Hello Monday, So Long September

September has been a whirlwind of activity, appointments and celebrations, and now somehow we've reached the end of one of my favorite months of the year. 

We had a nice weekend and Mondays are when we link up with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) to chat about them. Here's how ours looked-

Friday morning hubs had a couple of errands to run and I went to Publix to pick up a few groceries and subs for lunch. We took them to Daughter1's house and spent a couple of hours there eating, checking out her new built-in shelves we hadn't seen in person yet, listening to Max read us a book (a new skill for him) and the Mancub play the piano, followed by a fun (yes, it actually was fun) math game with the Mancub called Corners. 

Late Friday afternoon I went to a friend's house with three other girls to catch up and play Mexican Train Dominoes. We had a lot of fun and I'd say time flew, but how many times can I say time is flying without sounding like a granny. 

Which I am, but still. What's up with time? 

Friday night my son-in-law was going to the high school football game and the boys sometimes go with him, but the weather was questionable so everyone came to our house instead. Hubs grilled burgers and then my son-in-law went on to the game and the rest of us strolled down memory lane going through two big boxes of VHS tapes and books I've been saving for decades. 

When we first mentioned to the girls that we had these two huge boxes of VHS tapes they were quick to say might as well get rid of them. Then daughter1 got her hands on the actual movie cases and said we couldn't possibly get rid of them lol. She's talked hubs into buying a tv for one of the guest rooms that we can connect a player too so the kids can watch the classics. She's including herself in the term 'kids' because once she saw The King and I, My Fair Lady, and The Little Princess she was down the rabbit hole of her childhood. 

Saturday I made another quick run to the library to pick up yet another book I'd put on hold that had arrived. When it rains it pours I guess. I've been a reading machine this month and I'm not mad about it. We left about 12:30 to drive into the nearby city for a surprise birthday party for Daughter1's mother-in-law. 

It was an afternoon gathering on a rooftop venue and the surprise was a success. We also had a bird's eye view of the spot where Daughter1's wedding reception was held ten years ago. 

The birthday party venue was in a hotel with a Ruth's Chris steakhouse in the lobby and hubs and I thought why not? 

So after the party we popped in and sat at the bar for dinner. We split a steak and lobster tail and a delicious caesar salad before heading for home. We hadn't eaten in a Ruth's Chris in many years, but the food was very good and the service was excellent. 

We caught the tail end of the TN football game and in true Volunteer fashion they kept us on pins and needles until the very last overtime minute. Whew this team can take years off your life, but a win is a win and we'll take it. 

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear without the humidity we've been having lately. So nice! We went to church and while we normally go to brunch with the kids right after, hubs and I decided it was too nice not to take the boat for a spin. 

I made lunch and we tooled around the lake for a while, had our lunch in a quiet cove, then more motoring around before coming home to watch football. I made a pot of chili and we went back to church for their evening service. We haven't been to the evening service since we started going to this church, but they're doing a study of C.S. Lewis's book -Mere Christianity, and since it's one of my all time favorite reads, I wanted to attend.  

And then it was home for a bowl of chili and more football. 'Tis the season, right? If you want to join the Monday recap party, hop over to the host blogs and add your link there. 

Have a great week everyone! 

Weekend Roundup

We had the absolute best weather this weekend and enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors. A friend I've known since childhood (and her hubs) arrived from the Garden State around noon Thursday, and after lunch on the screened porch, we moved over to the covered deck, and eventually down to the dock as we caught up on our lives and all the goings on since last we spoke. 

There was very little humidity and a lovely breeze, so pretty much perfect. The little brown dog thought so too, and he went for a swim which is always entertaining. As a bonus, it wears him out a little. 

B and I met here-

A summer camp on Maryland's Eastern Shore many decades ago. We discovered we lived in the same town (opposite high schools) and the friendship grew. We spent a few summers together working at camp, time marched forward and we both married, then time kept marching and we had our first baby girls about a month apart, then our second baby girls a couple of years later. Then hubs and I moved and moved and moved some more and time rolled on and on, but whenever I'd visit my mom B and I would also get together for a visit. 

