Summer in Full Swing

It seems to me that summer is moving at a much faster pace than this past very cold winter we all had. It is June end and these days seem to move at warp speed. And, all the pretty flowers planted this spring are beginning to be taken over by weeds that seem to grow bigger and better (and heartier) than anything else.  But I like the hot days (minus humidity), the multitude of birds singing, people out and about, and great sunsets!  I love summertime!

BSoleille!

Terri 

"Selfie vs. Ussie"

A "selfie vs. an "ussie" is, I think, a photo of just the person taking it. An "ussie" includes the photographer plus one or more persons!  It has been a summer of "ussies" that is pretty cool (not including all the photo bombers)!

Today's photo of an "ussie" was taken by b-I-L ,Don, along with two of his siblings (Bill and Stephanie) and me. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Four For Four

That means we have traveled to Ohio all four weekends in June. Today was for grad party #2 on my husband's side of family, our nephew Alex Tomoff. He plans on pursuing a degree in Weather and Climate (cannot think of the exact program now) at Penn State. Congratulations!

Photo of us with Alex and sister Kristin. 

BSoleille!  The bright side of four sun filled Ohio Saturdays this month!

Daring Deer

As I pulled up to park at a meeting spot in Bethesda, Maryland (son going to Special Love's Friends Weekend), we were met by this daring deer who was just out eating some fallen berries. I then noticed that some new housing construction was about 50 yards away and this poor thing seemed discumbobulated that her "home" has been disrupted.

To keep the "peace" I parked a few spaces away as this deer continued to graze. 

BSoleille!

Terri 

World Cup Thoughts

Thankfully, about 25 million people tuned into the USA vs. Portugal match (tie) this past Sunday with its twists and turns and unbelievable finish (by Reynaldo)!  Not sure how many watched today's game (loss) vs. Germany, but it was still very exciting even though it poured buckets of rain throughout most of the match. Commentator, Ian Darke, claimed the game was being televised to 400 million viewers world wide!  Whew, I am so glad Team USA "squeaked" by to the knock out rounds. They truly earned their bid!

Did anyone else see "the bite" by Luis Suarez of Uraguay?  It was unbelieveable as well. Though he did not get tossed (should have been a straight red card) during the game, enough flack was brought to the attention of FIFA that he's banned from further play this tournament and for the next four months. Good call! He was playing just as poorly (though no biting) in the group rounds as well and could, er, should have been sent off in each game played!

That's it for now!

BSoleille!  The bright side of the beautiful game in Brazil!

Terri

Photo at Houlihan's with Eileen Cortese and Christine Ghardi watching today's game (had a crab cake!)

Ahhh Summer!

With my purple painted toes (still), I muscled out of the house to enjoy my first official day at the pool. My photo depicts relaxation with a book, and that's true, but I did swim 20 laps freestyle without stopping!  First swim this year. I plan on working up to a bonafide mile by summers end. Yippee!

BSoleille!

Terri 

Purple Painted Toe Nails

I am going to admit here today that I have never had a "mani-pedi" AKA manicure or pedicure in my life. I have also never painted my toe nails (yes to fingernails in my teens) until this past Saturday. My friend Rosalie (plus her SO, Tom, and son, Josh) really lobbied for her to paint my toe nails because; a) she said the color she had would match my dress (as well as it did hers), and b) she claimed it was time to break my strong hold on the "never painted nails" thing. I took the leap and let her do it!

Funny thing was that I had a hard time "adjusting" to my newly painted toes, (they looked like someone else's feet) and that it took my husband three days to notice (I have only gone barefoot or worn sandals since the reveal). He could not believe it either!!

BSoleille!  The "bright" side of purple painted toe nails. Mine on the left in photo, Rosalie's on right-pretty!

Terri

World Cup Funk

The high highs and low lows of yesterday's "Whirl" Cup game between the USA and Portugal left a nation stunned in the waning seconds of added time. I am more likely to think I just had a swift kick to the gut, and from the news sources and all the chatter on ESPN, lots of folks are on the same page with that "kick". However, the play continues and it is so good!  Looking forward to the USA vs Germany on Thursday. 

BSoleille!

Terri 

Summer Solstice Wedding

A rainy Friday along the coast of Lake Erie gave way to a breathtaking sunny Saturday for the summer solstice wedding of Carmen and Eric Nedrow on Kelley's Island, Ohio. Carmen is the daughter of my dear college friends, Scot and Jodie Smith. The marriage ceremony was at their home on the "tip" of the island, with the sparkling lake as the backdrop. 

The outdoor reception was held at the Kelley's Island Brewery with lots of family and friends sharing in the celebration. 

