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Bridal Shower

Yesterday we celebrated Melly at her bridal shower. Her aunt Cathy threw the shower and it was magnificent. I felt a little bit older as the shower progressed. It feels like just yesterday I was celebrating at my bridal shower. It’s almost incomprehensible that my son is now the oldest to be marrying the woman of his dreams. She’s also the kind woman that we hoped and prayed our boys would marry.

For the shower, they served brunch, which I love. I baked some caramel rolls, especially for the occasion. They were so decadent and tasty. I can’t make those too often or everyone I know would be diabetic. Meanwhile, Cathy and Kylie had prepared a buffet of incredible brunch food to accompany the rolls. Both also served as brewmasters mixing up a signature strawberry Bellini cocktail for the event. It was mighty tasty and mighty strong.

It was a lot of fun celebrating Melody. I was so excited to be able to give her a shower gift finally. I bought her and Jake matching bride and groom aprons. Additionally, I made her a family cookbook with pictures of them and our family together, it was my favorite gift. It’s very similar to the cookbook I made for my family earlier in the year. I plan to customize a cookbook for each of the kids and my nieces and nephews when they get married. This way, we will preserve our family baking traditions.

The bridal shower was the marquis event of the weekend, but there was something else we had to celebrate. The Panthers are going back to the Stanley Cup!!!! Hopefully, the boys can get it down this year and bring Lord Stanley home to Sunrise. The cup starts on Saturday. I’d love to go, but the fees on these tickets are utterly ridiculous. The actual ticket prices are reasonable, I think, but the fees are something else.

List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?

Three books that impacted me are The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho, Resurrection, by Leo Tolstoy and Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. I found each of these books inspired me to by my best, to choose forgiveness, and live without regret.

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Ambivalent

I’ve been a bit ambivalent about blogging lately. I enjoy writing, but life has become a bit mundane. While mundane often has negative connotations, I find it a bit refreshing. For the last twenty-five years, we’ve been moving at light speed all day every day. It’s nice to have some slow moments where we have little to nothing going on. I quite enjoy that our excitement as of late has come from the bird feeder.

It’s been magnificent having two teams in their respective league’s conference finals. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves were eliminated yesterday. Meanwhile, the Panthers now lead the series after beating the Rangers last night. Us hockey people are quite superstitious, so true to form I watched the game at home and went to bed after period one. The boys, however, went and watched the games at our friends’ house. One mustn’t mess with the mojo.

This weekend I’ll be busy baking. I’m making caramel rolls for Melody’s bridal shower on Sunday. I also found a delectable-looking cheesecake recipe that I want to try. Fortunately, the hubby is willing to take one for the team and try whatever cheesecake I may bake. Additionally, I got stuff to make cream cheese wontons. Last weekend I made some pork sausage wontons that were a big hit. Hopefully, the cream cheese wontons turn out just as good.

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

I know I need to unplug daily to keep myself mentally sane. I do that by putting my phone away at least an hour before bed. Once the phone is up, I get snuggled up in my bed with Anakin, his ducks, and a good book. I usually read until I can’t keep my eye open anymore. It’s the perfect way to unplug and unwind from the day.

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The Problem

The problem with a four-day weekend is having to return to work afterward. There is something patently unpleasant about returning to work after four days off. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the time off. Yet four days isn’t enough time away to feel refreshed. A full week’s recovery from the shit storm that is work would have been welcomed. The other problem, of course, is that both my teams are choking in their respective conference finals.

I did enjoy the long weekend despite not doing anything. The hubby and I watched the Tom Brady roast on Saturday. Honestly, it was amazing. Nikki Glaser and a few others were hysterical—hats off to Brady for being willing to put himself in that position. You have to have a thick skin to get roasted like that. We also started watching Hacks on HBO, which is also really good.

Of course, the animals at the bird feeder are always putting on a show. They didn’t care much for my four days off. Unfortunately for them, my vacation schedule resulted in a later breakfast than they’d become accustomed to. There’s quite the ballroom dance that occurs daily at the feeder as the different species jockey for food. Also in biology terms, there’s a bit of symbiosis at the feeder. The squirrels spill a bunch of bird seed on the ground, which the pigeons and ducks eat happily. They’re too heavy to get onto the feeders, so this arrangement works nicely.

Do you practice religion?

I practice religion. I grew up attending church and have carried those beliefs into my adult life.

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Four Day

I’m so excited about my four-day weekend that I can barely stand it. Work has not been the best place to be this week, so I’m looking forward to a nice, long weekend. Fortunately, I have no plans outside of watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs. Outside of watching the playoffs, I plan on watching Netflix and chilling on the couch.

