Bleaks-burg Game Day

Earlier in the summer, C & I made plans with my sister & her husband to head down to Blacksburg in October and attend a Virginia Tech football game. We did the same thing last fall over Halloween weekend, and had such a great time that we wanted to do it again. Needless to say, it was a little bit of a different plan since I am currently Sober Sally, but a day at VT is a day at VT and I won't pass that up! We bought our tickets and a parking pass to secure a tailgate spot, and planned a fun weekend. Last Saturday was game day, and I could not wait to return "home" - even sporting this basketball-stomach I've currently got going on.

Little did we know, after a long, dry summer, the rain would start (and not stop) the very weekend that we were scheduled to head to the home of the Hokies. In case you were living under a rock last week and didn't know, Hurricane Joaquin and a gross nor'easter both made their way to our area and dumped a massive amount of rain on most of Virginia. The weather forecast leading up to the game on Saturday was obviously quite poor. We are dedicated fans, though, and we committed ourselves to a very wet day in Blacksburg. My beloved college town certainly earned it's nickname that day - it is known locally as Bleaks-burg most of the winter, as it turns gray and sad for a long time in the cold winter. That was just weather we got for the only game we are going to make it to this season! Boo.

We headed from the lake house at Smith Mountain Lake to Blacksburg early on Saturday morning, and set up our tailgate in the pouring rain. My sister and I ventured downtown to the bookstore to pick up some new maroon & orange gear - I needed something to wear the rest of the season since none of my VT shirts fit this fall! I settled on two different scarfs, and found a pair of dress socks for C - grown-up Hokie gear. AND I managed to avoid buying Baby W one single piece of Hokie gear - it was hard, but I restrained myself. We have baby showers coming up!

Let me tell you - tailgating, sober, in the pouring rain, is not exactly my idea of "reliving my glory days." It is definitely not that much fun watching everyone put their beer blankets on while you sit shivering in the rain drinking hot apple cider (not that apple cider isn't delicious, but it's NOT THE SAME) - and it also didn't help soften the misery when our team played terribly and lost the game. Sigh.

We did enjoy ourselves, though, and C & I had a blast hanging out with my sister and my brother-in-law. I am thinking maybe we will make this an annual tradition - and next year we can bring Baby W!

This might be a sign that we are getting old... but I'm pretty sure the best part of the day was driving back to the lake house, where we promptly all took naps before watching a movie and eating a comforting dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was certainly not the same as bar-hopping in Blacksburg, but it was a great way to spend the evening after being cold and wet all day! Even with the horrible weather, we all agreed that we had a wonderful weekend, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Now, if only my football team could figure out a way to win games for a change... sigh.

The Lane Stadium Effect

Before college, I didn't really "get" football - I watched it, I knew about it, it was on in the background on Sundays, sure, but it wasn't really a big deal in our family. Neither of my parents had / has a strong allegiance to an NFL team, and when we moved to Virginia, my sister and I decided we were Dallas Cowboys fans out of pure stubbornness because everyone around us was a Washington Redskins fan. What can we say, we were in elementary school!

I chose to attend Virginia Tech for a multitude of reasons, but being a "football school" was not one of them. I knew little, if anything, about college football. I didn't know about the game, I didn't know the history, I didn't know about tailgating or traditions or superstition. My freshman year, I went to a couple of games, and they were fun, but I didn't really care. I had a long-distance boyfriend that I would have rather spent the weekend visiting with, and hadn't made a lot of friends or connections yet.

Sophomore year, though, I found a group of friends who really cared about football, and I joined a sorority, both of which totally changed my attitude about Hokie football (not just because of tailgating, promise, although that was an added benefit!).

My roommate, Michelle, and I

I finally figured out how much fun it was to experience a game, packed into the stands with a huge group of friends, proudly wearing your school colors and screaming your heart out, watching your team play hard and win (or lose). I learned about BeamerBall and the Lunch Pail Defense. I shook my keys on cue and lost my voice from cheering.

One of my favorite views of campus

After that, I'm pretty sure I never missed a game while I was in school, and some of my very favorite memories are were made in and around Lane Stadium. Words fail me here, because I don't think I can truly describe the experience - unless you've been there, you just won't get it. When you're in Lane, you're with 65,000 of your closest friends and it always feels like home.

