Up Wednesday, August 2023 Edition

 

And just like that, the summer was over.

There's nothing left to do but write about it in this month's What's Up Wednesday, hosted, as always, by Sheaffer and Shay.

What I'm Eating

I've had a few really good restaurant meals this month, including this airline chicken breast with Parmesan risotto. Why do they call it airline chicken? I have no idea, but it was delicious.

I also had an Italian sausage cannelloni, which was a first for me. I enjoyed it, and would definitely order it again.

On a slightly healthier note, Erin and I have been walking from Not So New Job to the local hospital, where we have been hitting the salad bar in the cafeteria. In addition to salad fixins, they also have two featured soups of the day. The Thai chicken fire and rice soup was a winner.

When I'm not eating out, I'm enjoying the fruits of my gardening labors, quite literally. Tomatoes are fruits, after all.

What I'm Reminiscing About

I'm not reminiscing about anything; I've been too busy living in the moment. 

What I'm Loving

Relaxing on the porch has become a favorite way to kill time, lately.

Relaxing in the garden comes in a close second.

And, actually cooking with the vegetables that I am growing is right up there, as well.

Speaking of cooking; I purchased the cutest little spoons from a shop in Pixler. This has become both my and Hugh's favorite way to use salt and pepper. It's actually less messy than the shakers we were using previously.

What I've Been Up To

I hosted an event on the porch every single weekend of the month. The first was a casual dinner with friends; while we ate, we listened to the Colin Raye concert that was taking place in the park less than a block away. 

The second event was the bridal shower that Queen B and I hosted for Miss Mia. It was a lovely party and I got to meet both Mia's mother and her soon-to-be Mother in Law.

The third event was a wine tasting that I invited Mama Jill and her family over for. I didn't take any pictures of that evening, however, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Then, this past weekend, I hosted twenty-some of Erin and Kristi's best friends for a vintage-themed Bon Voyage party. 

It was a very busy month for the porch.

In other news, my staff and I participated in National Night Out, with our local law enforcement department. The highlight of the event was the dunk tank, in which Hugh got soaked by a long line of eager children, including his own.

One last thing; Mom, Shanti, Shanti's mom, and I went to the "pick-your-own" flower field in Pixler, where we cut and arranged bouquets. It was such a beautiful day, and I could not have picked better people to spend it with.

 

What I'm Working On

My golf swing! That's right; I'm golfing. Or, learning to, anyway. My current skill level is somewhere at -2 on a scale from 1-10, but, I'm determined to at least crawl out of the negative numbers by the time our group lessons are done. What? I forgot to mention that I'm golfing in a group? Hell yes, I am. This is Team Building 101 right here.

What I'm Dreading

I am not currently dreading anything, which is a very peaceful place to find myself.

What I'm Excited About

Halloween is almost exactly two months away! Time to bust out the skeletons!

What I'm Watching

I think we can all agree that television kind of sucks right now, amiright? So, my greatest form of entertainment has been watching the hummingbirds at my feeders. They are fascinating, and, keep me entertained for minutes at a time.

What I'm Listening To

As I type this, an old episode of The Office is playing in the background. Currently, the office staff are debating the question of whether or not Hillary Swank is hot. I personally never found her all that attractive, which puts me in the same camp as Phyllis, Kevin, Creed, Oscar, Andy, and Meredith. In case you were curious.

What I'm Reading

Are you kidding? Did you not see how busy my month has been? Who has time for reading with an event schedule like that? (The answer you are probably searching for is: People who are better at organizing their time, and you would not be wrong)

What I'm Wearing

Let's just say that I have worn more dresses this month than in the last six months, combined. I haven't really hated it, not gonna lie.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Queen B will be home tomorrow and we will be spending the weekend celebrating Miss Mia's wedding. Looks like I'll be wearing another dress.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

I'm really hoping to take some time off toward the end of September. That's definitely something to look forward to.

Favorite Amazon Find This Month

I purchased these fly fans to keep flies away from the food that I served on the porch at each of the month's events. They worked like a charm.

The One With the Bon Voyage Party

This past Saturday, I hosted the last of the events scheduled for the porch this year; Erin and Kristi's Bon Voyage party. The Lesbians leave for Wales the day after Not So New Job's final fundraiser of the year, which will give us another opportunity to send them off with the fanfare that they deserve, which makes me happy because, sadly, Kristi's grandmother passed away and she was unable to attend the Bon Voyage, as she was attending the funeral out of state.

