Popsicles

Today included social distance socializing! I miss socializing the most. We checked off the homeschooling items this morning as well as some of my school work, and then headed outside for a walk. We happened to run into our neighbor friends and mostly the moms were so happy to see other grown ups that we ended up standing around chatting and then having a socially distanced popsicle outside. I think the kids enjoyed the playdate too.

This afternoon included a quick bike ride, a Zoom meeting, and making pancake batter for dinner. I also did get back outside for my miles, since it never did end up raining today. I started two new books yesterday and today. Last night I started Little Fires Everywhere and today I started Before We Were Yours. I am not a two books at one time person. I've never understood those people. I have been listening to Audible while walking/running and was mostly just listening to the free stuff and shorter stories, but decided to try a book this time, so Before We Were Yours is in audio format and Little Fires Everywhere is in print. We'll see if I can handle it. 

Thursday Night Rollers

Way back in 2012, I was in a bowling league called the Thursday Night Rollers. It was the best and worst of times. Seriously though, those were some good, carefree, fun times, when I had a lot more spare time. Well tonight we reunited the Thursday Night Rollers - at least the Dream Crushers and Team 3 (those were our team names) - on Zoom. One of the things to be thankful for during the pandemic, catch ups that would have never otherwise happened. {You can read more on the original Bowling team here} How was this eight years ago?

In other daily news...it rained pretty much all the daylight hours. Quinn enjoyed her umbrella and rain boots as well as a mani-pedi and her class show and tell on Zoom. The life. My biggest accomplishments were vacuuming my car, making a video, and laundry. Also keeping everyone alive and fed. My whole house smells like lysol because Matt brought home the history of America. That's about all I've got.

Socializing

Today was marked by two big events. Grocery pickup and visiting our friends. I use to not mind grocery shopping, even enjoy it. I do not enjoy managing food acquisitioning during this time period. This week we did our first grocery order online and pick up. I had low expectations, especially because this wasn't from Wegmans. I am disappointed in our order for sure, but I know things are not ideal right now. I am glad to have some fresh produce, and will try something different the next time. 

We also went to visit our friends today. By visit I mean we sat in the car and they stood in the front yard and we talked for a few hours. It was nice to have an in person conversation with someone outside my street. We also got some real books to read and picked up some other new and different resources, so I'm excited about that. You can see in the above picture that I have to get pretty creative to excite learning around here. This is the sight word game I invented yesterday where Quinn sits in the bathroom with the door closed and slides the words under the door to me as she reads them. Whatever works. The motto of 2020. 

The Friday Drive

We took the drive today. Still no traffic in NOVA. It took a global crisis. We went to our friend's house and summoned them outside where we talked for awhile. Us in the car, them in the yard/driveway. Mostly Quinn told stories and sang the Frozen II soundtrack. We also stopped by another friend's house to pick up yeast, aka pandemic gold. She brought out the Easter bunny. Lastly we took a ride past Quinn's school since we were on that side of town, and then we returned home. Nothing else exciting happened today but we got a bunch of things I ordered from Target and we played sight word bingo...mostly Quinn liked the markers.

The yeast in the mailbox and the Easter bunny

Disclaimer: I did mostly 1 target order and it showed up in a million boxes. Some of these boxes had one item in them.

Relentless

Today was a typical day in our pandemic household. Fun things mixed with meltdowns (children and parents alike). We survived another day. So I'll call it a win. 

Tonight was fun. I had a Zoom catch up with a few of my work friends. It was fun to have a little bit of normalcy (seeing other people). It was almost like a normal night out except for the fact that I could hear someone screaming through the walls, feeling very victimized, because I didn't personally put her to bed for the like the 3rd time ever in the last 6 months. Relentless. One day it will serve us all well. 

Weekend Four

Something that has really surprised me about these quarantine days is how quickly they go. In theory, you would think the days would drag on, but I feel like before I know it - it's lunch time and then it's bedtime not too much later. It's weird. Mostly because I just want this to be done and go back to normal.

This weekend was pretty laid back. Saturday we got up on the later side and then got busy changing all the beds in the house (exciting stuff). Then the boxes of food I left sitting in my office at school were delivered to my house (YAY!). I unloaded as much as I could our last day of school, but also though we would be going back after a few weeks. It was rescued last week. We took it to a local food shelter along with some milk. We haven't really driven around much, so that was different.

We went for a walk on our neighborhood trails when we got home and then organized/cleaned out our garage. I went for a few running miles by myself and then we had movie night...Mary Poppins, again, because it was Quinn's pick.

