beach, bbq, & bocce

Wednesday was a gorgeous & rather hot day, perfect for the beach. And that's just what me, Terry, & our friend Jaimie did. After a couple hours in the sun, we started feeling like we were getting too much. We escaped to the shade, where we made some lunch. I still ended up getting my first slight burn of the year but have to admit, it feels nice to have a bit of color on my skin again.

Yesterday was Terry's appointment and I'm very happy to say that he doesn't need surgery as of now. It appears that his bone (turns out it's the clavicle) is healing on its own! He doesn't even need to wear a sling. What a relief!
Afterwards, we went to our friends' (and new neighbors) for dinner. Amy & JD moved into a beautiful home not far from us. JD loves any & all things smoked or grilled, so it was a big treat to have some of his barbeque. Boy, was it delicious! It's so much easier now for me (and my hosts) to eat what is being served. No longer do my friends & family need to worry with certain dietary arrangements for me.

Before dinner, they introduced us to Bocce. For years, I've noticed folks on beaches playing this ball game and have wondered what it was all about. JD says it's huge in Europe. He gave us a quick run-down of the rules & we played for awhile before the sun went down. It was so much fun that now I want to buy a set. Ha!

five free days

The plan was to spend my days off in Charleston (S.C.) & Folly Beach. Many, many hours were spent planning & am now considering a side career as a trip-planner. (I'm certain I know that small city better than the folks that live there).
But, alas it wasn't to happen. Due to unforeseen date mixups with Terry's orthopedic surgeon, our scheduled vacation to that popular southern town will have to wait. Oh well! There's always local fun to be had. Or perhaps a camping trip to Shenandoah (our friends invited us to this weekend). No matter what, I'm going to make the most of it.
To start off, we gathered up some folks this evening for another Thai dinner (I can never get enough) out on the restaurant's new patio. Seemed like most of us were in a "panang" kind of mood. My friend, Gwen, suggested the Sangria which turned out to be the owner's specialty. You could tell he put some love in that stuff. Oh my.. was it good!


We closed out the place, much later than expected. But no worries here.. I'm on vacation! ;)

sunday spontaneity

Yesterday was one of those days that you just want to bottle up so you can take it out & relive whenever you want.
We awoke with no plans for the day. Some friends invited us to get brunch, but decided against it after being told there was a long wait. It was another beautiful Sunday, so why not spend it outside? I suggested we go to a grocery store, grab some food (fried chicken) & drinks (mimosas for me), & pick a beach to go to. Everyone agreed it was a good idea. We picked up a few more friends along the way.
We chose Aaron's beach (New Haven if you grew up around here) or as the kids call it, the one with the big rocks. They climbed on those rocks for hours.


This was also Josey's first beach day. She seemed to enjoy herself. Erica says she can already tell that Josey is an outdoorsy baby.

The temperature of the water is probably in the 50s now, but that never stops a 4 year old.


Afterwards, we headed back to Robie & Shane's for dinner, fire, & music. We unanimously agreed it was a magical day. Not bad for a last minute get-together.

Mercy Creek

Last night we went to see one of my favorite local bands, Mercy Creek. Terry & I first heard this amazing guitar & drums duo 6 years ago & from that first night, I was hooked! Their music has been labeled folky, rock, indie (they achieved 2010's Best Indie Folk Duo Award). But really, you just need to see them live.

Cheryl (singer/guitarist) has this amazing voice filled with passion & soul with each song she sings. It's obvious how much she loves what she does. And she is oh-so good at it!

With Jim (drummer) using a djembe as a kick drum, it creates a sound all their own. Since that first night, I've been an avid supporter telling as many folks about them as possible. So if you get a chance to catch them, GO!

paintball & kite flyin'

A few of my friends are into paintball now. On Sunday, they played & asked me to come along & take some pictures. It was a nice day & a walk in the woods sounded like a good idea. Not knowing much about paintball, these guys seemed really into it. And there were a couple times it got pretty intense.


Afterwards, we went to the beach to fly Jaimie's kite. Oh how the boys loved that.
Me? I just loved being barefoot in the sand again.

twice the thai

It's been a fun, free Friday. Erica & the girls took me out to a Thai lunch for a new job celebration, which was super sweet & quite delicious. Then we hit a couple of thrift stores & our friend, Carolyn's, open house for her soap shop.
Deciding to stay in for the night, Terry & I made thai lettuce wraps for dinner. He has been wanting to make them for awhile now & I'm glad we did because they are amazing!

Spicy Thai beef lettuce wraps

Sauce organic ground beef (chicken or tofu) with chopped jalapeno & red pepper flakes. Add green onion (green part) towards the end to preserve color.

For the sauce:
soy sauce (we are out of fish sauce)
Thai chili paste
lime juice
minced garlic
minced ginger
peanut butter
green onion (white part)
toasted sesame oil
sherry

Bibb or butter lettuce is ideal but we could only find romaine.

Fill a leaf with desired amount of beef & sauce. Add fresh lime juice & cilantro to taste.

Roll it up. Cut in half. And enjoy!

Splurging for dessert, I bought us slices of pie from Southwind. Happy Friday night!

sun & rain

This past week, there's been great news & not so great news.
Let's start with the good stuff.

For the past few weeks, I've been working part-time at a Montessori school. The Montessori method has interested me for 14 years, since taking care of a young boy who went to one. And so far, after observing it in action, the Montessori method seems to be right up my alley.
On Friday, the head of school offered me a full-time fall position as a floating teacher. If all goes well throughout the school year (meaning I like them, they like me) they will help send me to get my Montessori certification next summer. This is super exciting for me! It's what I love.. being in a school-type atmosphere with little people. ;)

Now for the not-so-great stuff.

A couple weeks ago when we were camping on Ken's Point, Terry tripped & fell hard, landing on his shoulder. The next morning I knew it was bad, but Terry can be quite stubborn. Turns out he's even tougher than I thought because after 2 weeks, he finally agreed to go see a doctor. Turns out, a bone in his shoulder is broken! So, he's in a sling constantly & reluctantly taking pain meds. A trip to an orthopedic doctor will tell us more. Let's just hope surgery won't be necessary.

Our weekend was filled celebrating & discussions on healing. I wouldn't change a thing.