Are you rugged enough?

I figured since I haven't posted in a very long time the next time I do it better be a rugged post!

rugged enough for you?

And it begins...

The before picture!

Where's mle...?

Long legs have the advantage...even if they are weighed down by lead feet!

The mother of all slip-n-slides! Yes please!

refreshing...

The after picture...

Thanks for coming to support me Kate!

Next time it's going to be you and I!

shoes full of mud & stones

Yes it was as bad-ass as it looked!

Chris' Birthday Dinner...

For Chris' Birthday I planned a surprise weekend get-away to explore the area in VA near us. I settled on Mineral, VA as they had several Christmas Tree farms where you could choose and cut your own Christmas Tree and it was only about 2.5 hours away. In addition I found this lovely historic Inn called the Littlepage Inn that was a plantation in the 1800 and is still owned by the same family today. On top of that loveliness I reserved us a 2 hour horseback riding trip in St. Anna's National park. If you would like to view pictures of all these activities see Chris' blog.

For Chris Birthday dinner, however, I made reservations at Pomme french restaurant in Gordonsville, VA about 1/2 hour away from Mineral on the recommendation of the Inn owner. What a fantastic reservation. The town of Gordonsville was lovely with Main St. all lit up for Christmas. There were many antique and quaint looking shops that we would have liked to explore had we more time, however, we were satisfied with our experience at Pomme.

They had an extensive wine cellar and the specials for the night were lovely and complimented our meal perfectly.

Chris and I were seated at a lovely table near this mural of an apple orchard, which was fitting since Pomme translates to apple in English. The decor was lovely and welcoming, the service was attentive, but not over powering, the food was nice and overall we would go back.

Two satisfied customers!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Facial Fun...

After another night of games...I believe it was Catan or Skip-Bo this time...but really who can keep track, Carl, Chris and I started talking about weird things we could do with our faces. Inevitably the stories started rolling out about the crazy faces we used to play around with in our youth. These were two my brothers, friends and I used to do in elementary school.

WARNING: This next set of pictures is not PC, so if you are faint of heart turn back now!

When I was in elementary school the fun thing to do was "Chubby." The whole series isn't captured here, but basically the story goes like this:

"Hi my name is Chubby! I'm Chubby, my dad is chubby, my mom is chubby and my brother's chubby too. One day my brother says to me, "hey Chubby you want to go for a ride on my motorcycle?" So I say sure. We started riding on his bike and I said, "Faster, faster!" My brother asked, "Are you sure?" So I said sure (pull hands back on face to stretch the skin tight) and it went so fast!

Then came my O'Connor family's "scary face". When my brothers and I were little we used to do all sorts of crazy face contortions. This is one I remember my parents showing us. My hands were so little at the time that it was difficult for me. As you can see, it's not difficult anymore...just a little disturbing!

Kate comes to visit...again!

Kate came to visit for an evening to celebrate the end of two long and rewarding years of earning her Master's in Occupational Therapy at VCU in Richmond.

We celebrated by putting on some very large pants...

So large, in fact, that two grown women could fit into them with plenty of room to spare!

Halloween...

What am I? I ask myself that regularly...

This was my Halloween costume this year, thanks to my quick trip to the Goodwill Thrift Store.

I won Most Creative Costume at work

So, can you guess?

A Psychedelic Candycane

Celebratory lunch...

After a very long time searching, after many revisions of resumes and cover letters, after many discouraging interviews and lack of responses my search for full-time employment has come to a end...nd it was all worth it! I have been offered and have accepted the position of Fitness Coordinator at Chambrel at Williamsburg, a Senior Living Campus near William & Mary College. I will be in charge of personal training, group exercise, fitness programming, healthy cooking demos, nutrition and health education workshops...skies' the limit really...for independent and assisted living residents and staff! I am very excited and really feel like I belong in this environment. They are my kind of people!

To celebrate the joyous news Bev and Robin took Chris and I out for a celebratory lunch and it was DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you both so much for all your support and encouragement!

I would also like to thank my parents for their thoughtful card and oh so special box of chocolates that I love so much (you know me so well!), as well as their never-ending support and encouragement. I wish we could be closer, but I am glad for the chats we are able to have!

And, of course, my loving husband who has continued to support and encourage me from the very beginning! I love you very much!

Thank you to everyone else who have been so supportive via e-mail and phone calls/texts! It has meant a great deal and helped me continue on even when there didn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel!

Nights of Catan...

As usual, Chris and I can't get enough Catan...luckily, we were able to partake Friday and Saturday night, thanks to Carl & Kate.

Yet another one of my talented husband's mysterious and "useful" tricks!

Carl studying the board very intently...we threw in a new spin by the "explorers" version that my brothers and sis-in-law came up with last year!

Kate joined us Saturday for a delightful grapefruit & avocado salad. She was in charge of making the salad dressing. Ever since culinary school, I've been giving Kate some informal lessons and one goal she's been working toward has been to properly emulsify a vinaigrette! Well, with a bit of over-motor stimulation, she has successfully done it!

And here's the proof! Isn't it beautiful!

Good job Kate!

Crabbing...

Chris and I took advantage of the lack of humidity, but warmth of the sun by heading out to the dock and me learning all about one of Chris' favorite childhood activities...crabbing. Now this isn't crabbing for meat, it's crabbing to be able to experience crab!

The bait...raw, gone-off, chicken wings...yum!

I wasn't sure what to expect yet...

But I quickly caught my first crab...I yelped loudly when I thought it was going to pinch my toes!

This one was enjoying his lunch so much he wouldn't stop eating even after being caught...

Chris is "The Crab Whisperer"

Sittin by the dock on the bay...wastin time!

The Crab Whisperer...

Luray, VA...

Chris and decided to explore VA, as it is such a beautiful and charming state! We decided to head to Luray where they have the Luray Caverns and tubing in Shenandoah Nat'l Park.

We stayed at the charming Cardinal Inn...

It was actually somewhat cool and without humidity the evening of our arrival, so we played cards in from of our room!