Beach Birthday

We are back from another weekend out of town! This time it was a fun-filled weekend at the beach to celebrate Sarah’s birthday and see The Avett Brothers at the House of Blues.

A huge thank you to Sarah & Ryan for hosting such a great beach weekend, and for allowing us to bring our fur-covered baby, Ellie. It was her very first beach trip, and I’d say, based on how tired she was when we got home, that it was a success!

Amy’s pup (and Ellie’s best puppy friend) Raleigh was also on the trip… I couldn’t resist sharing this quick video of the two of them sprinting down the beach early Saturday morning! Bonus: Garden City has a no leash needed before 9 am law!

Even our water-averse puppy splashed around in the waves for her tennis ball.

Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach, before hitting the road to Myrtle Beach for the Avett Brothers. I absolutely loved the concert! It was packed… with some very hardcore fans I must add. But I think it added to the feel… although the Avett Brothers definitely did not need any help upping the energy in that place!

Now it’s back to the routine for the week… Until Jeff takes off for Miami on Friday!

Post-Vacation

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program soon… Sorry for the delay in posting!

Sarah’s bachelorette party was so much fun, and I loved being a tourist in the City for a few more days with my hubby!  I seriously can’t wait to go back… like tomorrow would be nice.

Detailed post(s) to come soon… But life is a little hectic post-vacation!  I came back to work yesterday to an Outlook that wouldn’t open emails, which there were a lot of!

On a positive note, my summer school grades have been posted… continuing towards my goal of straight A's in grad school!  Just another reason to justify the whole lotta this from NYC...

New York State of Mind

I'm heading out to see the Big Apple (for the first time!) this weekend... Helping Sarah celebrate her last fling, before the ring!

Isn't it funny the way you always want to buy some new things to wear on vacation, but also plan to shop while you're there?  Just me?

Well I'm resisting all urges to invest in some 'trendy' NYC gear... Hoping to save my pennies for a little shopping while I'm there!  I feel certain that Sarah will know all of the cute, vintage shops to take us to!

But, if I was going to invest in pre-trip shopping... Romper, cute tote... Hello NYC!

Deals for Your Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Be sure to check out our church’s consignment sale!  Friday, August 13 from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, August 14 from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm deals will be available.  All are welcome!

I’m so upset to miss it, especially since I missed the last one also!  I have a feeling that there will be some great items, mostly household, furniture, and kid’s items... Plus a portion of the proceeds go to St. Nektarios!  Click the link above for directions, and mark your calendar!

{view of St. Nektarios}

Wishful Thinking

I wish that I could say my weekend plans involved going to Jenny's sale... But unfortunately, it involves a ton of schoolwork.  On the plus side, I am done with the summer semester after next week!

Of course, looking at all of Jenny's amazing sale items had me browsing through the local Craig's List for items of interest... Here are a few from the top of my wish list:

I have been dying to find a Parson's table for a large office desk, just like this West Elm baby listed...

A la Jenny's office redo...

I also found the perfect-sized china cabinet for our kitchen...

With a little paint and wallpaper, naturally...

Although both are a little pricey at $100 and $195 respectively, I think they could be haggled down in typical Craig's List fashion to a more budget-friendly price.

In my 'hood

We had a fun-filled night last night... I hit a pilates class at the Dowd after work, remarkably making it for a 5:30 pm class (which never happens!)  Then met the hubby at home to walk over to our neighborhood's celebration of National Night Out.

Click here for all the details on the event, which included free hot dogs, ice cream, snow cones, and watermelon along with lots of kid-friendly entertainment and live music! 

It was a fun way to meet some neighbors and learn more about what's going on with our home owner's association.  My big take-away... One group is working with our local school system to turn an old school building into a neighborhood park or community garden.  I didn't even know that the building was abandoned!

To learn more, check out the group on Facebook and show your support by joining!

Finally, we are official... New Madison Park neighborhood street signs!  Whoo hoo!

We wrapped up the evening stopping by our friends' house for an ice-cold beer and stopping by my mom's house on the walk home from the event.  It definitely reminded us how happy we are in our current home and neighborhood!

Celebrations

We had a nice, relaxing weekend… Filled with house cleaning, laundry, schoolwork, and trips to Trader Joe’s & Target. Is it sad that this makes me really happy?

Sunday night, Jeff’s parents and two of the four Whittaker kids were back home from a trip to New Orleans, and so we celebrated! A welcome-home for the family and belated birthday celebration for Karen. My sister-in-law, Kelly, and I split the cooking duties, and I have to say that the dinner was delicious!

Kelly made Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread for an appetizer… and I could have eaten it for my meal (and I don’t even like olives usually!) This is a must-make-again in my book, and I love Kelly’s thoughts on pairing this with a nice tomato soup or salad for an easy dinner.

Kelly also brought Pioneer Woman’s Rosemary Potatoes as a side… So rich and delicious! I could definitely see this as a great holiday dinner side dish.

Finally, Jeff and I paired up to make some chicken and veggie kabobs. Marinated overnight in Trader Joe’s organic Italian dressing and cooked to perfection by the hubs.

And, no birthday celebration is complete without cake! I've decided that I love baking… especially trying new cake recipes. However, I could use a little practice in the presentation.  The cake ended up looking like the mad hatter cake in Alice in Wonderland… lumpy and not stacked evenly at all (sorry folks, no pictures and not because of the lumpiness, but because I'm a bad blogger!)

I tried the Blueberry-Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing that Jen mentioned last week. True to her review, it was a hit! Such a nice summer cake, loaded with fresh blueberries and a slight hint of lemon. I actually think that I might try a little more lemon  if when I make it again (just because I love lemon).

Sorry for the poor picture quality... This is a semi-eaten slice taken with my iPhone.  Obviously, I would highly recommend it for a summer dessert!

We had a great time relaxing and celebrating this weekend!  Now back to the work-week...