Vacation Round 2 Week 1 Faves

I'm on my second round of summer vacation...the 6 weeks of summer school just flew by!  (although at times the days did seem to drag...especially the very humid ones from the middle of the summer).

This has been my "staycation week" where I get things done around the house.

And this morning, I'm looking for the blessings in the past week and linking up at Susanne's site to share FIVE of them.

Feel free to join in or leave me a comment with what blessed you this week!

FIVE FAVES

images courtesy of W*lmart site

• MOVIE NIGHT!  My oldest daughter had no plans Saturday evening....Dave was busy doing other things and Claire was working so Courtney asked me if we could do a movie night together.  I was surprised as it's rare for her to want this nowadays.  So we settled in with popcorn and some iced drinks and watched this next movie in the HP series.  I loved it! She owns all the books and movies and we're kinda HP nerds here so it made for a fun evening. I'm thankful she suggested it!

• GREAT BOOKS!  I finished an excellent book (review was posted Wednesday) and spent a lot of time reading this last week.  It's nice to linger over coffee on the deck in the mornings which I can't do on a work day....I read my devotional, some Scripture, started the small group book I'll be teaching from next month, and finished a memoir.  I'm still working on Michelle Obama's book but will probably finish that by the end of this weekend as well.  I'm thankful for chunks of time to just sit and read!

best juice ever!

• LUNCH DATE!  Dave and I had a lunch date on Sunday after church to his fave BBQ place that we hadn't been to in a couple of years. It's just about 25 min north of us and has amazing BBQ chicken, potato salad, fries, all kinds of chicken and beef options. I had the veggie burger but won't get it again as it wasn't all that great.  Our fave though is that they sell this loganberry juice which is pricey but worth it.  It's non-carbonated and SO good poured over ice.  We ended up buying a 12 pack to share with the girls. We enjoyed our lunch outside on the picnic tables and the weather was not too hot or humid which was very nice. We talked alot which we hadn't done in a while.  I'm thankful we had this time together.

• NEW TIRES!  My Honda Civic is a 2015.  I bought it with cash last May (2018) and it only had 8,000 miles on it. It was pure God.  Well, at my last inspection this past spring, the mechanic told me it was going to need 2 new tires before winter and he was recommending 4.  Dave and I thought we'd just get the 2.  Well, when I called our fave tire place (which I HIGHLY recommend!!) the manager quoted me a price. I felt like this was a good deal ($109 per tire plus the alignment and labor) so said I'd like 2.  Then he heard the hesitation in my voice when I then said but I'd like 4 I think....at that price....I'm not sure. And guess what?!  He said I'll give you the 4 all season radials that you want (I wanted a specific brand) for only $95 per tire!  SCORE!  I'm thankful the price came down a little bit and that when I took the car in on Monday all went well. 

Congreve Hall at University of New Hampshire
Claire's new dorm
Front Entrance
Year 3
photo courtesy of society

Side Entrance where most of the kids use

image courtesy of society 19 website

• YEAR 3 MOVE IN DAY!  Claire moved into her new dorm....a triple...and absolutely adorable and spacious!  Best dorm yet and the other two haven't been bad. She has central air which was needed yesterday as it was humid and HOT (For NH....it was 84!).  The move in was disastrous.  I'm thankful everything worked out.  We did get to meet 1 roommate (Nikki) and her family. The other roommate (Makenzie) will arrive on Sunday. To read what happened you will need to come back later today and read the latest post.  Because God taught me something through the horrible ordeal.  I say horrible because for Claire it was just so unplanned and made for a LOUSY move in experience.  Looking back, we saw God's hand through many things. I know I'm leaving you perplexed.  But I just can't write about it right now...it's early morning and I need to process what I want to share. It was "horrible" for Dave and I because nothing we had planned happened. Those aren't even my photos.....we had absolutely no energy or time to take photos. I'm thankful she's in her dorm. I'm thankful we could move in yesterday as opposed to Sunday (she signed up to volunteer with the New Student Move in Day which is today for all freshmen and new students..she helps them carry things, etc.).  I'm thankful for God's protection on our 5 hour trip home and the 4 hour trip up.  It was a drama filled day.  Come back later to read what happened and what God showed me through this experience.

Well that wraps up my faves.....the last one might not seem like a blessing...the blessing will be talked about in the post....let's just say it concerns one amazing AAA mechanic!!

ENJOY THE WEEKEND!!