I LOVE food...

I can't help it.  I really do.  It tastes so good.  And there are so many great things to try.  I've just recently started to really experiment with cooking.  Before my main experiences were just in restaurants, which I still love.  I'm actually involved in a 'dinner club' up here so I get to try new restaurants frequently.  One of the best things about living all over and traveling is trying out new restaurants and new foods.

To share just a quick story of this, a few weeks ago, my fam and I went on a short trip to Troy, NY.  As I've said before, when traveling, we like to find a local restaurant to try.  This time, I found a cute little polish restaurant called Muza.  (Seriously, if you are ever in Troy, NY, you should really stop in here)  The place isn't fancy or ornate or anything of that sort, but it definitely felt cozy and homey.  There aren't many tables, so there can be a wait, I'm told.  This actually works to an advantage because it really makes the restaurant feel as if you are dining in someone's home.  Everyone was at different tables, but we all kind of conversed as if we knew each other.  It was quite fun.  The restaurant is owned and run by a family.  The couple does all the cooking and their older daughter waits the tables.  It makes service a little slow, but the food is well worth the wait. 

Chas, NGD, and I all got different dishes and each were great.  Chas went with a pretty basic chicken and pasta dish.  NGD and I were a bit more adventurous.  I really can't remember what NGD's dish was called, but it was a traditional polish dish that he LOVED.  I got the chicken marsala, a personal fave.  It was served with delicious mashed potatoes and cole slaw.  Now, the cole slaw was an odd addition, I'll admit.  However, I was at a POLISH restaurant.  I had to have something with cabbage, right?  And I'll just go ahead and say that not only was it different than any other cole slaw I've ever eaten in my life, but it was also the best!  All in all, it was a great experience.  Oh, and did I mention that the restaurant itself is nestled into the side of a mountain?  :)

Here is a pic of NGD's dish, sorry it's so dark.

Now, I've also mentioned that I'm getting into cooking more and more.  I've always cooked, but I'm trying new things and experimenting with some recipes.  I've become a bit addicted to Pinterest, which has been great for finding and trying new recipes.  I've also been taking some pics of the food I make, as well as a few of the process.  I hope to add those along with a few words here soon.

Birthday Bash, Part 3...

An interesting thing that I really like about my birthday is the fact that my sister's birthday is exactly one month later (11 Aug & 11 Sept).  Because of this fact, this year, my mother decided to plan a fun family outing jointly for our birthdays.  I'm not sure how she came to the decision, but we decided to go to a ballgame.  I remember going to see the Cardinals play as a family when I was young and I loved it, so I was excited to go back and especially to take Chas with us.

Friday evening, Mom, Dad, Chas, and I drove up to STL.  It started to rain about the time we got to the hotel.  This did not bode well for our outdoors evening activity.  We stayed at a hotel right by the stadium, so we could just walk over to the park.  It appeared that everyone going to the game decided to stay there as well.  It took us a bit to check in and then a little while longer to stand in the line for the elevators, but we had a great room and a few hours to kill before heading over to the stadium.  We rested and watched TWC to see if the rain would stop (it did) and then we had a little family photo shoot.  Go ahead and scroll past if you want, it won't hurt my feelings...

Of course, I also have a few gratuitous pics of the stadium...

I haven't followed baseball in quite a few years, but I had a blast and enjoyed getting to talk baseball with my dad and Chas.  I think even my mom had fun.  We had great seats and the Cards won!!  Though, admittedly, Fredbird was one of Chas' favorite things about the game, which earned him a Build-a-Bear Fredbird during the 7th Inning Stretch.

 Mom was taking the pic, so she didn't get in this one.  Resulting in the pic below of the quintessential  sporting event pose...

Birthday Bash, Parts 1 & 2...

You see, this is another reason I'm not a good blogger.  I don't space my blogs out enough.  However, I wanted to post a few things about my birthday this year and it's already been almost 2 weeks.  I'm not a huge fan of birthdays (my own, at least).  This year, I was a bit sad because I was going to be away from Nathan, for my bday.  The up side was that I was going to be able to celebrate with some friends and my family.

 Part 1

Blessedly, it started with two of my peeps taking me out for the afternoon on the Tuesday before my birthday.  We went to one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Cheddar's.  Then we went to do one of my favorite activities - Bowling.  I know that it doesn't sound exciting, but I find if fun.  Especially with a couple good friends.  However, Stacey and Tammy went a step above and we didn't just go bowling, we also played mini-golf and spent some time in the arcade.  After that, we grabbed some ice cream at one of my favorite ice cream places - Maggie Moo's.  As you can see, it was a GREAT time and I didn't even mention the presents!  I'm pretty sure there is some photographic evidence of this outing, but I don't currently have it (might be for the best).

Part 2

Since my birthday was on a Thursday, we didn't really plan much.  My dad barbequed, which is one of my most favorite things, ever, and my mom made me a cake.  

When my Dad barbeques, it goes something like this, you have a hamburger with a hot dog as your side and then a couple ribs for dessert.  Needless to say, it was AWESOME!

And of course, the ribs get a big thumbs up from me!  They were super good.  Though, I have to admit just about everything was good.

Mom made me my favorite cake, chocolate with white icing.  Chas helped decorate with my favorite color.  The cake was unbelievably good (even with the sugar-free icing).  I regret that I didn't get to have more of it while I was there.

