Post Moving Day

Robert and I had a good drive back.  There was the almost usual accident at a straight and boring spot near New Market. I don't get the high number of accidents there, maybe it seems like such a simple stretch that people doze off?

It was great to have company. I convinced him to listen to an old Pastor Brian (CCR) teaching on CD, and he was into enough that he kept turning it up.  We talked about politics and other such things where we disagree, good conversations like I've been having with the kids, not trying to convince of anything, just sharing views.  And I didn't have to worry about getting sleepy, haha.

Trevor had earlier arranged to be at Kurt's for the day, and Judy invited us over for pizza for dinner.  We even had to stop at the gas station two miles from home just to get home--we were well past empty and holding our breath that we'd make it!  We let Kota out (poor girl had been crated for 12 hours), threw the cats behind locked doors so Kota could have the run of the house while we left again, and we took the truck to the Schroes'.  Even that was a fun drive!

Judy had margaritas waiting. (I love my turquoise blue toenails!!)

And homemade pizza!!

More great conversation, as Judy and I talked about the crochet group, and the guys talked soccer.  Kurt was beat, Trevor was patiently waiting to go home.  I think we got home close to midnight.

Exchanged texts with Holly at 2 a.m. (yes, I was still up), who said she'd had a great night, felt like she'd never left school.  A truly great Moving Day.

Moving Day

A great move in day!!

Robert worked his usual magic with the car, and we actually left within a few minutes of our target time!

 

This was the spot saved for Holly.  She carried her computer on her lap, and Robert had her tv between his legs. Unfortunately for her, it meant she couldn't bury her face in a pillow and sleep during the ride!

We each wondered how in the world everything fit last year when Trevor came along. Maybe because Holly didn't have a bookcase and several other household items? But she brought very little clothing, leaving a lot of things at home that I was already planning to bring up next week for a second trip.

Unloading took place in the covered parking garage, a nice relief from the heat! We unloaded almost two full bins (remember that the bookshelf capped the top of the first bin).

Holly's new building, fourth floor on the left.  The long window is her living room; the short window to the right is her dining area. She's again in an apartment with three other girls.

Holly's room is at the very end of the hallway, right next to the stairs.  Great location! And in the building that houses Starbucks!

Her room is even bigger than last year, and just as nice and bright.  The closet is also bigger, plus the main apartment has a hall closet (!!), and the shower room is bigger.

Robert and Holly discussed the furniture arrangement, based on the cable tv outlet.

Her desk and dresser in a sweet little alcove.

The apartment's living area--bright, natural light.

The kitchen has less counter and storage space, and we've already talked about the possibility of buying a rolling cart to give more space.

We got everything moved in, met her roommates, and went to Chipotle for lunch. The last stop was a quick run to Walmart for fresh fruit and to replace a coffee pot that was a casualty of the move.  ;)

On our way back through campus, we realized that the building she reallllly wanted, the one she had last year, has loads of new construction going on across from it. Her usual walkway to her classes is blocked. That was quite a shock, as even a few days ago, she was considering making a room swap to get back into that building. So far, the current building and room is even better than expected, with a good location, and a pretty good view.

It was a pretty fun day, and I like looking back at previous move in days.  It does get easier each year, and in many ways I know she already feels at home.  :D  It will be weird here, though, after three months, to go back to having just the three of us here.  Back to the routine!

Weekend, Part Two

Trevor is 17.  What an unforgettable day in 1998, when our family was wonderfully altered forever with the addition of one little person  . . .  

Robert and I skipped church at the last minute, choosing instead of go out and buy donuts for breakfast.  Not that the two are equal, haha!

We bought donuts outside with coffee, sat on the deck and listened to Troy's live teaching from Lynchburg.  What a great way to start the day!

Trevor had planned out his birthday a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to spend some time clothes shopping at the mall and have his birthday dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. He opened a cash gift from up, along with his birthday cards from other family, and we hit the mall.

Sisterly fashion advice!

He also checked some things out at Barnes & Noble and decided he'd save some money by shopping online.  The waiting is the hardest part.

BWW is newly remodeled, reopening just three days before.  We opted for the outdoor patio.  It was lovely. Even when it began sprinkling, we were well covered. I'd sit out there again any day!

He came home to open he rest of his presents, a throwing knife, and kitana stand and cleaning kit.  And cake, kahlua cake with a witcher medallion silhouette per request.

17 years ago . . .

Monday morning

Heavy fog.

After drinking iced coffee all summer, I went back to the hot coffee this morning.

