celebration and loss, relishing the good while tolerating the bad

**I meant to post this back in July, but things were raw and i wasn't quite ready.

i was able to visit my parents in alabama at the beginning of june, which was wonderful because they celebrated their 50th anniversary! This is such a milestone these days when everything is so disposable. i have the utmost respect and gratitude for their example of what a Godly marriage can look like! thank you!

i'm going to bypass all the crap going on in the US for a minute, because if i start talking about anything related to COVID19, or the protests, i'm sure i will spark intense debate, and that is not my purpose. i don't believe that social media is the place for this, these conversations should be happening in person with people that actually know my heart-that is the only way we can have true communication void of superficial judgement. too many people don't know me well enough to hear what i have to say.

anyhoo. that said, i recently had a classmate who passed away due to complications from COVID19 back home. our class was so small (i counted 54 in our yearbook- but there are a couple extra that are still considered classmates even though they may have not graduated at the same time from eis, that said, small class), and everyone knows everyone and is in everyone's business. more-so back in the day than now, since we have dispersed to different countries and spread out a bit. we all remain connected through internet and heart! 

this loss was a huge loss within the class because he really had a uniting personality. when i had the opportunity to visit home a few years back, he had reached out to try to get together, but our schedules didn't match up, and we missed that window of opportunity. we followed each other on insta and fb, and kept up via whatsapp. i LOVED watching interactions of fito and our classmates at the beach, out in utila.. he would post about guns, pets and atv's and i started to really look forward to catching up in person at our next class reunion because we have SO much in common and i think we would have had rich conversation and so much to talk about! i just want that opportunity back, and it will never happen now. i hate that. now is the time to reconnect- don't put it off!!

**9-26-2020 update

even at this point, it seems surreal, almost as if he'll be with us in our next get-together. today i heard the sad news that his father passed away just this morning. it is tragic, and a very sad chapter of the story. my heart is heavy for his mom, and for his sister, who was one of my basketball teamates, and someone i remember with great fondness (side note, she married one of my former classmates from academia los pinares, in tegucigalpa!); as one of my classmates had mentioned, it's sad to think that her son will have to grow up without having gotten to know his uncle and grandfather. 

i can't imagine removing his contacts from FB, Insta, or Whatsapp... messages...the last one i had, i go back to read because it keeps the memory alive. it was merely weeks before he passed, making the loss even more shocking.

i look forward to keeping a place at the table for fito when we do finally have the chance to all get together again. we will destapar una cerveza and leave an empty chair for him at the table! RIP don rodolfo y fito.

don't save your words. you never know which ones you will hold onto as the last, so make them cherished memories-

julie

ninja, sketchy conceal carry class and TP in the sky

i know i have promised a post about the cockroach, but that will have to wait a minute.

i am happy to say that things here are cautiously getting back to normal...not sure what that means, but they just announced at today's county meeting that they are dropping the beach parking restrictions. that is normal enough for me! they were restricting parking from 10 am- 9 pm, which basically meant that i could not park there for morning walks, so my motivation to walk 1.5 miles to the beach from cortez village was relatively low... but i've already set my alarm for tomorrow morning, thank you commissioners!

mama turtle tracks-it's season!

That said, i went yesterday after work, and they allow 2 hours parking. so i walked a little, then pulled out the hammock for a bit. my time limit came to an end and it was before the sunset, but i knew that if i wanted to get to the store, i needed to go because they have been closing by 8pm...and i needed some greens! i made it, but it was tight! i did a little splurge as well, but it was something that i'd been thinking about for awhile and the time had come. i had been putting it off because apartment living is the devil in disguise as far as space goes. i have so many kitchen items, but so little space in my kitchen. i did some researching, and i have several ninja products, so when i saw that they produce a toaster oven that flips up for storage, i was sold! and the walmart near me had said item.

there will be an abundance of roasted veggies in my future!

the roasted chicken and roasted peppers...yummers!

