Easter Weekend With Our Peeps

It seems like I'm always a little behind here every year at the start of these A-Z challenges. So much going on and I hate feeling like I'm playing catch up but I'm playing catch up. 

E is for Easter

Hubs and I spent Easter weekend with the newlyweds. Who live many miles away. It's a long drive, definitely do-able in a single day but not as enjoyable as breaking it up a little. We had to drop the dog off at the trainer's house Wednesday so decided to go ahead and get on the road with an overnight stop close to halfway in the town of Staunton Virginia. 

We've traveled up and down I-81 in our married life more than the average person. More than most long haul truckers I bet, because my family lived north and hubs family lived south, then we lived north and our kids lived south, now we live south and one of our daughters lives north so you get the idea.

The Shenandoah Valley which lies along this corridor is one of the most beautiful places in America. Besides all the natural beauty an enormous amount of our nation's history occurred right along the interstate. 

Except of course there was no interstate when Stonewall, Ulysses, and Robert E. roamed this valley.  

We've lived in both Richmond and Annapolis so have seen quite a bit of the Maryland/DC/Virginia sights, but we'd never visited New Market Battlefield. Since it lies just north of Staunton we planned a visit there for Thursday morning. 

It was cold. 
I might utter that phrase a few more times before the weekend is over. 

The museum here is so well done and it's always remarkable to walk where soldiers walked. After the battlefield and museum visit we had lunch at a little spot in New Market called Southern Kitchen, and it was so good. We miss NJ diners, but this place definitely had that feel. 

We were back in the car mid-afternoon to finish our drive to the Keystone State. I have family in the southern end of this state, but we were headed further north. State College for you Penn State fans. 

We live in Clemson country and I was wishing I had my bright orange fleece with the tiger paw on it to wear around town because a) it would have been fun and b) it was cold. I say that, but my son-in-law pretty much went without a coat the whole weekend so it's all in what you're used to. Here's how I looked all day Friday-

A married lady but still her Daddy's girl-

We arrived just in time for dinner Thursday evening. Just to give you a heads up, it looks like all we did was eat and drink but I promise it was not. It does seem that's what I photographed though. 

Hubs and his son-in-law are kindred spirits when it comes to the grill, and my son-in-law grilled us some of his famous oysters to start. They were delish. Daughter2 made a lovely charcuterie board and we relaxed and caught up Thursday evening. 

Friday we did the touristy thing because hey, technically we're tourists. We got to see Daughter2's school (5 minutes from her house so whoohoo!) then we drove into downtown to see the campus the town is essentially built around. 

                 

We did a bit of walking, masked because it's the town law here...

                 

...and we stood next to the lion but you should know we were saying Go Tigers! the whole time. 

                   

We had lunch at a well known eatery then made a stop at the Arboretum for a walk around the grounds. 

It's a lovely space and while many plants and shrubs are still sleeping it will be beautiful in another month. Still a great place for a walk and we really enjoyed that. I for sure was congratulating myself for remembering to pack a hat, scarf, and gloves amen. 

               

On Saturday we headed out to see the countryside with a couple of local wineries as scheduled breaks

               

But first, lunch at a brewery. The landscape here is gorgeous, lots of green grassy farmland, and not a lot of traffic unless you're down by the uni. 

We had booked a tasting at Mount Nittany Winery, nestled on a lovely piece of property with seating beside the pond. It was a beautiful sunny day, but when the wind blew brrr. 

Please note me in my winter jacket and son-in-law in his shirtsleeves. 

We ended the afternoon with one more tasting, a 'wine and peep' pairing at University Wine Company. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea because let's be honest...I was mostly here for the peeps. 

                  

I recommend the hot tamale. 

              

We woke up to the cutest little Easter baskets on Sunday morning, courtesy of Daughter2. We did not attend church in person Easter morning because the church they've been going to is not in person currently. Interesting how different things are in different parts of the country. 

                   

The night before Easter the men prepped and started a brisket on the smoker so while it was doing it's thing we took the dogs for a walk in a nearby park. 

             

The Pennsylvania Military Park in nearby Boalsburg PA, and did I mention it was an absolutely gorgeous day? I finally was down to just a fleece, but we saw a couple of people in shorts and t-shirts. I'm telling you your blood gets thinner when you leave the snowy north for the sunny southland. 

