New Hampshire weekend getaway

Polly's Pancake Parlor, Sugar Hill, NH.

In July Kevin and I went up north to see some family from Texas and North Carolina that came up for a vacation in New Hampshire.  So to explain the situation: My dad's oldest brother lives in Sugar Hill New Hamphsire.  My dad's second older brother lives in Dallas Texas.  This uncle loves to visit New Hampshire at least once a year, usually in September.  But they wanted to do a family vacation this year because my cousin recently moved to NC.  Most of my uncle from Texas's family was able to come up to New  Hampshire for two weeks.  So to add to the family my uncle in New Hampshire has two of his three kids living up there as well.  And all but one of my cousins that were there that weekend have children as well.  Kevin and I were only there for a weekend, but it was really nice to get away for a weekend.

Kevin and I stayed with my cousin EB.  She has a little boy and he is adorable!  We really love staying with them.  We get to hang out with my cousin, her husband, her little boy, and her extra lovable golden retriever Kebler.  Their house is beautiful and their back yard view is the White Mountains.  It's so beautiful up there.

My cousin's dog Kebler.  He's so loveable.  Even though he's an older dog he still romps like a puppy.

The day after we arrived we went for a short hike in Lincoln, NH.  It's called the Lincoln Woods Trail off of route 112.  There were so many people there that day.  There was this group of trail runners that didn't seem too serious about what they were doing.  They ran past us and then stopped 100 feet in front of us and "adjusted" them selves.  One of them wasn't wearing socks...  They kept running then stopping the whole time we were there.  We didn't end up staying long because the amount of people was getting to us.  We stopped for a few minutes so I could take some pictures on the river and so we could put our feet in the water.  Holy crap was it cold!!!  And it was JULY!

Kevin and I taking a break along the Pemigewasset River.

After our hike we got some lunch at the Black Mountain Burger Co. in Lincoln, NH.  The burgers hit the spot.  I was pretty hungry.  I think we ended up being a little late to dinner at my aunt and uncles because of this.  That's okay though.  We got to see everyone and ate some more of course.  It was nice to catch up with my cousin that recently moved to NC.  We weren't able to get an invitation to him in time for the wedding.  But he ended up telling us because of the kids they probably wouldn't have been able to swing it anyway.

Our cold beers at Black MTN Burger Co.

This photo doesn't do the moon justice.  It was huge and really bright orange.  I took this from my cousin's back deck.

The next morning we had breakfast at Polly's with a few of the cousins and then we headed up to Littleton to shop at some of our favorite stores.  There are a few thrift and antique stores we like to frequent, there's a fun farmers' market, and of course there's Chutter's candy store.  It's always a good time going to visit my family in New Hampshire.  I would definitely move back to New Hampshire if I was given the choice/chance.

Apple Picking, Twin Peaks, and THE CIRCUS!!!

It's been a while since I've written.  I almost have so many times, but sometimes posting emotions on a public site isn't the smartest idea.  I really need to break out my sketch book for that kind of an outlet.  Some things just don't need to be read by family and friends.  With that said, I wanted to post about some recent happenings in my world.

As an adult I have found I love fall the best out of the seasons.  Winter was my favorite as a child.  I was born in December and I grew up for the early part of my life in New Hampshire.  Snow was the BEST!  Now that I'm grown and have to drive in wintery conditions, it gets kind of old.  Shoveling the driveway before work every storm is a lot.  Trying to figure out the flattest route to work never really is the flattest.  Last year I hit an ice patch on my way home from work taking that route and scratched my rim on the curb of the road.   Fall? Fall is where it's at.  It just is starting to become long sleeve and sweater weather.  You can break out your slippers again and your warm heavy comforter.  The color is just beautiful this time of year.  I don't know maybe it's because I live in New England I love fall.  There are a million festivals and activities to do this time of year.  One of my favorite is apple picking at a local orchard.  

Kevin at Lasley's Orchard in Pomfret, CT.