Thursday night fireworks

Friends and sisters <3

Ten years after I started college (WHAT), I fully understand that there are weekends when you get up at the crack of dawn to tailgate (12 PM games are the devil). I don't think twice about face paint and noise makers and cornhole and grilling in parking lots. I faithfully wear my maroon and orange on game days and I know that my team will likely break my heart at least once a season. I planned my wedding around football season, and I don't make plans on Saturday afternoons (and the occasional Thursday night) in the fall (unless you want to watch the game). Hokie football means the world to me, and any time Enter Sandman comes on, no matter where I am, you better believe I am going to START JUMPING.

the best.

The Fog is Lifting - Friday Link-Ups

I always get into a general funk for the first two weeks of April, and you may have noticed via my lack of posting (or, let's be real, probably didn't notice). The thing is, as my brain gets heavy with sad thoughts, I feel less and less inclined to write happy, frivolous posts - it just doesn't feel true to myself. Better to sit in silence than cover it up with words I don't mean or don't care about.

Ultimately, the fog starts to lift the day after the 16th, usually. It almost always feels like a literal weight has lifted. I don't know why, but the sense of foreboding and sadness begins to dissipate as soon as that awful day is gone. Maybe it's all in my head...

Things are a little different this year, because in addition to the anniversary of April 16, we are missing my grandma and grandpa, too. This was an especially hard time for my family last year, and it's incredibly hard to believe an entire year has gone by since they both passed. We were all in such a haze of emotions last spring, it's almost like that whole part of year went by without us noticing. It's been hard to catch up.

All that said, I am still so happy about the birth of our niece last Sunday - and I'm looking forward to her being a little shining, bright spot in the years to come during what is always a very sad month for me. I am trying not to dwell on it too much, but I do think it's more than a coincidence that her birth came so closely to a few dates that I associate with so much death. The circle of life and all that, right? Thank you all so much for your sweet words on my Monday post, and your kindness yesterday, as well. It means a lot!

Today is a beautiful, brilliant day in DC, and I am hoping to get outside around lunchtime to get a little Vitamin D. The sunshine certainly does me good. I'll leave you with five thoughts for this Friday...

1 // Yesterday was taco night in our house (because tacos make me happy) and I attempted to make my mom's famous Spanish rice for the first time ever. I am thrilled to report that I was successful - and it was DELICIOUS. Winner, winner, chicken taco dinner.

2 // How gorgeous is this blouse that Kristen linked to this morning? I cannot afford such things, but dang is it pretty.

3 // We have not yet had time this spring to address the jungle that is our yard, so that is on deck for tomorrow morning. It's supposed to be sunny and 80 tomorrow - I have a date with a lawnmower and some sunscreen. Here's hoping we can tame the beast!

4 // I read this article by Kristina Anderson yesterday discussing how to honor the anniversary of a tragedy, and it really resonated with me. Everyone remembers / honors / handles it differently. There is generally no wrong way. That was reassuring to me.

5 // let's make this a two-fer and throw in a little can't live without... I present to you the best travel mug ever. This baby comes with me to work every day, carrying the liquid gold coffee that I need to be a functioning human. It is not cute, it is not pretty, but it is legit. No travel mug I've ever used before is so good at keeping hot liquid hot AND it's totally spill-proof (as long as I remember to close the top!) I once forgot my coffee at home on the counter and found it 12 hours later....... still warm. Not lying. I will never own another!

Happy Friday, friends. Have a wonderful weekend.

linking up with stephanie, cait, and laura

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

linking up with karli and amy

8 Years

Each year, I think that this will be the year when I am finally able to find the words to explain all my thoughts and feelings, but when I sit down to write, nothing comes. Each year, I think it will be different and maybe this day won't hurt so badly, but the pain is still fresh and the memories are still so vivid. Eight years have passed since that horrible day on my college campus, and it always amazes me how that feels both like a lifetime and like no time at all. Funny how that works.

From darkness, there always comes light. From pain, comes incredible strength.

I am proud of many things in my life, but especially proud to be a Hokie, today and every day.

Previous April 16 posts here and here.