And today is Trevor's first dual enrollment class. Chinese is online, offered through another community college so anyone in the state can enroll.

Summer is ending. 

Weekend, Part One

Holly and I went to the Wing Fest downtown.  We found our way to the new Dr. Pepper Park, which isn't even on Google Maps yet, and stumbled into a perfect parking place.  We paid the entrance fee and walked around.  I don't do well with stuff like this.  I guess I should have known that, but sometimes it's hard to see your own shortcomings.  There were about six wing booths, and the rest were advertisers: realtor, basement refinisher, etc.  Two of the stands had very long lines.  It was hard to see prices and menus. There was no easy decision for me.  I hate making decisions like this. Holly had no specific input.

So we decided instead to leave and go to the new Starbucks we'd just passed.  That was an easy decision for both of us!

It was in a gorgeous old building, exposed brick, high ceilings. Holly said it was the best one she's been in.  We chilled out, caffeined up, and then made our way back to the car.

We were already at the base of Mill Mountain, so I took a quick turn and headed up.  We don't go up there often, although Trevor hiked it with Jason just a few weeks ago (something I want to do!).  Holly realized she hadn't been up since Mackenzie was out six or seven years ago! We also reminisced about our first visit out to Virginia, and how I was so determined to get to the top, even though she was not feeling good.  :)

  Tinker Mountain, that long mountain on the right--

we live just behind the right side of it.

We stopped at the mall, hoping to find a replacement pair of shorts for Trevor. His favorite pair is brand new, and he got stickers ALL over the shorts a week or two ago while frisbee golfing with Jason's family.  Trevor long ago gave up picking them out, Robert and I never even tried, but Holly worked diligently the night before to get them out. 

Magnified about 50x on my laptop screen, they are the size of the tip of a just sharpened pencil. I had no idea they had these horrible little "legs" until seeing them on the screen.

Running your hand on the outside of the shorts, you can still feel invisible pieces, But they don't hurt your hand, and the inside of the shorts are smooth.  Good thing, because we couldn't find another pair.

Good to get one more day out before Holly goes back to school.

More coffee and crochet

Oh, this group has been such a blessing to me.  Judy has wanted to lead some sort of crochet lessons for literally years--I can remember her talking about this when we met eight years ago. It's never come together until now.

In the beginning, we were meeting at the coffee shop on Tuesdays, and often ladies will get together at another restaurant (okay, bar) on Thursdays.  Some of the women have been occasionally hosting in their homes, with dinner beforehand, which has just been so lovely. 

Last week, we travelled quite a way and went to Tammy's. She lives out in Catawba in the middle of nowhere, kind of like when we were in Callaway.  That didn't stop anyone, as there were 8 of us there for dinner!  She served a lovely vegan(!) meal, followed with pineapple for dessert. She offered her son's "favorite new thing," Tajin, a Mexican spice of ground chili powder, salt, and dehydrated lime.

Oh. my. gosh. Amazing deliciousness. I literally went out the next day, searching a couple of stores until I found my very own jar, plus I bought one for a friend.

After dinner, they crocheted.  I am more than happy to sit and do NOTHING. However, several weeks ago, I commented that I'm really good at taking out knots, so now I am the unofficial yarn ball maker of the group.

I did see an adorable cupcake stitch and decided I may take up crocheting.  Next fall.  And Peggy's blanket is absolutely gorgeous, I could try that too.

Hostess Tammy, Starla from church, 

and Carole (they met Carole in the bar, and now she's a part of the group)

Anyway, this group has been wonderful. People come when they can. It's perfect for me right now, as I have Trevor home for just one more year, and then I'll be left with not much to do during the week!  Even if this group doesn't last that long (and I can't imagine that it could disappear), it's filling my need now, keeping me from worrying about what in the world I will do with no kids in my house.  SO very, very grateful to my friend Judy and these wonderful Godly women and the bonds we've made!

Holly and I get lost

We've really enjoyed walking the nearby Cherry Blossom Trail.  It's already noticeably getting darker earlier, and last week, Holly and I went out earlier, around 7, for a walk.  We took Kota, and I decided we'd try another, adjacent trail. Slight incline, gorgeous views.

The trails weave through a newer, sparsely developed business park. The side we usually walk runs into our soccer fields. The paths are pretty popular, given our semi-rural area.  We can expect to cross paths with others.

I took these three pictures at the same place.  The clouds did not look threatening to us; I'm surprised to see them here!  We found a trail map and realized we'd passed our path, which led off into the trees.

We crossed the bridge and then couldn't agree on which way to go.  The trail, in many areas, is just a wide, mown path along the edge of a series of meadows.  We went right.