so mom and dad, next time you visit, we can actually make toast without firing up the oven...i may or may not have roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli for lunch, then roasted chicken, peppers and onions for dinner. it has already been worth every penny! and i may or may not have tried some mini blueberry turnovers...and sugar cookies. oops. #covidcurses

this past weekend was a good weekend- i went to help a friend lay a few patches of sod, then came home to celebrate my sister-friend's birthday on a zoom celebration...then after a little nap, met up with a couple friends to go do a little kayak/paddleboard adventure! same place as before, in the sarasota inlet....it was a strong current, so we stopped at the first clearing, knowing that the return would be brutal. there was a moment when shea's pup was chasing a stick by the point and could've easily been swept away, but fortunately ezzie and shea were able to man-handle the 100 lb beast and get him out of the current and move around the rocks toward the beach! all's well. on the return we saw some dolphins- it seems to be a good area to chance encounter these friendlies!

now, the parking may or may not have been blocked of, so we may of may not have parked in a secret-ish lot behind the abandoned tennis courts and hiked a quarter of a mile to the bay...worth it!

then mother's day was relaxing. i did get out to the beach, and parking was not an issue (still the 2 hour limit), no issue because rain had been predicted- in fact there was a 30-40 percent chance, so i had checked the doppler radar, and kept an eye on it. i got in a good little walk, then set up the hammock and it was beautiful! then as my 2 hour limit was approaching, there came that quick brisk breeze, which was my first indicator, i looked at my radar app, and it was upon us; thankfully my take-down time for the hammock is record, so i was back to my car just as the big raindrops began to fall from the sky. i love to be dry, so i was glad that i remembered the lessons learned from joe at kamp in regards to the weather!

it was slightly comical watching other running to their cars from my dry fortress...don't judge.

what else? well...i'm trying to help the local doughnut business- thank you, peachey's! they should be preparing for their fair circuit up north, but it seems rather uncertain right now, so we'll take advantage of them being in town as long as possible...it's kinda' like when you get ready to leave and you keep saying goodbye, and then running in each other again- like if you were in the tsa line and you keep seeing each other as you round the corner...only it's me showing up buying donuts, so not like tsa at all. whatever, make up your own anecdote if you feel you need one.

snicker-doodle glazed, and the most amazing buttery sourdough pretzel-just what the doctor ordered...yep...pretty sure i heard fauchi say this was the covid19 cure in one of those pressers...

i had allowed my tx conceal/carry to expire, so i was all in when my friend mentioned going to take the class to qualify for the conceal carry permit here in florida. it was at a little mom and pop target practice place, and to be quite honest, it seemed a little suspect. the others in the class were all men, there was a very strange guy who sat up front-i don't ask questions, but he seems like the type who is probably not married and lives in a little cabin in the mountains (only there are no mountains here)...so i don't know what the equivalent here would be...burial mounds? idk. anyhoo. there was a guy at our table who didn't seem to have a firm grasp on the language, and a young buck who had probably never really spent much time around guns. then two older gentlemen who were former leo, or current guards. so the class was nothing like i imagined. you have to understand that in texas it seemed a little more serious. here it seemed like a bit of an after-thought, and even at that, the trainer said he was one of the more exigent of trainers in the area...(insert sketchy-face emoji here).
i mean...the classroom was under a tarp off to the side of the building, held up by branch poles and a ladder where the important documents were held. no video. no internet. nothing but a little story-telling and guidance. i wasn't sure what to think. actually, i was very glad that i had previously taken the course in texas, and had plenty of practice time. it was pretty close, and they do have a good membership deal, so i will probably go back just for the practice.

i may need to just take my own targets- i miss the place i used to go in plano!

in other news, i walked to the little mail kiosk last week, and on the way back i saw something going on in the sky, so i had the boys join me in the shade to see what was going on. at first, i thought it was a request or advertisement for toilet paper, but the plane continued to churn out more letters until the word TRUST was written in the sky. i don't think there was anything else, but i had to go back inside because: work. but it was something different!

i was amused at first, and then the pilot had to go on and make it philosophical...

and i have been trying to transition to hot tea in the afternoon instead of coffee because sleep is a good thing at night. anyhoo, i've tried to like hot tea before and it just never stuck. so i decided to follow some hints that noom dropped, and the republic of tea delivered! i think this could be a game changer...we'll give it a go. so far, so good!

i do enjoy both.

find your calm and wind-down zone, get out when you can, and always keep an eagle-eye on the strange guy in class!

