Tuesday, June 30, 2020

June Things

June – Sixth Month of the Year

Anticipations

Back to Work - That's right... after SIXTEEN weeks of working from home, I am returning to work at my office on July 6th and I find myself looking forward to it SO much. Mostly because it will mean getting out of the house and seeing some other people from day to day!


How not to bring Covid-19 when we return to work - Times of India

There will of course be masks worn throughout the day and an abundance of hand washing and hand sanitizer and social distancing... but at least I can do so while interacting with a couple of my friends!

Baseball - I don't know how I feel about it but baseball will (supposedly) be back starting July 23rd with the Nationals facing off against the Yankees at Nationals Park. The players are supposed to report on July 3rd for Summer Training but already a couple players have opted out of not playing - which I totally understand!

Yankees-Nationals, Gerrit Cole's debut to highlight MLB opening day

Just today the Scherzers posted that they've arrived back in DC - so things are about to get rolling! I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing some games but above all, I want everyone to stay healthy! 

Books I Read

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight - This book was a murder mystery thriller and it kept me guessing right up to the very last pages! It was my first book of the month and I am so glad I chose it; it hooked me from the start and I ended up reading it in about three days! So very good!

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang - A book I chose as an add on to my June box; it's set in China during the mid-1930's and follows college students as they escape from university and make their way across war-torn China. The book was slow to get started and I struggled a bit to get through it but finally finished it over the last weekend and thought it was a good little story.

Stand All the Way Up by Sophie Hudson - I love all of Sophie's book and I especially love how she offers guidance and spiritual wisdom with a good dose of hilarity! I've joked before that's she my "spirit animal" and I couldn't agree more after reading this book! It was so delightful that I devoured it in 48 hours! 

Books on the Shelf

I have several options on the shelf to read but the most pressing are the Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa - they are at the top of the list. I also chose the book Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia as my July Book of the Month - so I have plenty to take off the shelf and explore!

Must See TV

Space Force - I confess that I don't know if this is "must see TV" but I did watch all ten episodes when it premiered in early June (I actually think it premiered in late May but I didn't get to it until June). It made me laugh... for the most part. Some of the episodes were just a little bit too silly but I love Steve Carrell and I enjoyed the laughter and lightness the show provided!


Space Force Review | TV Show - Empire

Movies of the Month

Well - I didn't see any new movies this month but hopefully that will change as the second half of the year unfolds! I did get to attend a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Alamo that was put together by a friend in the neighborhood. I've seen Raiders a hundred times but I've certainly never gotten to see it on the big screen - so that was a fun experience! 

Tasty Treats

Oh man, what a month it was! I tried out a recipe for a Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Grilled Sandwich that was to die for... *sigh* and we had a salad night one evening for dinner that was just so very delicious! We had dinner out at Griffin Tavern and my burger; topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, chipotle mayo and onions, was one of the best burgers I've ever had. That's all.


We had brunch at Regions and their French Toast with Berry Coulee never fails to impress! We also had some delicious meals while in Gatlingburg; I especially enjoyed my drinks and food at Best Italian and the Orange Walnut Pancakes at Pancake Pantry were divine! 

Tunes & Talks 

I suppose I'll share it down here because I didn't read it, I listened to it... Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid; which took me a little bit to get into but once I did, it was all I listened to until I finished it! So good and especially interesting given all the things going on in the world right now. I also listened to The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah on Audible and absolutely enjoyed it - she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! The characters were incredibly fleshed out and the story line was captivating and heart-wrenching!

I continued to listen to The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, Crime Junkies and The Big Boo Cast. I've been listening to playlists on Apple Music that are filled with a variety of songs - some instrumental, some pop/rock, some show tunes - all right up my alley and I'm still listening to the soundtrack from the fifth season of Outlander - I love those Scottish-inspired tunes!

I have also spent the last week listening to the Hamilton soundtrack pretty much... Non-Stop (that's a Hamilton reference, if you weren't aware). I am in some serious anticipation for Friday the 3rd when I can watch the show on Disney+ and enjoy every minute of it!

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And just like that - we are at the halfway point of 2020. What a year it's been so far!?! I'm sure that this year hasn't gone the way that anyone predicted and who knows what the back half of the year has in store? 

Monday, June 29, 2020

I've Got Next to Nothing

True Story - I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend and I have very little to show for all the nothing I did! I ended up going to out have Mexican food on Friday night and then watched a movie on Netflix... it was a very chill Friday night!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1B0GWMxNswsQFzmSooVOir2BlqFiv9Pyv

Saturday morning I ended up doing another three mile walk all the way to the clubhouse and back home - it wasn't too warm but man the humidity came to visit this weekend and it was like walking through muck! After that, I went by the vet to grab some more antibiotics for my pup and popped into a Farmer's Market with my Mom to get a couple things - that's where I came upon the little raccoons in face masks! Safety first! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1iXXLXEwcOsarT-sqfUYXVRPKxYsdptw3

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1n3mOf3D3Qk9_Ps6FheKIBmkg6tNbAd0m

The rest of Saturday was spent doing a lot of nothing: having lunch, reading, taking a bubble bath, watching some TV and going out to get dinner. I said I didn't do a lot this weekend and I am not exaggerating on that even a bit. After dinner I popped into a couple shops, sat out on the deck a bit and then binged some episodes of Reign.