Please forgive my longer post today as I am combining two days in one (cellular service is Very Sporadic on the island. Once at the campground (yes, we finally pitched the tent!), Verizon thinks we are in Canada!

I am thankful to have shared Carmen and Eric's special day with my family, The Smith Family, and our college friends: Tom, Rosalie and Josh Franek; Laura and Mark Neal; and Chris and Mona Koehler!

Photos of the beautiful bride Carmen and her Dad Scot, Jodie reading at the ceremony, bride and groom, and our gang in various photos throughout the day!

BSoleille!  The bright side of a beautiful day from sun up to sun set ("Fiddler on the Roof" channeling!)

Terri

Camping "Lite"

We are on another trip to and in Ohio, back to Kelley's Island for a wedding tomorrow. We had planned to camp at the State Park today, but the weather did not cooperate, so plan B, and on the fly, was put into effect. Our "camping lite" is staying at the Misencik's in Amherst, Ohio, for the night (along with fellow campers, Laura Murphy and her husband  Mark) and then get on the ferry in the morning. (Less than an hour away). I'm so thankful that Mark and Linda opened their house to us on a last minute call to help keep us dry. I know, we are fair weather campers now (sunny skies and 80 degrees is the ideal). 

BSoleille!  The bright side of turning rain drops into "lemonade"!

Terri

Vet Visit

I took the big girl Lucy-Loo to the vet today for her every-three-years rabies shot. Once there she seemed very interested in the donkeys and horses, but was on her best behavior since I was "mad" at her all afternoon for eating a pound of lunch meat (buffalo chicken breast I may add). I foolishly left the Baggie of meat on the counter after making my son a sandwich, and then plumb forgot to stick in back in fridge. I went to mow the yard and new instantly once back in the house something was amiss (sulky behavior). Not sure if Lucky got any though!

BSoleille!

Terri 

Orchids All Around

During a recent grocery store run and fishing my way to the back of the store, I stopped dead in my tracks at all the beautiful orchids that were displayed in  the "in house" florist. They seemed to have every color they come in all one place. Very cool indeed. I did not buy one as I have heard they are difficult to maintain, but maybe one day I will give it a try. 

BSoleille!  The bright side of an unexpected sight. 

Terri

World Cup 2014

I wanted to post a few days ago how excited I was for the World Cup to begin group play. Since June 12th I have tried to watch as many matches as I can, as the action is swift, the athletes are at their best, and the patriotism from every country represented is met with crazy passion!  What's not to like?

So far, I must admit, the matches are simply fantastic. Lots of goals being scored which makes for exciting plays. The 5-1 game (Netherlands beating World Cup Champs Spain) was a stunner!!!

But today, (and I am totally biased) was the best game yet as "our" USA team took the pitch against arch rivals, Ghana. It was a track meet (all sprints) with a ball. And now, could we all be thankful that Clint Dempsey scored 32 seconds into the match?  Unbelievable!!

Looking forward to more incredible matches from all 32 teams. 

BSoleille!  The bright side of World Cup Soccer:  photo is what the USA team did today!

Terri

Happy Father's Day

I hope all the Fathers out there had an outstanding day today!  And although my father is gone, a quick glimpse of a photo of him certainly brings me back to that "by gone" era.  My photo today is from 1973; my Dad and his three girls and his favorite car, a 1966 Pontiac Catalina Ragtop!

BSoleille!

Terri 

Grad Party in Cleveland #1

A "quick" trip to Cleveland today landed us at Nathan Kocan's high school graduation party. Great food and catching up with my family and cousins along with the celebration made it a fabulous day!!  Good luck to Nathan as he starts his next chapter of education at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio this fall!

BSoleille!  The bright side of watching the transition from high school to college!

Terri

27 Years

A great day to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary!  Low key with lunch at a local restaurant in Crofton. I love that guy with all my heart!

BSoleille!  The bright side of married life!

Terri 

The Internship

Maybe not as funny as the movie with the same name, but "The Best Daughter" began her eight week summer internship today at KPMG, a public accounting firm in DC. She now joins legions of up-at-the-crack of dawn commuters into DC with its legendary traffic, but it's all exciting and new for her and I am thankful for her opportunity there. 

BSoleille!  The bright side of embarking on a new job (in this case summer internship). 

Terri

What is This Contraption?

The rental property across the street has this odd contraption near the end of the driveway/street that has been sitting there for several weeks. Let's face it, it is an eyesore. Even the garbage collectors have left it sitting there for some reason. Today, upon closer inspection, I figured it out. It is a home made batters tether for baseball. That pole is a PVC pipe and the yellow thing sticking out is the bat. There is also a long tether with a beat up ball tied to the end of it. I have no clue who used it, and more importantly, why hasn't it been disposed of by now. Maybe it will sit there all summer!