julie

Easter brunch, splashing in the rain, lobster rolls- fortunate

so much going on. i have fallen behind because i have multiple irons in the metaphorical fire. let's see, how about we start with my favorite thing-yesterday i met up with my friends for lobster rolls! we did the curbside pick up thing (from different cars), then drove out to longboat key to eat them and just enjoy the bayside view from a restaurant parking lot. this was the first time mermaid's pies and produce has been open for several weeks, so it was certainly a treat!! please ask how many times i have driven by and looked for the open sign! and here's the best part- a friend had seen that i was going, because i had post something about it, and he venmo'd $ to enjoy my treat!! #randomactsofkindness #COVOD19-style now to pass along the kindness!

best lobster rolls around! 

it had rained almost all of last week, after a long dry spell. in fact, so dry that there had been a burn ban in effect for quite some time...in fact the pond out near my parking lot looked like two big puddles, it was that dry. it has since filled in quite nicely, as it seems we are moving into some rainy season activity. also, some of the first turtles have begun laying nests.

ah, the rain!

so last week i went out for a walk and parked by the little maritime museum in cortez and walked over the bridge toward my favorite beach park because there is still no parking there, and beaches have yet to open. as i was walking down gulf drive, there was a large puddle in front of one of the motels and that was were i was walking when it happened. it was still dark out, but there were street lights...and i had on a bright coral long-sleeve, apparently not bright enough. an 18-wheeler, going much faster than necessary, hit that puddle like he had every intention to see how high he could make the puddle fly. i got soaked, and i my immediate reaction was to yell some unseemly things that should never be repeated. for an instant i considered returning to my car (i was about halfway through my walk, sopping wet, and a bit chilly), but i kept going...partly in hopes that the driver would have stopped ahead with engine problems and i might be able to get off a good throat punch and knee to the groin... i was driven for at least the next 7 minutes. then as approached the park, the sun was rising, and i was rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise! and a bit further down, i had to stop and take in the beach view, since it's been so long! then i made my way back to where i had parked, thankful that my car hadn't been towed.

gorgeous, no?

on the way home i walked on the opposite side of the street, but there's the puddle lake

i forgot treats, so they were not up for Easter pics...i'm sure everyone has experienced this with their families as well.

and for Easter, i listened to an online message and watched a special, then went over to do brunch with my friends shea and patrick. i took some mini brie/gruyere/carmelized onion quiches, and they had put together some eggs, bacon, and the 'piece de resistance' KANAKUK KAMP CoffeeCake! amazing!

YUM!

we caught up for a bit, then i went home for a bit to take a nap, before reconvening with 3 other friends to do an egg-hunt with snacks, chit-chat, social distancing around the pool, and then patrick's homemade noodles with pesto! yummers! good to see the crew-safely.

did you notice how there are 4 separate stations to sit at?! #playingbytherules

the past few weeks have been an inspiring time to create my own cards and stationery because, as we know, i like to write letters, and at this time, the store really doesn't have much that suits my needs! plus, it's been a great outlet to use some pent-up creativity! (much inspired by a video that one of my friends shared with me!).

these are a few-i've already sent a few others out...spread the joy!

in other news, there have been some fun video conferences for work and play. and this afternoon, i was inspired to try whipped coffee-one of my friends posted a pic of hers, and i've had something saved because i'd been meaning to try it for quite sometime. i happened to find some instant decaf, and thought, 'JACKPOT!" because this meant i didn't have to go to the store! but unfortunately when i opened it, it had all disintegrated/melted together...something, but it was definitely not good. gosh, how long had i had that canister, yikes! so i did in fact have to go to the store...and in my hurry, i parked the car and realized that i had forgotten my debit card at home...(zero motivation to go back), so i fished around in my coin jar, and had $2, so i opted for the dollar general next door to get a mini-jar of instant coffee to do this thing!

 i made the first batch and spooned it over some iced-coffee- not bad...but i wasn't convinced. so i followed it up with a second batch and spooned it over coconut milk. i was pleased with the result!

again, i am grateful. thankful to have a job, a place to lay my head, my boys, friends, food, a sense of humor...i am fortunate and i don't want to take any good thing for granted.

i hope your weekend has been everything you needed it to be!
julie

how far? 8 and a half puppies...