Hallo-weekend by the numbers

I need a weekend to recover from Hallo-weekend. My brain is not quite functioning up to par yet, so I'm light on words today. Inspired by this post from P!nkPers!stence today, I thought it would be best to just sum up this weekend with some numbers. Let's see...

8: hours in the car back and forth
336: miles driven

3: cases of beer consumed
 

2: the number of points we lost the game by

4: cab rides back and forth from downtown
 

45: degrees it was during the game
 

34: degrees it felt like with the wind chill

1: cell phones temporarily lost (it was under the bed)

4: people who took long afternoon naps and nursed hangovers on Sunday

2: nights downtown pretending we were in college again

1: margarita the size of my head

7: number of times I was carded buying alcohol

1: number of times I was not carded buying alcohol

1: number of orders of fried pickles consumed
 

3: videos of me "nerdy dancing" that will never be seen on the internet

105%: amount I miss my college town

Manic Mobile Monday

I might have to start a new thing called Mobile Monday... I had every intention of getting a post together for this morning, but before I know it, the day is almost over! The hours just fly by. Manic Monday is DEFINITELY real. Whew. 

We had a super busy weekend that was filled with quality time with family and friends, so I can't complain about that. I can, however, complain about how my weekend started: with a visit to the dermatologist, which I left with one less mole than I began. Womp, womp. A spot on my hand was deemed "weird" by the doctor, and next thing I knew, it was being removed for further testing. See ya, spot!

Pain in my hand aside, I can't actually complain about the appointment. The office was nice, the doctor was friendly and knowledgeable, and she was very proactive about skin care. Check, check, and check! So there's my PSA for the day: if you haven't had your skin checks lately, stop everything and make an appointment! It is so very important. 

Another notable weekend activity was a major yard project: bush removal! I have hated the boxwood bushes in front of our house since the day we moved in, so I got it in my head that we should remove them. Let me just say this: ripping out gigantic hedges is not as simple as one might believe. 

Luckily, I put together my dream team (my parents and husband are awesome) (not at all by bribing them with wine and food...) and together we ripped those suckers out. It may or may not have involved attaching a rope to my mom's Lexus and tying it around a bush and yanking it out of the ground... We're classy, y'all. At the end of the day, though, I was freaking thrilled with the results. You can actually see my front porch! Hooray! I am really lucky I got help though... Because, in retrospect, I have no idea how I thought I was going to handle that alone. It was a much bigger project than I anticipated! 

Our final activity of the weekend was attending a crab fest hosted by the local chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association.

 It was so much fun, and made me simultaneously happy and sad. Happy, because it's almost time for college football to come back! But sad, because it was a "freshman send-off" event for local kids who are heading down to Blacksburg to start their college career.. And I am so jealous!! What I wouldn't give to be starting those four years over again. They don't know how lucky they are! Sob. 

Anyway, we ate crabs, drank beer, and enjoyed the great company of fellow Hokies - can't beat that for a Sunday afternoon! 

C and I are looking forward to getting more involved with the alumni club - it's such a great organization, and I love meeting people who love my alma mater as much as I do. Hokie Nation, baby!

So tell me...

• Have you ever tackled a home-improvement project that turned out harder than you expected?
• Are you involved with your college alumni club?
• Are you a crab eater? I LIKE crab, but I really don't like working so hard for my food...!

hard days

This has not been an easy week.

On Tuesday afternoon, my maternal grandfather passed away. It was rather sudden - he got sick, was hospitalized, and was gone in a matter of days. I am so very thankful for the fact that my mom had already scheduled a Spring Break trip to visit them and was on her way to be there when everything started to happen. She was able to be there for my grandpa's last few days, and also to be with my grandma the whole time. The stars seriously, seriously aligned on this one - I really can't even explain. My grandparents live on the coast of Oregon in a location that is not exactly easily accessible, and coordinating a trip out of the blue would have been difficult. My mom literally already had the plane tickets in hand when she needed them. Incredible. It has been a very rough week for our family, and especially my mama. It deeply hurts my heart that I wasn't able to be there, and that I haven't been able to help her through this.

This past Wednesday was the 7th anniversary of the incident at Virginia Tech, and while you'd think that seven years passing is enough time to make it easier to get through, it's really actually not. I struggle every year to try to find the right words to say, and I'm not sure I've ever really been successful. All you got from me this year was radio silence - between Tuesday and Wednesday, there were simply no words in me. The hole in my heart from that day, while slowly getting smaller, will likely always remain.

