Independence Day!

A nice and relaxing day. I opted to fix a celebratory dinner, Dr. Pepper and Chipotle Pepper Pork Roast (ha!), giant baked potatoes, strawberry/blueberry salad, corn on the cob.  We ate on the deck, but quickly, because mosquitoes were out in full force!

We went to nearby historic Fincastle to watch fireworks.  I really like that little town, just five miles up the road.  We pulled up at 8:30 and parked just a block and a half away.  Gotta love that!

Founded in 1772, the town served as the seat of a governmental district that stretched as far west as the Mississippi River.  Its courthouse was designed by Thomas Jefferson and still stands today.  When Lewis and Clark set out to explore the Louisiana Purchase, they departed from Fincastle.  This truly was--and is--one amazing little town.

Many of the houses are literally steps from the street.  As the Confederate flag was big in the news last week, I felt it particularly appropriate to post this house that was decorated so patriotically.

We set up our chairs and waited and chatted. Trev read. We reminisced about past Fourth of Julys, and Robert and I got a bit nostalgic watching younger parents with their little bitty kids.  Gosh, that seems like just a couple of years ago when we were those families.

Fireworks began as soon as it got dark.

It was a really good show, especially for a small town. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store for milk and went home to eat the chocolate cake I'd made earlier.

Start of the week

To Peggy and Jim's for dinner. Really enjoyed the company, and tons of delicious food!

Holly snapped this picture of her sometimes crazy little cat.

Photobomb by Trevor

Trevor, Holly, and I toured Radford again last Wednesday.  Holly hadn't seen it, and we've been wanting her to. We met briefly afterwards with an admissions counselor, as I wanted to get specific details about timelines and dates for the additional requirements they have for homeschoolers.  (This does not thrill me, but that's beside the point.)

He told me that I needed to provide proof from the state that we've met Virginia SOLs.  I told him that homeschoolers aren't required by law to meet SOLs, and that such proof by the state doesn't exist. He was surprised to hear that we don't have to follow SOLs.

He told me that we needed to provide a copy of the letter from our district that we'd achieved grade level standardized testing.  I told him that the schools do not provide such letters, nor are they permitted to make such a determination. (Technically, they don't.)

He then said that I needed to provide proof of standardized test scores from each year of our testing. I told him that we are not required to test by state law, that we are also permitted to have our students assessed.

He then went to check with someone else and returned to the room with a printout of the webpage that I'd been using all along!   The additional requirements that need to be met are either specific SAT II tests or community college courses.  After noting that those were the only things I needed, he thanked me for educating him.

Kind of funny.  If this had happened with Holly, I think I would have been intimidated.

This continues to be a top choice school; always encouraging to take another look at it.  We wrapped up our visit with a stop at Starbucks on the way home, a nice treat.

Layman Ladies Night Out

Big turnout tonight, with 15 of us!  We packed into Grace's Place for pizza, calzones, and sandwiches with the best waitress ever (no one we knew).

Great fun.  I love these ladies.

It took two of us to take this picture. Judy held the camera, and I pushed the button. 

'Cause that's what happens when you get old.

Taubman Art Museum

Holly and I went down to the Taubman Art Museum this week.  It's a pretty new museum in Roanoke, somewhat famous for it's exterior design.  People seem to love it or hate it.  I kind of like it.

We haven't been in several years.  As part of a financial restructuring, entrance is now free every day.  How cool is that?  Plus, I found two hour free parking, which I'd never known existed downtown before.  I like free stuff.

One of the most interesting exhibits was Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. He is known for recreating famous works of art with torn pieces of paper.  We saw his rendition of Caillebotte's Floor Scrapers. 

(Gosh, I loved studying the artists we did when the kids were little, because we were already familiar with this artist and his original work!)

A close up of the torn paper.

We had time to walk for a few blocks to look at downtown.

We stopped at DQ on the way home.

And we checked out a gorgeous view just off the main road, looking back at downtown.

Nice day out with my girl.

Last week

Movies.  Trevor went to see Avengers with Jason.  Holly and I decided to go along too, except that we saw San Andreas.  I liked the movie, and I liked that the movie theater was cheap. It wasn't fancy, but I liked that too, because the theater was pretty empty!  Fantastic special effects.

Conversation after the movie:

Trevor: I hate The Rock.
Holly and I in unison: We love The Rock!
Trevor: I suppose he had his cliche white daughter?
Holly and I: YES!!!  How did you know?  LOLOLOL!!!
Trevor: And he had a stupid one liner at the end of the movie?
Holly and I:  YES!!!!!  "We will rebuild!"

We still liked the movie!

We stopped by the mall afterwards and checked out books.  Holly and Trevor had Chik Fil A for dinner.

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It was a week of beautiful sunsets--due to the smoke drift from Canadian fires.

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Friends for dinner. The boys finished up a puzzle.

1000 pieces, a funky world map. I think it took me and Trevor all of three days--well, and these guys too.