alrighty then...it's been a few days. a lot going on. who are we kidding. so, how far apart? one of my friends did a facebook live today for istation, (click here to see), and she talked about some math suggestions, which made me think of this... so, seriously, how far apart? everyone knows it's 6 feet...so it seems like this is a great opportunity to use those approximation skills you learned in kinder, first and second grade when you had to measure with non-standard measurements...like how many fruit loops...how many pencil-lengths...what would be the best thing to measure 6 feet with? answers will vary...depending on geographical location. let's see, from the different places i have lived, what might the measurement be?

illinois- chicago pizzas

kansas city- gates rack of ribs

wisconsin- baby holstein calf

costa rica- shell necklaces from punta arenas

HONDURAS- coffee pods

kansas- wheat sheaves

iowa- corn stalks

missouri- kanakuk kayak

texas- long horns- like literally the span of a longhorn bull's horns

florida-alligator, manatee calf, sea turtles

i did stop by my friend's house for 10 seconds to drop something off, and look...they went and created a home theater and disco...they had to block all light, so this was the solution. #covidcreations

and it worked, they created somewhat of a cave! 

i have continued to walk the river walk- makes for a beautiful sunrise. fortunately the other morning when i arrived to park, there were two older lady walkers talking to an officer, and pointing at a sign. apparently, OVERNIGHT the marina had put up signs and parking is no longer allowed on the north side-reserved for marina folk only...snobs. way to go, bradenton, i hope they paid you well. 

so unimpressed. 

one of the few rewards to waking up....early

so glad the skate park was shut down-too much gathering...

then back at the complex, it was looking a little dead out, but beautiful days! so we put the garage door up and made a makeshift office. the view. (much better the following days after i moved my car). the boys drive me nuts though, because they are out scavenging for leaves-which they eat and then it just makes a mess. but it's nice to go out because the set-up of the apartment doesn't allow for much natural light in the afternoon-it always seems later than it is because all of the windows face the east, and there is a mini-wooded-bush area on the back side. 

pretty, but silent

looking for leaves, looking for bugs...they'll try to put pretty much anything in their mouth to get a reaction.

one of the kinda' cool things to come out of this is that we have had company-wide virtual meetings to touch base and get information out...virtual happy hours on fridays, which is interesting-fun putting names to faces and seeing everyone! it is also neat to be able to learn a little more about the people i would not otherwise be exposed to. 

fortunate to work with such scoundrels!

i may or may not have done the one thing that is making salon-artists across the nation cringe...yep about 3-4 inches. i knew i was going to do it though, and i think i mentioned it in a previous post. it's hair. whatevs. at least i'm not dying my hair and living the mullet dream...(looking at you, lori). some people can pull it off...i'm not one of them.

and these guys. who needs to be in a legit office or see people for 3 months when you have companions like this!?! 

chaco...little romeo...loves people

bruno in the foreground....food-motivated!

we try to work together, but when we're recording or doing serious webinars, they cannot stay because i never know who is going to walk by and make them lose it.

i have a story about a cockroach, and it is almost time to share. stay tuned, that may be tomorrow's feature story...it's a little longer, so i think that will do it for tonight.

wash your hands, and 6ft... an alligator length(baby-ish alligator)...or 8 1/2 puppies!

julie

walking the riverwalk because coffee, bread and thai soup...

maybe it's a psychological thing that i feel like i should sleep in on weekends. always take care of your mental health!

i had a delicious breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and toasted coconut bread with melted butter and strawberry jelly! yummers- i need to eat this bread and get back on track... so i am sharing some of the bread with friends, and today i made my favorite go-to the thai coconut soup (see recipe here), i use shrimp, but today i added scallops as well. which i will take over with the bread. i did share with friends, and then i had a second bowl, and a strange texture in my mouth. when i pulled it out, it looked like a small animal hair. that was weird...so i thought through every ingredient, wondering if any can or carton could have been contaminated...then it dawned on me- the lemongrass...it's in a squeeze tube and chunky-and these were tiny fibrous pieces that hadn't gotten ground up (i even got the tube out to squeeze some out to double check). whew! i need to cut back on the fish oil, because it was a bit salty, too, and no one needs a sodium attack (ask lot's wife about too much NaCl!)

