Turning Japanese

(Relax. That's just an old song title.)

Since the beginning of the soccer reffing season, Trevor has been waiting to take me to Wasabi's in downtown Roanoke as a thank you for driving him to so many of his games.  I was totally up for that!

Trev read reviews before choosing the restaurant.  I scoped out the lunch menu online several times.

It was a gorgeous day out. Downtown Roanoke is always fun, and we don't get there enough. It's a destination place, for us anyway, so we need to be more intentional.

Trevor took charge, reviewed the menu, and even ordered my selection for me.  I loved that!

We began with Miso soup.  Seaweed. Tofu.

Sashimi appetizer.  (That's raw meat, usually fish.)  Salmon. Tuna.  Clam (which had a very different texture, not our favorite). A little crab salad. Something else I don't remember.  It was fantastic, fresh, first time I've ever eaten raw fish, and I'd order this again in a heartbeat.

The waitress asked if we needed forks.  Trevor regularly eats with chopsticks at home, so he was fine.  Not me!  The waitress also brought me a plastic clip used to teach little kids how to use chopsticks.  I still couldn't get it and had to revert to my fork!

Trevor ordered Yakiudon, a mild noodle dish.  I had sushi (not raw fish, although it can include raw fish).  Again, excellent, delicious food.

In this pic, his Yakiudon is closest to him, Sashimi in the middle, my sushi in the front.

 

I had seen lychee ice cream on the menu.  Trevor LOVES all things lychee, and I was so happy that he was able to order it for his dessert!  I'm not a lychee fan but agreed to try it anyway.  UGH!!!!  It made me shiver, I can't stand that stuff!  Funny how I could eat a bunch of raw fish, but give me fruit ice cream and I almost gag!!

Such an awesome day with my kid.  I love spending time with him like this.  It was wonderful to be treated out, to a new and wonderful restaurant, and I also appreciated the appetizer and dessert, not something that we usually do.  But best of all was this treasure of a picture I got of the two of us.  How I adore this precious guy!!!!

Week's recap

Gardens are blooming.

I came with Trevor's cold and missed a day of work plus Trev's end of the season soccer banquet.  I felt so guilty, but he was more than fine with it and encouraged  me to stay home.  Holly helped prepare the food Robert and Trevor took, and before the evening ended, I had two moms texting me, asking for the recipe!

I've already said it--what a great season!  Robert was especially blessed.  When we made the team switch, he'd hoped to coach but since the team already had two coaches, he didn't know how that would work out.  It did.  He received the sweetest of compliments from so many players, including:  "This was the best season I've ever had!" "You're a beast!"  (meant complimentary, of course!).

Back to work included taking an Excel class. For fun.

After four years, the deck railings are up!  I was worried that they'd block the "view" (of what, the yard?), but they don't.  They'll be painted white . . . eventually, but I'm in no rush.  I'd rather have the sun room opened and cleaned to enjoy!  We celebrated by eating on the deck and having the dog outside with us.  (The last time she was out on the deck, she saw a squirrel and leapt off, a good 10 foot jump.)

Celebrated our anniversary on Friday.

Holly and I went shopping on Saturday, and she treated me to Starbucks.

Church on Sunday.  BBQ in the afternoon.  SOOOOOO much fun!!  Robert was eager enough to go that he was ready before me.  Judy came by and left Kurt here to hang out with Trevor, and the kids made pizzas for dinner.  Judy rode with us to our friends', a couple of miles down the road.

Potluck was set up inside the house, and everyone brought chairs to set up outside. 

Amazingly blessed by this new church family; I love these people.

Robert had been there the week before and opted to bring horseshoes, which were a huge hit.

 

I honestly don't know the last time I had such a great time in a large group.

  This has been a great weekend, and with Memorial Day today, isn't over yet!

Happy Anniversary!

22 years ago.

Today.

Robert came to my work and took me to lunch at Alejandro's.  As we started eating chips and salsa, he commented, "Isn't this where it all began, with Mexican food?"  Yep!  Our first date, mid-November 1990, at Tosh's Hacienda in Denver.

After work, we went to Flying Mouse Brewery with Judy and Charlie.  It's a cute little place just two miles from home, and it closes at 8:00.  I was a bit surprised, and happy for the place, that there were so many people here on a Friday evening.

I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I drank about half of mine.

