New Adventure | Peaches Prattlings

{February 23, 2025} A whirlwind weekend in NYC!

Is there any other kind?!

After work on Friday, PSM and I jumped in the Jeep, well, climbed in is more like it, for me, at least! PSM is not as vertically challenged as I am! I digress…we got into the Jeep and headed for the big city, the Big Apple, the big NYC, sensing a theme here?

We were making good time and decided to grab some dinner and stopped in Easton, PA, at at Pop’s Kitchen and Taproom. It was an interesting place, as in, it was part of the gas station parking lot, and when you walked in there was a convenience type market on the left, the counter/kitchen straight ahead, and to the right was a bar with some tables, and the beer cooler right behind it.

It’s an eclectic little place, had a few people in when we got there, two people at the bar, and as time went on, the place filled up, some regulars, and some passing through like us. I really liked the decorations, definitely a tap room, especially with all the beer taps hanging from the ceiling!

Back on the road, we parked and made it to the hotel by about 930p, definitely made good time, let dad know we were safe and up we went, to the 12th floor. Our room was right in between two elevators, but…it wasn’t as loud as you might think! The only time I noticed the elevators was when I was in the shower and heard the gears, it took me a minute to figure out what the noise was!

We were having a lazy morning, but it was time for some grub! We walked right by my sister and dad’s hotel, literally next door! We went to two places that had a long wait, NYC is full of places to try, and we found the Brooklyn Diner, nostalgic, yet, not inexpensive…as evident by the price for one single pancake…$15! Let’s just say, the experience and food were worth it!

We sat at the counter, one of our favorite places to sit, and shared a frittata, potatoes, challah, a cup of coffee for PSM and hot tea for me. We almost always share our breakfast, we enjoy it! The food was good, the company even better, and the atmosphere was buzzing. You could tell some of the folks were regulars, by the way they were greeted and chatted with some of the staff.

Our waiter was great, very friendly, as we chatted, we found out he was from Mexico, so we chatted about our shared love of Mexico, my time spent there as a kid, and the trip PSM and I took 2 years ago. The manager was another character, very nice woman and we hit it off like gangbusters! Go figure!

After breakfast, we headed towards Central Park, which was only a few blocks away, we were going to stroll through the park to The Met, apologies, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for those not in the know! That’s where we were going to meet my dad and sister.

The walk through the park was wonderful! It was about 35 degrees, maybe it got up to 40, can’t remember, but the sun was shining and it was lovely! There were so many people about…horse drawn carriages, reminded me of my trip with SDL and Miss A almost 2 years ago, there were pedicabs, people walking, running, jogging, strolling, walking dogs, pushing strollers, playing frisbee with their dogs, visiting the vendors selling stuff, waiting for the Zamboni to finish so they could lace up their skates and take a turn on the ice at the Iconic Wollman Skating Rink. What more could you want?!

We walked through the park to the museum, isn’t it iconic?! I love this museum, so many fond memories growing up and spending time at the museum. We went in and found my dad and my sister, that took a little doing, only because the museum is huge and there is very little to no signal in a few parts of the museum, so if they moved…Marco… Polo!

After the museum we got a knish, NY pretzel, and some drinks, y u m!!! Then we got in a taxi, how very totally NY of us! and headed to The Village for a celebration of life for a family member, which I will tell you in a separate post. I will tell you that the celebration was just that, there were a few tears, but so much love, joy, life, and love, did I say love, in that room, you couldn’t help but smile.

After the celebration, we got in two taxis, you couldn’t fit us all in, so it was the girls in one cab and the guys in another. We headed back towards the hotel to find food and take a breather before we went to the theater. Near the hotel was Serafina, an Italian restaurant that could take 7 of us without a reservation at the moment, it was about 5p, it hadn’t filled up yet. Most of us had eaten at a Serafina before and liked it, this time…not so much.

Aside from smelling weed the entire meal, we think it was coming from the building next door, which was connected by a door that didn’t seem to want to close, the food was just…bland. PSM ordered an Old Fashioned and said it wasn’t very good, I asked to taste it, as I always do, and let me tell you… I did not make a face, I could not taste the alcohol and all I tasted was sugar, and you know how much I love sugar, this was not one of those times!

So… unfortunately, in addition to the drink, which they remade, the food was bland, I’m not sure if anyone truly enjoyed their meal. The bruschetta was good, that was the saving grace. Look, not all meals can be winners, but, for me, I don’t think I’ll be going to another Serafina any time soon, and it’s ok, there are plenty of other Italian restaurants to try!

