Newport Mansion Tour

Last weekend, Nick and I were childless and decided to play tourist for a day.

If you're not familiar with Newport, RI, it was, and still is to some extent, a playground for the rich and famous. Back in the 1850s and beyond, (otherwise known as "The Gilded Age") Newport was the summer home for some of our country's most wealthy people.

Some of these summer homes have been spared from demolition and are open, through the work of the Preservation Society, to the public for tours.

On Saturday, Nick and I toured two of these mansions.

First, The Chateau-Sur-Mer, circa 1852 and is a National Historic Landmark.

This is the front of the house and the side entrance.

The Chateau-Sur-Mer is described as one of America's great Victorian houses. It was home to three generations of the Wetmore family. It features hand-carved Italian woodwork, Chinese porcelains, Egyptian and Japanese Revival stenciled wallpapers, and rare trees from as far away as Mongolia.

Because indoor photography is prohibited, I don't have photos past outside. The Preservation Society has done a fabulous job bringing this home back to its early glory. Some of the wallpapers are original and have been carefully removed, restored, and reinforced so they could be hung back in this beautiful home.

Our docent for this home was wonderful and so informative. This was my favorite, so far.

Here I am at the back of the house.

Next on the tour was The Rosecliff.

The Rosecliff, circa 1902 is described as a fantasy in terra cotta, some of Newport's grandest Gilded Age parties were staged here. Cole Porter was a frequent house guest, composiging and playing the piano in an upstairs sitting room. Its ocean views and expansive lawns create a dreamlike atmosphere.

The story behind the Rosecliff was much different than the first mansion we toured. This family had "newer" money and seemed to constantly try and prove their right to be part of "The Gilded Age" crowd. It seemed a little over done to me.

It was built by Theresa Fair Oelrichs, a silver heiress from Nevada, whose father James Graham Fair was one of the four partners in the Comstock Lode. She was the wife of Hermann Oelrichs, American agent for Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship line. She and her husband, together with her sister, Virginia Fair, bought the land in 1891 from the estate of George Bancroft, and commissioned the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White to design a summer home suitable for entertaining on a grand scale. With little opportunity to channel her considerable energy elsewhere, she "threw herself into the social scene with tremendous gusto, becoming, with Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish and Mrs. O.H.P. Belmont (of nearby Belcourt) one of the three great hostesses of Newport."

Rosecliff stayed in the Oelrichs family until 1941, then went through several changes of ownership before being bought by Mr & Mrs J. Edgar Monroe of New Orleans in 1947. Mr. Monroe, a southern gentleman who had made his fortune in the ship building industry, came to Newport with his wife Louise every summer to escape the summer heat of the Deep South. The two became well known for the large parties they threw at Rosecliff; many of which had mardi gras theme, the Monroes loved dressing up in fancy costumes for these parties. Unlike Mrs. Oelrichs' parties, which were stiff and formal, the Monroes' parties were laid back and easy going. Because Hermann Oelrichs Jr had sold off all the furnishings in 1941, nearly all the furnishings visitors see at Rosecliff today are from the Monroe period of occupation. In 1971, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe donated the entire estate with its contents and a $2 million operating endowment to the Preservation Society of Newport County, who opened it to the public for tours. Mr Monroe often would come back to the estate for charity events up until his death in 1991 (information here taken from Wikipedia)

This is the front of the home.

The view from the front of the house looking toward the street.

The view from the back of the home.

The view of the back of the house. Notice the tacky awning over the back porch. This mansion is used lots for weddings and other large events.

 The ballroom was used to film scenes for the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, The Betsy, High Society, True Lies, and Amistad.

There are a few other lovely mansions here that I look forward to seeing. I especially want to see the few that are open and decorated for the Christmas holidays! More pictures coming!

Apple Muffins and Cookbook Thoughts

I have a basket of apples. AGAIN. It's not a terribly big basket of apples, but nonetheless, it's more apples. I needed something to do with them. I've seen a few blog posts lately about apple muffins, apple crisps, cakes, etc So, today was the day I would finally do something with the apples!
So, I sat down and googled "apple muffins". I found a few different recipes, flipped through a couple of sights and clicked on this one:  The Girl Who Ate Everything-Apples Muffins

I made these muffins and they are delicious. Even better, I loved this blog! I can't wait to dig through it and find more yummy recipes.