When Flying Mouse closed, we headed down the road to Top Dawgs Pub down the road.  Everyone else stuck to more fun beer, and I drank water.  I'm kind of a boring (and cheap) date!

Judy and Robert wrestled for the check. The poor sweet little waitress ended up giving it to Charlie. She said she was more scared of Judy than Robert, hahaha!!

I SO wish this were a higher res photo, but I'm always happy to have a nice one of the two of us!

FUN night to go out, celebrate, and enjoy with friends!

Last week

Last soccer practice.

I went to Crochet & Coffee, and Trevor came again to hang out with Kurt.

Celebrated Holly's grades for the semester.  Four As and an A+.  It really can't get better than that, and we are so proud of her.  What a truly great year, and it's more than just the fantastic work she did (including doing so well in that long-dreaded, first semester math class). Her living situation suited her well, in an apartment with a kitchen, meeting a couple of new friends.  I continue to be impressed with her ability to prioritize and manage her time, meeting all of her deadlines so easily.  She's also a great role model for Trevor in that, which is exciting to me.  She was only halfway glad to be coming home --but that's not a bad thing at all; in fact, I'm very content with that.

Celebratory dinner:  filets, stuffed portobellos, salad

I splurged on myself and got another pedicure.  So nice to be pampered!!

Holly and I played with her iPad's photo app and scared ourselves to death.

After stopping at the mall Friday on my way home from work, I decided to see if I could see the cross on the hill next to our church.  I'd never considered it before, but one of my friends had mentioned it.  Sure enough.

I wish I could find more info about when and why it was erected.  I'm not finding anything online, but there are several articles about the planting of the church at the church, so maybe that will give some clue.  Beautiful view, both from the church into the valley, and from spots in the valley up to the church.  Although I call this a "little country church," it's not really that small, and I continue to wonder why we'd never heard of it until now.  Love it, love the people, love the pastor.  Home.

Soccer!!

As I've already mentioned, Trevor decided to change things up for soccer this season.  After playing on the Rams since 2008, he switched to the Stars.  He wanted the opportunity to play with several of his friends who were on that team.  By the time soccer sign up was done, Robert was the coach of the new team too.

Trev's #49

The had a very good season.  One of the moms shared these pics of Trev.

 Bounced it off of his head

One way to get the other guy to back off

What we see.

What everyone else sees.

 

Looks are deceiving.  We ended up playing the Titans on Friday night, beat them 3 - 1, and took third place in the league.  We're pretty happy with that.

Move out day!

Planned ahead to take two cars, which turned out to be a great idea and worked well.

Robert chatted with a woman and discovered they had gone to the same elementary school in Silver Spring, Maryland--she was a year older than him, a year ahead of him in school.

Move out was night-and-day different from the chaos of last year.  We were able to get a wheeled bin, and Holly and I moved things from her apartment to the bin, while Robert and Trevor packed the cars.

Holly had a really fantastic year, I can't imagine how it could have been better.  I am so proud of her, not just of how well she's doing in school, but how well she's doing at school. 

 Taking a last picture of her empty, cleaned out room.

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First quote of the day:

Trevor's joke.

Q:  What do you call a cushion Holly sleeps on?

A:  A Billow!!

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Robert and Trevor headed out to make a planned stop at H-Mart.

 Holly and I returned her books and started for home.

 We stopped for lunch at McDonald's and appreciate the gorgeous view.

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Second quote of the day:

Driving home, I was a few miles ahead of Robert.  He saw the road sign flashing ACCIDENT AHEAD.  He called me:  "You're not in that accident, are you?"
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Coming home, we unpacked everything into Holly's room. 

And we unpacked Robert and Trevor's grocery shopping.  Love this store, so wish there were one close to home! 

10 lbs. of rice noodles, at $1.69 per bag.  We buy them locally for about $5 per bag--which means that I have only bought a few bags ever and forbid anyone from eating them!

Trevor's favorite udon noodles. Fish sauce.  Pocky sticks.  Portobello mushrooms for a steal.  5 lbs. of tofu, $1.39 per package!  Coconut for fun, plus a few other treats.  Still wondering why the Asian store sells South American Inca Kola!

 Holly settled in.

 Pizza Hut for dinner.  Leftovers for lunch the next day.  I just want to say that their New Recipes are fantastic, some of the best pizza I've ever eaten.  My choice last night (on the paper plate), Cherry Pepper Bombshell, with salami, cherry peppers, and spinach--topped with a balsamic drizzle and a pretzel crust. 

