Skagway, Alaska

Just chillin' out with a cup of coffee after breakfast.  We were in Skagway on Wednesday.  It also is a fairly isolate little town, but I believe it's one that you can drive to at least.  It has about 2400 residents in the summer and then after tourist season is over, it goes down to 400 residents.  One tiny little IGA grocery store that is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS in its prices (ask me how I know this---I needed some Crystal Light at $6 and Bottled water at $2.90 each!) 

We did book an excursion here on the train that took us through the old gold mining country and up into the Yukon territory (or is it a province?) of Canada....a place I never thought I'd get to go.

But while in Skagway, I couldn't not shop and go to the Sarah Palin store! 

Juneau, Alaska

See this little town at the base of the mountain?  Well, that's Juneau....the state's capitol.  It didn't seem that big.  But was nice.

The Alaska Governor's mansion.  I'm sure you all remember seeing it in on the news a lot when Sarah Palin lived there.

Juneau is apparently a city you pretty much can't drive to.  You have to come in by plane or ferry or cruise ship.  It did look a little rough around the edges, but everyone seemed very nice.

Seattle

Saturday afternoon we flew into Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise ship to Alaska.  We've been wanting to take an Alaskan cruise for quite a while and finally decided to do it.  Because of the total 7 hours of flying time from east coat to west coast, it was a good idea to fly into Seattle the day before so that we wouldn't be rushed. 

We flew Southwest, and had a very short layover at Midway in Chicago.  We forgot to check in online early and didn't get to sit together.  That's one of the few things I dislike about Southwest.....no assigned seating.  Ugh.  We arrived at about 10 p.m. Pacific time and after a forty dollar cab ride to the hotel, we didn't get in bed until about 11:30pm, which is 2:30 a.m. eastern time.....needless to say it was WAY past our bedtime.  But with our bodies still on eastern time, we were wide awake at 5:30 a.m. and the sun was coming up.  We have an awesome view of the bay from our hotel windows.  Mark did an awesome job of finding this great little boutique hotel, El Gaucho.

Hunger started to set in and we decided to take a walk at 6 a.m.  The temp is in the 50s here, a nice break from the 100 degree weather we've been experiencing in Raleigh.  We hit a Starbucks for breakfast, and then I simply HAD  to get my coffee from the ORIGINAL/VERY FIRST EVER Starbucks down in Pike's Place by the water.  I was shocked at how small it was.  They didn't sell anything but coffee (and it's variations), no muffins, etc.  And there was not a single place to sit.  Very different from the Starbucks we're used to nowadays.  

After that, we went down near the water and took some pictures.  Unfortunately, the lighting was terrible and you can't see the snow capped mountains in the background very well.   Then we walked several blocks to see the Space Needle.  Neat to see it in person.  And then we went on a quest to find a Rite Aid that was supposed to be near the hotel to acquire the MANY things that we forgot to pack--both of our razors, hair products, his deodorant, dental floss, shaving gel, and much more.  Yeah.  I did a pretty poor job of packing this time. I will be making a list of items to pack so that this doesn't happen again.

The Original Starbucks.  Or, as Shonda said "The Mothership". LOL

Guess where we've been....

Here are some hints:

New Hair Do

I finally got brave and went pretty short with my hair.  I had envisioned an even shorter stack in the back, but was a little nervous to do it this time and told my stylist that I'd do it next time (maybe).  I love Whitney at Salon Blu here in Raleigh.  She totally rocks!!  

So, Friday was a pretty busy day.  I had a routine check up with my NP that morning, then errands after that.  Followed by a lunch meeting with my collaborating physician and then a hair appt.  Then, ran home to make dinner for Mark before getting dressed and heading out to meet two girlfriends for dinner at Nantucket Grill.  We are so sad that our friends Will and Karen will be moving to Cincinnati this fall.  Will took a fantastic promotion within his engineering firm and we are so happy for them.  We certainly plan to visit!

Mayberry USA

Mt. Airy, NC is Andy Griffith's hometown and what Mayberry in the show is based on.  It's about 2 hours from where we live.  Mark's mom came to visit us the middle of June and thought she'd like to see it, so we went.  It is a very small town and relies heavily on the tourism---it is obvious.

Above is Wally's Service Station.  There is also an old squad car there that you can take a tour of Mayberry in, but it was gone.  Below is a photo of the outside of the Andy Griffith Museum.

And the Mayberry Courthouse.  Loads of photos being taken there.

Andy and Opie going fishing....and Mark tagging along.

Apparently you can still get $8 haircuts at Floyd's Barber Shop.

Little Simon

I have probably mentioned a time or two or two hundred that we love our neighbors.  We really couldn't have better neighbors than the ones we have here.  Little Simon below is sporting the tee shirt we brought him back from NYC.  Sprinkles loves Simon.  Something I never ever thought he would like--kids.  He will come over and see Simon when he is in the neighbors' yard and sit by him.

