for fun: Do/Would you still put on all your makeup and decent clothes if you are quarantined

[Lois R]

Hi Debbie, congrats on that new set of wheels😀. I have never owned a Volvo but I know they are supposed to be really good cars!  How exciting!!!!!!!👍

 

Kat, I love Oatmeal but not sure about eating it cold. I have tried one of the new yogurts that are on the market....it has a type of oatmeal on top and I didn't really enjoy it all. Now maybe homemade tastes better........

[awhfy]

Debbie, enjoy the new wheels, one exactly like that pulled in next to me at the gym today, nice vehicle (it even had the board rack)

 

Kat, I’ll try the oatmeal on Friday before my aqua class, the energy would be good. Hopefully your Covid symptoms ease off. Melody

[cruisemom42]

Well the storms have passed, but we are waterlogged!  Dealing with my flooded basement now and also we had a huge limb from a neighbor's tree land on our roof early this morning -- I don't think it did any damage but will have to wait until someone can get up there to take a look....

 

 

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

 

&  Ladies, car wise, I ended up with a Volvo!   It's so beautiful, I got the XC40 Inscription with all wheel drive...it's white with cream leather.... I added the roof racks for my paddle board,  & got the all weather trunk liner & floor mats for hiking & grandkids... I would never have done the cream leather, but the carpet & the middle of the back of the front seats are black, so no little footprints, lol 🙂

 

That's what I have -- the XC40 Inscription. Mine is sort of a metallic sand color with the cream leather interior. I have to say so far I'm loving it -- had it about 18 months, but of course I have driven the bare minimum over the last year....

 

[slidergirl]

Debbie - congrats on the new wheels!!!  The XC40 is a nice little vehicle.  I just heard the "learning curve" for the information/entertainment screen is a little steep.  Heck, I've had my Kia Sportage for going on 3 years now and I still haven't figured mine out.  You'll learn what you need to know!!

 

Lois - the overnight oats aren't like those yogurt+oats things in the store.  This is nice and creamy.  The chia seeds add some creaminess to it.  It's a nice difference.  If you have ever had muesli done the European way (overnighted with yogurt), it's along those lines.  That 1 recipe was more than enough to make me happy.  

 

I did go down to Salt Lake for 2 things just now.  There was a hat from Gigi Pip that I wanted to get for my birthday present (yes, I'm late on that), but I wanted to see it in person and try for size rather than on their website. Good thing I did - I ended up with a black one rather than the brown I was thinking of.   Man, downtown Salt Lake is changing!  Lots of cool little boutique shops and cafes are all over.  The hat shop was just 3 doors down from Caputo's market so I went in to Caputo's for a fresh caprese sandwich and then browsed the Italian oils and vinegars and cheeses and other goodies.  It's the go-to place around here for good Italian products.  

 

[Lois R]

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Well the storms have passed, but we are waterlogged!  Dealing with my flooded basement now and also we had a huge limb from a neighbor's tree land on our roof early this morning -- I don't think it did any damage but will have to wait until someone can get up there to take a look....

 

 

Hi Cynthia, I am so sorry about your flood but I am so happy you are not hurt/injured!!!! And sorry about that tree limb!

[awhfy]

Les got his new hearing aids yesterday so we went out to celebrate (he had to turn them down in the restaurant (got loud for him, but he could understand words).
 

I celebrated with a customized sangria (lemoncello, splash of Tuaca, pineapple & orange juice, splash of lime juice, PInot Grigio floated on a jigger of cranberry juice...it was fabulous!!!  Melody

Edited May 6, 2021 by awhfy

[cruisemom42]

18 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

Hi Cynthia, you are in a tough spot with your Celebrity booking... for myself, I'm very anxious to get back on the water, have an actual vacation, & be back in Europe, anywhere in Europe lol 😉   I'm thinking that the cruises will go, but that there's a huge chance of last minute itinerary changes or port skips...  I know that you are very itinerary driven, are you ok with possibly having more of a vacation cruise &  the slight chance missing out on some historic sites?  If the answer is yes, then I'd keep the booking...  right now it seems things are getting better in Europe, & I'm guessing by the time your cruise goes, there will be some normalcy there... as long as people keep getting vaccinated 🙂

 

I feel increasingly sure that the August cruises are just too soon -- and even though I really like the itineraries, I think I am going to try to shift them (or failing that, just rebook) for sometime in fall 2022. August isn't my favorite time to travel in Europe anyway....