             

There's a military museum here but it was closed, so we just wandered the grounds on this most beautiful of Easters. 

Lunch/dinner was fabulous and the brisket a success-

The best part of my day-weekend-life was sitting beside my girl in the sunny sunshine of her own back yard, grateful for the wife she has become, feeling happy I taught her to cook-ha!...

               

...and soaking up every ounce of joy a grown up daughter brings. 

Let's Talk

About what I don't know because it's that time of year where people are cranky and blog content is a bit thin, still I'm going to ramble on anyway. 

It's cold here in the Palmetto State, BUT! not as cold as the state we previously called home. I heard our little NJ town was mentioned on Good Morning America because they got a whopping 32 inches of snow yesterday. That is a lot of snow people. 

This picture popped up on my Facebook memories today, a photo snapped from my front porch six years ago. I guess piles of snow and groundhogs go together, and we had a lot of both in NJ. 

Hubs is so happy he's not dealing with it right now, but shhh...don't tell him...I kind of miss seeing the beauty of a great big snowfall. Just one though. We're not accustomed to those temps anymore so it's best enjoyed from a distance. I'm here shivering in 45 degree weather counting the days until we're back living life outdoors and on the water, hopefully soon. 

Did I mention here the bride and groom live in the snowy northeast? 

photo credit: the bride

Well they do. Many states away from the warm(ish) sunny southland and their people. Still America so there's that, but a ten hour car ride so not geographically close. I remind myself almost daily that it's good for newlyweds to establish themselves as a family unit separate and apart from their family of birth. And they're happy y'all. So so happy. 

My son-in-law's job means this is where they live right now, and so many things have fallen into place for this precious couple that you can't help but see God's hand in it all. The bride even landed an in person teaching job which she enjoys as much as one can in these weird times, but still...can't one of my girls live nearby? 

Maybe someday. 

This is why I declare technology my best friend. 

Wait, no it's not. I just remembered the cable company was in our house half a day yesterday to switch us over to the high speed internet now available in our community. Which is great except now none of the TVs are working right and I loathe having to deal with this sort of thing. Sorry for the run on sentence but ugh...

Also, hubs would say technically he is the one dealing with it, but ugh... 

In other less than pleasant news, our tax organizer appeared in my inbox today. 

Hello February. You're lucky you come with chocolate. 

And beauty. Because y'all there is beauty if you look for it even in the middle of a winter that feels grouchier than most. So let's throw some beauty into the mix.

You thought I was going to post a wedding picture didn't you?  

I would, but we're still waiting on our photographs. This one a guest snapped of the bride dancing with the groom's granddad is awfully sweet. 

And don't you worry...when we get the pictures back you'll know. Ha! 

When daughter2 started teaching from home back in March of 2020, she brought a half-dead plant to the house with her. A student had given her a 'bulb' which hadn't grown into much of anything save one lonely green stalk. Sadly the pot tipped over in her car enroute to our house and that lone green stalk ripped in half. 

She was going to chuck the whole thing but hubs intervened. He loves to shower half-dead plants with TLC and I want you to know he brought this plant back to life. I kept saying it looked like an amaryllis, and while it grew taller and taller every day for a year, it never sprouted any sort of bud or bloom. Hubs though, did not give up and this week-

Yes he attached a grow light to a pool cue. I told you hubs is serious about bringing life to sad situations. 

The world is kind of sad right now, isn't it? Yet here we are with two buds ready to pop, and another  following close behind smack dab in the middle of a cold gray winter. 

A gentle reminder that a little patience and some tender loving care can make all sorts of thing grow. 

Sweet Home Alabama-Carolina

I know Christmas has come and gone, but you know I need to back the truck up and start at the beginning. 

Birmingham. 

Alabama not England, lest anyone is confused. 

Also, was it really just a little over a week ago? Because it feels like forever since we greeted Daughter1 and our son-in-law coming down the escalator in the Birmingham airport. Forever since we watched them pull one heavy suitcase after another off the conveyor belt in baggage claim wondering how in the world all that luggage was going to fit in the car. 