After dinner, we went back to our respective hotels to take a breather, get off our feet for a few before we went to the theater, and when I say for a few, I meant it! We had just taken off our shoes and it was time to put them back on. Unfortunately PSM wasn’t feeling well, so he stayed behind and I met everyone in the lobby of their hotel to walk to the theater. As my dad would tell you, PSM didn’t miss much!

We walked to the Ambassador Theater to see a production of Chicago, now you may know it from seeing it on Broadway starring Bebe Neuwirth, who played multiple characters, Paige Davis, Sandy Duncan, Joel Grey, and one of my favorites, Jinx Monsoon, literally just to name a few! or a local theater near you, or maybe you saw the movie Chicago, starring Rene Zellweger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, and Chita Rivera. Maybe you just know the score.

The premise: Roxie Hart, a chorus girl, kills her lover after he tries to end their affair. Velma Kelly, a nightclub star, kills her husband and sister after finding them in bed together. The two women compete for the attention of the press and a lawyer named Billy Flynn.

There are some great numbers: All that Jazz, The Cell Block Tango, my favorite When You’re Good to Mama. There is a bonafide story there, truly there is. The problem we had with this production, in our opinion….there was no set, not a big issue, I’ve seen many shows without sets, maybe just a block here and there, but some pieces of set, besides a few chairs would be helpful. The orchestra was on the stage, so that took up most of it, even though there was an entrance in the middle of the orchestra, I thought the orchestra, while very good, was loud and drowned out some of the players.

The show opened with All That Jazz, then went into the next number, and the next, there wasn’t a lot of dialog that wasn’t sung, and without a story/backstory or some context, if you don’t know the show, you would probably be lost, or bored, as my nieces were. We thought it would be a good high energy show for them, which it was high energy here and there, but not enough for them.

The singing and dancing was good by the players, Dylis Croman was great as Velma, had the moves, motions, dance, vocals, character. Nakiya Peterkin was a powerhouse as Matron Mama Morton, Max Von Essen was good as Billy Flynn, Greg Hildreth was great as Amos Hart, and R. Lowe was fabulous as Mary Sunshine, the reporter.

The one actor we couldn’t get behind was Erika Jayne as Roxie Hart. You may know Erika Jayne, or not, from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She could sing, but her movements weren’t fluid, they were a little stiff, especially compared to the rest of the cast, we didn’t really get behind her as a lead. I just realized I said get behind twice, sorry!

Overall, we were happy to hear the music and sing along, sort of, but overall, not the best theater experience for us, well, when you have a favorite performance, you compare all others to that one and that happened this time, oh well…we still love going to the theater, won’t stop us from maybe seeing another performance of Chicago somewhere else!

After the show, it was back to our respective hotels. We enjoyed the walk together, discussing the show and reminiscing about our favorite shows. Dad and I made plans for tomorrow, PSM and I would drive him back home, an little extra time to spend together, bonus!

The next morning, we got up, showered, packed, went to a local diner, had a decent breakfast, back to the hotel to finish packing and go to pick up the Jeep. On the way, got to see and say goodbye to EJS and MGS, then back to pick up dad and drive to Staten Island. We got to the house and hung out for a while, then we hit the road, but not before stopping at Heartland Bagels to pick up supplies, and by supplies, I mean bagels, bialys, spreads, and a few sweets, NY bagels, what more could you want?!

We were then officially on the road, back to PA, listening to the next few chapters of the Jack Reacher book we’re listening to. We stopped to pick up groceries and then… the puppies! We were back early enough on Sunday to pick up the pups instead of tomorrow. The house is now intact, everyone is home!

Ok, that was quite the weekend, I think I need a nap, what about you?!

{February 9, 2025} Let’s head north! Stop in NC, and drive 10 hours, what did you do today?!

Got up, waited for SDL and Miss A to get up, took a shower, packed, hugs and kisses all around, and headed out. My goal was to leave between 8 and 9am and I split that down the middle! I was out the door at 830a exactly! Highly unusual for me, btw!

I got on the road and headed to meet MM at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen in Belmont, NC, a little over 3.5 hours from SDL’s house, no problem. I stopped for gas, got something at Starbucks along the way, oh, and dropped the top on the beetle bug, it was 77 degrees out after all! Yes, I said 77, don’t get too jealous, I told you it was that fabulous all week, but…I was heading back to the frozen tundra, so…

We found each other at Nellie’s, sat down and started catching up. The beautiful thing about our relationship, like many of my friendships, it doesn’t matter how much time there’s been between visits, we pick up where we left off.