Speaking for four days, I have four days left on my four-week Apple Fitness + plan. I missed a couple of workouts yesterday and today due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder. I also had to cut my spin class short due to sharp knee pain, which was great. Outside of the last few days, the plan has been working fantastically. The yoga and Pilates are helping quite a bit. I love lighting some incense or palo santo for my practice.

The fitness plan ends on Sunday, so I’ll be starting a new one. One thing I don’t love about the plan is its lack of flexibility to change or move workouts once set. Consequently, I’ll be setting a weekly plan from here out. This way I can make sure the plan aligns with my schedule. Otherwise, managing the plan and my schedule is a bit stressful.

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

The personal belongings I treasure most are the picture books I’ve made over the years. I made books for each of our Utah trips. When the boys are older and have their own place, I’ll make sure they each have a copy. One of my favorite Utah books is the book I made for Jake and I of our trip through the Mighty Five. It’s nice, thick, and great documentation of an epic trip across southern Utah.

Perhaps my favorite book is the cookbook I’ve made for my family. I compiled all the family recipes and put them into a beautiful book with family photos. Each of the grandkids will get one when they get married. It’s beautiful! Also, I’ve made some of the recipes so many times that the recipes are no longer legible. With the book, I can now easily read all of the recipes.

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Cold Weather

How do you feel about cold weather?

How do I feel about cold weather? Well, I moved to South Florida in 2005 from Minnesota and haven’t looked back. To be fair, however, I would love for the heat index to be lower than 100 today. That said, I prefer the steadiness of Florida’s heat to Minnesota’s rollercoaster weather.

Ironically, I couldn’t tolerate the cold when I lived in Minnesota. Now that I live in Florida and have been diagnosed with Graves, I can’t tolerate the heat. Thank god my kids play hockey! One of the nice things about a warmer climate is your old injuries don’t hurt as much. Those old injuries resurface as soon as I travel north into the cold.

Enough about the cold weather though, we had an awesome weekend. We played games, ate pizza, and watched the Panthers beat the Bruins with Jake, Melly, and Company on Friday night. It was an awesome hockey game and fun to share the experience with our expanded family. Saturday we headed to Fort Lauderdale for a birthday party. We had the best time. It was nice to actually leave the house.

I spent yesterday trying to shake off the sinus headache that had started Saturday. It took all day and several Aleve, but I did feel better by the end of the day. I did, however, manage to make some bread and get the laundry done. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to making the cookies our graduate wanted. The hubby and I started watching the Timberwolves game last night. It was game 7 of the series. Sadly, it didn’t start well. Consequently, our superstitions from hockey left us to turn off the game. It was a happy surprise waking up to see the Wolves win.

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Friday Eve

I’m so glad it’s Friday eve. It’s been quite a long week at work. It’s amazing that on one hand, it feels like the year is flying by, while this week feels like it’s taking a century. The week started with my manager leaving the company, which is a bit unmooring. Up until today, the volume has been passable. Today, however, it seems to be a ghost town.

Happy Friday Eve!

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to dinner with my PanCan crew. We’re meeting up to celebrate the success of our PurpleStride event last month. We killed our goal! Also, the event had an incredible vibe and energy. I’m so glad that I could be there for the event this year. Hopefully, the stars align next year and I’ll be able to attend again. I’m also hoping to see Jake and Melly afterward since they’re still in town. Now if I could only cheat and make today Friday instead of Friday eve.

What’s the oldest things you’re wearing today?

Everything I’m wearing, for once, is relatively new. The oldest thing I’m probably wearing is my tank Fabletics tank top. Or maybe it’s the ankle braces I wear as a badge of my clumsiness.

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Mother’s Day Weekend

Mother’s Day weekend was fabulous! I had all three of my boys home, which was simply amazing. It started with a BBQ and the Panther’s game at our friend’s house Friday night. The game was incredible! Thankfully, the Panthers came away with a victory. It was a great night with great food, great company and some great hockey.

Saturday I went dress shopping with Mellie and her mom. We ventured out to Boca Town Center, which was more crowded than I’d ever seen it. The goal was to determine Terri’s preferred styles and explore color options. As the mother of the groom and mother of the bride, shopping becomes complicated. You want to compliment the wedding party but don’t want to be too close. Also, you want to be age-appropriate without being too matronly. It’s a delicate balance. Nonetheless, it was a great time.

While the girls were shopping the boys enjoyed golfing at Drive Shack in West Palm. Goalielocks impressed his brothers with his golfing skills. After shopping, I headed up to Gardens to have dinner with my fellow hockey moms. It had been way too long since I last saw them! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Avocado’s Cantina. I had two tacos that were out of this world. While I had dinner with the girls, the boys hung out and played video games.