Holly and I began watching Friends via Netflix during Christmas break.  We watched the final episode last night, postponing this last show a few days to mark the end of the series to coincide with her coming home for the summer.  Nice symbolism to end a special day!

Random pics from the past week

Trevor took this last week of me and Peggy at church. She was checking out the pad of the gazebo that's being built. I've heard you can see the cross from a few viewpoints around town.  I'm interested to check it out from far away.

From the couch at night, I can see the moon rise.

I went outside to see if I could get a good picture and was photobombed.  LOL.  I may have gotten a good shot with my other camera, but I'm quite lazy and haven't downloaded pics on it in months.

A couple of sons came by Crochet & Coffee this week, Kurt and Trevor included.

Found this picture a few days ago.  I can't believe we used to wear dresses this short! They look like tops!

 c. 1969--I was about 6, Lori, 4

End of April

 . . . and eagerly awaiting those May flowers!

We've had our chandelier in our bedroom for several months now.  It looks great, but the wiring had yet to be completed.  I came home from work on Tuesday, spent some time at home, changed, went to Crochet & Coffee. When I came home, I went into the bedroom and flipped the switch--expecting it to turn on the accent lighting we have in the far corner.  AND THE CHANDELIER turned on!!!!!  Yay!  It turned out perfectly, and I love that Robert put it on a dimmer switch too.  Now we have real light in the bedroom that we can turn on from the door!

Robert had some things shipped to us from his Mom's house, including several boxes of old photos--
and furniture.  Nice to update our living room and put away those green chairs that we bought back in 1993!  Now we have a new-to-us sofa and blue leather chair and ottoman, and everything matched the rest of the room already.

 
Re the old photos.  Many are unidentifiable and unnamed people, while others are of Robert's grandparents.  Such a treasure that he's enjoyed going through.  Also included are gems like this.

Small world

I went to Judy's Coffee & Crochet again this week.  I go for the company, to be social with a few woman from church, to touch base with a couple of friends.  The coffee place is just a mile and a half away, which makes it awfully convenient.

It's such a fun time. She's been wanting to get together a group for years; actually, she led one back when I first met her, held when and were Trevor and Kurt had their weekly chess club meetings.  But the crochet group only lasted a short time, as the chess club folded within a couple of months of her first group. She had originally intended this new group to just last for a month or so--but I can see it being a long term, ongoing group.  Wouldn't that be nice?!

There was a new woman there. I knew she was coming, as she'd posted on Facebook. I knew to keep an eye out for her. She sat down next to me, and I overheard someone ask her where she works.

Sarah: I work for Roanoke County Social Services.

Me: Hey, *I* work for Roanoke County Social Services!

(We're both looking at each other.)

Me: I work in eligibility.

Sarah: *I* work in eligibility.

Me: AH, I remember when you started! I saw your bio in the mail room!

There are about 40 of us on three floors, but Sarah and I have never seen each other before.  How weird is that?

Annnnd another week down!

It was wonderfully warm early in the week, and Trevor perfected iced coffee.  Can't wait to be drinking this during the summer!  He must have taken this photo with some cool effects (Lomo?), and it turned out better than anything I snapped.

On Monday, Trevor, Robert and I went to the community college to get information on its "mechatronics" program. We met with the director and coordinator for an hour.  It looked like a fantastic program, but none of the credits in the two year program transfer to state schools, so we've ruled it out.  The director was very kind with his words, complimenting Trevor on the questions he asked, and telling us that we were the most prepared and informed parents he'd met with in the several years the program has existed.  That made me happy--I've been so blessed by many friends who have always been quick to share advice and experiences!

Chipotle for lunch.  Robert talked on the phone in the parking lot, and despite his request for a veggie burrito, I ordered him steak.  Have to laugh at my complete absent mindedness.

