Weekend Recap Archives - Page 2 of 2

Trickery and Cut Throat Egg Hunt

April 9, 2012 by Susan 3 Comments

First and foremost! I hope you all had the loveliest of Easter Sundays. Let’s take a quick second to give our thanks and praise to the big Guy and all His miracles that we celebrated yesterday. Even if we celebrated it with some cut throat easter egg huntin’ and trickery.

Let me recap for you:

For Easter this year Michael and I went to my parents’ house for a hunt and a lunch. My roommate and her boyfriend also joined us - the more the merrier right?! My Auntie from Switzerland and grandmother were there too! (Oh, and my parents and sister of course). Did I mention the 5 dogs that were all 45 pounds or bigger? Yep. It was a fun afternoon.

We started with a rough and rowdy egg hunt. I am sure the neighbors were so confused to see 8 adults (and no kids) running through the yard with plastic bags full of eggs! There were only 45 eggs at stake.

There were three “Golden Eggs” hidden in the yard. Luckily my mom decided to only use a half acre of their 3 acre lot for the egg hunt… otherwise we might still be out there! I found 2 of the Golden Eggs (with the help of my Aunt because apparently I can touch an egg and still not see it… blonde?!) You want the Golden ones because those are the only ones with the cash. (The others all have coins.) She used to have chocolate in them but we learned a couple years ago that chocolate melts. And no one wants to find a plastic egg that looks like it has poo leaking out of it. Just sayin’.

Cait and her game face!

Looks like I was caught stealing eggs or something!

Long story short - the final egg out there was the last Golden Egg. I finally found it. Dropped it. And my roomie stole it. You know that was the one with $10 in it. There was some yelling and running. But she got it. Fair and square. I am just a sore loser.

Apparently ~~my mom~~ The Easter Bunny likes to make us hunt for things on Easter. Next on this list was my easter basket. My sister had already found hers in the morning. And apparently everyone knew where my basket was. In the coat closet. I opened the closet it was in - again, looked right at it supposedly, and missed it. They all gave me hints that lead me back to the closet. At that point though, I needed to act like I wasn’t a blind idiot who cannot find a large basket when it is staring right at her. Time to save face.

The family started looking for my easter basket… first just glances - then actual hunting

So what would any respectable person do? Re-hide the basket and not tell anyone but her boyfriend. Poor guy took the blame from my whole family when they all accused him of hiding it from me! I snuck off and hid the basket in my sister’s bedroom. Sneaky sneaky! At that point I had my entire family searching through the whole house looking for my basket all over again! Suckers. Eventually I “found” the basket in Leslie’s room. No one knew who to blame. And because I am completely incapable of lying they eventually figured out that I punk’d them. Happy Easter family!

First year I got a basket that I had to share with Mike… The beef jerky is not mine.

My sister’s cat wanted to join us. Fun fact -
this black cat is actually sister to my 2 cats!

We had a great pot-luck feast. Fish. Pork. Tons and tons of veggies. Wine. And dessert courtesy of me!

Lemon berry trifle! Recipe to come later this week!

8 people - several helpings each. Pretty sure everyone enjoyed it!

After the meal we enjoy the 70ish degree weather out on the back deck. It was a nice afternoon. And yes, I still have silly bangs. (I will definitely be packing a ball cap for Disney on Wednesday!)

Great picture of Caitlin and Mark

Oh yeah, then we went to visit the neighbors chickens. Despite their gross feet - I still kinda want some.

I hope you all had a terrific Easter Weekend! Keep in mind I am leaving on Wednesday at 5am for “Spring Break” in Orlando. I am still looking for a couple people who might be interested in Guest Posting for me while I am away. There are not many spots left so shoot me an email if you have any interest! 2catsandchloe(at)gmail(dot)com

Chat soon lovelies! xoxo Suz

Weekend Recap AND Adventuresome Tuesday

April 3, 2012 by Susan 6 Comments

Remember last week when we went on vacation together to Salzburg, Austria? Do you remember how I said I was going to make it part of a series? Witty name is yet to come - but for now, we are calling it Adventuresome Tuesday. I promised Krystal that I would talk about Italy this week. Krystal, I am sorry to let you down, but there was a change of plans. (You will hear all about Venice next week… pinky promise!)