Apples have always been my favorite fruit.  The more tart the better.  Although, I did try a baking apple in England once and that WAS too tart for me.  My husband Kevin and I went to a different orchard last weekend in north eastern Connecticut called Lapsley's Orchard.  It's in Pomfret, CT.  The other orchards we've been to in Southeastern Connecticut are usually labled and maped out as to where and what apples they have.  Lapsley's wasn't at all.  The fun of apple picking is trying the apples and they embrace that tradition.  You had to pay attention to what the apples looked like, what the leaves looked like, and the tree itself.  Kevin and I prefer tart apples so it took us a while to find which ones we liked.  It also didn't help that the season is winding down and all the close trees were bare.  We had to walk pretty far down the rows to get to trees that still had fruit.  We only went to one side of the orchard too.  There was a whole other side!  It was kind of overcast and chilly the day we went so we got our two dozen and headed back to the farm store to check out their pumpkin selection.  We each chose what we thought to be the perfect jack-o-lantern shaped pumpkin and went on our way.  

The other orchards we like to go to that I mentioned earlier are Maple Lane Farm and Holmberg Orchards.  Maple Lane is in Preston, CT and Holmberg's is in Gales Ferry, CT.  Holmberg's also makes apple, pear, and peach wine and hard cider.  They have tastings all the time at the orchard.  Maple Lane is more casual.  During the week they leave a cash box out and accept cash or checks for a peck of apples.  The trust system is in place for a lot of local farmers around where I live.

Cheddar cheese on apple pie for Twin Peaks night.

Pie is something people make a lot at this time of year.  Pumpkin and apple pie are pretty popular.  Did you know that it's a New England tradition to put sharp cheddar cheese onto of apple pie instead of ice cream or whipped cream?  I only recently found this out.  Pretty sad for growing up in New England, eh?  My husband prefers his apple pie this way.  I found out this year it is also how my mother prefers it as well.  Kevin and I started doing a Twin Peaks night at our house on Wednesday nights.  We pre-ordered the bluray box set and wanted to have people over to watch it again.  Our friend Kat was so nice and made a cherry pie the first week to keep with tradition of the show.  This week she made an apple pie.  Kevin and I put cheese on our slices.  I hope there are more Twin Peaks fans out there reading this and know about the pie obsession in that town.  We also want to get donuts because of the donut set ups in the show as well.  Another thing we have been doing is making decaf coffee because we all have to work the next day.  Coffee is another fun running theme in the show.  Out of the seven people who come over, including Kevin and myself, only three have not seen the show yet.  It's been fun seeing their reactions to what happens in the show.

Going back to my childhood...  I was kind of an odd kid.  I mean carrots were my favorite snack for goodness sake.  I changed what I wanted to be a lot.  I think that's pretty normal for children to do as they grow up.  But one of the professions I wanted to do was to be a clown.  I still love clowns.  I mean don't get me wrong I totally get why people find them creepy and scary.  I really do, but I just love them.  I love the clothes, the makeup, the stuff they get to make and do.  I even taught myself how to make balloon animals.  I still have the book.  I was a clown once for a church craft fair.  That was also when I learned I was allergic to latex, but that's another story.  One thing associated with clowns is the circus.  I always wanted to go to one as a child, but I never was fortunate to go to one.  I love going to the circus exhibit at the Big E whenever we go.  They have this tapestry hanging up in one room that looks authentic.  It's of an Aborigine woman with rings on her neck.  It looks like the "freak show" tapestries they put up in front of their tents.  I love the art work, it's simple but just sucks you in to the imagination of the circus.  I am always drawn to the carnival culture as well.  I just find it fascinating.  Last year I watched the Big Apple Circus documentary on Netflix.  It was really interesting.  I really enjoyed it.  I always keep my fascination quiet around people I know.  I have some pretty passionate vegetarian friends.  The circus is a sore spot for them.  

Finally of the circus.

