End of May Faves

This week flew by.

I feel like I say that almost every Friday.

But it's true!  In the spring, it just seems like the weeks fly by!!  The countdown to the end of the year has begun.....only 15 more days of school and 3 of those are half days!! I am so ready for summer vacation and yes, I will miss the students but it will be so nice to be home with my own 2 daughters enjoying a much more leisurely pace to our lives.

I'm linking up with Susanne to share our blessings from the past week.  How about joining us?

MY FIVE FAVES

• MOVIE NIGHT/ALONE TIME!  Last Friday evening, my husband wanted to treat the girls to the latest Star Trek movie. I could care less about Star Trek, and certainly didn't want to spend movie theater money on science fiction. I liked the show in the '80s and 90's when we were first married but...don't wanna spend $12 on a movie ticket. So, they went out and I had the house to my self!  I did some cleaning and then enjoyed this Netflix movie.  It was very good although kind of sad.  The only thing I didn't care for was the language towards the end of the movie. (the "F" word). I found that it was quite unnecessary and didn't add any value whatsoever.  WHY must writers/directors/producers insist on the smut? The script would have been just fine with out that crassness.  Overall, I loved being home alone.........just me, the couch, a good flick, and a nice cup of cinnamon spice coffee.

photo courtesy of Carla's FB page

• EVENING OUT!  Our good friends Carla and Bob invited us to their home to help celebrate Carla's birthday on Saturday evening.  What a perfect way to end a dreary, rainy day on a holiday weekend! We had lovely wine, delicious cheese and crackers and a piece of this cake from this amazing, local bakery. (and they now have one down in SC for all you southern folks!) It is so much fun to hang out with our good friends from church! and we even got to meet some of Bob's siblings...always fun meeting new people! Carla and I have only known each other for 3 years but I consider her one of my besties and it's a blessing to have her in my life!! (plus she is an awesome hiking partner!!)

• FRESH PAINT!  We woke up to another day of rainy, damp weather. After church, since we couldn't get the bikes out like I had originally planned, my oldest daughter and I decided to paint the upstairs hallway and stairwell. It had never been done in all the 18 years we've lived here. When we had the house built, we went with the eggshell cream color that the builders said would keep the cost down. Well, this time we used the same shade we put in the dining room last summer:  honeymilk (a shade of white....a little more on the creamy side of white...it's hard to describe).  What a huge difference!! The walls really weren't that bad, even after 18 years. (partly because I wash my walls and use a spray for fingerprints).  But the honeymilk color really spiffed it up. It's brighter now too and that is always a blessing for me!

Crossing the Creek on Bald Mt Trail, Vermont

Carla on the trail!

High Peaks of the Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont
from Summit of Bald Mountain

on the trail up Bald Mountain, Vermont

 Me on the summit at 2,867 feet!

• HIKING!  It was Memorial Day on Monday so no work!  My husband didn't want to hike as he wanted to get caught up on the lawn work that didn't get done due to all the rain.  My daughters were NOT interested in hiking as they both wanted to sleep in! Carla's husband couldn't go either so off the two of us went to Vermont. It was a perfect day:  blue sky, full sun and temps of about 68 when we started out.  The mountain we hiked, Bald Mountain, is in the Bennington area which is only about a 50 minute drive east.  I had never hiked any mountain in Vermont so this was a fun adventure.  The trail was beautiful. The mountain is in the Green Mountain National Forest and they do not typically build bridges to cross creeks, unlike the Adirondack trails. So....we did a LOT of rock hopping.  I felt great going up and my knee started aching going back down but by the time I was back at the car, I was fine and the cardio work-out felt great!!  We hiked a total of just under 5 miles.  It was glorious!! We were a little disappointed in the summit as it was hard to get a good view...lots of growth on the top.  After hiking down, we started back for home and discovered a free wine tasting place.  So we stopped to sample some delicious wines.  I bought 2 bottles of new-to-me wine and then we had some ice cream at the country cafe next door. It was a great day with awesome fellowship and exercise in God's creation. A true blessing for me!

Courtney in the Public Gardens downtown Boston
photo courtesy of Courtney E T 

• GREAT GRADES!  Of course this is a fave...it's what helps keep the Dean's Scholarship money coming in!  Seriously, Courtney texted me at work yesterday with the news that she had received her grades for her 2nd semester, sophomore year at Gordon College.  WHOO HOO!  She did very well. Her lowest grade was a B- in Theology and everything else was either an A (Photography and Differential Equations) or one A- (Art History).  The semester GPA was a 3.6 and the overall GPA thus far is a 3.48!! We are thrilled.  A real blessing she is....such a hard worker..and still manages to keep 2 part time jobs and have a social life!!

That wraps it up for me.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us with housework, gardening, NYSSMA for Claire (state violin competition solo), a birthday party for my almost 5 year old niece plus church and hopefully some more working out with either biking or a short, local hike!

Have a great weekend, everyone!!