Since Michael and I went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina this past weekend, I thought I should take the opportunity to share a little bit about the OBX with you today! (I know… for those of you who are local… this isn’t very adventuresome! Just deal. Because I am sure there are a handful of readers not familiar with what loveliness we have hiding here on the east coast.)

About an hours drive from my front door you will find the beaches of northern North Carolina… which have lovingly been nicknamed “OBX” - for the Outer Banks. I spent my summers vacationing down in NC. And eight years ago I was lucky enough to work an Activities internship with Corolla Light Resort, which not only meant I became and expert at tie-dye t-shirts and balloon animals - it meant I lived a block from the beach for 3.5 months!

I absolutely love the Outer Banks. From my internship, to special trips with my mom at the Sanderling Inn, to the annual timeshare with my grandparents each spring, to camping with my cousins on Ocracoke Island and fighting off birds that stole our pretzels… The Outer Banks hold a special place in my heart.

So how about a few OBX highlights for you! Some pics were taken this weekend, some are from the past… enjoy!

You have to drive across the bridge to get to the outer banks of the state. Be careful! You will almost always find a cop with his radar gun waiting to greet you and your vacation on the other side of the bridge!

Jockey’s Ridge is a landmark in the Outer Banks. It’s a ginormous sand dune that sadly, is getting flatter and flatter each year. It’s so fun to climb up, check out the views, and race/roll/tumble down it. (Below - Chloe and I sitting on top of Jockey’s Ridge) You can see the ocean, the sound, and everything in between. Including the Wright Brothers Memorial! The first plane was flown right here in NC!

There are these convenient places called “Brew Thru.” It is exactly what it sounds like. You drive through, pick up your brew and snacks (yes, they will give you alcohol - just don’t drink and drive!) and then you drive on. I do believe they will load up the back of your truck with a keg on the spot if you so desire!

Continue on to North Beach in the Corolla and Carova area where the beach is a highway. Good thing you have a jeep! (Carova: get it - carolina and virginia! You are on the beach where Carolina and Virginia meet! You can drive up far enough and see the stateline gate. They only open the gate when hurricanes come.)

While in Carova, if you are lucky, you will see some wild horses. They just roam up and down the beach and the dunes. Quite beautiful.

Now to head back to Corolla and south of that… where the road is pavement not sand… Here are a few other sites we saw this weekend!

(Above) The Whalehead Club.

(Below) This is a pic I snapped this past weekend. It was dreary and cold but it still looks lovely! Kitty Hawk, NC.

Towards the end of the beach, in Nags Head, you will find Jeanette’s Pier. This pier has been around for years and has faced hurricane after hurricane. It was recently rebuilt so Mike and I went to check it out!

Beware! You might have a shark bite your head if you don’t pay attention!

Want a delicious treat? Try some Duck Donuts from Duck, NC. We had them on Sunday… so not paleo friendly but so incredibly delicious!

Honestly kids - I could go on for hours. Maybe later this summer I will tell you what it’s like to camp on the beaches of Ocracoke Island (about an hour and a ferry ride further from where we were this weekend!)

Have you ever been to the OBX? I love it. Peaceful. Calm. Not so touristy like Myrtle Beach. If you need an idea of a place to get away to for a week to read a good book, enjoy the beach, and take the jeep off roading… this is it.

Next Tuesday: Venice. Ciao!

Saturday in Williamsburg!

February 20, 2012 by Susan 5 Comments

Hello Friends! Are you ready for a ~~weekend~~ Saturday recap with a TON of pictures? Good. Then you are in the right place at the right time. Love it when that happens, don’t you?!

I am proud to say that I took all of my photos in manual mode this weekend! Hooray right? I decided it was time to learn and practice. So the photos you are about to encounter may or may not have the awesome blur effect that I will be known for as a not-so-pro photog. Practice makes perfect though, so bear with me.