So getting to the point of this rant is that Kevin bought us tickets to the Ringling Bro. and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Worcester.  BEST DAY EVER!!!  Well, it was up there in my top ten favorite days I think.  I felt pretty silly being a grown adult being as excited as the 4 year olds begging their parents for the 10 dollar light up stuff on the walk to the arena.  As we crossed the street I realized that the caravan with Ringling Bro. and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the sides of the cars was lined up across the street.  I got so excited.  We couldn't tell if it was a train car caravan or if it was on tires.  Still, it was pretty cool to see that.  I mean, the Little Engine That Could and Dumbo were some of my favorite things growing up.  This was a big deal to me.  Kevin bought me the program when we got inside.  We had front row tickets.  But we quickly realized that it's probably not a show you want front row tickets for.  The techs are in your view a lot.  I enjoyed every second.  The elephants were adorable.  The tiger show was awesome, but we wished we could have seen the tigers do more stuff.  All of the acts were just incredible.  They have some really talented people working for the show.  The unicyclists were so fun.  I loved that too.  I will never forget it.  Kevin was really impressed that all of the music was live.  I think we were kind of bummed at how the circus has had to adapt to the times.  Kevin remembers the Ring Leader introducing each act and hyping the crowd up.  They did musical numbers instead with the Ring Leader.  That was a bummer.  OH!  I just remembered, we got to see a girl get shot out of a canon!  That was awesome too.  Just a great show...

Elephants doing their show for the crowd.

The tightrope act was incredible!  Here two guys are on two other guys shoulders! 

Tightrope act again: on bikes and a girl on a chair that stood up!

Two married couples that are incredibly strong!

Even though since the wedding it's been quiet and Kevin and I haven't really done too much.  The things that we have done have been really fun and memorable for sure. We both really enjoy that life has gone back to normal since the wedding.  That we don't HAVE to go out every night now.  We can just have rice and beans for dinner and that's good enough for us.  We've been able to do more work to our back yard and inside the house now.  So glad things have slowed down.  

During the opening act: there was so much going on!  The paint splatter dressed girls were in these suspended spirals from the ceiling.

I'm back!  After a long hiatus due to my wedding, I'm happy to be back.  Well, I am sort of happy about it.  I don't feel like I have a following whatsoever.  But this is really for me anyways, much like my artwork.  Not very many people enjoy that either.  The wedding day was fantastic!  Only two hiccups really and they're nothing that big at all.  VERY minor gripes.  Here, I'll show you a picture or two to show what it was like...

Not sure who took this for photo credit, but this is the ceremony at the Kinney Bungalow in Narragansett, RI.
6.7.14

Right before the first dance.  Nice shot Chantal, I really love this picture!

Kevin's brother Brian took this picture.  It was right before the reception started.

So that's a taste of our wedding.  It was a beautiful day.  And now things are pretty close to normal.  I mean we still have crazy amounts of plans every week, but this week we actually had some time to do some yard work that we wanted to do.  I've done a lot of thinking these past weeks, and I came up with an idea of what to add to my blog.  Kevin and I got on a fair amount of trips and I'd say we're foodies sometimes.  So I made a profile on Yelp and started doing reviews and taking pictures of things.  So far I made 7 reviews of different attractions, hotels/inns, and restaurants.  It's time consuming, but I find it fun.  I look at Yelp a lot when we're going somewhere new.  So I thought that might be a good place to do my reviews.  Here's one of my reviews I did of a restaurant we ate at on our honeymoon in Nova Scotia. The Grand Banker Bar & Grill review.  I think I'll do my reviews on Yelp and talk about our trip or why we ended up where we did on my blog.  That's the plan.