Daughter1 was a bridesmaid in her college roommate's wedding the week before Christmas, and we were invited too, which was the reason for our meet-up in sweet home Alabama. Why did I think Birmingham was flat? It's not. It's hilly and sprawling and let me just say, the weather was perfection. 

Y'all know I'm all about the weather. 

We hadn't seen the newlyweds since May so hubs and I were a teensy bit antsy waiting for them to arrive Friday evening. We drove over earlier in the day so we could be there to collect them from the airport. Their flight was slightly delayed, and Daughter1 missed the rehearsal, but we made a beeline for the hotel so they could quickly change before hopping back in the car to drive them downtown for the rehearsal dinner. 

Hubs and I were beyond tired so we relaxed and enjoyed a delicious leisurely meal at Ruth's Chris conveniently located in the lobby of our hotel, before calling it a day. Adrenaline catches up with you eventually. 

Saturday morning Daughter1 had to be at the church early, so hubs and I dropped her off with another  bridesmaid and then headed to Vulcan Park to see the famous Birmingham landmark. Look at that sky! I'm obsessed. 

The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and serves as a symbol of the city whose roots are in the steel and iron industry. Also, it is high. Whoa! It might not look all that high from the angle of my photo, but when you ride that elevator to the top and you step out onto an open grate footbridge and then you walk around the perimeter on an open grate platform, trust me-you are high. HIGH!!  Even hubs thought so. 

We made it back to terra firma and decided what we really needed was some good old fashioned Southern BBQ. The groom had recommended a place call SAW's, which is something of an institution in this town, so we picked up our son-in-law at the hotel and made our way into Homestead for lunch.

The restaurant was tiny and jam packed, signs of a truly great BBQ spot, and the food did not disappoint.  

Did I mention the bright blue sky? 

We dropped our son-in-law back at the hotel to watch some football and then hubs and I drove out to the nearby suburb of Homer to visit with a retired work friend and his wife. A really fun afternoon catching up, and then it was back to the hotel to dress for the wedding.

I just love a winter wedding. The bridesmaids wore elegant navy blue and the bride looked radiant in her chic gown and adorable little fur wrap. We even sent them off tossing a handful of 'snow' which made for a most perfect ending to a most perfect day.  

The best part was seeing all these sweet girls again...

...my daughter's best friends, her college and post-grad roommates, sorority sisters, bridesmaids and guests at her wedding nearly one year ago.  

I still remember meeting the bride for the very first time. She and Daughter1 were randomly matched as roommates by the university, and whatever sort of statistical equation they used to figure that out worked beautifully. 

The bridesmaid on the left in this photo will become a mother in just a few short months. It wasn't all that long ago my hubs and her Daddy were installing carpet in their oddly shaped triple dorm room in 100 degree heat. 

Time flies, doesn't it? 

And girls they do grow up. 

They get married and move many states away, but still...

...in the eyes of their father they are always and forever Daddy's little girl. 

Sunday morning hubs solved the Rubik's Cube known as packing the car, and somehow-someway managed to squeeze all the luggage into our not large vehicle. Daughter1 and I were wedged into the back seat with a suitcase and coats between us, along with assorted shoe boxes and tote bags under our feet, but we made it. We were on our way to South Carolina...

Let the holidays begin! 

Christmas Dresses

Let's just be honest and say half the fun of having little girls is dressing them up. You know it's true. Never did I enjoy it more than at Christmas time when my mother always bought my daughters something beautiful to wear.

As a bonus, their dresses usually matched.

Be still my heart.

My mom has always had a great sense of style, and she loves to shop. Buying something special for her grandgirls to wear at the holidays has brought her so much joy, and always put a smile on my face too.

Still does.

I loved wrestling squirmy little legs into stretchy tights that no matter what you did, wrinkled round the ankle. Buckling tiny feet into 'black dresser shoes' as Daughter1 called them. Some years there was a pretty coat too.

Also bad photography, but the coats were precious.

In most pictures of my girls, one or the other has a hand gently on her sister. The affection captured is not posed. Their favorite Christmas memories are all about each other.