Saturday Michael and I went to Williamsburg, Virginia for the day! It was nice to spend more than five minutes together. Let me walk you through our day…

This is the guy that I hung out with all day! Cute right?

He was so nice to give me some photography lessons in “Suz Terms.” I really need to take time to visualize what buttons do what, and when to do what to get the exact image I am looking for… tricky.

Our first stop was at the Williamsburg Winery. We did the $10 tour and tasting, which took about an hour. We got to taste 7 delicious wines and some delicious gouda cheese!

See… blurry. Gotta work this little issue out…

Did you know one barrel yields 300 bottles of wine?! Crazy right?! Did you also know that you can purchase these barrels for only $75?! I got so excited when I heard that. Think of the craft projects! And then she said there was a 5 year wait list for one of these suckers. Lame.

Since we were so impressed by the gouda cheese, and our dinner reservations weren’t until 8:30pm, we headed to the colonial area and visited the Cheese Shop!

For $20 we got a cheese plate for two and one glass of wine for me!

I really do love cheese.

I made sure the brie was scraped clean!

After the cheese we wandered around the downtown area. Again, killing time and enjoying the scenery.

Oh and being tourists… even if we are only 20 minutes from home. Mike refused to let me take a picture of him doing this. Silly boys.

I learned that manual mode, in the evening, without a tripod isn’t the easiest thing. But I do like this picture below. See the stars in the sky?

We sat on this bench, like an old couple for about 30 minutes.

Then we wandered around the William and Mary campus. I felt old. And I missed JMU. And being a screamy college freshman. Then I realized I was happy not screaming to get boys’ attention and all was well again.

Finally it was time for dinner! I did a little costume change in the car since we were going to a fancy dinner! Time to put on nice pants and some heals! I wish I had a picture of us without our coats on… we looked nice! Mike actually wore khakis and a button down! Gasp! I know!

We started at the bar and I decided a cocktail was in order, since we never ever do this! I got the Almond Joy! It was delicious!

You know it’s a fancy joint when your waiter leaves this on your table for you…

Dinner was good, but not excellant. I hate to say that, but it’s true. I also hate to spend a lot of money on dinner, but Michael said it was okay and that he was treating. So when we are spending $30 - $45 a plate, I expect fireworks! The presentation was excellent! We had told them that we were going to split the two meals and they actually divided them up in the kitchen and made them look pretty on both of our plates! That impressed me. But the food… meh. Good thing the company was awesome.

All in all, it was a great Saturday! I hope I haven’t bombarded you with too many pictures!

Come back tomorrow because I will be announcing a new giveaway! If you like jewelry you will like this giveaway! I promise! Happy Monday Friends! xoxo

Weekend Recap: Burritos, Babies, Jesus, Pinterest, Zombies

February 13, 2012 by Susan 2 Comments

Are you ready for another weekend recap? No?! Shall I tell you a joke first? Okay… Just for you… the one reader who is not ready for my weekend recap. Here’s your joke:

Did you hear about the Circus fire?

It was intense.

Don’t get it? Say it out loud.

I pretty much use this joke on a daily basis. And I make Michael “laugh” at it every time.

Okay - on to the recap!

Friday.

I ended up calling in sick for half of Friday. I was a hot mess. My body just seems to be physically and mentally drained after being sick and exhausted. This led to me crying. A whole lot. Which is never fun.

So then my mom and I went desk chair shopping. Which you will see more of later this week! Because boy was it a good time. Until we yelled at the Office Max clerk when she got our hopes up and popped them like a sheet of bubble wrap on a boring day…

Because my mom felt bad for me, and probably because she wanted me to basically just stop crying, she decided to help me organize! We started working on my closet project!

I found this on pinterest:

{source}

And decided I wanted to do something similar in my tiny townhouse’s dark hallway. A bench was my first thought, like the picture above, but I am pretty sure a dresser or something will be the most efficient. A girl’s gotta keep her craft stuff somewhere right?! Stay tuned!