Another thing I have been thinking about as of late is my artwork.  I'm in a dead holt rut right now.  It really sucks feeling the way I do.  I'm at a point now where I don't trust my skills so I don't do anything.  I'm scared to be honest.  Scared of starting something, again, and not finishing it.  It's something I always do, I should be used to it by now, but I don't like that about my process.  So I thought of doing smaller items for sale.  Small watercolors for instance.  Watercolors I could take wherever if I get a pan set, and keep it small and sell them at a reasonable price.  I thought of doing greeting or note cards as well.  I could make sets and sell those on my store as well.  I really think I might try that.  And I might stay away from oils and acrylics for a while.  I need some distance.  The ink wash drawing of the acorns I did within the past year made me remember why I don't paint in oils or acrylic.  It just doesn't give me the feeling I enjoy in my brush strokes.  So, I am going to give that a try.

So that's all that's new for now in Heather's world.  It's weird having a different last name, but at the same time kind of cool.  I can be a new person, fresh start!  I mean I still feel the same and nothing's changed except my last name, but it's interesting how that makes you feel different.

Summer vacations and sketches...

This summer has been rough for me.  Wedding plans have been extremely painful for me.  I hate doing it.  I know it's going to come together in the end, but I hate that most of the responsibility is on me.  I don't like doing this myself.  Kevin is in not much of a rush to get things done, but I won't do it myself.  I might sound like a super bitch, but if that's how it's going to be we just won't have a wedding.  Nothing will get done because I won't do it myself.  I refuse.  We're giving this wedding to our families.  I think if it were completely up to us, we would've eloped and had a party or something...  I don't know, but I hate this.  So with the wedding planning bringing me down, and work bringing me down even farther a vacation was definitely in order...

Photo taken by Chris Jelden or Amanda Jelden.  This is the view from Hen's Nest: the name of the cottage we stay at in Hinesburg, VT.

Last weekend Kevin and I went on a short vacation with a few of our friends.  We went to our friend's family cabin in Hinesburg, VT.  It is on Lake Iroquois.  It was a beautiful weekend.  It rained the last day we were there, but it worked out because the last day is cleaning day.  We were all upset we weren't going to be able to go to the state fair that weekend, but it just so happened it was this weekend as well as next which we knew that it would be.  There is a Maple Sugar building at the expo that we go to at least twice during our day at the fair, and it didn't disappoint!  We almost immediately got our maple milk shakes, oh my god are they good!  And before we left our friends got a maple sugar cookie and Kevin and I got a maple soft serve cone (it was pretty hot that day).  I even got to see my cousin that lives in NH!  She was there with her family and couple they're friends with.  That was an unexpected bonus!

We also did a day in Burlington that traditionally starts off with breakfast at the skinny pancake!  I was brave and tried the Atlantic Monster crepe.  It was very different, I'll say that much.  I didn't hate it but I don't think I could have smoked salmon every day for breakfast.  We usually walk down to the marina and take a picture of the group.  We did that but this time I had my 35mm camera with us and I had my tripod so I could do the self timer.  I hope we got a good shot.  Our friend Jelden is also a photo enthusiast.  I enjoy that he feels the same way I do about photos.  It helps you remember those great memories.  They are frozen moments of your past that you can look back at later and have a warm and fuzzy moment again.  It saddens me that people don't keep photo albums anymore, but that is for another blog post.  We then went to the farmers market near city hall in Burlington.  Always a good time, except for the part when I was ignored by a pottery vendor.  I am a, what you might call, passive looking person.  I guess anyway...  People tend to not take me seriously or ignore me entirely.  This makes me rage a little, I'm not going to lie.  So we were in an artist corner of the farmers market and there was a potter turning a pot.  So it intrigued Kevin and I .  Plus his table of pottery was very pleasing to the eye and had a very nice color pallet.  A tea pot caught my eye, plus it was the perfect shade of tiffany blue or robins egg blue that we want to use in the wedding.  Not that we would've bought the tea pot as decoration for the wedding, but we were considering the cake plate he had on display for that very reason.  The only thing was, it was in a emerald green color.  Which I guess would work in a pinch, but he doesn't have the only cake plate in the world.  I was going to ask him if he happened to have the cake plate in the blue color of the tea pot when another gentlemen cut me off.  So I listened and waited patiently for the gentlemen to finish talking, it took forever.  In the conversation though the artist happened to mention that he had similar items in his studio that are of different colors, and he could make things of any color you liked.  At that point I was going to ask my question and ask for a card when the artist IGNORED me completely and talked to a child that walked up during the other gentlemen's conversation and was waiting as well...  My blood was boiling at this point.  Kevin was next to me and waiting to cut in, but he just kept his attention on the boy and his mother.  So Kevin ended up taking a picture of the artists wooden name plaque on his table and we walked away...  So mad still, but it was a really cool cake plate and really well made pottery.  However, I don't really want to give this guy my business because he ignored me.  This is a common occurrence in my life and it angers me every time.  You might say, oh just cut those other people off.  I'm not going to be rude just because other people are rude to me.  That's not who I am.  If you don't have the awareness of your potential customers then you don't deserve my attention or business.  And that's all I have to say about that.