Robert fixed Italian nachos and eggplant parmesan, and we ate on the deck.  We met both of these ladies within a few months after moving here in 2007.  Trevor met Kurt at chess club, so I met Judy.  The first time Robert visited Calvary Chapel in Roanoke, Peggy and Jim were the first people to talk to him.  It makes me so happy to know that all of us are going to church together again and that Peggy and Judy now know each other and are friends!

Holly and I hike Read Mountain

This was our first hike last year, and I was eager to do it first again this year.  At just under 4 miles round trip, it's not a long hike, but the elevation increases by 850 feet.  I was just thrilled to DO it, gives me confidence in myself again.

Holly usually makes me take the lead to set the pace, but I much prefer her to be in front.

Buzzard's Rock is the top, with a gorgeous view over the Roanoke Valley.  It's been more humid this week and hazy.

We ate lunch at the top, right on the rock.

Pretty quiet out here today, we just saw two other lone hikers.

Not my favorite trail to hike, but I love this mountain!

We had to much fun doing this last year and can't wait to do more this summer.  When Holly went back to school, it was so sweet for me to see the different mountains we'd climbed as I drove around town, remembering the times we shared.  Precious memories.

And in weird news of the day (week, month) . . .

I found that Trevor has a twin walking around in Roanoke.  I stumbled upon this photo and had to look twice, three times, four.  In fact, I am fascinated by this guy who looks EXACTLY like my son.  And this is not a joke!

I've looked at him in other pics and don't see quite the same resemblance.  Every time I see this pic, I can't help but stop and stare. SO weird!!!!

Last week

Trevor hiked Read Mountain with a friend. It was a gorgeous morning.  Surprisingly, although it was Saturday morning, it was not any busier than when Holly and I hiked it mid-week last year.  I sat in the shade for an hour, catching up with Trev's friend's mom before heading back home and later coming back to pick them up.  Such a nice, relaxing morning (for me anyway!).

Guys had a great time, didn't even stop to eat lunch on the trail.  They came home and hung out for the rest of the day.

Holly and I went downtown to the annual Taubman Art Show on Sunday.  We dashed in between raindrops, spent a bit of time wandering through 140 exhibitors, and drank giant smoothies at Mill Mountain Coffee.  I am so happy with this pic I got over the MLK bridge. That's the Wells Fargo building, the tallest building in western Virginia.

Stormy week, torrential rains

. . . followed by rainbows.

 We made our own Bun Thit Nuong -- Vietnamese Noodle Bowls.  Delicious!

Trevor came along to Crochet & Coffee--because Kurt was there and Erich showed up. The guys enjoyed guy time and their electronic devices.

Robert pulled out his mom's wedding gown.  That's quite a picture!

Fun to see Holly trying it on, and Robert enjoyed it too.

We had the Schroeders over for dinner on Wednesday, and Judy brought Emily. Emily was quite happy to have Vader snuggle up by her.

 
 And Robert is one of her favorites too.

On Thursday, we FINALLY got our long awaited tax return, after having someone file fraudulently using our SSNs, names and address.  We celebrated with take out Pizza Hut.

Seems like a kind of busy week.

My dog eats weird stuff

Before we got her, she ran wild and often foraged for her own food.  One of our great memories pre-ownership was when she ran up our driveway carrying a deer leg in her mouth.  Trevor went up to greet her, and when he realized what she had, he turned to run away from her.  Thinking he was playing, she ran to try to catch him, and it was a race to the front door. 

Needless to say, when we got her, she was full of worms.  ::blech::shudder::

So she likes variety.

We don't feed her much table food. I hate begging dogs.  But she knows me enough to stick around when I'm cutting food up in the kitchen. She knows I'll usually toss her some treats, sometimes meat, but more often vegetable scraps.  She really likes those.

I think her favorite is the crunchy rib part of romaine lettuce.  She'll eat the whole leaf, but she doesn't care for the softer lettuces.

She just eats weird things.  Green pepper strips.  Cucumber.  Carrot peelings.  Raspberries.  Strawberries.  She likes all of those.  When she doesn't like something, she will leave on the floor.

She's not too interested in her regular dog food, resigned to eating it unenthusiastically.

Last month, Robert and Trevor bought a "young coconut" during their Asian food store shopping spree.  A young coconut just means that the coconut is immature and has a softer, cream colored husk instead of the brown, hairy husk we're used to.  I let it sit, not knowing what to do with it, and I finally opened it tonight.  Unfortunately, the water inside had turned a bit rancid.  I couldn't tell; I don't care for the taste of coconut water, but Trevor confirmed.  Young coconuts also have soft coconut meat inside.  I didn't care for the taste of it, but Kota did.  I gave her a couple of small chunks.

I don't think Robert likes when I give her healthy food like that.  He picks up after her in the yard, so he has a different view than I do.  But she likes it so much, and the vegetables are good for her too!  I know I'd prefer variety.

And I told Trevor that next time we go to the Asian market, we need to pick up another coconut and cut into it much sooner.

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!