This year Christmas will look a little different for us. These girls are all grown up now, and Daughter1 is married. Her first Christmas as a wife, and she and her hubs will travel south to celebrate. With us, but also with her new extended family.

There will be some stirring of the tradition pot this year, and I'm looking forward to the recipe we'll create as we go along. We'll start with a bit of childhood magic, adding to it a spoonful of something sweet and new. A  fresh concoction of memory, story, and love.

"Little girls are precious gifts, wrapped in love serene. 

Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams."~Unknown

December Happenings

I'm always a little surprised to log into my blog and discover it's been a whole week since I wrote anything. Oh I've written plenty in my head...does that count? In my defense I'm distracted by a little homemade gift I'm putting together, one that requires many man hours, and by the time I pack it up so we can eat dinner I don't feel much like blogging.

I prefer to blog first thing in the morning, but we're on some kind of crazy schedule here lately where we're staying up too late, and then sleeping later than I'm used to, so my day starts later and I'm just off. I blame retirement.

So how about an update?

The house: Still not built-ha! But 'stuff' is happening and you can tell it will be an actual fully formed house eventually. I'm going to go ahead and tell you I'm not that interested in cement pouring-waterproofing-backfilling talk, other than to note it's all 'stuff' that's gotta happen before framing can occur. Hubs is all over the above mentioned 'stuff' and I'm glad, because I feel like someone needs to be, and if he weren't retired that someone would have to be me. Yay hubs!

He goes out to the lot several times a week and while he's out I set up my home made Christmas project on the dining/kitchen/everything table and spend those hours crafting. Win-win. Except I should have started this project earlier. ahem.

Christmas Decorating: I'm walking a fine line when it comes to decorating here. We sent all of our Christmas decorations to storage and don't really want to spend money buying a lot of new things, yet we need a little something to make it feel festive. Most of our Christmas decorations hold some sentimental meaning and I'm not really one to go out and buy something for the sake of buying something.

Except I had to buy something, because a bare tree is no good.

We bought an inexpensive tree, which meant it needed a little zhuzzing. I filled in the gaps with ribbon and settled on two boxes of pretty ornaments and a couple strands of red and gold beads. This was my first time trying the ribbon wrap, and I really like the way it turned out.

Hubs put a string of colored lights on our balcony railing and I think we can we all agree colored lights make the world a happier place. Also, the sky here puts on a light show of it's own, so there's that.

Somehow I ended up with my advent wreath here, but the candles didn't make it so I've ordered those online and they should be here this week. I bought a candle arrangement for the table too, because it needed something, and also a cute box to hold our Christmas cards since there's not an obvious place to hang them like I normally do.

The living space in our apartment isn't large, so I have to be careful not to overdo. It would be easy to make this place feel like a shop, but so far I'm exercising restraint, reminding myself we still have to get people in here.

My people: In an unexpected happy twist, the newlyweds get to come 'home' for Christmas. If you knew my son-in-law's work schedule you'd understand what a treat this is, and to say we're all just a little bit excited would be a huge understatement. I haven't seen my Daughter1 since May. MAY! I told hubs that just won't do. I would have made a trip out this fall but it's been such a crazy year, and with our two moves and getting the house underway, I just didn't feel like I could squeeze another trip into the calendar. That won't happen next year. I need face time and I'm not talking about the techie kind, although I'm certainly grateful for that.

Daughter2 is so happy knowing she'll have a whole week to hang out with her sister, to open Christmas Eve pj's sitting side by side like they've done every year since they could walk, to sip cocoa and eat candy canes and clementines and pose for a photo on the steps (yes girls...it might be the steps leading up to the apartment, but we will get that step picture!), and to just be together as a family. A family that's grown in the last year in a most wonderful way.

Advent: I absolutely love Ann Voskamp's Advent reading plan The Greatest Gift, and have followed that for the past two years. If you've never read it I highly recommend. She has a way of speaking right to the heart. This year we thought it might be nice to change it up a little, and Daughter2 suggested we read the Advent workbook put out by She Reads Truth. I find I have to do a little more digging on my own with this one, but I love that my girls and I are all in it together.