Sunday after church - it was off to the movie theater! It was the first time I'd been to the movies since March 6th and man what a treat it was... seriously! A neighbor pulled together a private showing of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark for the community and it was so fun to be able to watch a movie at the theater again! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1xvJ73szWm-HXmPo5j_e0hkpPvm4SvrSS https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=16EUmKvZCRfoNgFWeTWjwv0er6XcsJDpM

The rest of Sunday was a whole lot more doing nothing - I read, watched TV, walked around the neighborhood with my dog while listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, having dinner and sitting on the deck a bit. As I said - a whole lot of nothing!

This is the last week I'll be working from home, so I'm trying to enjoy sleeping in just a little bit later, not having to put on fancy clothes and not having to drive anywhere. Things are going to go back to a bit of normal next week - although face masks will be involved - and plenty of hand sanitizer. Until tomorrow - that's all I've got!

Friday, June 26, 2020

Five on Friday - The Final Snaps

It's Friday! Who else is glad to see this weekend arrive - the final weekend in June! I cannot believe that; I feel like this year is passing faster than last year. I guess that's how it works, isn't it? I decided I'd share the final pictures from my weekend spent in Gatlinburg for this week's Five on Friday! 


One. The Island - The Island is a shopping and dining area in Pigeon Forge; it also has a gigantic ferris wheel and fountains that "dance" to music every hour and half hour. Paula Deen's restaurant is located at the Island and we had breakfast there on Sunday morning. Normally I would say I have never eaten somewhere so delicious as Paula Deen's - but I've only had lunch....

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1n2rMfgsl1XE-KwIJmk7H2Uk9HGdahMMn

Don't get me wrong - the food was good. However, out of the three places we had breakfast over the weekend - this one would have to be at the bottom of the list. We perused a couple of the shops and watched the fountains before heading over to the Alpine Coaster and to do some shopping at the Tanger outlets!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1B_Fvhbp1KOH0XvwdRdzLt22OkEGPL7CA

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1v5sVLbMcyhiMCsW6CSqpbUlcI4bSCSd3

Two. Pirates Voyage - As something of a last minute decision we decided to do the Pirates Voyage Dinner Show and because the shows are being seated at 50% capacity, we ended up getting tickets to a 3 PM show on Sunday afternoon. I'm not usually a huge fan of dinner shows - but I do love pirates and so I figured it would be pretty entertaining! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XZV8evNT5qXbzemBUVs8-BGFIeAsapEb https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=12g7i26vy9SJUeyynDFS4V4aJc4ucoh8Thttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1WivO5mixPOZpwnQxIE4Je5npszR-jeaF

I got myself a cocktail with rum - all the cocktails had rum, of course - and the mug that looks like a skull was pretty cool too, ha-ha! The show itself was really good, filled with acrobatics, diving, sword fighting and more! There was even a sea lion that performs some tricks!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Ik4z7CXy4HEV0yEnczi6KaUrmVDk-hLk

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1U1i3jqb__aKKw1BEJ5EREExwq3XwSc9Q

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1DSnTKN9rODlsdJA9k_iWPpkTSEEQSl4Z

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1hRmZsEd6lgfzwV7P72MMiFhmidysspjh https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1QrFWZcWnMGeitcCpZgti18ourPq2KMIc
 https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1YA3X2hO2PLQCInET8qZyi_-PXtXK0D2-

It was definitely a good way to spend a couple hours and I'm sure if you were a little kid, it was probably all the more intriguing and entertaining... because you know, when you're little - you think it's all real!  

Three. Hillbilly Golf - The weather was little certain on Sunday afternoon but we decided to head back toward Gatlinburg with the intention of playing Hillbilly Golf and then riding the Sky Lift up to the Suspension Bridge... the best intentions... *sigh* 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1GGtQAuoqg5QQ9AckB2OpSN0iI3EqsqaW

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XWaLp80hDaxxD7rBqeKWpWuFVbrSFok2

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1DDZtN5vbztevJpaL7YnZaePBRdoGKEfE https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1MyXUg5nifRqYPlAQKI84IR34fotIU90O

We did get in a game of Hillbilly Golf - which I would recommend as a really good option if you're looking to goofy golf while in the Smokies - the price is right, the course is well maintained and you also get to ride a funicular up the side of the mountain to get to the course! What's not to love? It started pouring around the fourth hole but thankfully it only lasted a few minutes and then we continued putting our way down the mountain. 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1QNDYIidH9p1uKrKcwEQ6HMn_ozzW0aLX https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1PedIC9E3gmONcMaNoVHUCQCiO3HGS7c5
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1kU6cnzqf0wCWD4JHJuurE4jdzfvlDcde

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Y3EfD4UNFz0vN0-0bzDSfAYKBh8iGTkz https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1W8rwEPWBb0FQHfQaBw7KDXTGzywSiMCT

Let me brag on myself and tell you - I did get a hole in one on hole sixteen! I was pretty pleased with that, ha-ha! Once we finished playing our golf game we decided to go change into sneakers before walking to the Sky Lifts... but alas - that didn't quite work out the way we planned.