The month of April kind of sucks.

On the bright side (because there always is one - without darkness there cannot be light, right?), this week has served as a reminder that there are so many people in my life and my family's lives who love us. The cup of love has been over-flowing - from people offering prayers and support, to others reaching out to let me know they are thinking of me, to sweet friends who provide me with distractions in a time when I desperately need them. As luck would have it, C was out of town this week for a business trip, and I found myself faced with a dauntingly large bowl of emotions by myself. He felt terrible for not being around, and I felt terrible for being alone. Like I said, not an easy week. But between friends and coworkers and FaceTime with my family, I really felt the love this week. Love is really all you need.

So, sadness aside, I thought I'd use this opportunity to share a quick Five for Friday, of the little things that have helped me get through this week. In a time of loss and pain, it's important to see the beauty in the small, everyday things, and to just appreciate life, and I have been trying hard to do just that.

1 // my kitty, of course. He's been glued to my side all week, as if he can just tell that I need a companion. I wish I could read his little cat mind sometimes. He has brought joy this week just by being in the house with me (#crazycatladystatus)

2 // gelato. Stephanie was sweet enough to go out to dinner with me on Wednesday night, and we treated ourselves to both wine and dessert - because some days just call for both. Stephanie is a fellow Hokie, and her husband had some obligations Wednesday evening, and neither of us wanted to be alone. Perfect time for a girl's date! This homemade gelato at a local Italian restaurant was killer.

3 // treats. My coworker brought me a bag of goodies yesterday to help me eat my feelings (don't judge me). She knows how much I love Trader Joe's and how rarely I get to go to one. Her gift was much-appreciated (and delicious!!).

4 // a good book. I started reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty on Monday, and it has been a great way to keep my mind off of everything else. The story is easy to read and the plot is kind of fascinating, and it's just sucked me in. A welcome distraction.

5 // fresh flowers. A big bouquet of cheerful tulips has brought some life to the house, and the pop of color is lovely.

Happy Friday, y'all. I hope you take some time to enjoy living this weekend, to hug your family close, to tell someone you love them, to send a note to a friend. Be appreciative of this life you have - it's the only one you get.

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

A bone to pick + Five for Friday

First things first: I have a serious bone to pick with Chobani.

Allow me to explain: for the last year and a half or so, I have cut sour cream out of my diet and replaced it with plain Greek yogurt.

(PS - if you haven't tried this, you should. Same taste, same texture, more protein, I don't feel bad about loading a baked potato with 1/4 cup of it... win, win, win, win.)

That being said, I purchase the giant containers of plain Chobani - 32 oz - for about $5 at whichever grocery store I'm at. It lasts me a few weeks, and it makes me happy. Or, at least, it USED to! Apparently, Chobani has stopped selling these large containers of yogurt, because I cannot find them anywhere. The "big" containers now are about half the size, and about $4. Nothing about this is good! More money, less yogurt, not happy. It is a travesty. Because of this issue, I have been forced to try a new brand of yogurt (thank you, Wegmans, for selling the big containers), and I have yet to come to terms with this. We had a good thing going, Chobani. Why'd ya have to go and ruin it??

Five for Friday: Really Random

1. We have a To-Do list with approximately 9834 items on it for tomorrow / this weekend. I am confident that we can get it all done! But it is slightly daunting.... on the bright side, I do love list-making.

2. One of the things on the list is to hang my gallery wall. We have a great space in the main entry way that I have been picturing having lots of pictures up on, and I can't wait to make it happen. Currently, said gallery wall looks like this:

Not exactly the look I'm going for...

3. I made the most delicious bean soup one night this week. Thanks to Allison for the recipe! C & I both loved it, and it will be a great addition to our fall / winter weekly dinner rotation.

4. We totally pushed our social boundaries last night (really demonstrating my / our home-body-ness right now...). I found out that the local chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Club was hosting a get-together at a local bar to watch VT vs GT last night, so we went and met up with them! It was just C and me and a group of people my parents' age for a while... fun! But then Stephanie and her husband showed up, and it turned out that we had a blast! We only stayed at the bar til half time then headed home, but it was still fun to branch out a little and meet some people. The alumni club seems to be pretty active down here, so I'm looking forward to see what else that holds for us.