Today we had breakfast on the porch, went inside to watch church, and then took our walk. It was another beautiful day here. We have been so lucky with weather. After lunch we spent most of the afternoon outside. Quinn had picked out a rock painting kit the Friday before the lockdown. I pulled it out today and we spent time painting them this afternoon. We hid a few around our neighbor's yards as well.

Quinn has been lucky to get a few porch drop offs this weekend too. A new book and a new Lite Brite! Novelty is key these days. We are lucky to have people coming up with things to drop off. We are also happy to see other people from a distance. I miss other people.

100 Days of Summer, Week 11

It's been an action packed week. We ventured to Toddlin' Time a few days and we went to the pool with our old friends from babysitting! Matt and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary and got to go out for the night. This coming week is my last week home with Quinn. I am beyond sad, but I am hoping to have another fun filled week before sucking it up and getting back into the school year routine. 

{Day 71:August 8}

Adventures at Toddlin' Time. Q loved playing with balls, watching the big kids, and doing the parachute

{Day 72:August 9}

Problem Solver! Crawling with a dress :)

{Day 73:August 10}

Watermelon Lover...she's going to be disappointed come fall. 

{Day 74:August 11}

Reunited with her friends at the pool!

{Day 75:August 12}

Anniversary Smores :)

{Day 76:August 13}

Then we went out for our anniversary to a train depot converted to a restaurant. 

{Day 77:August 14}

Greek turkey burgers!

100 Days of Summer, Week 7

It's been an exciting week! We had a special brunch, went to story time, traveled, and even caught a pokemon. Quinn has been a serious trooper the past couple of days as we are visiting Pittsburgh to celebrate the impending arrival of her baby cousin. I can't believe our hundred days are halfway through. I get sad just thinking about the end of August! Here's to more adventures until then.

{Day 43:July 11}

Capturing the Pokemon in our living room. Obviously.

{Day 44:July 12}

Being a lady who brunches.

{Day 45:July 13}

First library story time.

{Day 46:July 14}

Girls Roadtrip! Don't worry the car was stopped.

{Day 47:July 15}

Visiting Aunt Caitlin at work then investigating the rumored amazing Greek food from a gas station...

{Day 48:July 16}

Playing with cousins!

{Day 49:July 17}

Caitlin's baby shower...more to follow

100 Days of Summer, Week Three

{Day 15: June 13}

Waking up to find out about the Stanley Cup Champs!

{Day 16: June 14}

Checking out her pinwheel

{Day 17: June 15}

My Lisa James! One of our last days working as co-counselors. I will miss her!!!

{Day 18: June 16}

Last graduation practice for Bennett Class of 2016.

{Day 19: June 17}

Last day of School

{Day 20: June 18}

Wild Saturday night making baby food: broccoli, garbanzo beans, asparagus, cauliflower, yellow squash.

{Day 21: June 19}

Pear lovers on Father's Day!

Friday Love

Eight years ago I moved to Northern Virginia because I got my first job as a school counselor. I hardly knew anyone in the area. I think I had one friend that lived here, no one else. Eight years ago, Dana Stevenson became one of my very first friends that I made here. We shared a tiny hallway in the back of the office at our school. Last Friday, Dana died. I was sad when Dana moved out of our hallway two years ago for a bigger, better office, one maybe about ten feet further from me...now I go to BES without her. It's still hard to comprehend. 

Dana was one of this world's brightest lights. If you knew Dana, you loved her. Everything about her was contagious. Her laughter, her smile, everything. She was a quick wit, always had wonderful advice, was incredibly generous, and always kept it real. No sugar coating. Her delivery was impeccable...perfect timing for everything be it funny or serious. We shared a love for cooking and food. The memories that I have of her over the last eight years are filled with pure joy. The Summer of Yes, nights out in Arlington, getting kicked out of Katerina's, talking about food, making cupcakes for a wedding, leap day birthdays, sharing students, and just everyday chit chats on the couch in my office are all things that will live in my heart forever. 

She will be missed deeply. We love you, Dana. 

Cupcakes!

In my comeback post I mentioned that I had recently had another wedding cupcake adventure. Well, here is the proof. I like to call this cupcake wedding a celebration of my retirement from cupcake weddings as well. Baking is so hard and so tiring. I don't know how the professionals do it. It's all last minute work and there's so much standing and bending. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic.