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1-FK-jQRerdRelZ9GxvnMRLNs2rwPlB33

Four. Here Comes the Boom - After a check of the weather at the room we discovered that within the next hour a huge storm was forecast to descend on Gatlinburg and so we decided to try and pop into some shops in the time that we had! Sure enough - after a few shops and trying some wine at a winery on the main drag... we saw the clouds rolling over the mountains and soon after - the rain started! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1_FeNk4jKYZgKTxVS8Ac9C2skTMwrcXon

Five. And Then Some - Of course, the rain halted the rest of the evenings plans and so we ended up going back to the hotel where we got an evening snack and I talked with the parrot in the lobby - named Rita! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1siye3QAU0FFEIzj3B6uX-yYDGcJ1GtTc

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=18XiHYHQN6KKk1wKyZa5hx5VJ_vBonCtY


Monday morning we got up and had breakfast at one of our favorite spots - Pancake Pantry! It's become a bit of a tradition to have breakfast there on the morning we head home from the Smokies and it never disappoints! I got the Black Walnut Orange Pancakes and they were divine! The walnuts and orange balanced out the sweetness and they were just the very best - they may jump to the top of the list of favorites! 

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So - that's that! It's the final weekend of June and I'm not sure what all I'll be getting up to this weekend but I think the weather looks promising (if not that cool). Y'all enjoy! 

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Traffic Though...

Saturday - I have to say again that I have been to this area at least a hundred times (maybe more) and I cannot remember it ever being so crowded in all my life! We had breakfast at a new(ish) restaurant called Crockett's Breakfast Camp... we had to wait an hour to be seated but man - the food was delicious! They have cinnamon rolls that are the size of my head - we ordered one to split but didn't manage to finish it - everything else was too delicious!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1yqcVX0l91WQaACWBIVVFKzPdfpc1fhSg

We had the whole day planned - we'd take the new portion of Foothills Parkway over to Townsend, drive through Cades Cove and then up to Clingman's Dome before returning to the hotel to change and meet friends for dinner at 6:00. Y'all - because of the traffic, we started and drove the Foothills Parkway but from there - it all fell apart.

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1iUhHoauXOPjUzRclbE_noY-EDPu1AKXq

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1VR2JGHdex7rLcVyx0PORfabYtCWaSgFp

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1e5PI-qIHIPuoLZO-sQU11Qna63PSKSiQ

It was about 12:45 when we reached the point where we had to turn right to go to Cades Cove or left to Clingman's Dome - and decided if we could only do one - we'd go right and head for Clingman's Dome. All was going well until about five miles from Newfound Gap (with still an additional 6-7 miles to Clingman's Dome) the traffic came to a standstill. The black bears have been pretty visible recently and we assumed that was what caused the stall - but nope. When we'd only gone a mile in 35 minutes and the traffic showed no signs of letting up - we turned back. *sigh*

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1V-k99KK5hFOXYAMm74KIWnxUpadAckT3 https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Ii3y5tx5kRpVRNBOpMDsawOI539_3A87

 https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1n_fEyfqlgl7-CIfNvOVPSQvA8REK2hSEhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Xl84rXMPFgry4Bkh3rgLMrwErZwUzFWw

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1eEhH6OBdoh-VHgCB2JKZDfZDQ7gsCNoS

We stopped on the way back down the mountain at a couple different view points - in particular the viewpoint for Chimney Tops - I've always wanted to complete that hike. It's on the list! We decided that since we wanted to do something outside and take advantage of the lovely weather, so we stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and ended up doing the short hike to Cataract Falls for some outdoor time and views! 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1JIO_fJEBsxCpOnIqUtaajvzOhk4RUclB https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1O4sy6jrHb7ECeSglEkCLu2kvjs-0tPKo
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Zbvf67rjT0HRjNdbUUSDDvoNAcyxOxwL

I slipped my shoes off and waded through the pool at the base of the little waterfall and while snapping pictures, I discovered a wee salamander clinging to a rock in the pool! As we made our way back, my Dad and I veered off to do an additional portion of hiking to a cabin in the woods - it was only about an additional half mile but well worth taking the little trail through the woods to see the cabin appear through the trees.

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1obKC26wDG6IoxLMXjX8FTpx4ND5t0s8P https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1TpUeYd3gh62P0SyJT01YU8UqJH3Q3hE_
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1koVKwATCfjwKLMpa5Y_KFx45wiNUBuEE

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We ended up having issues again later in the evening when we had to push back dinner with friends because of the traffic in Gatlinburg - I ended up hopping out of the car; trapped in traffic, and walked back to the hotel and took a shower before my family ended up getting back! *facepalm* We took an alternate route to meet our friends for dinner and got stopped because of a terrible wreck that we came on - five people loaded onto stretchers - it was terrible!

We finally met up with our family friends who are like extra grandparents and had dinner with them before returning to their house for dessert and coffee! We made our way back to the hotel at the end of the night and reminisced on how much we'd planned to do... and how little we actually got to do - but then we'd made the best of the situation!