so today i mulled over where to walk today. i finally landed on the BRADENTON RIVERWALK. i got in my 10k steps, and realized that it has been a minute since i've done a serious walk there. so i think this is going to be replacing the beach walk until they open that up again. i like Robinson Preserve as well, so i may inter-mix them...but i last year the river walk was when i started to get serious about getting back into shape, and so i know it'll be a good time!

so...pretty sure you're supposed to be imagining this mama manatee swimming underwater with her calf...unless you're like me, you may be seeing a manatee olympian with a discus-calf getting ready to break world records...

below are two videos: 1. looking back toward bradenton and the marina and 2. back in bradenton on the east side of the bridge looking back.

the bradenton riverwalk park pretending to be a beach...

now to finish up the coconut bread, and get serious about the food part!

for the most part people were doing what they should in regards to distance (minus the skate park and the exercise station). #fools couples seemed to be the only ones walking together, and every time i walked passed someone, i would look the other way and make sure not to breathe...it kinda' reminded me of when we would drive past a cemetery when we were young, and someone would say, "don't breathe, or you'll breathe in the ghosts!" fyi: a. that i know of, i've never breathed in a ghost b. it was great practice for a respiratory virus spread by saliva droplets! although it makes me look stuck up or rude... oh well. i'm sure when i get up early there will be far fewer out.

finished my walk and did the hand sanitizer and lysol routine when i got into my car... to the ridiculous degree, because i didn't even touch anyone or anything. #coronavirusgotusallparanoid

so all of that was yesterday, and i forgot to set my alarm because i was seriously planning to get up this morning and walk! anyhoo, this was a super busy day, and i had to write everything down to get to it and not forget what's what! tomorrow will be just as busy and maybe i breathe and use the bathroom on thursday...

i was ecstatic to get my package in the mail from terra verde coffee!! my friend from high school-eis
 #gobulldogs marko and his wife, missy, are coffee connoisseurs.

amazing coffee? um, yes, please, i think i will!

 i ordered from them because..HONDURAN COFFEE! my dear friend, tania woke the beast by gifting me HONDURAN coffee at Christmastime! seriously, i couldn't find the brand she'd brought (only at cafeteo, i suppose and the next time i get down there, i will get some), but i am pretty excited about my new supply chain! in fact, i was so excited that i dumped the coffee i had on burner into a mason jar (we'll do iced coffee with that later)...and i made another half pot in the afternoon! that's a pretty big deal, but it was TOTES worth it!! so, if you are looking for a good coffee, and want to support small business and fair trade, check out TERRA VERDE HERE! i'm sure this 1lb bag won't last long...next time i'll go big or go home... 5 pounder, i'm lookin' at you! i got the COMUCAP- and i will definitely get it again!

it was a welcome friend during our afternoon webinar!

so that is where we are for right now! i hope all is well and everyone is washing their hands!

blessings-
julie

does anyone else have a blood coagulation shaving stick?

alrighty then, hello saturday! feels like a sunday, but then again, who knows!

i tried to get out to one of the preserves today- in fact i did, but it was further than i expected. duette preserve is about as far to the other side of the county as one can get, and i didn't realize that they are only open certain hours. that was a bummer because when i got there the picnic area was open, but all of the trail entrances were closed. i was SO not happy..i mean, i had already doused myself with the skin-so-soft i mentioned receiving a couple days ago, in hopes i could give it my stamp of approval!

the trip there was an adventure unto itself. as i was driving out, i should have known better than to take the water. i mean... i drank about a liter more than i should've. ugh. you know what that means- stop to use a restroom, only i had passed the last opportunity about 10 minutes prior.  i know this about me, i hydrate and need to dehydrate quite a bit, so this wasn't a surprise...always pushing the envelope. and then, almost like a unicorn, i saw a small country service station, so i decided it was the last opportunity! so i made a purchase, and saw the sign on the door said restroom closed, but there is a porta-potty...**closes eyes, sighs, and realizes the options are slim**. so i did it. yep. pulled out the lysol, used my own kleenex from the car, and made it happen. ignore the flies, think happy thoughts...lysol myself and get back into my car. but it was the relief i needed, because i THOUGHT i was going to be walking/hiking at the preserve. so disappointing- i didn't even get out of the car once i got there! boo.

should not have partaken in so much of this! i KNOW better.

i've exposed myself to so much, that my immune system is super hero power status

new addition to travel supplies in the car.