June Dinner Club

We hosted dinner club in June and I just haven't posted pictures.  So, here ya go.  Mark and Randy talking.  Oh, and those red curtains with the monkeys on them did end up looking good in my kitchen!  You can see them in the pic below.  I think they add some much needed "punch" to the black, cream and gray room.

Everyone had a really good time.  We served pork tenderloin, and chicken rotel casserole.  I was so surprised that the chicken rotel was such a hit.  And the yummy chocolate bread pudding with ice cream or yogurt for dessert. 

Three members were absent, but we added a new couple to the group.  Susanne above in the pink shirt to the left and her husband John.

Dinner club for July was on July 3rd and I just simply forgot to take pictures.  I know, this nonsense has got to stop!!

Random Updates

Things have been quite busy around these parts lately.  So, I'll just give you some bullet point random updates:

-We're re-doing the deck.  Or shall I say Mark is redoing the deck.  He has replaced nearly every piece of wood and just has to finish the railing and then we're done.  I really do wish the deck here was bigger, but it's insane all of the things you have to get inspected by the city and approved by the HOA.  It's just too much to fool with.  

-I bought a treadmill.  I have a terrible track history of buying lot of expensive exercise equipment and then just letting it sit and gather dust.  So, Mark was less than thrilled that I had purchased this.  But, to my credit I bought it for just $100 from a friend.  It's got all of the bells and whistles, but at a fraction of the price!  It's upstairs in the bonus room where I can watch television while exercising, and nobody has to look at it.  I agreed to Mark that if I don't regularly use it within the next 3 months, I'll give it away on Craigslist.

-I am hosting dinner club next Saturday.  Pork tenderloin and chicken rotel are what's on the menu.

-We need to buy a grill.  I had thought that we'd just get one of the lower end stainless steel grills at Lowes for around $200 and then after a few years just throw it out once it's half broken.  At least that's what we've done in the past.  But since we're in the market for a grill, we've been paying more attention to what our friends own.  Mostly Weber grills.  They've had them for several years and get this:  the ignitor hasn't gone out!!!  The life span of the ignitor seems to be about 1-2 years on the more basic grills.  They have been so happy with Weber.  So, that's what we've decided to go with.

-I have just discovered GoGurt.  I thought this stuff wasn't real yogurt and was some bad for you kid's snack.  But it's not!  It's real yogurt that you can freeze and take with you and then eat it later.  It's awesome!!  The only down side is that except for strawberry, the flavors are very weird.  Things that kids would like such as cotton candy and "bikini bottom berry"---which seems a tad questionable as to where on earth they came up with that one for a kids snack.  I'd much prefer vanilla.  Guess that's not so popular with the juvenile crowd.

-Also, I have learned to make my own hummus.  People, we have been WAY overpaying for this for years.  This stuff comes in a 80 cent can as chick peas and you just put in in the blender (or food processor) with a little S&P, cumin, and garlic powder.  It is THAT easy.  No need to go pay $4 for a tiny container like we've been doing.

-On the television front, I have started watching Police Women of Memphis.  Yes, we enjoy this program thoroughly.  Especially recognizing most of the areas they're going to in and around Midtown Memphis. Sad, really.  But the show is quite hilarious.

Mark is asleep at 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon in the chair next to me while I'm watching "Ice Road Truckers" or whatever it's called.  Pretty good show.  Its been soooo hot today.  Aside from my morning trip to the grocery store,  I've stayed inside and cleaned and done dishes, laundry and cooked.  Now, I'm off to eat some of that carrot souffle.  Have a good weekend!

Cleocatra, our newest (and final) addition

Isn't she just a little fuzzy doll?!  She is absolutely precious.  But I needed to get her checked out as well as Miss Marble.  And Sprinkles was also due for his rabies shot and general check-up.  But no way was I about to haul three cats in carriers to the vet.  Nor was I about to make three separate trips.  So, we called the mobile vet.  The veterinarian comes to YOUR HOUSE.  Yes, it was wonderful.  I brought each one out to the bus to be checked and get their shots and have blood taken.  Sooo much easier.  Cleocatra is about 8 months old, in good health except that she needs to be spayed which we'll do within the next two weeks.  Sprinkles acted the worst of the three cats.  But he is looking good in all areas of health. (Thankfully!)  But the big surprise of the day was Miss Marble.  As it turns out, Miss Marble is a boy.  Guess he'll have to be Mr. Marble now.  He has a heart murmur grade 2/5.  We just need to watch it.  Not really sure what they'll do for it it he does become symptomatic though.

But overall, the mobile vet service is something that I HIGHLY recommend.  The vet was smart, nice, and great with the cats.