I went to lunch Tuesday with a long time friend.  Vicky and I usually catch up during soccer season, but none of her kids are playing this time. There are some people I just love, and she's one of them. I was glad for the opportunity to share with her ways that she and her husband have really impacted us over the years. We barely knew them when Holly went to Peru, but Brett was one of the leaders, and that was good enough for us to send her along.  His words gave me peace the entire time she was gone:  "The safest place for your daughter is in the center of God's will."  That made all of the difference for me, took away all of my fears, let me sleep at night.  There have been several other things, typically small comments that they never knew would speak so loudly and stick with me.  As anti-social as I am, I had a wonderful time at lunch, stayed until the last possible minute, and look forward to doing it again . . . maybe next season.  ;)

The guys had  soccer practice on Tuesday evening.  Judy held a learn-to-knit class at the coffee shop a mile and a half down the road. I went but not to knit but to enjoy the company; a few women from church, including long time friend Peggy, and some new people.  And the coffee was good too.

Trevor reffed a couple of games, and a couple of others were rained out.

He and I continue to watch through seasons of Top Chef.  Holly and I are flying through Friends, almost to the end, and I'll be ready for something a bit more dramatic and intense again.

I cut Trev's hair and did a pretty darned good job.  I've come along way since nicking his ear when he was three, and after paying other people to do it for a couple of years, we've known that I can't do it worse.  Yet, at least.  It's worked out so well--he finds a picture or describes what he wants, I do it, and he cleans up the bathroom when we're done.  LOL.   And it's fast and free too.

Gathered up food for Holly's last two weeks of school.  She asked for crockpot tacos, and when I came home work to shred the meat, I found that I'd left the absorbent pad/packaging under the meat.  AGAIN.  UGHHHHHHHH.  How in the world do I do this? Soooo stupid sometimes.  :(

Friday night soccer games.  Had a conversation with another mom whose son has been accepted into the mechatronics program but won't be participating, as their concerns are identical to ours.  Nice to have that confirmation, both that the program looks so good but just is not for us.

Saturday up to NOVA.  Trevor was going to come but changed his mind.  He just hates all of that car time, and I don't blame him one bit.  It was rainy and drizzly when I left but cleared shortly.  Holly and I unloaded the food and packed a bunch of stuff into the car.  The great move out begins!

 lettuce, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, all ready to go

We went back to H Mart, the giant Asian grocery store to grab a few things.  Love that place!  Fantastic produce, great prices throughout the store.  We'll miss that over the summer, I know.  Q-Doba for lunch.  In another brainless move, I realized I'd left her pastrami, cheese, and package of deli buffalo chicken at home.  (It was not a good week for me.) Instead of the little mini-Walmart, we went to another with a deli--and it may be our new Walmart of choice. Stopped for Peruvian chicken for her to take home for dinner, and she treated me to Starbucks before I left.

Church on Sunday morning, picked up Kurt on the way home, and the boys hung out with pizza, those previously forgotten buffalo wings, and watched Real Madrid win at soccer.

 And that was the week.

This past week

My sad attempt at playing catch up for the last five weeks. Here's my recap for this week, along with some mostly relevant pictures from the week too.

Trevor reffed two games, and center reffed for RVHR.  He played soccer with friends on Thursday night, and the whole group of them went out to dinner afterwards.  He had a great time--first time he's really done anything like this.  They went to Alejandro's, and Trevor's new soccer jersey drew the attention of the waiters, haha.

Kota loves pillows and doesn't care if she uses the cat as a pillow. 

He doesn't seem to mind either.

Trev played his third soccer game of the season last night, and they tied.  So far, they are 2-0-1 and are barely hanging on to first place. This team they tied is right on their heels.  He switched teams this season, leaving the Rams after being on the team for 13 seasons.  I was proud of how he first began thinking of it last season, continued to consider it, and kept his thoughts about it pretty quiet until finally committing to the move just before registration.  He's thrilled to be playing with a large group of several of his friends (many of whom were part of the group that played and went out on Thursday night).

He took the ACT yesterday morning.  He was pretty calm and non-stressed all week, so good for him!  He's feeling good about how he did, and now it's just a matter of waiting for test results.  He'll likely take it again, because  he has time, and there's no real reason not to.

View from the church parking lot

I roasted a pork loin and then turned it into pork green chile.  Schroes came over, and Judy and I went off to play BINGO at church. 

It's a once-a-year fundraiser.  We had a blast, and I even won something--yay, me!  There were about 40 people there, eating food and playing, and $500 was raised for a youth group conference.

By the time we came back home, Robert had made burritos with the green pork chile, and we had rice and beans that I'd made earlier.

This morning, we went back to church.  Love, love, love this place.  Love the people, can't say that enough.  Rainy day, gray and drizzly.  Lounged at home, soup for dinner.  Great week. Great weekend.