 

 

[cruise kitty]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I feel increasingly sure that the August cruises are just too soon -- and even though I really like the itineraries, I think I am going to try to shift them (or failing that, just rebook) for sometime in fall 2022. August isn't my favorite time to travel in Europe anyway....

 

 

First off, so sorry about  your flooding/tree on house, that's awful & hopefully is getting taking care of, I'm so sorry that happened but thank goodness no one was hurt!    Hopefully insurance covers everything & you can get everything back the way it should be. 

 

August would not be my first choice either... will  they let you shift & keep your price/perks?   I'm feeling ok about my mid October cruise, by then I think things will be pretty good, weather is nice then, & I will be happy to just go with the flow for once... my final payment is not until late July, so I have the luxury of seeing what happens between now & then.  :)

 

-Debbie

[awhfy]

Sharing a happy & proud moment. This is our youngest granddaughter, Lexy. The event is her (zoom) induction ceremony for Junior National Honor Society. Very proud of her 

[Lois R]

Hi Melody, thanks for sharing the photos with us🙂...beautiful grand daughter!  And congrats on the Honor Society to her as well.🙂

 

Thinking back to those days.........I was a terrible student.......truly.......mid c's across the board.

School and I never got along but it seems back then there were not nearly as many school based support systems as there are now........or maybe there were and I just never knew.  I didn't turn out too bad but scholastics were just not my thing.😲

[cruise kitty]

Happy Friday Ladies (& any guys out there following along)

 

Melody, wow, congrats to your granddaughter, such an accomplishment, & with the whole weirdness of school (& life) in the last year, it's a double accomplishment :)

thank you for sharing :) I can see why you must be so proud of her!!  (& also, I want that drink you had the other night lol )

 

getting the old car washed & waxed & putting up for sale today!  Also going to take some time to figure out how exactly to work all the gadgets on the new one ;)

 

Lois, I wasn't the greatest in school either, there wasn't much family support for a girl going to college, I went, but didn't finish... so glad that was completely turned around for my daughters :)

 

Kat, it's great to hear about your adventures shopping in SLC, your description of it makes it sound like it's rather charming :)

[Lois R]

Hi Debbie, I went to college for the first 2 years as well.......once my Sophomore  was done, I was done........I went to Israel and lived there for a year. 

 

Good luck with selling the old car!

[slidergirl]

Cynthia - happy that you came out of the storms.  Flooding isn't fun when the sump pump can't keep up.  And, I sure do hope that the tree did nothing more than mess up a few shingles.  

 

Melody - good on your granddaughter!  Back in the day, I weaseled my way through some classes.  I was definitely NOT a math/science type - where my downfall was.   I was able to get my Geometry teacher to let me take the same test twice so I could at least get a C.  And, my senior year Chemistry teacher asked each one of us what grade we deserved - I said an A because I needed it to get into UCLA.  I got the A despite really only being a C student.  Bless his heart!

 

I am going to have to go back down to downtown SLC and do more snooping around. There already were some cute little neighborhoods, but downtown has blossomed.  It's still a social geographic interest - one block from boutiques and cute cafes you will find SLC's homeless community and the services which assist the homeless.  It's a stark contrast which I've seen other places - I did a senior project on it for my Social Geography class at UCLA.  

 

The second thing I went down to SLC for was to look at Cotopaxi bags.  Yes, another bag.  This time I wanted to get a smaller daypack than my Osprey and their Batac fit the bill.  I wanted to see it "in person" before buying it.  It comes in what Cotopaxi calls their "Del Dia" - bags made from fabric remnants so they are "patchwork" and very colorful.  They did have one there that I liked the colors so I bought it.  They also just came out with a smaller carryon - the Allpa 28L.  It's smaller than the standard carryon, so good for quick trips.  No wheels, so like the eBags MotherLode ones.  Not a big thing for me as it has handles, a shoulder carry strap and backpack straps.  But, alas, it doesn't come in Del Dia yet and I wasn't thrilled with the solid colors it came in.  Oh well, I'll wait!   I think I'm going to have a lot of bags to sell when we have our neighborhood garage sale!!!

 

Have a happy Friday!

[slidergirl]

Oh, I forgot something...

 

Being vaccinated, I decided to go out for lunch at an old favorite restaurant yesterday.  I ate indoors.  All full, but spaced out.  As usual for most places up here, despite the state removing restrictions, masks were required.  For the food:  3 words:  Pulled Pork Benedict!!!  So freakin' good.  No hollandaise, none needed.  Perfectly done goey egg provided the "sauce." The side for it was matchstick apples pieces in a nice sweet vinegar marinade.  I forgot how much I liked this place - we'd get "togo" sandwiches or salads during restrictions (the boss would pick up for us)  Didn't want to get anything "hot" because it would cool down before it got up the hill.   I'll definitely go back inside again when I'm in town!