While we're talking food and recipes. I would like to share some ideas and thoughts on how to keep recipes. Back in the day, you found recipes in cookbooks or someone wrote it down for you on a 3x5 card, scrap of paper, or back of a napkin. I had drawers full of these for years.

I do love my cookbooks, but let's face it. I have a recipe here, one in that one and I'm getting scattered and can't always remember where they are!

When I married my husband, his mother gave us a collection of recipes. She put them in this nice 3 ring binder. Because my husband is a Soldier, she picked a patriotic theme for the cover and for each recipe.

She even gave me a package of this nice paper so I could print my own recipes and add to the book. How smart is she to have put these in page protectors?  I'm a complete slob in the kitchen and these just wipe clean!

I have added lots of recipes to this book over the years. I will print them off of sites, or type them out of a book to print. I always make the recipe a few times before I declare it worthy of the "family" book.

I realized, not long ago, how much I love having this book. It's a great mixture of my husband's childhood favorites and things we enjoy now.

Since my son is getting married next year and my daughter just got married, I decided it would be a nice gift for them to make a collection of recipes.

I love the idea of a 3 ring binder so they can add to it over the years.

I would love to hear how you all keep your favorite recipes and what works best for you.

I do have a bit of an ulterior motive for making them their own books. I can take a break from them calling me up asking me how to make the same things all the time!

Planning Out the Week

I sat down Saturday evening and decided to TRY to make a menu. Normally, I would have a menu and would be prepared for my week, but lately, I just haven't been feeling it. I get an idea of what I'm making for the week and shop accordingly, but haven't really put a lot of effort into it.
Alex was due in late last night so I didn't include him in dinner plans. We had a delicious smoked sausage and potato au gratin with this Ham and Potato Au Gratin recipe. When I make this again, I will include more onion and more salt and pepper. It was a little bland to me.
Alex's team is playing football later this afternoon, so I planned a crock pot meal that would be easy to throw on a plate after we got home.
HOWEVER, plans change. The kid got stuck in Nashville over night. The plane leaving San Antonio was delayed, which caused them to miss their flight in Nashville which also just happened to be the last flight out. Oy!
So, nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like we pick him up late tonight. Do I plan a meal or just eat on the road? It's not that far to Providence, but what time will we go?
Here is this week's menu:
Monday: Chicken tacos/nachos (fast, easy and delicious for those times you just don't know what's going on)
Tuesday: Meatloaf, Roasted Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes (requested by my husband)
Wednesday: Baked fish, broccoli and couscous (also a request from the man)
Thursday: Spanish Rice Casserole and Sauteed' Spinach (his third request for the week)
Friday: Ham and Potato Soup. I can make this ahead of time and once again, not sure what will be going on.
If we don't have the soup on Friday, it will hold until the weekend.
Whew...no wonder I haven't been feeling it. This is hard! I know there are at least two meals here that Alex will snarl at. Too bad, it ain't Burger King and you don't always get it your way.
Off I go now to dig through his itinerary and see if they have re-booked his flight. Do airlines just not run on time anymore?

Fall in New England

Nick and I have been enjoying our weekend without the boy. Yesterday we hit the farmer's market for some fresh bread, homemade jellies, local cheese and some fresh sweet potatoes.

Afterwards, we took a drive around town and toured a couple of the Newport Mansions.

I will write a separate post about these magnificent houses. They deserve it.

Today we decided to hit Starbucks for a much desired Pumpkin Spice Latte, walk the Trinity Church Pumpkin Patch, and then take a scenic drive to see some fall colors. Enjoy a few photos we took today.

Adult Dinner

Our boy is gone for the weekend and I decided to make something that he probably wouldn't care for if he were here. Nick requested steak and I was so glad because I already had this in the back of my mind.
I made The Pioneer Woman's Rib Eye Steak and Whiskey Cream Sauce. Oh My GOODNESS this is delicious. I seriously want to lick the pan when I make this sauce. I have posted about it before but didn't include pictures or the recipe. This time I will do both.