We then went shopping on Church Street and then headed back to the cottage to spend some time floating in the lake.  We all floated for a while and then Kevin and I took the canoe out for a spin around the lake.  I was so glad we got to do that this year.  I love canoes.  They remind me of my childhood canoeing with my father.  Boy is it a work out too!

The weekend was awesome, so relaxing and just a good time with friends.  I even got to sew a few bows, although I'm out of barrettes to sew them onto.  (By the way I think I'm going to get my barrettes from this Etsy supply store The Soda Pop Shop.  The store has exactly what I'm looking for, they're a USA store, and it's a great price!  Pretty excited to find her shop.  Anyway, I also had time to sketch some while we were away.  I have been avoiding my artwork completely lately.  I am so apprehensive to make a mark on a page or a canvas as of late.  So I sketched our view from Hen's Nest in my sketch book that is the one that has pages to fill.  It's pretty old.  It has things in it from when I was dating my ex boyfriend in it.  But here's my sketch, not the greatest thing I've ever done, but I did SOMETHING.  And I'm proud of myself for it.

Hen's Nest View 2013.  Please excuse my horrible spelling in the sketch.  Kind of embarrassed about that...

That's the latest news in the world of Heather K. McPhaul.  Hope you all have a great rest of your week.

Art Fairs, Accessories, and a Tasting...

Hello all!  I haven't written in over a month, and I apologize!  Let me give you an update on the latest.  So finished a purse that has been "in the works" for over 2 years now.  I was a vendor at a local art fair.  And Kevin and I did a tasting for a caterer for our wedding in June of next year.  It's been a busy month!  So here is a few photos of the purse I made.  I will be putting that up on my Etsy store today.

Front view of the purse.

It is a pretty tall purse, you can fit a binder in there with an inch or so to spare height wise.

The purse in standing mode.

I added a pocket inside to hide all those unmentionables you don't want people to see.

So that's the purse.  It was a learning experience.  Most of my projects are.  I don't have patterns.  I kind of just put things together how I would want them.  I like when purses have a liner in them so just incase a pen bursts in your bag, the outside doesn't get ruined.  That's happened to me before...  I enjoy having a pocket inside so I can keep things organized. Also I like to have pocket on the outside for easy access to my cell phone and keys, If I don't have my carabiniere attached to the strap of my purse.  I also like the option to close my purse if I need to.  I don't usually zip my bags closed because it's too much of a hassle when you need something quick.  But for instances where your bag falls over and everything falls out, it's nice to at least have a button, velcro, or a magnet to partially keep it closed.  I'm pretty pleased with it.  I think the next one I make will be better, as is the case with most things I make.  You can always improve your design/art I say.

So the Arts and Wellness fair wasn't a complete bust like one of the others I did last year, which is encouraging.  I made back the money I paid for the booth plus ten dollars.  So not a complete loss, thank goodness.  Kevin was nice and kept me company for most of the day.  It's always nice to have someone there with you especially for bathroom breaks.  Although, the staff that was there from Meiklem Kiln Works was always willing to help out and give bathroom breaks.  The staff and volunteers were so nice and super helpful.