Nellie’s was nice, when I went to the restroom, I was looking at all the decorations, and there is a hallway that had a lot of Jonas Brothers memorabilia, photos, press releases, newspaper and magazine covers, gold records, albums, and I looked it up, the restaurant was started by Kevin Jonas Sr, his wife Denise, and their four sons. The restaurant is named for the Jonas Brothers great-grandmother Nellie Jonas, go figure!

It has a nice atmosphere and feel, it was crowded, you definitely need a reservation, there was live music and a general warm feeling. It helped that it was a very warm day in Belmont, NC, so people were not only in Nellie’s but crowding the small town’s streets.

After lunch, we walked around town, there was even a winter market in the park. I have to chuckle because a winter market implies winter temperatures, we were with everyone else in shorts and tee shirts walking around enjoying the 77 degree winter weather!

After a bit, it was time to get back on the road, I had another 8 hours of driving, best get to it! MM and I hugged our goodbyes, I got in the car, plugged in my phone, dropped the top and away we went, and by we, me and Black Betty, the beetle bug!

Something PSM and I do when we drive, we go until we’re at about half a tank, pull off the road, fill up, take care of business, maybe get a drink, and generally get the wiggles out, then back on the road, it makes the trip easier and you get to move around a bit.

It was great, it was about 77 degrees out most of the drive, I had the top down, sometimes listening to a podcast, sometimes blasting my music and dancing down the highway, what could be better! Don’t get too jealous, as soon as I got close to West Virginia, the temperature dropped, and quickly. It went from 77 to 65, then 60 in a flash, I got to West Virginia, pulled in for gas, and all of a sudden, it was 55! So…top back up and back on the road.

I drove through 7 states total, Georgia > South Carolina > North Carolina > Virginia > West Virginia > Maryland > Pennsylvania. By the time I got home…it was somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees, see…told you not to get jealous! One of the things I love about using Google Maps is when you cross a state line you get the pop up “Welcome to…” and whatever icon would represent that state. My phone did something funky just as I was crossing the border into Pennsylvania, hence, no Welcome to… oh well…

I pulled into the driveway about 1030p, it was clear, thanks to PSM who spent FOUR hours on Sunday breaking through the ice and snow, THANK YOU! I made it into the barn, unloaded my bags, headed into the house and got attacked by puppy love, not a bad way to be!

I can drive for a long time as long as it’s daylight, I’m ok at night, but if it’s been a super long drive, that last hour can be tough. Sometimes I pull into rest areas and service stations a little more often, but I make it to my destination.

Overall, not a bad day, I know it took closer to 11 hours total driving, but it wasn’t bad. Come on, what could be bad with a convertible and manual transmission?! Come with me next time, we’ll drop the top, blast the tunes and say wheeeeee!

{January 30, 2025} Ten years ago today, my world changed

Absolutely for the better, best! Today I went out on a date with a new guy that I had only emailed with for a week. Who knew…that first date would become the longest first date ever! We’re still on it!

January 30, 2015, well, January 2015, was a crazy month in the world, the weather, friends, the weather! That was the year no one went to school, work, or flew on a Monday in January in Boston! They called it snowmaggeden! ‘Nearly 95 inches of that winter’s snow fell between Jan. 24 and Feb. 22, completely burying the previous snowfall record for a 30-day period, which had been just 58.8 inches. The unprecedented month included four consecutive weeks of storms that dropped between 16 and 24 inches’.

I happened to be living with my sister’s family at that time, it was after I left Denver, before I got a place of my own in Boston. I know I’ve told you some of this story, but I’m going to tell you again, and more, maybe! My sister and her friend AT, who I knew, were talking and since everyone I knew in Boston, except for one friend from high school, were my sister’s friends, they thought…PSM and I were both single and we might get along.

Let’s see…we both love to travel, ride motorcycles, computer geeks, love movies, and skiing. Yeah, that’s about right! So… they gave us the other one’s emails and I honestly don’t know who sent the first email, but it went from there! We made simple chit chat, then our emails grew, a little longer each time. I will say the first email I sent, I waited…and wondered…and after a few emails, it was like we’d known each other for a long time, even though we were still getting to know each other!

