umass invades chapel hill: the tailgate
a cooke and kelley visit mandates as big a tailgate as possible. and so it was done:
umass invades chapel hill
cooke and kelley came for one of the best fall weekends i've had in awhile ... the toughest decision on day one was deciding which of cooke's magical musical mixes we should listen to while waiting for kelley. the answer? the "waiting for kelley" mix, a'course! once she arrived, we tried to stay up and chat, but older and tired-er →
from new home to new home
photo of my new chapel hill street. how is it possible that i just met it and already ... i am in love? then ... breakfast with lysandra before she drove me to the airport in her new fancy red car. on the other end of my flight? san francisco, my bestest bud, her comfy couch, some wedding craziness, and →
WSPFLD –> PA –> NC –> SF
En route to start the first week of training for my summer internship at B Lab (two days in Pennsylvania, 3 in NC, and 7 weeks in San Fran).
old odds & ends
the best recipes are hand written, fact. i also washed the last copy of a 10 year old workout plan (thanks to amanda for finding the newer modified version so i didn't cry). i also recently found this ring my sister and i bought (yes, together, we had to pool our money to get it) back when i was approximately →
private lesson with the local golf pro
a trip to the local driving range for a mini lesson from pops. turns out i'm best with an iron and even then, mostly i hit air. baby steps ...
sicilia on a plate
we took a trip back to sicilia by eating cheese from the market in catania, olive oil from rosa's farm and drinking, of course ... some nero d'avola. the food was amazing, as was the company. ridiculously good time.
double baseball and double munchkins
got to catch both jack and charlie play baseball at my grade school alma mater - at the same time, no doubt. then had a sangria night with heather and her almost one-year-olds (well, they didn't have any sangria, of course).
nursery school erin and dr. o’connell
two great old friends in one day - now that is what i call awesome. i said it before but it bears repeating ... i love watching the girl who used to talk for me in nursery school as a mom. not only does her daughter make me feel like the six year old version of myself, but she and →
turtle crossing
on the way to breakfast, my dad helped a snapping turtle cross the road. i've never seen a turtle this big. he could have easily taken off one of dad's fingers ... but thankfully we had an old canvas snoopy bag to use as protection. later, dinner with amanda and kathy - and ridiculously good white ginger cosmos. yum.
amanda’s ovation
it is also the same guitar that charlie played on lost. and the same brand that melissa etheridge and kaki king use. i will do it zero justice, but will fiddle around with it while home. oh, and a pic of my favorite coffee shop - a regular reading/writing hangout.
140 miles and a drive-in
order from the car doctors to drive 140ish miles on my new-used catalytic converter before coming back to get a sticker, so i took a mini road trip right over the border to vermont. then, i joined amanda, lynner and kathy (and kids, of course) at one of the last few drive-ins in massachusetts.
no cavities
most likely, the lack of cavities is due to the fact that i've got a mouth full of metal already - but hey, i'll take it. finding a dentist under my new health insurance was quite a trip. the closest 10 dentists were all in this office - in the mall. something about sitting in the "waiting room" while staring out →
life is just a bowl of cherries …
got jack and charlie off the bus and then took jack to his baseball game. he pitched two outs - wham. amanda and i then picked my car up at brad's (i have to drive 140 miles on the new catalytic converter before taking it back in for an inspection sticker - rejection never felt so good). we each took →
how to be a kid
it's quite simple, really. you run around like crazy in your pajamas while your mom tells you it's way past time you got dressed. then you eat a donut or two (from the best donut shop on the planet, no doubt) ... and head to the bus. side note: i had to get some work done on my car, so →
off the beaten path
who says you can never go home again? not this gal.