So I'm aware...blogs aren't worth spit if you don't actually blog. LOL. So much has changed in the last few months. Let's have a mini flash-back....
On July 16th my nephew was born! Gavin Levi Swiger showed up a little after 5pm and I think we became best friends the same day!
Hours old and cute as hell!!
Best Friends!! Love it!
Then in August, we went on a fantastic vacation to our favorite beach...Rehoboth Beach, Delaware! I actually truely love our beach set up. My beloved in his chair me on the sand reading and a radio playing. We spent most of our days lounging in the manner. Nothing more relaxing than doing absolutely nothing.
Usually we try to make dinner at the house a few nights a week, which much to our dismay never really pans out. Who wants to cook on vacation?? But one night on this trip to the beach, I impressed even myself. Every week there is a farmer's market at the park at the end of Rehoboth Ave. We comment on how we need to go there every year and only this year did we actually make the whole hearted attempt. The market is small, but has so many wonderful homemade items from ice cream to pasta sauce to pasta itself on top of all the locally grown fruits and vegatables. So it was after this trip that I was determined to make a delicious beach dinner with my trophies from the market. I purchased some delightful red onions, tomatoes, and an unbelievable pasta from scratch that was flavored with cilatro and lime. (Unbelievable to say the least.) And since we were at the beach, what else goes with pasta but seafood. We stopped at a local fish market and picked up some of the best looking shrimp and clams that we had ever seen. Back to the house we went and started with the salad and a nice cold glass of white wine....I happen to love chilled Moscato it's hot and we are at the Beach. (It's really too sweet any other time.) So our entree was born. Cilantro-lime linguini with little neck clams and shrimp with an onion/butter/garlic/wine reduction sauce. It was everything we expected it to be and more.
As we do every year we set aside a night to go to the Rusty Rudder in Dewey, Delaware. It's only a short drive from Rehoboth and has the biggest all you can eat seafood buffet that we have ever experienced. And I know what most people think, buffets...hmmm! But really the food on this particular buffet could be gourmet. Besides from their deck you get a spectacular view of the sunset on the bay. One of my favorite places in the whole world to watch a sunset.
I also really love the beach because I can wear beach cover ups and flip flops for a week and have no worries. Brings new meaning to the phrase...no shirt, no shoes...no problem! And I really love to get all dressed up after a day of laying practically naked at the beach all day. We only go out a few times when we are at the beach, but those days are usually a lot of fun.
This a shot of the Hubs and I on a night out!
This shot is mostly because I love the sights from my spot on the beach. Kids playing, sandcastles being built. It kinda makes it a family atmosphere that we can't wait to bring a family to.
Of course there always has to be at least one day where we can't hold out the rain. Every year we go to Delaware in August and every year this is some sort of natural reminder that we are still very near to the very large ocean. In 2011, we were vacationing for a week and ended up getting evacuated from the coastal area after only 3-4 days of our vacation. Within a week we experienced an East Coast earth quake (btw...it is really weird to feel the earth move when you are laying on your stomach on that said earth) and a huge hurricane-like storm that required the whole coastal area to go into storm mode and start boarding and taping windows and hankering down anything that could potentially become a flying weapon. This year however, we just experienced a few days of rain. On most of the days we found other non-beach things to do...like miniature golf,
Dip-N-Dots,
batting cages (Michael did this while I was eating the above ice cream),
moped riding,
and go-cart racing!!
Then on one day while it torential downpoured, we found ourselves at boardwalk Grotto Pizza for the day and enjoyed a day of drinking, pizza, and talking to other very awesome vacationers.
Micahel giving me the "eye"!
Jeramiah Weed Sweet Tea vodka and Lemondade...screams summer!!
Our view from our barstool.
I do have to add that on this particular day we ended up driving back to the house a mile away on the moped in the pouring rain. Suprisingly it was cold and windy even on a rainy day at the beach.
I also have this uncotrollable to document all of the amzaing food we eat each year on vacation. Mostly as a reminder of the dinners we certainly don't get her in Northeast Pennsylvania. For instance, Michael was super excited to visit a restraunt that houses one of his favorite beers. Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats!
Crab Cake Sammy unbelievable sauce!
Michael a little tired from driving but loving a beer!
Michael was raving about this one for hours!!
We also make a yearly stop at Dos Locos right on Rehoboth Ave. The only place we've ever been where you can cook your dinner on a 700 degree rock and not complain in the least. Not to mention they have amazing cocktails!!
This year we also made a visit to Claws also on Rehoboth Ave.
A cafeteria tray full of crab legs...yes, please!
