Backyard reading views!
Category Archives: Friends & Family
Doggy day care
Trying the margarita flight!
It’s four FULL SIZE margaritas, y’all. It’s a unique delivery system but I’d prefer smaller servings. And, if I’m being honest, better margaritas.
Oh Ivy
Take the time. It’s worth it.
Take the time and make the plans to see your faraway friends. It’s worth it.
It was so good to talk in person and give hugs and laugh and drink and eat together.
That said, 36 hours was NOT enough time to spend with this amazing person, but something is better than nothing.
Cheers!
Chocolate martinis for the win!
I think Olive missed Anna.
When Anna’s away…
Anna had to leave town for a family emergency but David still came over for our scheduled dinner. But her absence meant he could also steal her seat!
Olive had no problems with the replacement lap.
Napping threesome!
Owen & Grandpa throwback
Owen grew just a little bit!
If my mom is here, it’s Pysanky time!
I’m getting better but still nowhere near my mom. Hers is in the middle. Katie’s is the heart with tic tac toe. Mine are the rest.
I’m already planning on redoing the pride heart egg because I know I can do it better!
Friday Fave: Pysanky with mom
My mom is here visiting…so that means it’s time to do Pysanky! I haven’t done it much since we went to the workshop last October. Because it’s so time intensive, it’s eggs or reading. And y’all know what I’ve been choosing! But I’m taking advantage of her vast experience and making memories…
And just like that we have a high schooler.
Owen volunteered to play in the jazz band before his promotion ceremony!
I love that he was able to walk with his good friend Lucas…
And Anna (as school board president) was able to give him his diploma!
And then it was off to our celebratory dinner at The Chocolate Sanctuary because it’s closing soon! Of course I forgot to get a photo of our whole group but I did get a picture of my chocolate strawberry martini!
Paint your pet!
Anna and I painted our pets (puppy Olive and Honey) at a local art studio! (Tom and I did birch trees here before!) With the pets, they start you with a pencil drawing from a photo you send— which made it a ton easier!
It was really fun, though I enjoyed it more than Anna did!
Olive gets a ride to school
Olive had spent the night at Anna’s so Ivy could relax after her surgery. She didn’t want to go in the travel crate while Anna took the kids to school…
Making it my own!
THE•ONE•WITH•THE•BESTIE
Matching shirts today for our errands!
Oh college…good times.
I ran across this photo from college this morning and showed it to Katie. She did NOT believe it was me. She kept looking back and forth from me to the photo like HUH? WHAT? and I assured her it was indeed me.
What I didn’t tell her (but will later — she was running behind for school) is that this was NOT my normal look. This was after my roommate Angi plucked my brows (for the first time ever!) and put some “more involved” makeup on me.
I remember being in sweatpants and was like “Well now we need to go out somewhere!” but it was like a Tuesday night or something.
Last jazz band concert
It’s past Olive’s bedtime.
I’ve graduated to the good tequila.
And boy does it make all the difference!
I blame David. He started it.
Exotic snack store attack!
I looooove chips. So I might have gone a little crazy at the local exotic snack store!
The last time I did something like this was probably over a year ago when Tom and I wandered into a Japanese grocery store and we bought a bunch of chips (and I think we only have one bag left—we just open a bag every now and again and do a taste test with Anna and David). So I dragged her along with me…
I know the flavors are probably hard to read, so I’ll share a few:
- Roasted Cumin Lamb Skewer
- Salted Egg
- Fried Crab
- Seaweed
- Sweet Basil
- Spicy Garlic
- Sichuan Pepper
- Wild Mushrooms and Sour Cream
- Creamy Forest Mushroom
- Green Onion
- Scallop Butter Garlic
- Salmon Chili Lime
My BFF gets me!
Every time I wear this shirt I first think of my BFF Anna who found it for me…and second I think how perfect it is! (ICYMI, my business name comes from my sarcasm.) #lippylife #livinglippy
Shopping for the boys.
Spring Break Day 7: Home bound!
The view from the deck…before finishing packing and heading to the airport.
Spring Break Day 6: State Parks
We were up early to start the day at Weeki Wachee State Park — we were planning on hitting the waterpark and the live mermaid show (which they are famous for). But unfortunately, Linda and I BOTH read the information completely wrong in the exact same way…so the actual waterpark (slides, lazy river, etc.) wasn’t open. There were some birds wandering around but other than that it was pretty dead.
We did stay for the mermaid show and though it was neat it wasn’t super exciting. I guess it’s a cool “Hey we did that” time!
So then Lin wanted to head to another park—Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. We stopped for lunch at a random pizza place I found on Yelp and had to laugh when it was right next to a Marine Corps recruiting office!
I can honestly say I’ve never seen this sign before:
Then we stopped for ice cream on our way home…because how could you NOT stop at this huge ice cream cone?!
And then it was time to go home…which the kids were excited about because Grannie said we could go to the pool and promised Owen he could drive!
It was pretty dead when we got there around 6. I actually went in the pool and underwater with Katie! She was impressed I could do a front and back somersault — and she finally did a back one on her own. When Owen and Grannie came back about an hour later, the pool was empty except for my two.
Sidenote: The yacht-rock-esque station is playing Soldier of Love by Donny Osmond. It’s from 1989. GET OFF MY LAWN.
Then Katie and I sat on the back of the golf cart for our final ride…and had some fun as we rode over some bumps and Owen took some corners a little crazy.
Spring Break Day 5: Manatees!
Linda surprised us and told us she wanted to take us swimming with the manatees! So, being in a wetsuit was a first for me and the kids!
Unfortunately, this time of year is the end of the season — most manatees have already begun the trek to warmer waters — so we actually had to hunt for them a bit. We eventually found this mom and baby and followed them, hoping they’d go into calmer waters…which they did, but they didn’t really go to a place we could easily get to them.
We did eventually get into the water but it was hard to see much since the water was so cloudy. That said, at one point, a manatee swam directly under me! Like inches below me!
The guide was taking photos for us so that was nice not to have to worry about…but the manatees weren’t very calm today so we didn’t get pics of us with them underwater. This is about the best we got of us in the same photo:
The kids loved the guide’s description of them as “2000 pound sea potatoes!”
Back home, we completed the beach glass puzzle with one day to spare!
Owen was serenading us with his snoring.
Spring Break Day 2
Grannie surprised the kids with a longer golf cart drive…for Johnny Rockets for brunch — somewhere we ate on the cruise! They loved it! Grannie and I enjoyed adult shakes.
Then we walked around a little, Katie named two turtles in the bay, we got some souvenirs, and then went to another pool.
I had this exchange with the waitress:
Waitress: So that's a strawberry daiquiri.
Me: Margarita.
Waitress: Yes, daiquiri.
Me: Not daiquiri, margarita.
Waitress: Yes I know what you mean.
Aaaand it tasted like a daiquiri to me! (Not bad but…not a margarita!)
Back to the pool after dinner…
Unfortunately someone got a little too much sun…
Soooo happy to be able to wash my face tonight!
Spring Break Day 1
Welcome to creepy crawlies!
First practice session driving the golf cart! Grannie is brave!!!
Driving all of us to the pool!
My view today from the shade of a cabana at one of the “executive” pools.
Katie: I haven’t put sunscreen on in a long time. This feels weird to be doing it in March.
The kids immediately disappeared in the pool. Grannie was in the sun. The music was great. I read my Kindle and hit the adults-only hot tub — then ordered a frozen margarita!
Of course I was 100% in my element—so the kids didn’t want to stay too long. (I thought we’d be there all day like we are when we go to our pool…but we were only there like 1.5 hours!)
Early GNO for St. Patty’s