Here is the recipe in her amazing book. I love how she shows so many photos. You can't mess this up!

Here is the sauce cooking in my skillet. You can't imagine the smells coming from my kitchen.

The steaks in my iron skillet. Yummy.

The Recipe:

Rib Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce

5 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp diced onion
1/4 C whiskey or beef broth
1/4 C beef stock or broth
dash of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 C light cream
2 rib-eye steaks

Melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add onion and cook until brown, about 4 minutes. When brown, turn off the burner temporarily and pour in the whiskey or 1/4 C beef broth. As soon as the whiskey evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the remaining 1/4 C beef broth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Whisk in another tablespoon of butter. Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low. Over low heat, pour in the cream. Whisk, adding more cream if the mixture looks too brothy. Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks. Stir occasionally.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides, then add it to the hot skillet.
For medium rare, cook for 2 mintues on each side of a thin steak or 3-4 mintues on each side of a thick steak. Place the steak on a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the other steak. You can cook both steaks at the same time if you prefer and your skillet is large enough.
Spoon the sauce over the steak!

As a side dish I decided to make Your Home Based Mom's Salt and Pepper Red Potatoes.

I have taken many recipes from Leigh Anne's blog and have never been disappointed. If you haven't looked in on what she's doing you absolutely must. Not only is she a great cook, but she does beautiful things with table settings and parties.

Here is Nick's plate as I served him dinner. I also threw in some roasted asparagus and the Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls. I make these all the time and the only difficult thing about these is remembering to take the dough out of the freezer in time to bake them. Seriously.

After dinner we sat outside and watched the full moon rise over the bay. I had a lovely glass of red wine and Nick enjoyed a cigar. We miss our boy, but are taking advantage of some much needed adult time. I'm looking forward to the weekend. We're planning on taking a drive and maybe hitting a pumpkin patch or two.

I'm a Mother-In-Law

I announced several months ago that my oldest child, a boy, got engaged. I knew then I would become a mother-in-law, but my second oldest child, a girl, surprised me this week. She made me a MIL a little early.
Yes, she up and got married.
She is my oldeset daughter and will be 24 years old in January. She's old enough to get married. She doesn't need my permission but I was still a little sad and hurt that she got married and let me know afterwards.
I haven't talked much about this daughter. She was my problem child. Not as a little girl, but as a teenager. As a small girl she was absolutely precious. She only wanted to please everyone and was almost perfect. She got her feelings hurt easily and never wanted to disappoint. Unfortunately, as a teenager she got involved with a bad crowd and got into some trouble and become very angry and rebellious. I was a single mom at the time and she didn't have the advantage of having a male role model in her life that would help guide her and love her.
To make a long story short, she left home as soon as she was 18, went into one bad relationship after another and I rescued her until I had to move out of state with my new husband. Leaving her behind in a terrible abusive relationship was one of the hardest things I had ever done, but she was an adult and I couldn't make her go with me.
She has grown up so much. She has lost most of her anger and has made better choices. Bless her heart, she has learned every lesson life has the hard way. She's smart and beautiful and I've prayed and hoped that she would just find someone that would love and appreciate her so I could stop worrying. I think she's done that.
I haven't met him, but my youngest daughter has. She says he's amazing. He's a Soldier and a very successful one. He loves her and takes care of her. That's really all I could hope for. I look forward to meeting my son-in-law at some point.
Here's a photo I stole off her facebook. She's not big on email and sending photos, but a facebook geek, she is.
Here's to my daughter and her new husband. May you be blessed and stay crazy in love for the rest of your lives.

The Leaves are Falling and the Eagle is Flying.

Today the list came out for next year's Army promotions to Colonel. My husband's name was on that list!
We had anticipated it, but were relieved to see it there in black and white
Let me explain the title of my post.
My husband is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. His rank insignia is an oak leaf cluster.

 Because he was selected to be promoted to a full Colonel, his rank will go to an Eagle.

