Winks And Whistles

Oh What A Friday

It was a beautiful 70 degree Friday .. sunny, super blue sky with lots of gorgeous clouds. I mean .. what could go wrong? I was getting a chance to drive my dream car again and I was hitting the highway.  Perfect Friday.

About 30 minutes into my mini road trip, she broke. Not like car died broke, but a huge piece from underneath of her came loose and was dragging on the ground broke. It was a little scary.

For a highway breakdown, it wasn’t so bad. I got off the road pretty quickly, had help on the phone immediately, and within five minutes had Steve (pictured above upper left) - a mechanic - who pulled over to help. See .. there are really good people out there.

I also ended up having a pretty awesome tow truck driver, David, who grew up on a horse farm. You meet all kinds of interesting people when you least expect it.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance next week to take this baby out again. My fingers are crossed for breakdown and tow-free trip this time.

Flashback Friday: Out In The Wilds Of West Virginia

Many, many years ago .. way back when I was living in Miami, I flew up to Virginia to take a road trip to visit my grandmother in West Virginia. This state is really one that is underrated, I think. So much beautiful wilderness. One of my aunts actually has a creek in her backyard. To say I’m jealous is an understatement. But one of the regrets I have is not visiting my grandmother enough before she died. I think it’s easy to say .. Oh, I’ll visit next month or even next year. Before you know it, it’s been a handful years and that’s time you never get back.

Loving The A Beautiful Mess App

I’m kind of obsessed with the ladies over at A Beautiful Mess and am so thrilled with the app they just put out. I think you’ll be seeing a lot of the app’s work on the blog.

xoxo

Sisters

I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately and how lucky I am to have such a large one. When I tell people that I’m one of five girls, most just sort of gape at me in amazement. Five kids is a lot by today’s standards and all girls with that many children isn’t something you come across very often. I feel really lucky to have so many sisters. We are all very different which just makes being together that much more fun. Sisters are the best. They really, truly are.

A Weekend Morning Hike

Dexter and I decided it would be fun to go hiking in the Middlesex Fells Saturday morning.

There are a few different trails to pick from and I chose one based on estimated time, about an hour.

We ended up venturing off a bit to some other trails just because the one I picked ended up not taking even close to an hour.

We came across two waterfalls, more than few uprooted trees and a number of watering holes .. one of which Dexter couldn’t resist splashing around in.

It proved to be a really beautiful morning hike.

Dexter ended up rolling around in some pretty unsavory smelling things. But that’s par for the course when you take him hiking.

It had just finished raining about an hour before our hike began, so everything had that great, just-rained scent.

Dexter spotted a pair of ducks at one point and did a really good job of listening when I told him not to go after them. Honestly, I was pretty amazed he didn’t jump in after them.

I think I’m going to make a habit out of weekend morning hikes. It’s just really nice getting out to someplace different and being able to explore, especially early in the morning when you’re likely to not see anyone else.

After our hike, we stopped by a great coffee shop for breakfast and then explored Downtown Melrose for a bit.

All said, a pretty great start to my weekend. 

Momma Shout Outs

There are a lot of moms in my life that I want to shout out a very happy mother’s day to. But today in particular, I want to recognize a handful that play such an important role in my life.

The first, of course, is my momma .. who I’ve been calling Marmee since I read Little Women in middle school.

She’s someone who I couldn’t imagine my life without and we had a big year with her walking me down the aisle last summer.

It takes a pretty exceptional woman to raise five daughters. Mom, I love you so much and wouldn’t be half the person I am today without your love and support.

Next up is my sister, Alex.

She’s the mother to three exceptional children who are fun, smart, full of surprises and some of the best little people I know.

I aspire to be like her when the day comes for me to have my own family. She is patient with them, above all else .. something I imagine isn’t the easiest thing to maintain when raising three rambunctious kids.

I also have to acknowledge my Aunt Trish, mother to my cousin Nadia. She’s great company and the woman can cook. Two reasons I’m especially excited she’s making Boston her permanent (for now) home.

And I have to acknowledge the Ervin mommas .. Kathy (Chad’s mom) and Julia (my sister-in-law).

Kathy has just been such a blessing in my life. She brought up two terrific sons (one that I’m particularly fond of) and is one of the most thoughtful people I know.

And Julia .. oh my how I wish we were next door neighbors and could chat and catch up and drink sangria on the front porch every day. I really did marry into the best family. Julia feels like my fifth sister and I’m so lucky to have her around.

One of the things I love about Julia is how fun she is. She and Erik have raised a great kid and his curiosity and sense of adventure comes straight from them.

Happy Mother’s Day!

A Few Of My Favorite Things