Here's the clouds again, covering up the sun.  You can see the mown path where we are walking at the bottom right corner.

At every turn, we kept expecting to see something (not sure what!).  I was sure we'd gone the wrong way but was thinking that we'd end up on another trail that I knew was nearby.

Pretty humid out. We had no water.  My cell phone battery (which was already having issues, and I was waiting for a new one to arrive) was dying quickly.  Holly left hers at home.  We continued on the familiar mown path, and we passed the birdhouses that are all along the other parts of the trail.  It was in the back of my mind that no one knew we were taking the other trail.  Even if Trevor and Robert came to look for us, they wouldn't know where to look.  (That's a bit of lesson learned here!!) 

We walked through several different fields, still waiting to see something.  And then we came to the back of a barn.  And could see a big church on a hill that we didn't recognize.  And I saw the mountains and realized I was off in the direction we were heading by about 90 degrees. It was gettig close to 8:00, and we decided to turn around and retrace our steps--hoping that it would be easy. The sun was going down quickly, but we still had daylight.

We started walking FAST. Even the dog was eager to keep moving!  Poor thing, I felt terrible that we didn't have any water to share with her.  I did have a few visions of having to find brush to sleep in for the night, thinking it would be humid enough to drink water off of the leaves, lol. (Hey, always planning for the worst, right?!)

We had no trouble backtracking, and as we got to the point where we took the wrong turn, we saw a man and his dog ahead of us--on the trail we'd initially been planning to walk.  We knew that his way would be quicker than continuing to backtrack, and because there's no where else to go and it was getting dark, we were confident that we could follow him back to the trailhead.  When he would disappear behind trees, we would RUN after him to make sure we could keep him in sight. Picture poor Holly running through this taller grass in her flip flops . . .   He disappeared again, and as we ran, we found ourselves at the street adjacent to the parking lot.  Whew!


I later found this map online. We usually walk along the path on the south side of the lake. We took the lighter pink trail in the middle this time, expecting to loop around where there's no trail marking.  Instead we ended up in another field north past the blue star.

Some good lessons learned:

ALWAYS make sure someone else knows where you are going, even if you text them when you make/change your plans. 

ALWAYS make sure someone has a reliable phone. I knew mine wasn't, and while I was expecting that Holly would bring her phone, I didn't say anything to her.

And maybe bring water. Just in case!

Chocolate Waffles and Clam Dip

No, not together, yukkkkkk!

Good Eats recently showed up on Netflix, so Trevor and I have begun watching the show from way back.  Gosh, Alton is so good.  Yesterday, we watched a show on waffles, and he made chocolate waffles.  I made them for dessert.  They were very easy, although my batter seemed much runnier than on the show.  They also had relatively minimal sugar, which I liked. They freeze--and reheat like any other frozen waffle.  Holly already had another tonight.

Chocolate Waffles

1-1/2 c. flour

3 T. sugar

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

3 eggs, beaten

4 T. butter, melted (I misread and used only 2 T.; it was just fine)

1 t. vanilla

16 oz. buttermilk

4 oz. chocolate chips, optional

 

 Preheat waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

 

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-waffle-recipe.html
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I have always loved clam dip.  Trevor loves clam dip. It's a treat when we make it, because we both eat a LOT of it. Eons ago, back to waterskiing summers or so, we used to eat clam dip. I don't remember the recipe, so for the past 20 years or so, I've winged it.  But the internet brings up wonderful and mysterious things, and I found the recipe, or a close facsimile, of long ago.  Be still my heart.

Classic Clam Dip

1 can minced or chopped clams, mostly drained
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
1-1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. minced garlic
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. onion juice (I used dehydrated onion)

I also add 2 T. mayo and 2 T. sour cream.

Blend all ingredients well.  Chill for several hours to let flavors set.

Serves 2. 
(Just kidding about that.)

Book reviews!

Yep, actually read three books in the past few weeks.  I've been terrible at not reading for quite a while.  When I worked at the library, those books came across the circ desk all day long, and it was easy to find good reading material.  I have to work at it now, and let's face it, I suck at that.  Way too lazy.

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

Very interesting and inspiring read about a guy who left college for a semester and spent four months living with the homeless, as a homeless person, in six cities including Denver, Washington DC, and Phoenix. Glad I didn't miss this one, I just stumbled upon it while browsing the non-fiction shelves.