Come on.. it's clever, don't you think? I have also heard the phrase, "After the leaves fall, there is nothing between the eagle and the stars."  (meaning after colonel the ranks are all general officer ranks and they come with stars)
Nick is number 76 on the list. It's hard to say when he'll actually pin on the rank because you just never know how many people will be promoted each month. If they continue to choose around 20 per month, and don't start until November, we're looking at several months. Either way, it's nice to know it's coming and that there is a pay raise in our future! 
Another little tidbit of information some of you may not know....the rank of Colonel comes with an eagle sticker that goes on your car next to the Department of Defense (DOD) sticker.  A lot of parking lots within the military have designated parking spots for Colonels and above. You are able to use those spots with the bird on your car. I have been waiting on that bird for years. I can't wait to take advantage of the parking spot!
Tonight for dinner, I had pork chops in mind. I had a basket of apples and decided to put the two together.
I simply used google to find a recipe and came up with a Cooks.com recipe. It was fairly easy and very flavorful. However, there are a few changes I would make if I were to do it again.
The recipe calls for:

4 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 (6oz pkg) stuffing mix
4 boneless pork chops

When doing this again, I will put fewer apples and less sugar. When making the stuffing mix, I will increase it to make more, this little bit hardly covered the bottom of the pan and I'm a stuffing kind of girl. I will also add sauteed' onions and celery to the stuffing to make it more authentic tasting. I like mine more savory than sweet.
Nick raved about this. He loved it. Even Alex ate it although he took the apples off the pork and ate them separately.  He is not one to mix his food. If ever I make something with a sauce, he will typically remove it and eat just the meat. He left the stuffing and didn't eat it at all.
The rest of the recipes goes like this:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Slice apples, place in bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Prepare stuffing mix as directed. Spread stuffing mix into bottom of a 9 x 13" baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Place pork chops on top of stuffing.
Cover each pork chop with apple mixture. Cover pan with foil, bake for 1 hour. The pork was tender and delicious. I served it with new potatoes and green beans, one of my favorite vegetable combinations.

Catching Up...Again

Here I am again, realizing how long it's been since I had time to sit down and type out a post. I just spent several minutes catching up on my favorite blogs. I do miss you bloggy friends when I'm too busy to participate!
It's 8:50 AM here right now and I'm still in my pajamas and have a cup of coffee.
I got up at 6:00, made Alex's lunch and his and Nick's breakfast. (don't be impressed, today was oatmeal and cereal day, I'm just that tired) I got my boys out the door then Nick's aunt, uncle and cousin who was visiting left around 30 minutes later. I have done two loads of laundry, recycled the dishwasher dishes and am relaxing for a few minutes before tackling 4 beds that need to be re-sheeted and about 4 more loads of laundry.
We had a fabulous weekend with Nick's family. These relatives are his godparents. They are low maintenance and tons of fun.
They arrived on Saturday evening, just after we got our boy out the door for homecoming dance. He took the little girl down the street (who's parents are our best friends here) as "friends"  I threatened him with his life if he dorked this up because it would make it awkward with them forever. She's a great girl and he behaved! Yes, some of the things we are teaching him ARE sinking in!
Don't they look adorable?

I took him shopping for his clothes. All the way down to shoes and socks, people. The kid showed up here back in July with nothing but ratty jeans and t-shirts. He had one set of dress clothes that came nowhere close to fitting him. God only knows how long he'd had them. All of this, in spite of the fact we sent his mother over $1200.00 per month (plus all medical, dental and extra curricular expenses) in child support. BUT, that's another post, another rant, for another time.

So, Aunt Mary, Uncle Wayne and cousin Brad get here and we start the pig out fest that lasted for over 24 hours.

I had picked up clam chowder from one of our favorite diners and it's delicious! We had cocktails and veggies with dip before getting Alex from the dance and calling it a day.

Sunday morning, Nick made his famous pancakes and then we hit the road. We took a nice scenic drive around town and had lunch at the Red Parrot. One of our favorite restaurants. We had oysters on the half shell, fried calamarie, a bucket of steamers (deliciousness!) and nachos (for the non-seafood eating Brad)

Two beers (each) and a full tummy later, we rolled out back home.