I think I told you we started sending each other pick up lines, but not just any pick up lines, I sent him science-y pick up lines, I knew he had a background in bio-chemistry, and I think I told you…I still don’t understand some of them! ha ha, and in turn, he sent me computer-y jokes, they were hysterical! Luckily, he’s a techie, really smart and actually understood some of them! ha ha

After a few emails we decided we would get together the following week, yup, we emailed for one week and went on our first date, he came up with six ideas for a first date, what guy does that?! My fella, that’s who! We decided on an Irish pub, I had just gotten back from Ireland a few weeks prior, so that would be perfect!

He picked me up from my sister’s house, he came to the door and held my arm to get to his vehicle, made sure I didn’t fall or slip on the ice, held my door open, and away we went. We talked, laughed, got to know each other, and ended up closing the pub down, now…that’s a good first date if I do say so myself.

He took me back to my sister’s house, we were remiss to end the date, but it was late and I think one or both of us had something going on in the morning. We said goodnight with the promise to talk tomorrow. And we did, we talked, we texted, we talked, we texted. Oh! I forgot! During our first date…I told him there was a murder mystery dinner theater happening at my sister’s synagogue, which was not far from her house, and would he like to go with me? I know you know he said yes!

The murder mystery dinner was the following Saturday, he met me there and…he was wearing a suit! LOVE that!!! Oh, and get this…at one time in his life, he actually lived up the street from where my sister lives and…he used to go to the synagogue my sister’s family belongs to and where the murder mystery dinner was!

After the show, he and I went to a local pub to continue talking and getting to know each other and at some point I said…”so, when are you taking me skiing?” And his response…funny you should ask me that, I was going to see if you wanted to go next weekend?! How could I refuse such an offer?!

So…we talked and texted throughout the week and Friday came…it was Valentine’s Day weekend, and guess what was delivered…a dozen red roses, yes indeed! I was touched and felt a little spoiled! Let’s just say…when the women in the friend group found out…the guys started calling, not his fault he was making them look bad! ha ha!

He picked me up on Friday and we drove to his house in New Hampshire, I’ve told you about the ski house before. So it was PSM, his dog Mollie, and me. He did tell me not to wear black, great…everything I have under my ski gear and apres-ski…black! Mollie was a big white dog…go figure!

So…we went to New Hampshire, we skied, we apres-skied, hung out, got to know each other and we’ve been together ever since. You’ve been with us on this journey, on some of our trips, the good, the silly, the adventurous, and who knows what the future holds, but…

here it is January 30, 2025, ten years, how many trips and countries, three home states, three dogs, several motorcycles later and we are still going strong. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us, but you know I’ll be sharing it with you!

We try to wish each other happy anniversary on the 30th of every month, well, not February, of course…but I just want to say…happy anniversary PSM, I love you. Here’s to our 10th year of dating, looking forward to the next ten, and the next!

{January 25, 2025} No real apples, I promise!

Tonight we went to the weekly LVMC meeting and I brought two pies. Two mock apple pies.

Yes, I said mock…apple pies! I was supposed to bring them last week, but I was in NYC with dad, and I honestly couldn’t remember when I promised to make them, so…I wanted to make up for it this week and I made two mock apple pies.

Back to the pies. I found this recipe a few months ago, I honestly don’t know how I found it, what I was looking for, none of that, but I found the recipe and I couldn’t believe it, so I thought…why not! I can’t eat real apples and this doesn’t have any apples in it, so…here we go!

The recipe calls for water, sugar, cream of tartar, 30 buttery round crackers, c’mon, we all know what those are! and yes, 30, well, 30 for the filling, and 1 cup crushed for the topping, cinnamon, lemon juice, and a pie shell. I know it sounds crazy, but those are all the ingredients.

Here is the history of the mock apple pie, it actually dates back to the mid-1800 when fresh fruit, apples specifically were scarce, inventive cooks would use salted crackers or stale bread. In the 30’s Nabisco started putting the recipe on the back of the box.

Why does mock apple pie taste like real apple pie? “Mock apple pie tastes like apple pie because it uses ingredients that mimic the flavor and texture of apples. The acidic qualities of crackers, combined with other ingredients like lemon juice, cream of tartar, and cinnamon, create a flavor profile that’s similar to apple pie.” Works for me!

So…a few months ago, I bought a box of Ritz Crackers, lemon juice, pie crusts, and cream of tartar, the rest I had in the cabinets. I set about making the pie and unfortunately, the crumble top got a little burned, but….I pulled off as much of the burned pieces I could and I cut a slice for PSM and I.

Let me tell you… two things happened…One: IT TASTED LIKE APPLE PIE!!! and two: PSM said “I might have to have another slice!” That doesn’t always happen! Not because he doesn’t like what I make, he does, most of the time, and i will admit, not everything I make is great, but he’s not a huge sweets guy and…he’s not really a pie guy!