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Sunday started with strawberries and waffles, which is always a great way to start the day. Before heading to Melody’s, I completed a nice run and yoga session. The kids, my boys, Melody and her cousins, cooked the Moms a special Mother’s Day dinner. The kids did such a great job decorating and cooking the meal. They decorated the table with photos and frames they had made for us. Additionally, they arranged to have photos taken of each family, which you know is Moms love. The best part was the video they created about mothers. It was the sweetest, funniest thing I’ve ever watched. They did such a good job! Another Panthers ‘ win was the cherry on top of a phenomenal Mother’s Day.

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

Financial freedom and the ability to pick up and go whenever I want would be amazing. Perhaps this is a bit offbeat, but I’d also like for health insurance to not suck.

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It’s Hot

It’s hot in here. The lack of working AC downstairs is killing me. Our room has been a balmy 83 degrees since the AC died Monday morning. Ironically, I became heat intolerant after moving to Florida. Consequently, I ended up sleeping on the couch as it was significantly cooler than our room. Both puppies kept me company and miraculously I slept pretty well. Nevertheless, it’s miserable in here.

My office is in my room, so I’ve been working in the heat all day. Did I mention it’s hot? It’s quite uncomfortable. Amazon just delivered the part that needs to be replaced, at least the one we think needs replacement. The Hubby is going to tackle that one as soon as he gets home. Hopefully, we’ll have working AC units both upstairs and downstairs. Otherwise, it will be another night on the couch for me and the puppies.

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

There are several quotes or idioms I hold near and dear. Carpe Diem is one of them as it’s a reminder to live every day to its fullest. The other one is from Victor Hugo. “Even the darkest will end and the sun will rise.” It’s a poignant reminder that even when things are bleak, things will always get better.

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Blah

Blah is exactly how I’m feeling now that I’m back to work after a spectacular week in Mexico. There’s something about coming back from vacation that makes work extra miserable. Of course, my AC stopped working last night, which makes it even worse. I just hate not being busy and being hot. It’s not a great combination for me. Fortunately, I’ve been able to get some work down in our room during my downtime.

While everything is feeling blah, I’m pretty excited about my new bird feeder. It’s got a camera! I set it up with the hubby’s help on Sunday afternoon. It’s so cool! The video quality is higher than our ring. Also, it’s really fun to see the birds and critters up close. We’ve consistently had the grackles, blue jays, and squirrels at the new feeder. I’m pretty sure the squirrel is a hoarder. He likes to fill up his cheeks, disappear, and then come back. The close-up view gives you a chance to appreciate the beautiful colors and patterns on the birds.

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite is Christmas! I love all the baking, family time, and laughing. It’s always fun to host brunch. Later in the day, we usually play games. It’s a great time.

Apparently, it’s” long list of ex-lovers” not star-crossed or Starbucks lovers
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Let’s Go!

Let’s go! Less than 24 hours until I check into my flight for Momcation!! Honestly, pretty soon I’ll be counting down the minutes. I cannot wait to spend a week relaxing and doing nothing with some of my favorite people. I’ve completed my packing list, so now I have to start packing. Well, first I should probably finish my laundry. Since I’m packing light, I’ve decided to bring no makeup. This is a big step even though I wore no makeup last year. I had it if I needed it.

Speaking of laundry, I love my new washing machine. It’s so quiet! Our old washer sounded like it was about to take off or vibrate through the wall. It was so loud that Athena would start barking back at it. Apparently, the loud washer presented a threat to all of our safety. It wasn’t a safety threat, but it was an annoyance. We would have to turn up the TV every time we did the wash. Now you can’t hear it all from the family room.

Speaking of things that need replacing, I’ve decided to hold off on replacing the broken bird feeder. Once I get back from vacation, I’m going to buy a feeder that includes a camera. Right now I can’t watch the birds unless I’m sitting in my living room. If I get a feeder that has a camera, I’ll be able to watch it from anywhere. Additionally, it will help us identify all the birds and animals that have become a part of our menagerie.

Idiom of the day: every path has its puddles.

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

When the boys were small, we would go grocery shopping at Target every Saturday morning. This particular trip had been particularly difficult with not one child cooperating. By the time I made it to the cash register, I was exasperated. I paid for my groceries and was about to leave when I realized I had forgotten to put the milk on the conveyor. By this time, the cashier was ready to move on to the next customer.

This beautiful older woman behind me in line must have seen the fatigue and exasperation on my face. Consequently, she immediately offered to put the milk on her ticket, so I didn’t have to get back in line. It was a small gesture and the milk cost a little over $2.00, but her kindness has stuck with me. Little acts of kindness go a long way.