Off to a Great Start

Summer vacation has finally arrived and it is off to a great start!  School ended on June 15th (half day) and we had a really fun staff party to celebrate.  Then Wednesday morning Katie and I packed up the car and headed to Martha's Vineyard for the week.  We have been going to the Vineyard for the last three summers and we look forward to it every year.  We had Sage and Prescott with us, and Danielle and Elliott met up with us later in the day.  Here are just a few of the highlights from the week.

* Beautiful weather! We went to the beach EVERYDAY, because it was sunny/hot all week.
* The first day on the beach Katie spotted a cute guy, but then we saw him smoking, in his minivan & then he pulled out his metal detector and scanned the beach.
* Kim (Katie's mom) joined us Friday-Monday and Sarah came over Saturday-Wednesday.
* We took the dogs for a walk everyday and they behaved (for the most part).  We found some really great trails and a nice dog park.
* Sage went into the water a few times (but she is not a very good swimmer, always looks panicked).
* We hit up all of our favorite beachs & restaurants: Aquinnah, State Beach, South Beach, Sharky's, Jimmy Seas, Mad Martha's Ice Cream, Black Dog Tavern & the Lampost.
* We took the tiny, 2 car ferry over to Chappaquiddick and tried a new beach! The picture below is our view from the car, because we were the first car on the ferry. A little scary!

* While on the nude beach (we had to be on the nude side to legally enjoy our drinks) a nude man stopped to ask us if we had any water, because he was really thirsty.  Who does that?
* We were really confused seeing a guy sitting at the beach with his potted plant (?).
* Enjoyed some shopping!
* Met a new group of people on the last day at the beach, hung out with them at the Lampost that night and listened to a great band.
* A 65 year old man asked Danielle if she wanted to dance with the world's worst dancer.  Her reply, "Um, no thanks!".
* All of us came back really tan (or a little sunburned) and it is only JUNE!  Can't wait to see what the rest of the summer will bring...

"Where Flowers Bloom, So Does Hope" LBJ

Some of the flowers have started to bloom!  We also have a few seeds sprouting from our pumpkin germination.

We couldn't find a spot that would work for the hammock, so we ended up going with a hammock stand.  Now Mike can put it in the shade when he wants to use it and I can slide it into the sun!

                                       

Going to Make This Garden Grow

A few updates from the last two weekends...

The shed has arrived!

Mike built a ramp for it.

We now have plants in the garden!

Lilies, Zinnias, Daisies, Petunias, Mountain Bluets & Pink Pincushion flowers.  We are also going to attempt to grow some pumpkins in the middle?!  We have seeds for carrots and corn, but we kind of ran out of space - so we may possibly grow them somewhere else.  

There are four solar lights - one on each corner.  I attempted a picture as they changed color at night, but it didn't come out so well.  I guess you'll just have to stop by to see for yourselves!

                                      

                                           

Celebrate Good Times!

     As usual I am little behind with my blog updates.  Two weekends ago Sage and I traveled to Hampden to celebrate Mother's Day and my little brothers college graduation!  That Friday I took a personal day and went home for Jon's academic awards ceremony.  Saturday we were up early (two hours before it started) to get "good seats" - front row!  Thankfully the University of Maine graduation is now split into two sessions, so traffic and the ceremony were not too bad.   Afterwards we went back home for a little family party to celebrate.  Congratulations Jon - we are all very proud of you!  

Although it doesn't look like it the time went by pretty quickly!

I became the bag lady while Jon had a photo shoot!

     Sunday Gram, Mom, Jon and I went to lunch together to celebrate Mother's Day.  Part of my gift to mom was to go to Orono and wait patiently for Jon's name to show up on the marquee.  Thankfully when I arrived it was on D, so it did not take as long as I thought.  Mission accomplished - mom could enjoy the rest of her day without having to go and wait herself.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row

We have had some beautiful weather these last two weekends! Which means that the closets have been cleaned out, winter clothes & down comforter have been put away, patio furniture is out and we have started a few outdoor projects. The first was to level some ground space in the backyard for a new shed. Mike completed this on his own! Sometime this week he will fill it with crushed stone, just in time for the shed to arrive on Friday, which means there will be more room in the garage soon!

The second project we started this weekend was a garden. The former owners had one originally, but the grass had grown in unevenly, and there were weeds and rocks everywhere. We decided to dig an 8 by 10 space, we picked out as many of the rocks, weeds, and roots as we could. Then we made a trip to Lowe's and picked out some bricks for edging. Finally we were able to put the bricks in and get everything to look as straight and even as possible. Finally, we filled it all in with top soil. The next step will be to figure out what exactly we want to plant in our garden...

Sage enjoying some shade while we are working.

Finally, warm weather means nice long walks outside and enjoying the sunshine. Last time I decided to go in the woods with Sage. I recorded a little video of her running around freely. I think she had a lot of fun getting all muddy and I got a good workout. However, it was NOT fun picking off all of the ticks when we got home (I lost count - GROSS)! I think next time I'll just stick to walking around the neighborhood! Only 6 more weeks of school and then hopefully I'll have plenty more sunshine stories to share!

Notice those muddy little paws!!!

April Vacation

April vacation is finally here!  It was a wonderful feeling to wake up this morning and not have to go to school.  I don't really have any major plans, so I will be hanging out in Scarborough working on a few little projects/errands.  Here are a few of my goals for the week, and I'm sure I will come up with a few more along the way.

* Finish the guestbook
* Set up a new walking/gym routine I wouldn't call it a "routine" yet, but I have a plan & hopefully I can stick to it!
* Complete a few sewing projects
* Fix the ceiling/paint job in the bedroom
* Stain the deck (with Mike's help)
* Car registration & license renewal
* A few lunch/dinner dates with friends
* Read at least 3 2 1 book(s)
* Think about/plan out possible garden
* Get all planning/correcting done before Sunday!
* Clean the car inside & out!

Easter

Easter weekend in Scarborough was a success! The weather was beautiful and we had an enjoyable time with both of our families.

We organized/prepped the food.

We decorated eggs!

We played some games.

Enjoyed cookies after the Easter Vigil. Filled eggs with our favorite candy. Sleep.

Delicious breakfast in the morning.

A walk in the woods = Sage needs her 2nd bath of the weekend.

An Easter egg hunt...

A delicious dinner with bunny cake & brownies for dessert!

We were thankful for the beautiful weather and the time spent with family. We missed those that could not be with us! Happy Easter!