Looking out from the back of my booth.

So something kind of awesome happened at the fair.  So I had two prints of a Godzilla etching I had done in art school.  I unfortunately left my etching plate at school and it got stolen.  My own fault, but still I was really proud of it and it bummed me out.  BUT!!!  Three people were interested in the prints.  One woman said she had to have it and borrowed money from her friend so she could get it.  This made me really consider doing the PayPal Here card swiper.  Kevin's Aunt bought the other print I had left.  I felt bad because the third person was a vendor and when he stopped by to check it out, both the prints were gone!  I guess I might have to do another drawing for next year to make it up to him.  That made me think that fan art might sell.  I don't know if I want to do a lot of that though.  

So lastly I will tell you the tale of Kevin and my experience with a tasting.  The nice thing about this caterer is that they're located in the same town that we're having out wedding, Narragansett, RI.  So we started our tasting with some options for passed hour d'oeuvres.  Some of the ones on the plate were ones we chose as an option like the bacon wrapped scallop.  It was really awesome so we're keeping that one for sure.  But some of the other options just wouldn't work for us like the fig pouch.  It was way too sweet.  Then KC, our contact at the caterer, brought out the salad.  Beautiful as well, and the dressing was really nice.  It was a honey thyme vinaigrette.  Nice and light, so we're not going to do two dressing option for our guests.  Sorry guys.  THEN came the main course options that we picked!
Mind you we didn't get to try our vegetarian option, but I think it will be fine.  We tried a cut of beef and a stuffed chicken.  The beef was awesome, but we both wished the stuffed chicken had more stuffing.  We're going to either re-think the chicken or ask if there can be a little more stuffing.  So here are some pictures of the food we tasted and of our venue, The Kinney Bungalow.

Garden salad with honey thyme vinaigrette dressing. 

Chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, and spinach.  With a side of asparagus and herbed risotto.

A cut of beef with a horseradish aioli sauce.  With a side of asparagus and herbed risotto.

The Kinney Bungalow in Narragansett, RI.

Today I visit with my Grandmother, who I haven't seen since Easter!  I'm the worst!  It will be nice to see her =0)  We'll be getting ice cream as it is one of her most favorite summer pastimes.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Houndstooth and Bright Blue barrettes...

80mm Houndstooth printed pinwheel barrette.

This weekend I've worked on an order placed before I wend on vacation at the beginning of the month.  It was for a friend at work that ordered two barrettes for her granddaughter.  I have them ready to go, but I haven't been back to work since I've finished them.  Monday I hope she'll be at work so I can give them to her: in a proper bag, and a business card in the bag with the barrettes.

80mm Bright blue leaf print bow barrette.

I have a lot of prints I bought earlier this year that I've really wanted to make some bows and pinwheels with.  The houndstooth and this fun bright blue print are two of my favorites.  I've had the houndstooth for a while, I think I got it for free at art school to be honest.  I have so many plastic tubs around my house just filled with scrap fabric.  So many started projects that I just forget about.

I have this tote bag I started over a year ago.  I stopped the project because I needed to take in the sides a quarter inch and I was just so pissed off about it.  I don't know if anyone would buy it, but it doesn't hurt to finish and try to sell.  Hopefully I'll get up the gumption to finish that this week.  It's so close!

My work area is getting so cluttered and is driving me nuts!  I really need to build a book shelf for all my photo boxes and supplies.  I want to bring my sewing desk down to my work area and put it next to my computer desk so I have a nice corner to work in.  I really have way too much stuff.  I need to downsize really.  I have plastic bins with grade school paints that I'll probably never use again that I really need to donate to the recreation program in our town or to an after school program or something.  My cousin works for the recreation for the town now so maybe I'll ask her if they could use some of the art supplies I have.

I made another barrette too, but you've already seen the print before.  When I take more pictures tomorrow maybe I'll post again.  I take better pictures in natural light, I like the look of natural light better than studio anyway.  Until tomorrow... Goodnight!

