TOFW

This weekend is Time Out for Women in Hartford. I was invited by a few friends but I'm not going. I feel like my whole life is a time out. And, I'm not missing The Ward Clambake (on a sunny day----HOORAY!).

Lights out

Tonight was our R.S. Opening Social. The theme was "Back to School". We had dinner (soup and bread) and then some workshops: healthy snacks, teaching children to read, lifelong learning, and making a personalized composition book (thank you, Kirstin for making one for me). I took some pictures but when I got halfway home there were NO lights in Lexington--the power was out. My condo building is all electric so I played a few games on my iTouch and then went to bed.

Note: Obviously I'm back dating this post since there was no power. I'll post pictures tonight.

Street Photography

(Yet) another friend leaves Boston

I would say Alicia was going kicking and screaming except she is moving because she is getting married in November. She's going to Utah to be with her family (and work on a pig farm--for reals), getting married in Manti, and then setting up residence in Oklahoma.

I've been in the Arlington Ward for 22 years (I'm an old timer) and have made hundreds of friends here. I try to visit all the new people (no matter what my calling is) and I'm not going to lie; I am psyched when people say they met me before they met the bishop. Two and a half years ago, David Wright who was in the bishopric, approached me at church and asked if I had met Alicia Slade. I hadn't. He was so happy he had met someone before I had! I immediately got up and went over, introduced myself and invited her to sit with me. Alicia had lived here a year working as a nanny but had attended one of the singles wards and it was her first day in the Arlington Ward (best decision she ever made--just ask her--if she hadn't met me, she wouldn't have met Jenn and she's marrying Jenn's brother--so there!). I invited her over for lunch that day we met and we were instant friends. We've gone on trips together (Maine, Vermont, New York City, the Berkshires, Arby's in Nashua). I can't even think of how many movies we've seen together or how many times we've gone out to eat or on a late night Sonic run. And I can't forget the trips to Walmart in New Hampshire.

I have so many fun memories with Alicia and consider her one of my "besties". I know she will be a lifelong friend and I'm crossing my fingers that she and Jeff will find their way back to New England.

Cute as a cupcake

Today I received my September gift-of-the-month from my cousin Jules. I love cupcakes and I love this cupcake oven mitt. I'm a lucky cousin.

Sucker for a request

My friend requested some rice pudding. I've never made it before but found a recipe on allrecipes.com. My rice cooker came in handy. It's easy to make and I like it! I hope my friend does too.

9/11

I went old an (almost-Fall) New England drive this afternoon out Route 2 (my favorite) looking for flags. This picture was taken at what was formerly Arena Farms in Concord and it says it all.

Click here to read a post I wrote about 9/11.

Legal lunch

Every summer my old boss Roger and his wife Sally fly up from Florida and live in their condo on Beacon Hill. And every summer they treat me to lunch at Legal Seafood. After a few reschedulings we met today. It is always fun to catch up with them. Out of character, I ordered one of the specials: sweet potato encrusted haddock on a bed of green beans almondine with a mango sauce. It was delicious. And their rolls. Legal Seafood rolls are The Best.

Roger and I share the same birthday. I mentioned that this year was A Big One. He said, "forty"? I shook my head no and then he said, "thirty?" Then I reminded him that I was thirty when I worked for him twenty years ago.

My parents are cleaning out boxes and sending me lots of treasures (letters, jewelry, etc.) which I have enjoyed receiving. Recently they returned these two gift certificates to Legal Seafood that I gave my dad for his birthday in the early 90's. I'm hoping they are still Legal Tender.

Be happy

Gift for me

Last week during my sewing frenzy, I made a table topper to give my coworker for her birthday. I liked it so much I made one for myself. One for her, one for me.

Maybe I should sell these in my (empty) etsy shop.

First first day of school

A stop on the way home

View from Gloucester

See those buildings? That's Boston!

An afternoon in Gloucester

My friends Leah and Alicia and I went to Gloucester and Rockport this afternoon. The weather was perfect. We enjoyed lunch at Charlie's (I got a fish sandwich), seeing a lighthouse or two and the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial, driving around Rockport (we couldn't find parking so I drove slowly while they ran into the cupcake shop) and enjoying probably our last day trip together since Alicia is moving next week to Utah and then Oklahoma. I love living on the coast and I love my friends.

I met Junior

After my dinner guests left tonight I raced over to meet Junior. He was born on Tuesday and he's cute as a button.

The tall guy

The tall guy in the back is my cousin Jim. Today is his birthday (51st)--he and his deceased dad (Uncle Lee) share a birthday. I have no idea where this picture was taken (nor where Anita and John were...). I do know that I liked taking a purse on vacation. And Robert looks like a movie star with those shades on. And, Julie, were you crying or trying to poke your own eye out?!?

Happy Birthday, Jim!

I'm still sewing

The trash pile gets bigger and so does the stack of gifts.

F-Art update

It all started with one favorite piece of fabric which I called "fabric art" (or fart). Click here to see how it looked in February.

And this is how it looks tonight.

An outing with Harriet

Since today is 90210...

...I have a Beverly Hills story to tell.

In the mid 80's I lived in Van Nuys, worked at UCLA, and was called to jury duty in Beverly Hills. The first day of our two week assignment we all met with the judge and he gave us a few suggestions: sit in the court rooms and listen to the cases, get to know our fellow jurors, enjoy the two-hour lunch break, and don't arrive until 9:30am (that was the best news). Back then if your employer didn't pay your salary while you served on jury duty, you weren't obligated to stay. I stayed.

I enjoyed the two hour lunches. I brought my lunch and ate outside. I window shopped on Rodeo Drive.

In those two weeks they never called a jury.

My last day on jury duty there was a case where a woman had been to a party (and had been drinking), she left in her VW bug and hit a moving fire truck--a fire truck with lights flashing and sirens blaring. They had an expert calculating her weight, what she had supposedly eaten, and her blood alcohol level. And Herbie Hancock was there as her witness. He had been at the same party.

Beverly Hills. 90210. Brushes with fame in the court house.