on the way home i had to stop at the store for some necessities. i also had to stop at the gas station, because the orange light came on. so thank you, circle k for providing 'fuel gloves'! i didn't see them until i'd already used the kleenex to input my pin and begin pumping the gas. so pulled one out, only luck would have it, 2 came out! so i put the extra glove in my car for later use! (i mean, not a hoarder...it's just one, take a breath). does anyone work for circle k, or are frequent patrons? because this doesn't look like something they just threw together, have they been doing this forever?? if so, i'm super impressed, and could easily be swayed to doing more business there in the future!

these beauties and sanitizer as well!

and speaking of kleenex, still no tp at the stores (at least not when i've gone!)...so i do purchase kleenex whenever i find them! and since they only allow you to buy one item, i try to purchase the bundle sets.

#gamechanger

yes, tp still an issue. amazing. in the USA. somehow i wait often wait longer than i should to get new razor blades because they cost so much...anyone else with me? anyhoo, so i broke down the other day and bought new cartridges. well, in my excitement over having smooth legs in record time, i nicked my ankle- WE'VE GOT A BLEEDER!! so i finished my shower, wishing i had one of those special sticks my dad had for shaving- you know, the ones that help the blood coagulate! i mean, the nick left me with two choices: use a treasured tp square or use the towel and hope the blood stain washes out...OR just bleed out (too drastic?) so i used the tp square. we good. but that cannot keep happening! so i ordered the stick! i looked up: blood-coagulation-stick-for-shaving. (what did we do before google?!) drum roll, please, it arrived today!! super excited! now there will be no more close calls with life-altering decisions due to small cuts!

this past week was a busy week. i know a lot of people may be in kind of a holding pattern with working from home, especially if it's new for you, and workplaces not really knowing how to navigate or set expectations. i am especially fortunate that the company i work for is an ed-tech company, meaning this is our time to thrive because we have been able to help our clients- from the parent and teacher side of the spectrum and help them make sense of the current reality that is happening. we have been working so hard to get creative and meet unique needs. it has been an exciting time, and unconventional...but hopefully we are able to shine brightly and this will be one of those special moments in time for istation! i know several of my colleagues have been putting in lots of extra time and brain-power, and the next couple of months will be interesting and i'm sure very busy. things that were already in the works on hold to meet changing needs. i feel fortunate to be a part of the #redcapenation ! that said, HUGE shout-out to those who have been doing the night-before things, the rearrange-your-schedule things, the putting-fires-out-that-no-one-else-knows-about things.... to you we raise our glass! 

to you, to me, to the both of us!
julie

ah, my little coconut bread! my friend, how i've missed you!

so when asked what was the best thing to come out of coronavirus 2020, i will be able to say: PAN de COCO! i've always been slightly hesitant to do breads because...i don't know...yeast? flour? ew...i do not love the feeling of sticky dough on my flesh. gag. but oh my. i suppose you just have to weigh out the pros and cons and figure out some good tips and tricks, because: HOW HAVE I NOT MADE THIS BEFORE NOW?!😍 alright. thank goodness i made a half-batch, because i would make myself sick eating it! yes, so in making a half batch, of course one must halve all of the ingredients...i'm just bad with fractions, so what did i do? i may or may not have pulled up Istation Math Teacher Station and used the digital tools to figure out my measurements. #dontjudge if you are still in school, life lesson: this is a real life math scenario! #stayinschool (only you can't...covid19)

i'm just gonna' say it, we have the coolest math tools and the math instruction would've helped me, ask ms. smallwood...

i was pleasantly surprised (ok, fake surprise because i'd recvd a tracking e-mail) when my istation t-shirt arrived at the front door! woohoo! then when we walked to the mailbox, i had a package in the box, and a key to get a package from the bigger mail lock-boxes! the smaller package contained a 'creamer' that kinda' does taste like birthday cake, and the bigger package was my #1 from Hunt a Killer series! (i'd received #2 and #3, but the first one hadn't come, so i couldn't begin). i will be looking forward to this one! there is still a half-finished mystery over at shea's because we all go busy last fall and never found a chance to get back together to finish.

t-shirt: we've got your back, birthday cake creamer-yes! who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday year round in the form of coffee?! and to hunt a killer, because it's good to keep the brain sharp...and you never know when you might need them skills #murderino #ssdgm

i probably shouldn't have tried the prymal coffee creamer, because it was already 3:00pm and it may affect my sleeping pattern...yikes. oh well, it seems like such a minor...(until 2am rolls around and i'm wide awake). but it IS delish, so well-worth it. i think the serving size is 4 tsp, but i only used 2 in an over-sized cup, and it was plenty, so don't let that calorie count scare you!