BSoleille!

Terri

Carrot Soup

Do you ever eat something that instantly reverts you back to your childhood? (Unlike a song on the radio, possibly?) Maybe it's the smell, ethnicity of the dish (as the one I'm posting about today), or that my two favorite aunts made it perfectly that brought me back to "that time" faster than a New York minute.  This all happened this afternoon when I went out to lunch with a dear friend at a local restaurant in Crofton, Maryland, called "Allison's".  The waitress casually mentioned that the soup of the day was, "carrot soup", and thinking it could not possibly be as good as my aunts' version, I initially hesitated in my answer.  After talking it over with my lunch companion, we both agreed it sounded wonderful, and quickly ordered two bowls, along with the other special, fried green tomatoes.

Thankfully, the carrot soup was super delicious, and just about as good as I remembered my aunts making it (I think the last time I had their version was my sophomore year in college). Culinary awakenings at its finest.  And for good measure, the fried green tomato dish was also excellent.

BSoleille!  The bright side of carrot soup, good for the soul!
Terri

Kelley's Island 2014

1,079 miles were traveled this weekend to Ohio but all worth it now that we are home and safe. From the Ohio Boys Baseball Championship that my nephew played in Columbus, to the shores of Lake Erie on Kelley's Island, lots of fun, sun and run were all top billing!  Not even a steady rain shower early this morning was going to deter the race, and thankfully, by race time at 10:45, it had stopped. 

"The Best Daughter" and her BFF, Liz, ran the 10K together along with the Misencik's, everyone else in our group who ran did the 5K. Whoohoo!

A big shout out to Jodie Smith who ran the race with me, albeit at a slower pace (me). 

BSoleille!  The bright side of "summer" fun!

Photos from the weekend: Bike rides, kayaking, Kelley's Island Winery, and lots of "selfies" compliments of Don Tomoff!!!

Packed Weekend in Ohio

We had a great drive yesterday, getting into Columbus, Ohio, just in time to see the start of my nephew Nate Kocan's baseball game. He, along with the rest of the North Royalton Boy's Baseball team, rallied the last couple weeks of the season to make it to the OHSAA Championship games that were held at the beautiful Clipper  Stadium in Huntington Park. They beat Gahanna Lincoln 3-0 yesterday that catapulted them to the final today. 

Unfortunately, today they lost in the final to the Jackson Massilon Polar Bears 5-1. What a run they had and I am very proud of Nate and his team mates, coach (first year) and parents who supported this team the whole way through!  Very exciting!!!  First time in school history for boys baseball!

BSoleille!

Terri 

Kelley's Island Bound

A quick post because of our early wake up call at 1:30am. We are heading to Kelley's Island, Ohio, by way of Columbus, Ohio, for my nephew's high school state semi final in boys baseball. Good stuff, and "The Best Daughter" and best friend,Liz, made posters to cheer on Nate and the North Royalton Bears!!!!

Whoohoooo!

BSoleille!  The bright side of a state baseball tournament!

Terri 

Bee on The Creek

Quilters come far and wide (even by kayak) to have bee. Tonight we met at Mott's Beach in Edgewater, Maryland, as it was a great evening to dine al fresco and watch the clouds roll in for some forecasted rain showers. Great food, friends and views of the water, and I am thankful for that!

Photos of Possibillibees: Janet, Cappy, me and Susie; and Carrie (w/husband Paul) who kayaked in for the festivities!

U Pick 'Em

Could you guess that meant strawberry pickin'?  My neighbor asked me to go this morning and I could not resist because strawberries are my favorite fruit, and this week is the end of the season. Although smaller berries this year, they are sweet and delicious! If you are local head down 424 and Mt. Airy to Davidsonville's U Pick 'Em by weeks end. It took us about an hour to pick 5-6 lbs., on our knees and lifting the plants to get the fruit. I will never complain about the price of them again!

BSoleille!  The bright side of strawberry fields forever!

Terri

Zucchini Chips

I recently saw a post on Facebook for a zucchini chip recipe that looked yummy. Well, I tried it tonight and let me say my "before" photo is all I can show today because the "after" photo is non existent since half the "chips" were burnt to a crisp. Yikes!  I think the oven was way too hot for the recipe (450 degrees for 25-30 min). I will try this again and report back WITH before and after! Haha!

BSoleille! The bright side of trying a new recipe.....

Terri