Last night, it was fresh lobsters. When I say fresh, I mean fresh. Nick and Uncle Wayne drove to the dock and bought them right off the boat.

Today I'm trying to get over my food coma and get caught up. I need to make a weekly menu but am struggling.

Hopefully, I will find my motivation when I dig through the laundry :) 

I have two loads to fold now.  I think it's a good time to catch up on my DVR!

Our Trip to Boston

As you know, we've had family visiting for the last several days. On Saturday we took a drive down south along the coast, and on Sunday, after church, we headed north toward Boston.
Seeing Boston was something my dad really wanted to do. I was skeptical because there would be walking involved and my aunt was clearly not doing well in that area. She wanted to participate in all the activities but she just wasn't able.
We parked and started out. The first major thing we found was the Granary Burying Ground. There is so much history in Boston and this particular cemetary had several historical figures buried in it.
We took a few photos inside the burying ground.

Paul Revere's marker

My mom and dad in front of John Hancock's monument.

John Hancock's monument.

There were some odd etchings on the headstones. At least markings that I considered odd. Check it out.

This one is harder to see. It's a scary face, but has angels wings. This etching was on most of the headstones. After googling this and searching for a while, I found that it's called a winged skull. It symbolizes ascension into heaven.

After digging, I found that this one is considred just " a skull and crossbones "

It symbolizes death..nothing else.

After walking around for a little while, we hit an offshoot of "Cheers" in Quincy Market. The food was just ok, the atmosphere was fun, and the beer was cold.

We had a great time!

I took the family back to the airport today. I stopped at CVS on the way home and hit the door running. I've done 5 loads of laundry, changed sheets on three beds and made dinner. It was nice to have dinner with just my little family again.

Tomorrow night is leftover night. I need to clean out the fridge. Friday night should be football night but there is a nor'easter coming. If it's storming we will play on Saturday. Either way we're working the concession stand. I'm hoping for clear weather.

Saturday, we have Nick's aunt, uncle and cousin coming in. I need to work on the weekend menu and hit the commissary tomorrow. It's always something!

What's Been Going On

Like I said yesterday, things are nuts here.
I really thought when my husband left the normal "Army life" I would be able to take a break. I'm not doing the same things, but am finding myself just as busy.
Since I have a football player again, I've been volunteering with the Athletic Booster Club. I'm having a great time doing it and am getting to know some wonderful local people, but it's one more thing! Nick and I have been doing this volunteer work together. We work the concession stand at the varsity football games (our boy is a JV player)  Nick is on the grill and I'm slinging the burgers and dogs to the hungry crowd. We're having a blast.
We are also very busy with our friends/neighbors. It seems we are always finding reasons to get together. We have each other over for dinner or drinks, light up our firepits for s'mores and indulge in plenty of wine, beer and other adult beverages.  
During the day when our men are at school, the girls and I find at least one day every week or so to have lunch, shop, have coffee or just hang out.
My family is still here and we are seeing as many sights as possible given the ailments of my aunt. She is having a hard time getting around but wants to see everything. Bless her heart, she just is having a hard time.
Saturday we took a drive down the coast to the southern tip of Rhode Island. We stopped along the way for a few photos and lunch.

From left to right: Nick, me, my mom, my aunt, and my dad.

A rare picture of Nick and me together. It almost reminds me of being in Hawaii except that I'm wearing fleece. It was chilly with the wind. Please ignore my roots. I'm in desperate need for a hair appointment.

Ever the rebel, Nick had to climb down to the water.

Roadside stand serving New England Clam Chowder and Clam Cakes. I first thought clam cakes were like a hush puppy, but they are not corn-mealish at all. More like fried bread with clams inside. You can't go wrong with fried bread.

Tomorrow I take everyone back up to the Providence airport. On the way home I need to hit CVS and the commissary. I will have Thursday and Friday to change out bed linens, clean my house and catch up on laundry. Nick's aunt and uncle (who are his Godparents) and his cousin arrive on Saturday afternoon. They are fairly low maintenance and will be loads of fun.