When she left around 10:45 pm I realized I had not eaten dinner yet, so I popped some popcorn and finished off a dark chocolate bar filled with joy, love, and peace.

Saturday.

I woke up early Saturday morning to trek up to Richmond, Virginia. It is about a 2 hour drive provided there is no traffic or crazy weather. A couple of my awesome college friends, Chris and Katie, are preparing for their first child. Kinsley’s due date is March 1. So my other college friend, Christen, and I decided we would make them some freezer meals! Things they can eat right away, or hold off until all the casseroles and spaghetti from family and friends ease off.

We made my famous, award winning chicken chili, some teriyaki chicken for the crock pot, breakfast burritos, and dinner burritos! Here’s hoping they love burritos!

When it started snowing in Richmond, I took that as my cue to head home. Which was ~~probably~~ a mistake. It snowed all.the.way.home. Wait, I take that back. I out drove the snow. Then I stopped to see my boyfriend (who lives an hour away from me) for seriously, only 5 minutes. And the snow caught back up!! And then it started Thunder Snowing. THUNDER AND LIGHTNING WITH SNOW. I had no clue this was even possible. NO CLUE! (I still need to tell you about that time I was struck by lightning, don’t I?) After almost 4 hours of driving, I made it home. And it stopped snowing five minutes later.

Saturday night I made this. And pinned it. And it went viral. 28 repins in 8 minutes! Who knew?!

Sunday.

I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of crazy wind hitting my window. After flipping on the news, only to hear about Whitney Houston I decided a cup of hot tea was necessary. {By the way - here’s my two cents about Whitney. I hope you don’t mind if I rant. Is there absolutely nothing better to talk about for hours than the death of a drug addicted singer? Sure, maybe she didn’t die of an overdose. The jury isn’t back on that yet. But when we have soldiers dying in Iraq and we rarely hear their names and stories on the news, why do we continue to focus on one famous person after the next and their drug adventures and mishaps? Yes - she had an awesome voice. I will fully support that fact. I remember blasting her tunes in the van with my mom as a kid. But seriously. What does this teach people? Become a crazy good singer (or reality star), get addicted to something, make it public, go crazy, and you will make millions…. then when you die, people will love you even more. Sigh. Okay, done ranting. Sorry.}

Half way through my cup of tea I got a text message from Katie. Yep. The same Katie I cooked food for on Saturday. She had her baby!! Two and a half weeks early!! And then I got this photo text.

CUTEST BABY EVER. Let’s be honest, they don’t all come out looking cute. This one is adorable!! I can’t wait to meet little Miss Kinsley soon!

Oh, and we got about this much snow….

And then I wore my boots to church.

Church was great. My roommate invited me to go to her church. It was one of those morning’s when you know you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. The sermon was about Jesus’s love for us, and our love for each other.

The craziest part? Before church I was playing around with photoshop. I decided I was going to make a printable with the Jesus Love’s Me verse on it. (My grandfather had us sing this to him when he was sick with cancer. We later sang it at his funeral. Still hits home.) 10 minute into the singing at church, I was floored, and feeling the vapors, when they started singing “Jesus Loves Me.”

At the end of the sermon the pastor stressed that as Christians we should all be praying for each other. And that we should tell people when we are in need prayers. Then he asked for people with financial problems to stand; those in need of a job, so we could pray for them. I am having financial run-ins right now. But I didn’t feel like my housing issues put me on the same level as those without an income at all.

Then he asked for those with health issues to stand so we could pray for them. I thought about it. Because boy have I wanted those prayers. But again, I didn’t feel like crazy stomach issues put me on the same playing field as those with cancer. Ya know?

I know… it’s silly right? Maybe I couldn’t stand up in a huge church. But here I am. Asking you, my awesome readers, for prayers. My housing drama has caused way to many tearful nights, along with a level of stress I have never experienced before. I believe the stress and anxiety from that is causing my stomach issues. Please pray for these things to be resolved, and that God will give me peace and rest with both.

