J's visit home

Good luck with your new job, Mrs. Doudrick!

Summer fare

I ate this for three days in a row. It doesn't get much better than this.

Another take on outdoor activity.

Number of insect bites endured on recent camping trip: 57. For real. Which is amusing since my last post so confidently poo-pooed the bugs. Damn hubris. I had been looking forward to our camping weekend for weeks; an opportunity for us to be alone, outside, with limited cell phone reception. I put bug spray on (the semi-non-toxic kind), and by 7:00pm I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, but hell hath no fury when the mosquitoes and flies were biting me through my pants (many butt lesions to prove it). I surrounded myself with the citronella candles to kick the hub's bum in Poker Yahtzee (which is really fun). I felt bad because I was whining about it; I've been camping my whole life, so it's not like I haven't been bitten before. My sister thinks I might have a more serious allergic reaction (my ankles were kind of swollen, there were clusters of bites). It was not pretty. I'll save the pictures for those in the medical field.

Another thing I'm possibly allergic to--shocking. I'll post some pictures of the happy moments.

I heart summer

Monday evening, assessing the end of the weekend: I'm full of welted bug bites but it's worth it; I'll wear them like a badge of seasonal honor. There's an obvious sense of revelry that northerners have when the weather gets warm, even downright hot. But beyond that, I'll complain little about the heat, I'll silence my grumbles about the bugs and I'll take naps after a long day outside because we earn these glorious days. (I am glad, however, that I have AC.)
Friday, after my nap on the lawn chair (again, I heart summer) the hubs and I bought paint for the living room, dining room, entryway and hallways, which comes to five gallons. Despite my love for decorating, the last few color choices in this house haven't been exactly what I envisioned; maybe I'm become less of a hue risk-taker. I want the color to maintain the warm, sunny feeling of the space. Then we went and ate chicken wings and I drank cider. That was our dinner. Later that night we hot tubbed it at the Berrisfords and spied a few lightening bugs--so cool.

The Gina sandwich--all from the old hood


Saturday we went to the Geneoveses' cabin, old family friends who live across the street from my parents. There were friends and families from many different connections, but we talked about how the cabin is really a nucleus for so many of our summer stories.

Sunday we headed north and attended another family/friend gathering where we got to try out our new custom-made beanbag boards (this is serious business) and I proceeded to not win my matches. Fireworks and parade-watching summed up a great weekend.

Family and friends abound

Little elfin Fi

Grownups' night at Blackwater (notice the unplanned purple and blue/red combos)
Good, kids! The coloring tradition has continued!

Papa and the little Diva

I was lucky that despite a week-long trip away for work, I was able to see most of the visitors who came into town. CARH and Fiona were here for two whole weeks so I was able to see them on many occasions, which included a highly-recommended afternoon sitting in her parents' sun porch, which is the closest thing to actually being in a tree while remaining indoors. My sister and the kiddos came and we had a blast--coloring, watching movies, and just being silly. I love that they are the age where everything is just exciting--just ask Sydney. She's the queen of excited. Shandiz, the culinary artist, was able to come for the end of the Hedayati trip, so we spent some time talking about, what else, restaurants. I've been spoiled with many visits already this summer, and a few more to come...

Summertime is weddingtime

I have to collect as many of these coupley pictures as I can--someone tends to close his eyes in about 40% of our attempted photos...

Summer could be here

This weekend was packed, and definitely in a good way. I pulled out my summer clothes storage box that I keep under the bed and welcomed back my long sundresses and Bermuda shorts. The weather has been unseasonably warm lately, so I finally gave in to a wardrobe shift.

Liz and her bridesmaids (We even got a picture with Nan, who has done makeup for most of our weddings!)




Liz's sister Noelle was married last weekend and I was just in love with her vintage-inspired dress and all of its details. The downtown St. Paul building was recently restored it was very cool. Janell and I helped with O for the day; the event was definitely a family affair and it was clear that this couple surrounds themselves with good people. The night before, we headed to Pizza Luce, which after my overwhelming excitement at the GF menu, Janell knew there were no other dining options. It was glorious--eating pizza that was ordered in a restaurant. I savored every bite. We stayed with Amy & Conor, who made us coffee and breakfast. I made sure to rub that one in with the hubs.


Sunday, CB and Dan came over for dinner during a visit home. I wish we would have had more than an evening, but we had a blast. The table was set with candles and some fresh lilacs from our bush, and we grilled shish kabobs and used the fresh berries with some cake for dessert. The sports talk was designated for one room and the kooky, I've-known-you-my-whole-life-so-we-talk-about-everything conversation took place in the kitchen. Hopefully a visit to the east coast isn't too far off!