For our wedding, neither of us wanted a cake, and when I mentioned pie, he quickly said no, he doesn’t like pie, which I happen to la la la love! So…when he said he’d have another piece, and he had one… tickle me…well, tickle me pink!

So…I knew I wanted to make two pies to take to the club tonight, all food is sold and the profits go to the club, what could be better?! Share some sweets and help the club? Score! I started making the first pie, PSM brought me another pie crust when he got home.

The first pie I made in our Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven thing, I had the pie on the top rack, too close to the top, so it burned the crumble on top, part way through I moved it to the oven and kept it on the lowest rack possible.

Second pie, I made in the oven, lowest rack possible, top still burned a little, and interestingly, both pies had the same amount of filling, one was fluffier than the other, hmmm….either way I made two pies, wrapped them up in tin foil and we headed to the clubhouse.

They went to the kitchen, we went up to the meeting and after the meeting, while we were all hanging out, people started to have some pie, $3 a slice, very reasonable! One guy, JB, told me he made the same pie last week. Someone else, who happens to be a fabulous baker, asked me for the recipe! Can you imagine! Then a few other people had a slice, even PSM bought a slice!

I kept having to tell people, ‘no!’ there are no apples in this pie! Don’t ask me how it works, it just does! PSM said I shouldn’t sell it as a mock apple pie, but I completely disagree, I want people to know what it is and how great it is! And it was so great! they asked me to make some for the clubhouse when we have bingo night! I was tickled… pink, like a pink lady apple! HA HA

I was in a good mood when I made the pies, which you really have to be in a good mood when you bake or things just don’t come out right, and I was in an even better mood when people told me how much they liked it and asked me to make it again! I’ll come down off the cloud soon! Best part…there was a little pie left so guess who got to take it home! Y U M!!!

If you make it, let me know how it came out! And if you could believe your tastebuds!

{January 25, 2025} Sold Out? Already? Wow!

We got up leisurely, gotta love Saturdays! Took the dogs for a walk and talked about where we would start our day….Why, the Whirling Dervish, of course!

I say of course because one…it’s Java Journey time! and two…their hours are limited. Thursday and Friday, 7a-1p, and Saturday 8a-12p. I think I told you last year, it’s not the main business for the owner, there is a real estate office in the front of the building and that’s the main source of income.

We got there, along with everyone else! There were four people in there when we opened the door, well, four customers, and it was crowded! There was one person working behind the counter/register and three people in the kitchen, don’t call the fire marshal! That’s how small this place is, just saying! They had a steady stream of people in all morning and their baked goods, almost out! And we were there about 830/9am!

PSM got their signature drink, The Jittery Gnome, don’t you just love it?! I opted for a hot tea, the loose tea smelled sooo good! I only get a hot tea from them, I didn’t care for the tea I had last year made with almond milk, just wasn’t for me. Just being in there can overwhelm some people, it’s small and jam packed with gnome knick-knacks, but I love it! Besides, I really enjoy their pastries. We got a pastry to go, our drinks were ready and we headed out, five more people came in as we were getting our drinks! crowded!

Oh! I forgot! When we got our passports stamped, they gave us two gnome stickers! Squeal! Guess where one of them is going?! Yup, we need to differentiate between my cup and PSMs and gnomes just aren’t his thing!

I held the door for an older woman and we started chatting about the Whirling Dervish and the Java Journey, and places to explore in Pennsylvania. A lot of the places she mentioned were already on my list, but I did get to add one or two more! Love talking to people!

After the Whirling Dervish we headed to the next destination, we try for at least two stamps per weekend day, why not?! We went to Caffeination Station, the place that is set up like a train station! They have a train that normally runs above the cafe, it wasn’t running today, not sure why, neither did anyone working there, go figure!

PSM got their Winterspice Latte, we asked what it was like, “Imagine if Christmas had a flavor, that would be it!” well, then, let’s! I had a chai latte made with eggnog, eggnog! Almost no one has it, especially after the end of the year! Don’t ask me how, but eggnog has never bothered me when I have it, I’ve been told that something about the ingredients mixed together counter the agent that isn’t good for people with a dairy intolerance and until it does, I’m having it! There is non-dairy eggnog, which is great, and I drink it every year! I have found it made with almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, no matter which, it’s yummy! And go figure, while I was searching for a link, I found a recipe for diary free eggnog, enjoy! Let’s just say… it was de-lic-ious!!! Happy me!