Well, separately but then we have a google talk conference thingamajig to discuss. We can see each other's faces and that's almost as good as being in the same room. Almost. Anyway the book is lovely and I like the way they're tying the Old Testament in with the New. The devotionals are online via their website (www.shereadstruth.com) if you're looking for a December reading plan. As a side note I am a huge fan of their phone wallpapers which you can download free on their app.

And as it turns out I have a few more things to say, but I feel like this is getting long so I'll save the rest for another time. Plus, there's still that project that won't complete itself, and now there's dinner to be made. There is always dinner to be made.

I hope your December is merry and bright!

The Wedding Film

I know I should be blogging about all the move comings and goings, but I'm watching my daughter's wedding film instead. I'm slightly obsessed. We used Remedy Wedding Films out of Atlanta and they were wonderful in every way. They spent the day with us, but you hardly knew they were there. And the finished product? C'est magnifique!

See for yourself-

Movin' on Up

It feels like the right time for a move update.
Because we're moving. Soon.

Yikes!!

Our last move was six years ago, and its funny how over time you forget about the bajillion things that need doing immediately and all that gut twisting stress and the long sad goodbyes and all the emotion that gets churned up when changing geography. It comes back to you pretty quickly.

So our house is sold. It's been under contract for several weeks now, but I've been reluctant to say anything here because real estate deals are notoriously precarious, particularly in the northeastern corner of the U.S.  So far, so good. Inspections have been completed and movers booked. Course we don't know where we're going to live in the interim, but that's just a pesky detail. One of a hundred pesky details.

Hi Mom! We're coming to you! Ha!

Only I'm not kidding. At 50-something hubs and I are becoming boomerang 'kids'. Our plan is to spend a few weeks at my mom's house wrapping up assorted business and appointments in NJ, before moving into a rental down south. Still gotta figure out the rental, but like I said-details...pssht.

So last week we did what anyone moving to a yet to be determined temporary home in less than a month would do. We took a vacation.

My daughter is so crafty. I loved this greeting on her kitchen chalkboard, and I enjoyed every minute of pretending there wasn't a list as long as my arm waiting for me at home too. The home I'm moving from in about three weeks, but I digress.

Here's the thing about moving...yes there is a lot to do, but it's important not to neglect the people when you're dealing with all the things. We'd planned months ago, to make our very first trip to the Pacific Northwest (PNW) over the Mother's Day weekend, and we stuck to that plan.

When your children live thousands of miles away it helps to see their actual space. To know when you're on the phone with them where they're sitting. To walk the neighborhood and visit the grocery store aka commissary and meet the new puppy before he's a full grown dog.

To see your daughter's office and the hospital where your son-in-law spends so very many hours learning and perfecting his chosen profession. Somehow when you've seen their spaces and places up close and personal the people you love don't feel so very far away.

In case you're wondering, the PNW is my new favorite place. The beauty y'all!  It is staggering. First of all, can we talk about this little bump in the landscape called Mt. Rainier?

I feel like that should be written MT. RAINIER.

We didn't get out to the actual mountain this trip, but it's all around you as you travel the highways of Tacoma and Seattle. Next time we're here we hope to make a trek that way. You can only do so much in six days, and this trip we wanted to become familiar with the area, and we also had to pick up a puppy and spend hours spoiling him, so a mountain road trip is on our list for next time.

Then there's the Puget Sound. This was our view from a rooftop restaurant the day after we got to town-

I think it's been well established here how I feel about the water. Is there anything better than a sunset on the sea?

As you might imagine I (ahem) have more than a few photos of our visit so I'm going to break them up into a couple of posts here. It might sound crazy to say I'm going to blog when I have a house to organize, a rental to locate, utilities to cancel, lunches and dinners with friends, etc., but that's how I roll.

When I have too much to do I blog. Don't tell hubs. He wakes me up in the morning with the to-do list he's tracking on the iPad.

Talking about my baby girl who grew up playing house in the basement, building houses out of sand at the beach, setting up houses under the trees in our side yard, and who is now grown up living in an honest to goodness warm and cozy brick and mortar home is way more fun. Also, it's not actually brick, but siding is good too.

Plus, did I tell you how tall the trees are and how green everything is and how beautiful the scenery is in the PNW? And there's a puppy in the house?

Don't worry...I will!