[Lois R]

Kat, that Benedict sounds heavenly.🙂.........I would have still had the hollandaise LOL.......

[awhfy]

Kat, that Benny sounds great!  I also have a bag addiction 🙄

 

we’re exceptionally proud of our granddaughter, she has a form of dyslexia & reading/comprehension comes hard for her, honor society seemed totally out of reach two years ago; she works so very hard. Her Mom (a teacher) fought for testing & won. 

[purduemom1]

On 5/5/2021 at 5:28 PM, Lois R said:

Hi Cynthia, I am so sorry about your flood but I am so happy you are not hurt/injured!!!! And sorry about that tree limb!

I’m so sorry Cynthia. Wishing you the best and I hope the repairs are minor. 
Sharon

[purduemom1]

13 minutes ago, awhfy said:

Kat, that Benny sounds great!  I also have a bag addiction 🙄

 

we’re exceptionally proud of our granddaughter, she has a form of dyslexia & reading/comprehension comes hard for her, honor society seemed totally out of reach two years ago; she works so very hard. Her Mom (a teacher) fought for testing & won. 

Congratulations to your granddaughter! She has earned it!!

Sharon

[purduemom1]

Hello All, well, I’m sitting in SLC waiting for our flight to Minneapolis so we can meet our granddaughter! She will be 2 months old next week. Is smiling now. So anxious to meet her after all the videos and pictures. 
 

Lots of people flying-not much different than before.  I sat on the plane waiting to take off and wanted to cry. Last year at this time I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to travel again. Yes the masks are a constant reminder that we aren’t back to normal yet but I’m just so thankful to be able to do this! The new airport is still a work in progress. 
 

I’ve only read some of the recent posts so still need to finish up. 
Sharon

 

[Lois R]

Hi Sharon, omg....I didn't realize you are going to see your new grandbaby!  How wonderful and you go ahead and let out those tears of joy!  I hope you have a wonderful visit!😀

[cruisemom42]

 

@awhfy Melody, thanks for sharing your pictures. I see the same twinkle in Lexy's eyes as I see in yours. Great that you could share the occasion with her. (And do I recognize that Chico's piece?  Yes, yes I do -- I have it too. 😄)

 

The basement is sorted but the house still feels very humid. The branch was thick but mostly rotten and didn't seem to have done any damage, thank goodness!  I'm going to have to have a chat with the new neighbors about their tree -- the larger it grows, the more it overhangs the corner of our house.

 

 

@slidergirl  Sounds like you had an enjoyable day out. I can't wait to having the chance for those serendipitous adventures again. My little "downtown" has some cute and charming places but not all of them have survived the past year, despite valiant efforts on our parts (my waistline is proof) that we've tried to keep ordering from our favorite local eateries.

 

 

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Hello All, well, I’m sitting in SLC waiting for our flight to Minneapolis so we can meet our granddaughter! She will be 2 months old next week. Is smiling now. So anxious to meet her after all the videos and pictures. 

 

 

So wonderful to hear that you're going to see your new grand-daughter!  Enjoy your visit and treasure those first smiles!

[Lois R]

Good morning girls,  I forgot about this.......I went to the mall the other day and my mission was to go to my favorite shoe store "The Walking Company" and I was going to look for a new pair of sandals.  After getting inside and realizing I had passed the spot where the store was originally located I thought well, maybe they moved? I asked at the info counter and sadly, they CLOSED☹️..........talk about being let down!!!  Yes, you can shop on line with them but when it comes to them.....I love looking at all the choices in person.  They told me the store closed right before the new year.......I guess it had been that long since I was at that particular mall.😲...........I am sad. I will miss them.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning girls,  I forgot about this.......I went to the mall the other day and my mission was to go to my favorite shoe store "The Walking Company" and I was going to look for a new pair of sandals.  After getting inside and realizing I had passed the spot where the store was originally located I thought well, maybe they moved? I asked at the info counter and sadly, they CLOSED☹️..........talk about being let down!!!  Yes, you can shop on line with them but when it comes to them.....I love looking at all the choices in person.  They told me the store closed right before the new year.......I guess it had been that long since I was at that particular mall.😲...........I am sad. I will miss them.

 

Oh that is a shame!  I wonder if the store that I've gone to in the past is also closed?  It's near my office, so I haven't really driven by it in...well, over a year.