5. I'm burning this candle today and my house smells amazing:

Tomorrow is "do all of the things" day, and then on Sunday we are off to C's cousin's wedding in Leesburg. Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

 

When the decision is easy

When I was a sophomore in high school, my mom and I started going on college visits. We spent spring break and several parts of summer break going from school to school, touring campuses, trying dining halls, and exploring book stores. I didn’t know a thing about college, other than that it was expected I would go. I didn’t have an older sibling to tell me about what I’d experience, no older friends to give me a feel for what it was really like to move away for four years. My parents didn’t go to college in the traditional sense – they both got their Bachelor’s and Master’s after being in the military for several years, and did it while working full-time and eventually raising kids. They didn’t have the “four-year” on-campus experience, so they didn’t have much wisdom to share with me in that respect. I was on my own to find the one that fit. Virginia has a ton of colleges and universities, and it was pretty much set that I would go in-state, and so my mom and I went from place to place, trying to determine where I would apply.

I slowly made a list of the places where I felt comfortable – for a long time (read: a few months), I was determined to go to William & Mary, and then I changed my mind and decided I’d go to UVA. Those schools felt alright with me; on the campus tours, the grounds didn’t seem too confusing, and every school seemed to generally offer the same amenities. I looked at the college students with my high-school eyes, and tried to picture myself among them. I could, mostly, and so I assumed that I’d just go to one of those schools I’d toured and eventually it would all be fine.

Everything changed one day in July, the summer after my junior year of high school. That was when I first stepped foot on the campus of Virginia Tech. I took the tour, and it felt right. I stood in the dorms, and pictured myself living there. I saw the students, and felt like I fit in. And then I stood on the edge of the Drill Field, and suddenly I felt like I was home. This was it.

I went back home and filled out my application. I was determined to apply Early Decision – and it was the kind where, if accepted, you were required to go to school there. I was good with that. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I refused to apply anywhere else. I was going to Virginia Tech. I had to. I would not apply to a single other college until I knew about VT.

Early Decisions announcements came out in December. My parents had gone out, and I was at home, sitting by the computer, anxiously refreshing the internet, waiting for my answers. I felt a little nauseous, but mostly just certain. Tech was where I needed to go. I would get in. There was no other school that felt so undoubtedly like home.

As luck would have it, I did get accepted, and I didn’t have to fill out any other college applications. I never regretted my choice for a single second – there was never a time when I didn’t feel like VT was where I was supposed to end up. Obviously, my choice of college shaped the entire rest of my life: I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends, wouldn’t have lived through April 16, wouldn’t have met my husband (or maybe I would have, but that’s another topic), wouldn’t have learned from the professors that I did… That decision to be a Hokie turned me down a path that dictated the course of the rest of my life.

Standing there on the Drill Field on that hot July day in Blacksburg, I stood at a crossroads of life – as cliché as it is. I had a choice to make, but I truly feel like fate made it for me. That very first time on campus, the decision was clear, and I never looked back. I’m pretty sure I will never forget that distinct moment, where I stood (literally) on the edge of everything, and felt like I was right exactly where I belonged.

Today's Blogtember prompt: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

6 years.

"And in this moment, once every year... throughout the town, throughout the school... time stands still."

Reaching out

I, like so many others, am horrified and heartbroken over the incident in Connecticut on Friday. I don't know why, but, for some reason, this particular act of violence is hitting me especially hard. Perhaps it's the children involved, or the fact that it was at a school, at one of the singular places where we are all supposed to feel safe. I'm not sure - what I am sure of, though, is that I feel an overwhelming amount of emotion regarding this event. I think what's the hardest is the fact that I am not feeling sympathy in this case, as so many other are. I am feeling empathy - I know how it feels. I have done this.

I feel helpless. I want to do something. I want to help take away the pain - from someone, anyone, all of them. I want to apologize: I am so sorry. I am so sorry that this has happened again. I want to look into all of their eyes and promise them that life will go on. It will never be the same, but there will become a new normal. I want to tell them that they will always have Before and After, as I do, and they will always distinguish life events as one or the other. I want to tell them that I know how it feels to have a gaping hole in your heart, one that gets smaller over time, but that will never truly heal. I want to take away the hurt. I feel tiny and insignificant. I don't know what to do.