Nags Head, NC

After Manteo, we skipped over to Nags Head, NC.  The Outer Banks are very beautiful.  It ended up being in the 60's so it was a tad cool on Sunday.  We really did need a light jacket to be comfortable.  But boy is it beautiful there!  Ocracoke is my favorite, but that really would have required an overnight stay to not be so terribly rushed.  Maybe another time.

Jockey's ridge.  The largest Sand Dune on the Atlantic coast.  And of all things, there is a hang gliding school there.

Manteo, North Carolina

My "bestest friend" from Memphis came to visit me for four fabulous days!  Our first stop was Manteo, NC.  aka where Andy Griffith lives now.  Unfortunately we didn't run into him. But we did eat lunch at a really cool little restaurant called Full Moon Cafe in the harbor.  There was also a lighthouse involved.  That's always a plus for us!

We walked through the little town and down to the boardwalk.

Oh lala!  The lighthouse!

The cafe we ate at:

And some ship that's part of a kids place there

Blogworthy?

Sorry for the lack of pictures with this post.  I took a blogging break as my parents came to visit for a week and I just spent all of the time with them rather than on the computer.  Of course I kept my iPhone handy to keep up with Facebook!

Let's see, things that have been going on:  We have a third cat.  Sigh.  Yes, I know.  That's the limit.  We really tried to find this little third cat a home but had no takers.  She is sooooo sweet and such a good kitty. Can't be more than a year old.  The other two cats are not yet too fond of her.  Mark was in charge of naming her:  Cleocatra.  Very original.  But I just hope we're not now known as "those people with all of the cats."  You know, those people.  It kind of  bothered me that when Mark was outside petting the cats and all three came up around him, a neighbor walking by said "Are you the Pied Piper of Cats?".  Yeah.  That's what I mean.  Two cats is okay, but three?  Eh.  People start to notice.

I had a really good visit with my parents.  We ate well and did lots of just being lazy.  It was great.

Today I was off work and went shopping and to lunch with a friend.  I FINALLY after like two years got my engagement ring fixed so I can wear it again.  Platinum is a soft metal and I was wearing my ring at work when I bent the prongs by putting on/taking off gloves.  I won't be wearing it to work again.  We ate at Macaroni Grill for lunch and did you know that they actually have a decent selection of lower calorie options?  I had a chicken shish kabob thing except that they call it something else.  It was incredibly filling and 360 calories!

Back to work tomorrow but thankfully I'm off this weekend.  So, kayaking it is!

Recipe Thursday: Chocolate Chip Scones

I love scones.  I love that they're not very sweet and you don't feel all too sugared up after you eat them.  Yet they are still a wonderful treat.  It's what I get almost every time I go to Starbucks.  But you can make these at home VERY easily.  You don't need a scone pan or anything special.  

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick of butter (unsalted, or if all you have is salted then just don't add the extra salt)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 8 Tbsp of orange juice (I didn't have any OJ; just an orange so I squeezed the juice out of it. Also, the OJ is completely optional.  I think it does give it a little extra flavor, but if you don't have it then just use milk or water instead and it will turn out just fine.)

Next, mix all of your dry ingredients together.  Then cut your butter into the dry ingredients a little pat at a time until your mix is all nice and flaky, just as if you were making a pie crust.  Once it hits that consistency, you can toss in your chocolate chips and then the orange juice.  You will get a doughy consistency.

Put some wax paper out on the counter (or you can do this directly on a clean counter, but the wax paper makes cleaning up the mess easier.)  Then toss some flour on the wax paper.  You can dump your dough right in the flour.

Put flour on top too so it's easier to work with.  Now make a rectangle with the dough.  Then cut it in fours and then into triangles.

Place them on a baking stone or baking sheet.  It will be easier to transfer then with a pie server or spatula so the dough doesn't break off.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 mins or until it is a nice golden brown on top.

Mmmmm.  These are so yummy.  They are a great treat for when company comes as you can make them ahead of time and they're ready!

First Kayaking trip

Mark and I went on our first kayaking trip at a lake very near our home.   Yall, it was FUN!!  I have a bit of learning to do as you are not supposed to paddle with your arms and shoulders (as I was doing), but with your core muscles.  And mine are uber weak.  So, I'll be giving that a little try next time.  We did a round trip of about 6 miles.  The lake was absolutely FULL of pollen.  This is going to be a fun was to get some exercise.  Beats running on a treadmill. 

Our 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago today I married my best friend.  I never knew what an incredible ride our life would be.  We have lived in many different places, traveled all over, supported each other in tough times and celebratory times.  Some people wait a long time to find each other.  But I was lucky enough to have met you early in life.

The picture above was taken right after our wedding.  We had a dinner reservation at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Nashville.  I had forgotten about this picture until I found it on an old CD Rom.


Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13:4-8