It's always like no time has passed, and aren't those the best kind of friends? 

Thursday night we had an event with our wine club and B and her hubs were able to attend as our guests. It was a fun, low-key event which included wonderful French wines served alongside a delicious beef bourguignon. 

We relaxed with our coffee on the deck Friday morning, then spent the rest of the day on the water. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather which I know I've already told you, but it's worth mentioning again. 

Even though we've had our boat summer ready for several weeks now, this was our first all day outing of the season and it was a winner. Adding more of the same to our summer calendar please. 

We saw a lot of wildlife while we were motoring around the lake, including a juvenile eagle perched beside a nest at the top of a tall tree. Hubs has eyes like a hawk (no pun intended) and he is always the one to spot birds and other animals in the wild wherever we happen to be. 

B's hubs has a fancy camera with a long lens so we look forward to seeing some of his pictures once they're back home. We encountered the same blue heron several times throughout the day and he snapped lots of really great shots of him. 

That night hubs grilled our favorite coffee rubbed pork tenderloin recipe then we went back out on the boat to check out the sunset. 

There was not a cloud in the sky which, believe it or not, doesn't make for the most spectacular of sunsets, although there's no such thing as a bad one. 

A few clouds bring out the best colors but ours was still beautiful.

On Saturday morning B and I went for a semi-power walk in the neighborhood before heading in to the nearby small big city for a late brunch. Balance, right? 

The city was bustling as we'd forgotten there was a Jazz festival happening, but fortunately we'd booked a table and were seated quickly. 

Brown butter pecan pie and a bite of banana pudding which were both super delish! 

Our friends were heading on to another city that afternoon so hubs and I had a fun Costco date. Not! I do not recommend Costco on a Saturday afternoon, but we were already in town and needed a few staples. We didn't do the usual up and down all the aisles, but we did get what we came for and got out in a reasonable amount of time so there's that. 

We actually got more than what we came for because can you not when you shop in these kinds of stores? 

Hubs and I went out for breakfast Sunday morning, then I spent a few hours trying to upload two different templates to a print site which was only a teensy bit frustrating because my files were too large or some such nonsense and then I had to rename everything and blah blah blah technology. 

We also read, watched some college baseball, and I did some laundry, spent another hour or so booking flights for a trip later this year (blah blah blah technology) and then caught up here. I had a home chef in the frig I needed to cook and that made for an easy dinner prep wise. 

And that's the weekend that was. 

What fun or not-so-fun things did you do this weekend? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday morning party. 

It's Tuesday, Right?

Good morning. If you're here looking for the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge there aren't any. Apologies for the late notice, but I'm always a day behind when these long weekends roll around and I need a day or two to get back in gear. The Hodgepodge will resume next Wednesday, June 8. 

Now back to the weekend, and of course I'm going to start by mentioning the weather because it was fabulous. 

Sunny skies, low humidity, and warm temps. We've had a busy few weeks here so we very much enjoyed three solid days at home (in the neighborhood anyway) with lots of relaxing on the porch, a little dock diving-

...a bit of gardening-

A fun barbecue and float party with some neighbors, which included dunking our whole selves in the lake for the first time this season (you only shivered a little with that initial dip, then it was all good)-

A boat ride-

and the first Orange Crush of the season-

Nothing says summer here like a boat ride with friends to the local cabana for an Orange Crush. 

Hubs and I went to see Top Gun Maverick on Sunday afternoon, and we loved it. Sequels are usually a disappointment but this one is so well done. Tom Cruise  is aging very well. Just sayin'. This was our first time in an actual movie theater since pre-Covid days so whoohoo!

On the whole I feel like lake people are patriotic people. Flags fly from decks and docks and the backs of boats and there's a lot of red, white, and blue to be found around town. As the sun set on the weekend I found myself feeling so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy. Grateful for the ones who make it so.  

I know our country isn't perfect, but we are so very lucky to call this place home.