I am praying for strength for the Newtown community, and for even just one moment of peace for all of those people who are touched by this event. The people victimized by this will spread far and wide - it never ceases to amaze me that, in events of such deep sorrow, the "six degrees of separation" never fails to prove true. Everyone knows someone affected by this. Reach out to those around you, and let them know that they are loved. Don't hesitate for one second to tell people that you care about them, or to do something nice for someone, or to simply spread happiness. You truly just never know what your last experience with someone will be. Spread light, spread love, spread hope.

I want to share the words (pared down, just a bit) that Nikki Giovanni shared with us in our darkest moments, and hope that now, in Sandy Hook's darkest moments, they may also provide some minute degree of comfort:

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.
We will prevail.

You are not alone.

The most wonderful time of the year

My sister’s birthday was on Sunday. I am possibly the worst sister ever and failed to tell her “happy birthday” – not my phone, not by text, not by facebook, not by blog post like every other family member… It just didn’t happen. Sorry ‘bout it. She was off frolicking around at my parents’ new lake house (!!!  A post all in itself) with no cell phone signal and I was travelling back from a weekend of debauchery with friends from college in Richmond so… the connection was just never made. Natty, I’m sorry, I love you, there’s a card for you on my coffee table. You can have it… sometime. Welcome to 23. It’s kind of anticlimactic. I'm glad you were born.

For you, I will put things like this on the Internet.
Please note the mullet. And the box of raisins.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK. Thank the sweet CFB gods. The kickoff of CFB is practically a holiday in our house (as is the start of NFL season and NHL season… we like sports) and I was so flippin’ thrilled to be able to turn on the games that I almost couldn’t stand it. While everyone else swam and played cornhole and hung out outside on Saturday night, I parked myself on the couch in front of the TV and flipped back and forth between all of the games. Not ashamed. It was lovely.

Even better than plain ol’ CFB being back is… HOKIE FOOTBALL IS BACK. Yes, yes, yes. After a heart-breaking, seriously depressing loss to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl to end last season (IT WAS A CATCH), I’m pretty sure every Virginia Tech fan everywhere was ready for a fresh start and the new season.

[source]

We didn't play until last night - the wait was excruciating. The minute "Enter Sandman" started playing was so worth it, though. 


The best entrance in college football.
I would have given a limb to be in Blacksburg for the game - I miss my alma mater more than is probably healthy, and football season compounds that emotion by like 1763%. Give or take. C & I proudly rocked our maroon and orange all day yesterday, and we last night we made wings and drank beer and cheered so loud in our own living room that the neighbors were probably concerned. They better get used to it. We stayed up til midnight watching the game, and were rewarded with a win in overtime (the first ever overtime in Lane Stadium - nice). (Hence being too tired to function today, and probably too tired to be writing this post. Sorry I'm not sorry.) Not gonna lie, it was not the most exciting nor the best game I’ve ever watched – but a win is a win. 1-0. Let’s go!

Our bell, ready and waiting for the first W of the season!

Ringing the bell after the win!
We tried to restrain ourselves for the sake of
our neighbors & their school-age children.
It was hard.

Our first full season as an old married couple. Bring it on!

I was THISCLOSE to ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks this morning before my brain reminded me that it’s a million degrees and 100% humidity out today. My heart wants fall, my brain knows that it’s not quite time. BRING ME FALL. I’m so over this disgusting summer weather.

My sister has requested a chocolate-on-chocolate cake for her birthday (I may not be very good at birthday wishes, but I am damn good at coming through with a birthday cake) so there will be one more baking adventure before this baking flurry comes to a screeching halt. I may have finally quenched the baking thirst – I actually moved my mixer back to its home behind the dish drainer yesterday, instead of leaving it in the center of the main counter for easy access/a quick fix. HOWEVER – I did make my dad an amazing German chocolate cake last week. Behold.

Today is Tuesday, but it feels like Monday. That is both the best and the worst thing ever.

I promise to have a post with some semblance of logic sometime soon. Promise…