To go with our yummy drinks, we ordered breakfast sandwiches, and they did not disappoint. We sat at the counter, there really wasn’t much room at any of the tables, not complaining, most of the time we prefer to sit at the counter! While we were at the counter, we started chatting with the owner and staff, and apparently we looked like we needed a cookie! We were gifted a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. I loved the chips! It was a good cookies, I had to try a piece! The combo was great!

As we were talking, someone called to ask if they had any of they had any of the Java Journey travel mugs left over, nope. The person that answered the phone suggested the Whirling Dervish, we didn’t see any when we were there, but who knows. Then the owner told us everyone was sold out! What?! It was only a week and everyone is sold out, wow!

It kind of makes sense, this year, they chose travel mugs, which is definitely more desirable than the ceramic mugs last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love the mugs from last year, they are ceramic, but look like old school metal camping mugs. I was really lucky when I called the Timeless Cafe and they held two for me! Apparently there was a gift basket that came out right after Thanksgiving, those were gone faster than you could say Java!

The owner told us to call next year and see if they can hold a basket for us! Apparently the businesses order a certain number of baskets, and mugs, of course, and people will call and order them weeks ahead! That, of course, isn’t the spirit of the event, but hey, whatever works for people…But…hopefully next year, we’ll be two of the lucky ones who get a basket! And we are definitely not waiting until the weekend to get our mugs!

If we don’t get a basket, which comes with two mugs and passports, and gift cards, one of us will be at one of the participating coffee shops when the doors open on day one! This is fun! I think I told you, they added three new shops, one of them being a mobile coffee truck! It’s just a fun way to explore new things, chat with all the other people on line with us, some of them have their travel mugs, but we can spot each other at least with the passport! It’s like a secret club we joined!

Ooh, where to tomorrow?! The game is afoot!

{January 19, 2025} It’s Sunday…Club Breakfast, Java Journey, Snow, Football, Movies

The day started with no alarm, my favorite! It was about 10 degrees so it was feed the dogs and open the back door, no walk, sorry…less than 25 degrees, I’m hiding under the covers!

We got moving, slowly, but we got moving, headed to the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club clubhouse for breakfast, there weren’t a lot of people there, but it was most likely because of the weather, it was coming in! We were there for about an hour, had some good food, as BTK said, her favorite breakfast is one that someone else cooks!

After breakfast we headed to our second stop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey. Oh no! I forgot to tell you the Java Journey has started and I picked up our cups yesterday! If you recall, from last year, the Lebanon Valley Java Journey is a fun event, or as is quoted on the front of the passport ‘An experience in every cup’! Isn’t that great! Basically, you purchase a cup for $10 and you get a passport with 15 coffee houses and cafes on it, last year it was 12, we’re up this year! Two of the coffee houses has two locations, and they added three new places and one of them is a mobile coffee shop, we’ll have to search to find it!

So… it started on Thursday, January 16th, who starts things on a Thursday, oh well…well, we didn’t have the time to get to one of the locations to get a cup on Thursday, so Friday, we met up at City Watch just before they closed and they were sold out! What?! Last year, so many places had extra, I think they ordered just enough. Turns out, they were sold out before they closed the doors on Thursday, ugh!

Saturday morning, I told you, I was in NYC at my dad’s, so PSM went to Timber Creek Coffee, they were sold out, what?! That’s two down! After we got off the phone, I looked up Timeless Cafe and called and they had plenty! And they agreed to put two aside for me, thank you! So…on the way to the IMRG lunch, we stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe and got our first two beverages and stamps! Weehoo!

Back to today! After breakfast, we went to Swatara Coffee in Annville, I really wanted to show BTK the Whirling Dervish Bakery, but they’re only open Thursday-Friday 7a-11a and Saturday 8a-12p, very convenient hours! We got our stamps and drinks, I told another group of people about the Java Journey, you should have heard me selling it yesterday! PSM said I should work for them! HA HA

After coffee, we went back to the house, the snow started while we were having breakfast, but it was really coming down now. Back at the house, we hung out, there was football to watch, I did some other stuff and when there was a break in the snow, I went out and did a pass over the driveway, to give us a starting point. BTK was planning on heading out tomorrow, so we wanted to be sure she could.

There were a few football games on, BTK and PSM were enjoying them, I was upstairs doing other things, then I came down and made a salad and pasta for dinner, we enjoyed the time together, more football, then PSM went upstairs and BTK and I settled in to watch some movies. We started one she hadn’t seen, followed by one neither of us had seen because it was a new release.

