sorry.
Ina Garten's Tomato Feta Salad: My friend Martha recommended this recipe, and it seemed very summery and yummy. I found some good cherry tomatoes as well as some yellow tomatoes at a farmers' market (have you tried the yellow ones? they taste like sunshine in your mouth), so I gave this a try.
Verdict: Very tasty. I also love, love, love feta cheese, and combo along with some white wine vinegar and olive oil? So yummy. I will definitely make this again.
Side Note: Saturday night, our friends Damian and Rebecca came over for dinner. We had the tomato salad, grilled steaks, the PW corn, and blueberry cobbler. For me, it was kind of the perfect summer meal. :-) (For my parents...we will definitely recreate that meal the next time you visit.)
was chomping at the bit to try some new recipes, so here are some links to some recipes you might want to try (or avoid):
Salted Oatmeal Cookies: Several years ago, when I was still teaching high school, a student's mother made some delicious oatmeal cookies that had a hint of a salty taste. Then a couple of weeks ago, my friend Tim (seriously, Tim...bring back the blog) posted a photo on Facebook of some salted oatmeal cookies he had ordered from a bakery up North. I was intrigued. A quick Google search found this recipe for me, and I thought they were amazing. They are thick and chewy with just a hint of salt.
Verdict: Definitely keeping these in the cookie recipe rotation.
The Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce: I love spaghetti and always have. No one else in my house seems to appreciate it. Darryl will "tolerate" it on occasion, but he claims I made it all the time when we were first married, and now he is tired of it. (Dude, that was fourteen years ago. Whatever.) Thursday night, Darryl was out of town, and I decided just to try a spaghetti sauce recipe for my own personal happiness. PW's seemed easy -- and I haven't tried many of her recipes I haven't liked -- so I gave hers a go.
Verdict: I didn't love it. I halved this recipe and had a good bit left over that I froze (Darryl, there is definitely some spaghetti in your future), but it was lacking something for me. I think the bay leaf flavor is a little strong. It certainly isn't BAD, but it didn't rock my world.
Chicken and Rice Casserole: I had pinned this "healthy" recipe a while ago on Pinterest. (Truth: I typically pin something healthy and then pin something like a cupcake recipe. It's a problem. I want to be skinny, but I like my cupcakes too much. Or my oatmeal cookies. Or my spaghetti.) ANYWAY...I think this recipe originally appeared in Cooking Light. I have made some CL recipes in the past, but I have found their recipes are super time-intensive or to have 25 ingredients. This one looked fairly simple.
Verdict: This recipe takes more time than you think, and it is a casserole, for Pete's sake. That being said, it WAS very good. I had already taken one shortcut in buying a rotisserie chicken breast from Fresh Market, and now that I've made this dish once, I think there are a few other shortcuts I could take. So basically, this is good recipe that I plan to try again, but I want to try a few other ways to save time.
The Pioneer Woman's Baked Creamed Corn with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapenos: I actually made this from her cookbook rather than from the recipe I linked to here, and that recipe is a little different. The most notable difference is that the cookbook calls for just one red bell pepper, and I thought one provided just enough red bell pepper-iness. (But if you are a fan of red bell pepper, go crazy and use two.) Interestingly enough, in the cookbook, this is referred to as a "casserole," but that term is misleading...so I'm glad the website basically names it what it is.
Verdict: Y'ALL. THIS CORN WAS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING. So, so, so good. Like slap yourself good. (Also, I served this with a slotted spoon, and a good bit of the heavy cream and butter is left in the dish...so while I'm sure this dish wouldn't qualify as a "healthy food," I don't think it is as bad as you might think when you see the list of ingredients.) Bottom line: Make this dish. You won't be sorry.
Ina Garten's Tomato Feta Salad: My friend Martha recommended this recipe, and it seemed very summery and yummy. I found some good cherry tomatoes as well as some yellow tomatoes at a farmers' market (have you tried the yellow ones? they taste like sunshine in your mouth), so I gave this a try.
Verdict: Very tasty. I also love, love, love feta cheese, and combo along with some white wine vinegar and olive oil? So yummy. I will definitely make this again.
Side Note: Saturday night, our friends Damian and Rebecca came over for dinner. We had the tomato salad, grilled steaks, the PW corn, and blueberry cobbler. For me, it was kind of the perfect summer meal. :-) (For my parents...we will definitely recreate that meal the next time you visit.)
Friday, June 28, 2013
Confessional Friday: Pet Peeves
I rarely do link-ups to other blogs (not really for any reason, but whatever), but this particular link up from the Blonde Ambition blog involved discussing pet peeves. Any time I can vent about pet peeves, I relish the opportunity. So here goes.
1. People who like to wear their birthday suits rather liberally in the gym locker room. (I could probably devote a post specifically to "gym pet peeves," but for now, I'll refrain.)
2. People who angrily express political views on Facebook.
3. Drivers who don't follow the carpool rules. (I can get really upset about this one.)
4. Media worship of The Kardashians (can't stand them!) and Brangelina.
5. Justin Bieber. And his pants.
6. Rude customer service. (Honestly, I hate to rat out my current town, but this is a HUGE problem in Baton Rouge. Seriously, checkout lady, are you really not going to even say "hello" to me??)
7. Women who complain about how fat they are when they are obviously smaller than I am. That's pretty much saying, "And I think you are fat, too!"
Edited to add one more:
8. I hate when people post on Facebook or forward through email internet "hoaxes." Ever heard of Snopes? Check out its truth before you post it / send it, people. (There is a post going viral on FB right now about how this country is "run by idiots," and Jeff Foxworthy is being attributed as the author. Um, he didn't write it.)
Whew. I feel better!!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
An Evening With Audra McDonald
About a month ago, FIVE-TIME Tony winner Audra McDonald came to Baton Rouge and performed with the BR Symphony Orchestra. I went by myself, but I didn't care. (I think some of my friends thought that was weird, but if Darryl had gone with me -- and it wasn't really his cup of tea -- we would have had to get a sitter. None of my friends here knew who she was, so I didn't want to ask them to fork out money for someone they didn't know...so I went alone.) I had a seat on the fourth row. FOURTH ROW. Several times throughout the concert, I had moments of, "Holy cow! I'm twenty feet from Broadway great Audra McDonald! Holy cow!"
So if you are wondering who Audra McDonald is...Many people know who as Naomi from Private Practice (a show I didn't really watch unless it just happened to be on in the background). However, I first became acquainted with her from Rosie O'Donnell's old talk show. (I know Rosie is a divisive personality -- love her or hate her -- but I loved how she featured Broadway performances on her show. It gave people like me, who aren't frequent visitors to New York, a glimpse of Broadway greatness.) At the time, Audra (because we are on a first-name basis, of course) was starring in Ragtime, for which she later won a Tony. And thus began my fascination with her.
Here's a clip I found on YouTube of her singing one of my favorites. She opened with this in Baton Rouge, and y'all...I might have teared up. I don't know if was the song, or just the whole experience, or everything, but dadgum. The girl can SING. (She's also funny!) So enjoy this greatness for yourself...
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