Erin represented for both of them at the party, and Kristi did FaceTime with us for awhile, so it was ok. Erin arrived early to help decorate and then spent four hours greeting her guests and mingling with the crowd, and, what a crowd we had! Did I manage to take a single picture of said crowd? No, no I did not. I was too busy refilling the Sangria, snacks, ice, and other important items.

All in all, it was a great party. Erin got to say goodbye to a lot of people that she might not have seen, otherwise.

I was happy to throw the party; you know I love taking advantage of any occasion that I can entertain on the porch. This summer has been a really busy one for those types of events and I'm not complaining. I did, however, enjoy some quiet time Sunday morning, that's the beauty of the porch; it's a great place to entertain and to relax.

Do you think I'll ever get tired of reminding Hugh that he didn't want to build the porch because he didn't think we'd use it?

That was a rhetorical question, obviously.

There Are Always Flowers For Those Who Want To See Them

This past Friday afternoon, I took advantage of my flex time (we had a training scheduled in the morning, so we still aren't quite in the "Fridays off" groove just quite yet, but; we're getting there) by joining Mom, Shanti, and Shanti's mom on a trip to the nursery in Pixler. Shanti and I had been planning to visit the cut-your-own flower garden since last year, when they first opened the bouquet bar.

Mom was able to make the walk to the gardens, where we were happy to discover a chair situated perfectly for her to rest in while being able to observe the rows. Shanti and I picked for her, with her guidance, while we were choosing our own blooms.

The system worked well, and, before we knew it, we all had beautiful bouquets to take home. We also did some shopping in the gift store before heading to a restaurant in town for an early dinner. 

It was such a relaxing way to spend a Friday afternoon. I enjoy time spent with Mom and Shanti, and I am really happy to have opportunities to get to know Janet better. 

Having a gorgeous floral display on my kitchen table isn't half bad, either.

We're Going Fore It (See What I Did There?)

Every year, when my staff and I are tooling around the golf course during our annual fundraising tournament, we threaten to actually learn the game. This year, the general manager of our favorite course encouraged us to try the women's clinic at his course and we decided that we had no good reason not to take him up on it.

The clinic is called Wild Women Wednesdays, and, for the price of the registration, you get a month of weekly clinics, discounted green fees, a bucket of balls and access to the driving range once a week, and a free drink during the lesson. "Sign us up!", I said. And, I did. Because, I am the boss and I get to decide how to use my Resiliency budget.

In addition to my staff (six of us, including Erin, who is currently employed as our Mental Health Coordinator); I signed up Kristi and Shanti. The eight of us showed up for our first lesson last Wednesday and we could see the fear in the golf pro's eyes. Ha! Just kidding! He was so excited to see us there; he knows a good time when he sees it coming.

And it was a very good time! We started in the bar, where we each grabbed a drink. Several of us tried the Wild Women Special, which was vodka, cranberry, lime, and soda. It wasn't terrible, but I will probably try something new this week.

Once we had our drinks in hand, we gathered on the practice range, where we introduced ourselves to the other eight women in the class. Then, the general manager split us into two groups, and our group went to the putting green to learn how to putt. Spoiler: none of us are very good putters. We estimate our current level of expertise at about 0 but have set a goal of leaving the month's lessons at a solid 2. 

We like to set the bar low like that.

We spent the first half of the lesson cursing balls that would not go into the hole before switching places with the second group of women and heading back to the practice range, where, to our delight, we discovered that we are slightly better at chipping than putting.

Only very slightly, but we'll take what we can get.

Shanti, it should be noted, was a complete natural at the chipping. She really, really enjoyed it, too. Our goal is to keep her talent a secret from the Man-Cub and Hugh, at least until we have a chance to dazzle them on the course. I'll be dazzling them with my ineptitude, but that is to be expected. Shanti's talent will be a complete surprise.

Anyhoodle, the class is a great way to bond as a team, as well as great exercise (my back and arms are still sore). Plus, next year, we will have a lot more knowledge about the game when we host the tournament, and, that was the primary goal anyway.

I won't mention the fact that I am really loving golf attire, but, seriously! The skorts are so comfy! It's almost worth learning the game just to wear the outfits.