We started with Hidden Figures, the story of three female African-American mathematicians, or as they referred to them, computers, at NASA, amazing, powerful, emotional, fantastic, followed by The Six Triple Eight, the retelling of the story of the all-Black Women’s Army Corps, WACs, who were tasked with sorting and delivering years worth of backlogged mail. I will tell you all about it in another post, but wow, just wow. I am awed and amazed by what those women did for the army, the soldiers, the families, just wow.

When all was said and done, it was about 2 or 2:30am when we finished, off to bed for us! Guess who stayed up a little later because they couldn’t sleep?! No matter what, a good day was had by all!

{January 19, 2025} Just another Saturday…what did you do?

Saturday started crazy early, I was at dad’s house to help him get LaLa to the airport. Her flight was at 745a and I was driving them to the airport and he was going to go in and help her get where she needed to be.

When I say crazy early, I mean crazy early! 330a to be exact! I got up, then fell back asleep, but was up and out the door by 415a, we got to the airport, dad and LaLa went in and figured out where they needed to go. The nice part, I got to wait outside and no one asked, or actually, told me, that I had to move, so I got to hang out while they were in the airport.

Dad came out with some hot beverages and we drove back from Newark Airport to Staten Island. We decided we needed some breakfast and went to Z-One, they were closed, what?! It’s a diner! It was about 6am, not sure when they were supposed to open, so I looked at my GPS and there was another diner I found that said open, we got there and….yup, you guessed it, closed! What is going on?! Oh, duh, that was Mike’s Dakota Diner, the one that was open was Mike’s Unicorn Diner, back not far from Z-One! Duh!

Back to Mike’s Unicorn Diner, breakfast and good conversation, and the hottest bathroom on the planet! It was so hot, the soap was hot! That’s hot! Most restaurants keep the bathrooms relatively chilly, I think so you don’t spend a lot of time in there, well… this place missed that memo!

After breakfast, we were heading to Stop-n-Shop to pick up bagels and some more bialys, but stopped by L&I’s house, and IB just happened to be outside taking the trash out, we stopped and I got a hug, and a quick catch up!

Then on to the grocery store, I picked up a few things, then it was on to Beyars for sandwiches, something for dad to have later, something I might eat on the road or at least have at home. Let’s just say, really good sandwiches!

Back to dad’s house, I packed up my stuff, loaded up the car, podcast queued up, and headed out, I had about 2.5 hours to go. Nice and uneventful, only one stop for gas and bathroom break, drove as the snow started coming down and made it home…just in time to give the pups some lovin’, put our gift together, and back out into the cold!

We got in the Jeep, put in the latest Jack Reacher book on tape we were listening to and headed to the Lyndon Diner to have our holiday lunch with our IMRG friends. It was fun, we had good conversations, good food, and there was a gift swap. We ended up with a bottle of Crown Royal, I tried to keep the purple bag, but PSM wasn’t having any of that!

After a few hours, we headed home to chill out, while I did some last minute tidying up and getting ready for BK, PSM’s first cousin to come for the weekend. She had taken her son, JK, to Washington, DC to get settled in for his semester internship, then she was coming to spend the night with us and head to the next friend’s house for a few days, then another friend for a few days.

Tomorrow, we’re taking her to the LVMC clubhouse for breakfast, then we’ll see where we go from there before she takes off to parts unknown! Well…she knows where she’s going! Well…we’ll see if she does go tomorrow, the weather is coming in, who knows if the weather forecasters got it right! I’ll let you know tomorrow!

She got a tour, we hung out and talked, snacked, they watched some football and I did something else, and of course, she got some major puppy love, which was great, because she was missing her dog Lucy something fierce!

So… you know, just another Saturday around here, what did you do!?

{January 17, 2025} Is she not the cutest?!!! O M G!

I know I talked about and loved on Bee the other day, well, I’m going to do it again! She’s so cute!

I still call her a puppy, she’s 9 this year, but still a puppy to me, probably because she’s a smaller dog. I wish I had a picture of her doing the yoga pose, up dog, so cute! Ya got the beagle belly, the beagle head tilt, what more could you want?!

I’m pretty sure I’ve share the beagle singing, the way she sits up tall and her head goes back and she just sings or howls to the moon, you can tell how happy she is! I know I’ll share again sometime, but just imagine it! But now… just watch her reaction to me talking to her, the way her head just goes back and forth based on my tone. Yeah, it’s just cute. That’s all.

Enjoy! I do, repeatedly!

{January 16, 2025} It’s date night!

