Dad's Day

We had a great Father's Day celebrating Dad and all he means to us and has done for us over the years.  He has provided for us well and has amazed us with his ability to fix just about anything.  He is the fix-it man of all fix-it men.  For that reason, I cannot ever really remember calling anyone to help us with any broken appliances/electronics, any home repairs, or even a stranded car on the side of the road.  Calling a service man was a foreign concept in our household growing up.  While this is overwhelmingly positive, there were times when it frustrated Mom because she really just wanted that new ______ (fill in the blank...oven, dryer, phone, etc.) rather than to have the 20+ year old one repaired by him for the 5th time.  It was always amusing when I would see that look on her face, the one that said, "Shoot, he fixed it again. I guess I'm going to have to hang onto this really old _____ a little bit longer.  Maybe next time it will break for good!"

He recently earned the new nickname "MacGyver" coined by our boat trip friends because of his skills fixing all kinds of different boat problems while on our past trips together (because there is ALWAYS something that goes wrong with at least 1 (or more!) of the boats).  

Because of this talent of his, he has a long running list of things to fix for neighbors and friends that will probably keep him occupied enough in retirement that he won't want to ever get another job.  Not a bad gig...

Thanks, Dad, for all you do!

And now for some of our Father's Day entertainment:

Boat grillin'...

The rain started to come down pretty hard right after this photo was taken.  Glad we got our lunch grilled just in the nick of time!

Wood burnin'...

Yes, even in the summer, Dad likes to have bonfires, and, obviously, even during the day!  The purpose is twofold: 1. burns up branches and other debris from the yard (plus papers/mail that we want to "shred") and 2. fun to sit by a fire.  Because the skies still looked threatening, we decided to stay in from the river and just hang in the yard for the rest of the day.

If you look closely on the left, you'll see that the 4 ducklings (almost full grown now!) enjoy bonfires as well. :) They must have enjoyed our company because they stayed close by all day and provided lots of laughs.

Duck entertainin'...

 They come running when they think you may have some bread to share. :)

They are still a little skittish, but not so much so that they won't take bread right out of our hands!

Even though they have the huge canal to swim in, they actually made use of Dad's makeshift mini pool for them.  At one point, 2 were in there at a time, which was hilarious because of the tight quarters.

Hayley running in the backyard with the ducks chasing her. It was reminiscent of the old days of her doing the same thing with our beloved dog, Isaac.

Believe it or not, Daisy is sitting on 13 more eggs! Can't believe they're in for round #2.

Cornhole playin'...

And just some relaxin'...

It was a great family day celebrating Dad and enjoying being outside even though the storm cut our time on the boat short.

Sarah(s) Shout-out!

I must give a shout-out to New Jersey Sarah & South Korea Sarah for submitting many sweet comments on my blog.  Thank you so much for reading and for all of the encouragement!  I love blogging as a way to document life's happenings, but I also enjoy the positive feedback.  Your comments make me feel much more connected over all the miles. :)  I miss you both!

Shower, Shockoe Bottom & Sun

The weekend before last was a fun-filled one celebrating Cheryl and her upcoming wedding.  I hosted a shower for her at my place on Saturday and then we continued the festivities with a night out that evening and a day at the beach on Sunday. 

Richmond friends

Messiah College friends

Teacher friends

 Cheryl and her bridesmaids (minus her sister)

Havana 59 was our dinner spot to continue the celebration of Cheryl.  This spot turned out to be a great pick and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves.  The food was wonderful (they even had great options for me, which is rare these days with all my restraints) and we laughed a lot.  Mysterious rounds of drinks that appeared made for an entertaining evening as well...enough said. 

The group with our waiter, who was very accommodating to our every request and entertained by us all evening.  He was so amused by us that he said we even brightened his not-so-good day. :)

 A little dancing before we headed to Cheryl's for another little shower for her...

 

And some fun in the sun on Sunday to finish off our weekend festivities...

Yorktown Beach

We all had such a nice weekend spending time together and getting excited about the big weekend ahead. It was a great preview of the wedding events and celebrating to come! 

C'ville - Part 2

After a fun-filled full day on Saturday in Charlottesville visiting with lots of friends and celebrating Emily, I headed out to Katy's to stay the night and then spend some time just hanging out on Sunday with Katy, David, and the kiddos.  It was such a low key and nice day!  We were so busy just relaxing together that I didn't take many pictures.   Our day got off to a great start...a wonderful breakfast outside on their new table and chairs.  It was a beautiful morning and so nice to enjoy some time outside first thing in the morning.  On top of it all, Katy treated me to gluten free blueberry waffles, which were absolutely d-e-l-i-s-h!  I suppose I need to try Bisquick's Gluten Free Mix myself seeing as it was way better than I expected (moist & soft!) so that I can enjoy some breakfast foods that I haven't had in so long.  Thank you, Katy!

We also went to church, picked up Bellair sandwiches for lunch and were joined by one of David's friends who was visiting for reunions weekend, went to the grocery store (such an everyday thing but lots of fun with a friend :) ), and just relaxed in the afternoon.  A very nice day spent with Katy and gang!

    Ainsley enjoying breakfast outside in her pjs.

Outside eating - more fun & less mess!

Goin' to the Chapel...

...and Emily's gonna get married! 

I had the honor of celebrating Emily and her upcoming wedding this past weekend in Charlottesville.  A group of us hosted a shower for her on Saturday and then we went out later that evening for her bacherlorette.  We had so much fun spending time together and it was great to see many old faces from my UVA days.

Showering Emily with gifts...

As with other projects, my inspiration for these cookies came from Beth.  Making cookies and decorating with frosting was new for me, but I was pleased with the outcome.  They were at least good for a laugh!

 Emily on the Downtown Mall!

(yes, she did see a student or two as we walked towards Siips Wine Bar in her tiara & veil)

After some drinks and appetizers at Siips (and surprising Emily with a few more gifts), we made our way to Mono Loco for dinner.

 We enjoyed our evening out despite the fact that it wasn't a wild one.  The combination of some strong drinks and the fact that none of us are exactly night owls made it a reasonably early evening for Emily's bachelorette. 

Her very own Avocado t-shirt!

(Mono Loco's free gift to the bride-to-be)