North Carolina and returning to the job I hate...

My family's cottage for the week in Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

My Grandma on my Dad's side of the family died in January of this year.  Instead of everyone trying to go down for a funeral in January our family decided we would have a memorial service for her this June in Raleigh, NC.  And they also wanted all the family to come down to the beach the brothers used to summer at (Ocean Isle Beach) for the week after the memorial.  It was to be a celebration of Grandma and all she loved.  We used to get together every so often and have family reunions on that side.  Grandma and Grandaddy loved seeing everyone all together and enjoy the summer time.  Grandma loved to swim.  Up until 2 years before she died she would get in the water every summer.

One night while hanging out at my uncle's condo, there was a double rainbow!  Pretty cool =0)

It was a wonderful week, for the most part.  Kevin got sunburned one day, we swam in the ocean three times, ate seafood, sat outside in the ocean air every morning and evening, and best thing of all we got to see family every day!  Having said that, there were some pretty big stressers for me, but I made it through.  I learned a lot about my Dad's side of the family that week.  

Right to Left: Chrissy, Kevin, Mom and Dad at The Pharmacy Restaurant in Southport, NC.

Left to Right: Uncle Don, Aunt Ann, Uncle Jim, Cheryl, Dad, Mom, and all the kiddies!

The friday before Kevin and I flew home, we were going to go see my Mother and her husband Gregory while we were in the area.  So Kevin and I made the drive to Smithfield to check in to our hotel.  We didn't sleep very well at the cottage in Ocean Isle beach due to the air conditioning not working, Tropical storm Andrea, and just being uncomfortable I guess.  So we sort of slept better that night in Smithfield.  Although I found out that our elefant upstairs neighbors kept Kevin up all night.  They were pacing the floor with their heavy feet all night.  And the floor creaked in a certain spot too.  We were just cursed to not get sleep on our vacation.  

Creech Pharmacy in Selma, NC.  We met a real soda jerk!!  We got lemonades and orangeades!

This is the pharmacy where we got the drinks from in Selma, NC.  Such a cute town with a million antique stores!

This is my mother!  She showed Kevin and I this nice park in Raleigh, NC.  It's got this big lake at the center and this nice paved path going around it.  It was a really nice walk.  We got to see a turtle and a nute!

My mother's husband raises pigs, well he calls them hogs!  He showed us a few of the piglets, they were so adorable!

This is my mother's husband with one of his piglets.  I love this picture, it came out so good!

 The day we left my mother's husband's sow gave birth to 9 piglets!  Kevin and I were sad he couldn't come with us for the afternoon, but I'm glad he was there to help the mamma pig give birth.  Kevin and I had a great time, but we were so glad to be going home by the end of the week.   We missed our own bed, but most of all, we missed our kitties Rocks and Ashe.  Rocks didn't leave our side for the first few days we were home.

This is the same piglet.  I love his tail!  So glad we got to see the piglets while we were there visiting.

It's been okay going back to work, but today I've looked at my schedule from work and compared it to my appointment book and it is not going well.  I threw my book on the floor earlier because I was so angry.  I am almost positive that I put in for my Remicade appointment and for Kevin's best friend's 30th birthday party... Well if I did, I wasn't approved to have the days off.  I am working both days in the times I specified I couldn't work.  So angry STILL!!!  Now I have to see if I can switch with another supervisor for both days or just for one at least.  I might just have to take a point and come in late on the Remicade appointment day.  I can't wait to quit my job someday in the distant future.  I hate the schedule that retail has... Which means you don't really have a set schedule at all, you work something different every week.  I hate it so much!  If I work my butt off and promote myself more this year maybe I'll start making enough money to not have to work at Kohl's once Kevin and I get married.  That would be awesome.  But I have a lot more promoting to do in order to do that.  I really need to get out of this uninspired slump.  Until next time everyone, have a great weekend!