So here's the story...my friend Julie's daughter was getting married. For some reason they asked me to make the cupcakes. I feel like that's a lot of trust to put into someone who has very limited experience in baking. It is a once in a lifetime event after all. I was honored to accept the challenge, and be a part of their day. Then I really thought about it and got a little panicked. One hundred eighty cupcakes, a friend, limited experience, I was also invited to this wedding and had to watch people eat my limited experience cupcakes. This could be a cupcake recipe for disaster!

Next, there was much deliberation about flavors (white chocolate raspberry, chocolate oreo, and funfetti!), there was a practice round, and a trip to a very interesting baking supply store in Fairfax. Then I started feeling better. I felt good until I tried to think through a timeline of events. As a planner and a serious prepper (as in I like to have things done way ahead of time), this was difficult. Getting things done ahead of time is just not conducive to cake baking, but the great news is that on baking day I was unusually calm about the whole thing. I borrowed lots of cupcake tins (because obviously I have only one since I'm a professional) from friends and even an extra mixer. One of my friends came over during part of the day for moral support and also washed dishes. I also went on strike from cooking other food this day and Matt was in charge of picking up dinner! Yay for Chipotle :) 

The next morning was icing and decorating day. Oh, and WEDDING DAY! I was seriously nervous about getting everything done, including myself, and making it to the nuptials. Thankfully everything went quite smoothly again. We even made it to the wedding on time! Now was the final part of my job. The delivery and set up. I had never been to the venue the reception was being held at. We put the place in the GPS and off we went. You can add 186 cupcakes to the list of "things that fit in the back of a Yaris." When we arrived at our destination I knew something wasn't right. After finding someone who worked at the place, and a little looking around, I realized I was at a Quinceanera. Oops!

After a drive across the street we found the right place, unloaded all the cupcakes, and got them all set up! I was so happy to have my job all done. The rest of the night was so fun! We had a wonderful time celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Hutton, eating a delicious meal, singing Let It Go, hanging out with our friends, and I ate two cupcakes. There was a real Oreo in one of them :) Congratulations to Bryan and Sam! Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day!

Walt Disney World, Part Two

I have written about the first half of my Disney trip {HERE} and you can also read about my 10k and Half Marathon on the blog as well. Today I am going to finish up with my time in Florida.

Spectating outside Animal Kingdom

Sunday was marathon day! My races were over and we were going out to watch people run a marathon. I was also excited to sleep in a few extra hours! We made a plan to go to mile 14ish right outside Animal Kingdom in time to see our friends. It was so fun to watch all the people go by and see their costumes, or just see what they looked like. It was kind of tiring just thinking about running a marathon and standing there watching it. Maybe someday. After all our friends passed, we took a bus to Hollywood Studios so that we could see them again at mile 23. 

Bryan & Sam at mile 14 looking happy! 

Brian at mile 14

After a very long and annoying bus ride to Hollywood Studios, we found Kathy's husband, Mike, who had finished his marathon very quickly! We were hanging out at our post for awhile, watching people go by, and guess who we saw?!!? PETER PAN and HIS SHADOW! And yes, the shadow was behind him! Still my favorite costume! After Peter Pan we got to see our friends again! All of whom were still looking great! We stayed until we saw the balloon ladies at the end of the pack. We then followed the end of the marathon back to the Boardwalk. FYI...one of my new goals is to be a balloon lady. These ladies have balloons tied to them, you have to stay in front of them to not be swept. 

Peter Pan and His Shadow

Back at the BoardWalk we had some time to relax and get ready to go to dinner back at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Before dinner we went out to the savanna to look at the animals. During the time we stayed there it was dark, so we weren't able to see anything :) We were able to easily see gazelles, zebras, and a couple giraffes. Very cool. We went to dinner at Boma which features African inspired food. The restaurant is decorated with African animals, thatched huts, and rustic wood. The amount of food, and the choices, were enormous. Perfect for a dinner after many days of races. 

After dinner we went to Jellyrolls. Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar on the boardwalk. We arrived early so we could get good seats. The piano players take requests from the audience and provide some comedic entertainment as well. Most of the requests were 80's songs! My favorite! They also threw in some Disney songs, and they did Shake It Off, which was really exciting because it reminded me of it playing during the half marathon the day before! Probably the BEST part of the night was walking home. Julie and I were disappointed they never played Let It Go, so we decided to sing it our whole way home, loudly and shamelessly. 

Monday, Kathy, Mike, Julie, and I got up to get to Epcot when it opened. We started off by using our Fast Pass for Soarin' (another ride I had never been on) and then went on Living with the Land. Soarin' was pretty cool, it's like hang gliding through California, complete with a breeze and scents. I also enjoyed seeing all the growing vegetables in Living with the Land. Next we visited Test Track...another ride that tops my list of Disney favorites. After meeting up with Sam and Bryan and tasting all the different flavors of pop in Club Cool we headed over to the World Showcase to drink around the world. 