The Rose Hotel by Rahimeh Andalibian

I am always fascinated hearing about life in very different cultures.  The author grew up in a wealthy family torn apart when the Shah of Iran was overthrown in the late 70s.  Her oldest brother's execution at age 16 by the new Islamic government (a peaceful government, ya know) was a family secret for years.  Broke, part of the family was able to escape to London, where they lived for several years until the rest of the family was able to join them. They subsequently moved to California.  

The book details family's traumas as they come to grip with what has happened to their lives.  Gripping. Tragic.  We are so blessed to live in this country, no matter how bad we think things are.

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

Yes, I re-read this classic for the third time.  First time, in school, second time when I made Holly read it.  Always something new to learn, and as always, I wonder why this isn't discussed more and very familiar to American citizens. I am humbled that the author shared such a very personal and painful time in her family to be forever remembered. Excellent book.


 


 

Lions and Tigers and Bears!

Holly and I went to DC to visit the National Zoo on Sunday.
 
We knocked the Metro out of the park.  We have learned a LOT, and it's exciting to actually have a clue what we are doing, instead of just pretending that we know.  Of course, I didn't figure this out on my own, but between endlessly studying the Metro via the internet, maps, tips, etc. and asking Metro employees for help, it was great! I still don't know anything official about schedules, because the trains run often enough, even on weekends, and hey, if I'm that pressed for time, I'm in big trouble.

Holly and I parked (free on weekends!) at a station in Falls Church, transferred trains, and went to the zoo first.  I remembered Trevor's advice to take the train past the zoo, and then walk downhill to the zoo (rather than getting off at the earlier station and then walking uphill).  It was BAKING hot, low 90s, not really the best day to be playing tourist outside.

The zoo is a Smithsonian and free.  But $5 maps, haha!  We opted to read the posted signs instead. We were expecting to have to dump our water bottles at the gate, but food is allowed inside the zoo, what a nice surprise!   The animals were in hiding at the first two exhibits, which had us a bit concerned.  It really was hot.  But then things improved quickly.

I was particularly interested in seeing the pandas.  I remember President and Mrs. Nixon visiting China, and I remember China's subsequent gift of the giant pandas to the U.S. The exhibit is quite large, so I was glad to see one, even though it was sleeping.

Inside was a different story. This guy was rolling around, almost clowning for the crowd.  Look at those teeth!  Fun to see.

The elephants always make me a bit sad. They need more elephants in their families, not just one or two, and they need a big space to roam.  This one had her feet in the water, playing in it with her trunk, and splashing the water underneath on her belly to help keep cool.

Holly has NO idea what she was doing, but she ended up with several random shots of legs--ours, strangers.  Snap.

Snap.

One of the tigers was extremely active. We saw him a few times, pacing about, with crowds gathered around the viewing area.

Holly was most interested in the monkeys.  Almost all (but one) of the animal houses we went into were relatively clean smelling and cool, an unexpected surprise.

Two of the big apes were out. He was gorgeous, so regal.

And the king of the jungle, lazing in the sun, particularly photogenic.

The zoo was on a bit of a hill (not like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo though!), with loads of shady trees. Thankful for those trees!  We filled our water bottles up twice from water fountains.  It's been decades since I've used a water fountain, and I'm still alive to tell about it today!  There were also so many benches that we were able to sit in the shade often. The place was packed, so to say there were empty benches frequently is pretty impressive.  It wasn't a big or fancy zoo, and we wondered what foreigners coming to visit would think of what is our National Zoo.  I've been wanting to go for several years, and I'm glad we made the trip.

Upon leaving the zoo, continue walking downhill to the next station.  That worked perfectly for us, and we were so glad we had that helpful information, even more so considering how hot it was.  The neighborhood was really nice, sidewalks, terrific little shops everywhere, with lovely apartment buildings.  I told Holly she can get a job in DC and move there; it was so wonderful.

We made our way to the Foggy Bottom station, at the edge of The George Washington University campus. This was another great little neighborhood. My lunch of choice was Roti Mediterranean, the same thing I ate at Union Station a few weeks ago.

Holly was holding out for Chipotle on the way home, but once she tried my steak, she said she'd eat it next time.  Such delicious food.

We hopped on the train again and headed back to where our car was parked.  It was after 4, a little late for me to be just leaving for home.  I stopped in Fairfax at "our" familiar Chipotle for Holly to eat in the car.  She slept in the car on the way home, while I listened to the radio. I have been actively working on getting enough sleep this past week, and I guess it worked--after all of the driving, plus walking at least three miles out in the sun, I didn't get sleepy on the way home.

We always say we need to go into the city more.  I'm so glad we did, it's ALWAYS a super fun way to spend the day!