We also made a lunch appearance at the only chain restraunt we've ventured to there outside of Grotto Pizza. Crabby Dick's
Crabby Balls, Corn Balls, Meat Balls, Chicken Balls....etc and they serve popcorn on the tables like some places serve peanuts! I was in heaven!
I also have to share a drink that screams summer to me anytime I order it...ORANGE CRUSH!!! OMG!! Delicious!!
And that about ended our beach vacation this year. I look through pictures now and it only makes me want to go back...way sooner than later!!!
Let's continue on with our time travels. Next came October. October 13th we celebrated with my former classmates for our 10 Year Class Reunion. This was good and bad in some aspects. It was great to see where everyone has ended up and the people they have become. Some were exactly the same, some really impressed me with the individuals they have become. I was proud to be apart of the class I graduated with. However, the bad came because some people still act like we are in high school and couldn't even bring themselves to show up and see others. I found it to be quite disheartening that 10 years later people thought $30 was expensive for a night with old friends, a full sit down dinner and a dj playing tunes from when we were back in high school. But for those that were there, it was awesome.
October 14th, Michael and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. It was such an amazing feeling to know that we have actually made it 1 whole year. Not that it was really surprising, but a sense of accomplishment none the less. However, it was during this time that we were under false excitement about moving into a house, (that story is coming up next) and we really didn't do the gift and celebrating thing. So the top of our wedding cake is still in the freezer, waiting for the right occasion. Perhaps we will eat it before wedding anniversary #2! To my beloved Husband...1 down and life time to go!
Now on to the house situation. I was seeing this great chiropractor who was really helping my chronic back pain. I was laying on the table one day looking at houses on the market on my phone app. When he mentioned that "he" was selling a house in a great area and that he would love for us to look at it. This house was a little out of our budget, but he was willing to do a lease to own for approximately 5 years at which time we would have to obtain a bank mortgage. This sounded too good to be true. So I went home and told Michael how this conversation went down. He being the very skeptical one in our relationship couldn't believe this. So we made an appointment and went to view the house. It was love at first site. It was everything we ever thought we would want! It had enough bedrooms, more than enough bathrooms, and a finished basement. It had some land and a garage and a rear deck. We were in absolute love!! We went over financials and what would need to be listed in the contract. Some repairs needed to be made so we had to wait. We were rushing things through as fast as we could for fear that this was really too good to be true. But the doctor reassured us that this house was not put on the market, and that we were the only potential residents. We began to pack. We began to make arrangements. And it wasn't until we had a contract signing date that we told family and friends. So flash foward a few weeks to a Wednesday. I had a regularly scheduled appointment with the chiropractor. Contract was being drawn up and the signing date was set for the following Monday afternoon. I get a call Thursday from the gas supplier who had gone to the house to verify the tank so that they assured it was in good condition for filling. It was this supplier who called my husband and I to inform us that there was a realestate agent showing the house. OUR HOUSE!! What??? So I called the doctor. He then unwillingly informs me that this just "happened" the night before. The realestate agent knew the house was empty and had a potential buyer. He was orginally reluctant to go forward out of loyalty to Michael and I, however, due to swaying of his wife's doing, they decided what could be the harm of having someone look. So she looked. And as it turns out the harm of having someone look is that they bought the house right out from under us. I can intellectually understand the appeal of the money and getting out of your responsiblity. I can understand the appeal of an outright sale verses 5 years of waiting and working with a young couple. But I cannot forgive, however, his method of notifying me via text that they accepted the other offer. I cannot forgive the fact that he made the comment "I wish things could've been different." They could have been different. He had that control and chose money over loyalty. He chose money over being an honest man with integrity. Needless to say, I'm no longer a patient and Michael and I have just finally put our lives back together. I don't know how anyone does things like that to other people, but aparently, as I've heard, money talks....LOUD!
And here we are in December.
Thanksgiving came and went. The tree went up. The lights are glowing. I personally can't get enough Christmas music because, quite frankly, it makes me happy. Not happy like a new pair of shoes makes me (don't get it wrong, new shoes make me very happye), but happy in my soul happy. Hearing the words of faith and hope broadcasted across every airwave for a few weeks to remind everyone who hears of the holiday spirit is enough to make any soul happy. I happen to love Christmas. It's a time of not only of giving gifts to those that we love to show our appreciation of them through the year, but a time of family and friends and small miracles. Miracles happen everyday in every way. You just have to slow down enough to notice them. Some miracles aren't that small either. Some are so big that they are something you want to scream from the rooftops. But they are still miracles. Christmas Miracles.
So much for my small flash back. This ended up lengthier than I had originally intended. Perhaps I should try to pre-schedule some time to write. Or perhaps I should just write to write. Either way...I promise it won't be months until my next post.
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