Wine Flight in France

After much debate, some lumberjacks, and closed tequila bar, we decided to start our journey in the United Kingdom. I was really excited about my UK drink! I got a Black Velvet...Strongbow Cider with Guinness on top. I love those, but they are somewhat hard to come by. In the picture above you can see my drinks in France...a red wine flight. Not good at all. Bad move. I skipped Morocco and tasted just a little bit of someone's sake in Japan. Back in America I had some beer followed by a shot of limoncello in Italy. Once we got to Germany I decided I better have something to eat before things got ugly. All I know is that I ordered something called a Currywurst after having a debate with the German person taking my order about Currywurst actually being German. Once my food was given to me I don't think it was what I ordered. I was tricked, confused, or both. I still ate it. I also had a grapefruit beer which was really good, better than I thought it would be.

I skipped a lot of countries after that. I don't think I had anything in China or Norway, but somewhere around there I got very insistent on doing a car bomb back in the UK. Also around this time, Julie, Sam, and Bryan were supposed to be leaving for the airport. But who can go to the airport without a car bomb, especially when you have been deprived of a car bomb your whole life?!?! We raced (really raced, like we would have beat the balloon ladies if it was a marathon) back to the UK and some people had their very first car bomb. In my case, this was the car bomb that made me feel 31, not 21.

Car Bombs in the UK

Now people really needed to get to the airport. Like really. So we were back to trying to beat the balloon ladies back to the BoardWalk. We really went so fast...it was like we were training for next year's 10k :) I'm happy to report we made it back with time to spare. This is also when it started pouring down rain. It was perfect timing. After our friends boarded the Magical Express we took an intermission from Epcot and just hung out and waited for the rain to pass.

Sadly the rain never passed, but we put on some ponchos and decided to go to Beaches and Cream to get some ice cream. I ordered the No Way Jose. I love ice cream. Really. This No Way Jose, though, was humongous. There was just no way I could finish it. Now I wish I could have it. It was was so good! After our ice cream we went back to Epcot because the rain had passed. We went to the formerly closed tequila bar and I did a shot of tequila. I do not do shots of tequila. It's almost like tea. But when in Mexico... Thankfully I didn't gag and it wasn't so bad. Meanwhile, at the airport there were also shots of tequila being done since our friends never made it to Mexico.

When in Mexico...

After Mexico we went back to Italy with just a few moments to spare and ordered champagne. We drank our champagne and watched the IllumiNations fireworks show before heading back to the BoardWalk for the night. 

Tuesday was our last day in Florida :( After packing up and saying goodbye to the BoardWalk we drove over to Magic Kingdom. We used our Fast Passes for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, with a ride on the People Mover and a visit to Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor in between! Before heading to lunch we went to see Mickey's PhilharMagic. We had a reservation at Be Our Guest inside Belle's castle for lunch, but we were a little bit early so we walked over to visit Gaston for a few minutes. Gaston is hilarious. I could have watched that ridiculousness all day. If you haven't seen the YouTube videos of Gaston, you should take a look. 

Lunch at Be Our Guest was great. They have a few different rooms that you can sit in. We chose the portrait room. After enjoying our meal we did a little shopping. I wanted a Christmas tree ornament to commemorate my trip. I am very happy with my choice. I can't wait to put it on our tree next year. Lots of happy memories. Next we went to ride Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Carribean. Pirates of the Carribean is one of my biggest memories from going to Disney when I was 5, so it was fun to be able to ride it again. After Pirates, we got in line for my first Dole Whip. A Dole Whip is pineapple soft serve (your flavor of ice cream can vary, I got a pineapple vanilla twist) and pineapple juice. Sort of like a float. SO YUM! My next recipe goal is to try to create a Dole Whip at home. Stay tuned. 

After enjoying our treat, and doing some people watching, we strolled over to It's a Small World for our last ride of the day. Small World was my very favorite ride when I was little, so I thought it was a nice ending to our trip. We followed the parade out of the park and went on our way to the Orlando Airport, sad to be ending our vacation. 

I'm sure you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Disney. I am so happy I decided to go, and I'm even happier I participated in both races. We never wasted a minute while we are there. We did so many things and had a lot of fun. I hope to go back one day for another race. Until then I will have to settle for a homemade Dole Whip :)