I don’t know when your date night is, we don’t have a set date night either, but tonight was date nite!

PSM texted me earlier today and told me his trainer wasn’t feeling well, so the gym was out, and he was thinking about going to the Apple store to get a new iWatch, and would I like to go with him, we could grab some dinner while we’re out. Who am I to say no to a night out with my hubby?!

Well…what sealed the deal…the Awful Waffle, to be exact! Yes, you heard right friends, Waffle House!! You know me and you know I love Waffle House! There isn’t one near us, the closest one is in Lancaster, which is also where the closest Apple store is! Bonus!

Funny thing is, we were just at the Apple store over the weekend, and we threw in a trip to Costco, bonus there too! Lancaster, specifically Costco and the Apple store are about 45 minutes from us, so it’s not like we’re going every week. We make a Costco run, isn’t it funny that people call it that, a Costco run…well, we make one every few months, not even that soon, mostly when we run out of dog food for Ruby, we get the giant bags there, there’s also a PetSmart nearby for Bee’s food.

While we’re there, we get veggies to make our bucket ‘o salad, their fresh fruits and veggies can’t be beat for freshness and how long they last, it’s better than anywhere else we’ve been out here. I know, I digress.

So…I finished work, fed the dogs, got them settled in the crate when PSM called to say he was on his way, put on my hoodie and headed out into the snowy evening to jump in the jeep and off we went! It’s been snowing all day, the roads weren’t too bad, was this a bad idea? Too late now, we’re committed, or should be!

We got to the mall, went to the Apple store, deliberated over the different options, for both the watch and the band, and he made a decision, then it was time to eat. Plus, by the time we were done purchasing the store was closing, time to go!

We were about 7 minutes from Waffle House, got there and we were the only ones, besides one server and one cook. Allstar Special for PSM, that’s eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, scattered and burnt, thank you! cinnamon raisin toast, and hold the waffle, he even learned the lingo! I’m so proud! I had an egg sandwich with grits no extra butter.

The server was nice, so was the cook, and she was super chatty, it made the time go by quickly, I can tell you that. I think we may have heard her life story! You never know who you’re going to meet at Waffle House!

After dinner it was home again to play with the dogs and chill out. I would say that was a very nice date night, Apples and waffles, what more could you want!?

{January 12, 2025} Another project…complete!

We are really transforming this house into ours. I’ve shared a few things along the way, and here is the next latest and greatest!

First…do you see the floors?! The front room floor was a blond wood that seemed to have dark stripes. It was a manufactured hardwood and we loved it, well I loved it, PSM liked it, but…it was starting to show some wear and tear and we knew we were going to replace it at some point. We wish we had done it when we were renovating the kitchen, but it just wasn’t in the cards, wallet, or budget for that moment!

Well…a few months ago, it was time, so we had the same company come out, take measurements, and give us a quote. It turns out the wood that we used for the kitchen was no longer being manufactured, bummer, so we picked something that was very complimentary, and it really is almost seamless.

The other nice thing…we wouldn’t have to rip up the existing hardwoods to lay down the new floors! They could install them right on top of the current floor and there would be almost no difference in the transition. Score!

When we placed the order we were told there was be a back log and it might not be for a few months. Ok…so… a few months came and went and then it was November, they wanted to install Thanksgiving week, and since we weren’t here, we scheduled it for the first week of December.

They were there two days and it looks fabulous, like it’s always been there! What do you think?!

The next thing we did was have shelves installed. I don’t know if installed is the right word, but…these are custom shelves, JM, our fabulous carpenter/handy human being, who did a lot of work in our house custom built the shelves. He cut the wood and used our barn to prep and store the wood. By prep, I mean sand, shape, and shellac each board. I just wanted to use 3 s-words for this! ha ha.

He did an amazing job! The shelves are mounted on industrial piping, and I just bought industrial piping curtain rods, please ignore what’s there right now! I can’t tell you how many coats he put on the boards, I lost count! JM and I worked on the design, back and forth on some things and the end result is fabulous!

Then…today, we finally opened the boxes that held our books and bric-a-brac, as it were, things and books that we brought to the relationship and things and books that we bought together on many of our amazing trips. It takes work figuring out what goes where. We took a lot of time in St Louis and we took a lot of time here!

I remember someone seeing our shelves in St Louis thinking it was a Zoom background! I was flattered, who knows what people will think about these! What I love is just looking and remembering where we were when we acquired these things and all the memories they bring to the surface and I smile.

If you come visit, I’ll give you a tour!

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