**danger alert** i may have just had another coconut bread roll** i.can't.stop.myself.

and today was the 2nd company-wide "virtual happy hour" via ZOOM. last week and this week- it has been an interesting experiment! it's fun when you are in a breakout room with people you know and converse easily with...it is a little awkward when you know almost no one in a room, but a good chance to get to know people and what they do..kinda' like looking at the brady bunch of work colleagues and wondering, "hmm...which one could be a potential serial killer...or who would make the best serial killer...or who would play the best serial killer in a movie..." i mean, there's a lot of routes you could go! next week maybe the internal question will be: WHO in this breakout room: who would be the MOST likely to survive a quicksand pit? escape headhunters? (sorry...gilligan's island). anyhoo, it was good to see my people! even if it meant being on the computer for an extra hour...maybe next week we start an hour later on friday. i also think i need to come up with a list of questions or silly anecdotal things to talk about because dead space is seems like a virtual faux pas. 

i was hoping that my mermaid's pies and produce would be open, but they seem to be closed- i may swing by tomorrow just to double check! they make the best lobster rolls in the area, and i am a huge fan! they are also well known for their award-winning pies! i've tried a variety of slices. my favorite to date has been the coconut creme!! LOVE! i need to order their brie and caramelized onion quiche, because it's been awhile, and i know what i like!! they seriously do have the best lobster rolls! i don't even bother with the seafood festivals for lobster rolls anymore, because sometimes you go someplace and nothing really compares! they do the traditional as well as the ct style -hot with melted butter, both on toasted roll- large chunks of lobster- always freshly made. #hugefan

look at the size of those lobster pieces!!

if they are not open, i will probably make some shrimp and scallop coconut thai soup again, because that stuff...woah! i may make enough to take a taste over to shea and patrick. we'll see if that works. 

this morning i did get up early and went for that walk- i have been lazy the last couple days. so today i drove over to cortez village and parked at the park/museum and walked through the neighborhood (cute little fishing neighborhood), and then across the drawbridge and down the main beach sidewalk, barely into the park before i had to turn around and come back. well worth it, and a nice different change of scenery!

he was getting ready to fly away, then he sensed that i wanted a pic, so he put his wings back for a minute, gave me the sideways glance..the "get-on-with-it" glance, and once i'd taken my shot he flew off! love me some pelicans! (mostly because i don't own a dock, so i don't have to deal with pelican poo).

not sure what this weekend will hold, it may be very chill. i may be going to the store to get more flour, skim milk and whatever else i need to make more bread- bread that i will share.

i was awake SUPER early this morning, and i was thinking about the things that we take for granted, and my list was so simplistic yesterday. truth is, even our 'poverty' got NOTHIN' on some people around the globe. when i lived in HONDURAS, we would visit some of our churches out in the smaller mountain villages, and they would take us to their one-room home with dirt floor where they keep their dishes in a suitcase in a corner..i don't even remember how many brothers and sisters lived here with the parents, but one room. how can they social distance?...obviously not every family was this 'poor', but those experiences have never left me. i have AC, washer, drier, two t.v.s (i'm single...), cable, android, 2 work devices and 3 personal tech devices, a go-pro, camera, more than 2 pair of shoes, more than 5 outfits, a refrigerator, stove, microwave, multiple kitchen appliances i seldom use...and that's just the tip of the iceberg...please just take a look around your home and think about the 'things' that you have that you take for granted. the reason it even hit me was because it is easy for me to 'shelter in place' i can buy food and freeze it or preserve it...i have running water and electricity...i can cook food...i can wash my clothes and take showers...I CAN WASH MY HANDS 50 TIMES A DAY... again. be grateful that you are even able to read this on the internet on whatever device you have...for that matter, be grateful that you can read! you are richer than you know.

blessings-
julie