Being at church for today’s sermon was awesome. My roommate called it a “God-vention.” I knew I was supposed to be there. And I needed that reminder that even though my mortgage company doesn’t care about me, and even though our government doesn’t help people like me who have been doing the right thing, Jesus cares. Heck, he more than cares. He loves me.

So what was I reminded of this weekend? Love. Friends, family, burritos, babies, Jesus, Pinterest, desk chairs, Zombie Cards. All of it. Oh, didn’t I mention it? My boyfriend sent me an e-card Sunday night. Sweet right?!

When I saw the email I was expecting some cute, romantic Valentine e-card. Haha! Not sure what I was thinking!! Then I opened it up… Yeah… that’s my boyfriend. Mister Romance!

I’m pretty sure if he was a zombie, I would have to end our relationship. Zombies terrify me. Glad to hear I would be last on the chopping block when it comes to the apocalypse though! LOL! <3

Happy Monday ya’ll! Let’s make it a productive week full of love!

PS. Thanks for reading my longest blog post ever. Love you readers!

Weekend Recap!

February 6, 2012 by Susan 10 Comments

Hello dear readers and followers! I am so sorry that I have been MIA for several days. It turned out to be quite the busy weekend and I am still not feeling 100% better. Rather than rambling on and on today, I decided a few snap shots and captions would be the best bet before I head out to yet another doctors appointment.

Friday.

Friday ended with a 5:30pm Conference Call announcing the top sales people for 2011. I was slightly bitter that the call was at 5:30 on a Friday but then this happened:

Yep! 5th place in sales, in the entire country! What WHAT?! And then this happened also:

That’s right! My mom and I work together. And apparently we work together very well because she also made it as a Top Gun. When we are doing mock presentations the the VP of the company always asks us: What does that mean to you? That means, dear readers, that at some point in April I will be MIA because my company is sending me on a mini vacation to a warm location that has palm trees, a pool, and hopefully fruity beverages. (The location has yet to be disclosed.)

Then Michael and I went out to Cracker Barrel for dinner. While walking into the restaurant we saw this:

(I blacked out the license plate to protect the innocence of the cat lover.) To make the above picture even better (like it needs it!!) Mike was walking ahead of me as I was trying to not look like a creeper taking a picture of a stranger’s vehicle. He whispered “Susan, they are in there!!” I immediately put my phone down and tried to look cool. Only to realize he was talking about THE CATS!! There was a cat sitting in the front seat! And goodness knows how many in the backseat! At which point I became a klutz and ran into the side mirror of the car parked next to this one and bruised up my arm pretty badly. Totally worth it though.

Saturday.

My roommate invited me to go to yoga with her. This was my first time doing any sort of yoga and it was a great start to a day! I wish I had a photo of my awkwardness to share with you so we could laugh together at how incredibly, well, awkward I am.

After yoga we treated ourselves to the Broken Egg Bistro, their pineapple mimosas, and a delicious breakfast.

You should really take a closer look at that asparagus! Normally I think of asparagus as aspara-gross - but this stuff was aspar-amazing!

I did some chores. And I actually learned that there is surface to my desk!

Then Caitlin and I decided to continue pampering ourselves and we went to get manis and pedis.

Sunday.

After Mike and I realized it was Super Bowl Sunday, not Super Bowl Saturday (can you tell how much we know slash care about football?!) we decided to head to my folks place for a delicious dinner. The Carriage House (the cafe my family owns) is having a huge Valentine’s Dinner next week and we decided it would be best if we practiced the meal. Steak, scallops, mahi mahi, a crab cake, veggies, a salad, rice, and wine. Not too shabby right?

And since my desk is clean I can actually see my cute coasters. I absolutely love these coasters. Pretty sure I need to turn them into something larger that I can hang on my wall.

I hope you all had a lovely, restful weekend. Here’s to the start of a productive, creative, and (fingers crossed) healthy week! Go find your cape and tiara and save the world. xoxo