After all of this wonderful food was when Tammy and I walked around town to take pics.  As you can tell, I really needed the exercise!  It was a great day and pretty low-key.

The 'Dell...

So, anyone who has read my facebook or knows me very well, knows I'm from a very small town.  I recently visited my family and while there, I thought about what the town looks like now compared to how it looked while I was growing up.  I had long wanted to take pictures and I realized I should probably do it soon.  Already I had missed the opportunity to take pictures of what my childhood home looked like, the old movie theatre, the Western Auto building, and so on.  Here is a bit of what I captured on my trip...

This is my high school - North Pemiscot

The Mighty Mustangs!!

Our campus was a bit spread out.  In this one, you can see the Principal's building, the band building, and where the old gym used to be.

This old boarded up building may not look like much, but at one time it was a booming business - The Mustang!  I don't really remember it ever being open and operational, but I do remember getting off the bus from the Elementary school and my sister having a candy bar or a Jolly Rancher stick ready for me that she had bought at the Mustang.

The New Mustang

The town's only gas station.  It has a convenience store and some pretty good pizza.

 

Every town has to have one.  Here's ours:  City Hall and the Fire Station.

 

Ah, Wardell's own plaza (or shopping center, whatever you want to call it).  It housed the Post Office (still operating), a movie theatre (now burned and demolished), and a happening little drug store called Mrs. South's.  I remember going to Mrs. South's and getting a soda from the proprietor herself!

Ah, the other business district.  This one housed Bill White's, another little store (which sold the best candy bars - super cheap!), the town tavern, and the auction. 

The Stoplight - the town's one and only

This is also home to the Stoplight Cafe, which has been a great many businesses even in the course of my lifetime.

And last, but not least, we have the old Cotton Gin, not to be confused with the new and still operating Cotton Gin.  :)

Oh, there are so many things that I didn't quite capture!  We do still have another operating grocery store, The Food Center.  There are also still several houses, though many are currently for sale.  There are also several churches that are still going strong.

Wardell may not be a town that I want to live in currently, but I do have many fond memories of it.  Riding my bike all over town, meeting friends at the Food Center for a soda, playing on the playgrounds, etc.  Small towns aren't for everyone, but I did enjoy growing up in one.

More about the weather...

Okay, so I don't mean to keep making weather/seasonal posts, but I feel the need to comment on the fact that my infatuation with Summer has, in fact, ended.  I'm still thankful that Chas is out of school and that we don't have too much going on, but I'm over this heat, humidity, and bugs. 

Today has been WONDERFUL!  We had a great storm blow in yesterday evening and with it a lovely cool spell.  It was downright chilly this morning.  I found myself not only turning off the fans, but curling up with a throw blanket.  It has warmed up this afternoon and the breeze has settled a bit, but it is still quite pleasant.

It really made me realize how much I love fall.  I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures, but I'm still not too eager to wish away my summer.  We really haven't had the time or ability to do much, yet.  I hope to get to visit my family and friends back in Missouri and really hope Nathan gets to come for a visit as well.

One thing we were able to do was attend the Bristol 4th of July Parade.  It is the oldest in the country.  It doesn't mean a lot to many people, but I found it wonderful.  I don't think it is something I would want to attend regularly, but it was great to be able to go.  I am currently going through pics, that I hope to post soon. 

If anything else interesting happens, I hope to post it as well!!

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

It's Summer!  I'm not usually a big summer person (too hot and buggy), but I've never been happier to have a summer arrive.  Chas is out of school so we have no more morning or afternoon commute.  Last summer was wonderful.  We went to visit my parents and I spent most of the time lounging on the screened-in back porch reading or playing in the pool with Chas.  I'm not sure what this summer holds, but we do have some big plans.  Again, we are hoping to visit friends and family.  We are also hoping to get to the aquarium in Boston and a trip to the Mystic Seaport and, of course, the Newport Cliffwalk.  I've recently heard about several parks and museums in the area that I hope we make it to.  I also wouldn't mind some beach time.  I'm not one to try and plan out too much, but I really hope we have time for a few of our planned activities.

I'm not a big blogger.  I've not kept up with any of this.  And to be honest, I haven't had anything interesting going on to blog about.  I have read several of my friends' blogs and I follow a few others that I enjoy and I'm always amazed at how they can take such mundane things and make them fascinating.  I hope to make all of this more routine and I hope that some of our summer activities may provide material to do so.

Snow, snow, go away...

Yeah, okay.  So, I know that I live in New England and that it is winter, but this is kind of ridiculous, right?  I'm so sick of all of this snow.  It really does seem that it will never ever go away.  You would think that with all this snow, I would have had plenty of time to, say, update a blog.  However, I am sadly delinquent.  I never knew quite how this whole blog thing would work, but I do know that I have read a lot of them and have several friends who are now blogging in 2011.

With all that said, I do plan to do better this year.  I hope to make at least 3 entries this year.  And several more pictures.  I would post some of all this snow, but I've stopped taking pictures.  I see no point in rewarding the snow by taking pictures of it looking all pretty and stuff.  Especially when you can't see the layer of ice hidden beneath it.

I would also like to take time now to recap a lot of the Drake happenings from the last several months that I have been blog MIA.  However, I am sad to say there is little that I really deem blog-worthy.  Hopefully, I will have things going on soon to blog and update.

Take care.  :)