Friday night we have the big football game where they are expecting tons of people so the concession stand should be hopping!

Fun times!

Tomorrow I will try to find time to post photos of our trip to Boston yesterday.

Wow!

I can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted anything.
I feel like I have lots to say and nothing to say. It almost makes me tired thinking about typing it all out.
We've had family visiting since Friday and they are wearing me out. How do three people over 65 years old make me tired?
My mom, dad and aunt are here visiting. They want to do lots, but on the other hand tire out and don't want to make a decision on what they want to do. Oy.
We did make it up to Boston today and had a good time. We had dinner at one of the Cheers offshoots and I took a couple of fun photos. I will post them later. It's after 10:00 PM and I'm really dragging.
I know it sounds strange, but I've missed my blog world. There are several blogs I really look forward to reading and am missing them very much. I hope to get caught up on things soon.
My guests leave on Wednesday and we have another group arriving on Saturday. I may never catch up!

Tag!

I have been tagged! JG over at Me and My Soldier Man tagged me in a fun blog activity. The idea is simple and it allows us to get to know one another better. Not to mention find a few blogs that you might not know about!
Before I get into the Q and A part of this, I want to say a word or two about JG. I absolutely love reading her blog. She writes about so many different things but they are always well thought out and researched. More than a few times JG has written a posting that really made my brain work. I just love this young woman!
Ok, on to the fun!!
This tagging thing is fun and really simple. I will answer the questions of the person who tagged me, and then create more questions and tag 8 other people to answer my questions. Easy, peasy!


Here are the questions asked of me:

1. When someone tells you to "go to your happy place," where do you go? Hmm... in my mind, I am somewhere with all of our children. I spend way too much time worrying about the kids who aren't with me all the time and when they are with me, I somehow feel that everything in the world is ok and no one gets hurt.

2. You're in a room with a stranger - who will certainly die tomorrow. What do you say to them?
I would definitely find something affirming to say to a dying person. I would want them to leave this world knowing they did some good and were loved, even if I had to make it up.

3. What one TV show would you like to be on (reality or fiction)?
Parenthood. Lately, I just want to tell them all to shut up and leave Adam alone. Good grief the man has enough stress without trying to fix his brothers and sisters. Besides, I want the house the parents live in and their backyard.

4. How many facebook friends do you have?  215! Even I was surprised at that number! I really only communicate with around 20. I actually do go through and delete sometimes, but then I get a friend request back from them and feel weird. Why do people have facebook accounts, ask for friends then never participate? Are they stalking? Lurking? What is it???

5. What did you have for dinner last night? We actually went out to a local pub for dinner last night. Nick and I love bar food. We had a couple of beers and appetizers. Stuffies (aka stuffed quahogs), hot wings and fries with a smoked gouda cheese sauce. Those fries with that cheese sauce was one of the best things I've ever eaten. I can't wait to go back!

6. Describe yourself in 200 words or less. (this one is hard!) Physically, I'm a middle aged woman (is 45 past middle aged?), short, a little overweight, and starting to show my years. I'm vain so that bothers me. I just haven't figured out what to do about it yet.
More importantly my personality traits are these;  I am a woman that tries to do it all. I want a nice home, well cooked food, clean laundry, a healthy and happy family. I try to do too much and then I want to do nothing at all. I like to be in control of my surroundings. I am anal about the strangest things but could care less about other things. It drives my husband crazy! I am a giver. I love doing for others. I want to be appreciated when I give to others. I have a soft heart. I cry at the drop of a hat. I think there is too much sadness in this world and I try to find the beautiful and the happy. I miss my kids like crazy. I wish they lived closer and I could just take care of them forever. I know, it's unrealistic, but it's the truth. I love how independent they are, but still miss them so much.
I didn't count the words, hopefully I'm within 200. That's just me rattling it off the top of my head. No real thought went into that.

7. What is your biggest pet peeve?  My first thought was laziness or low effort. I really can't stand that. Then I thought of lying. I really really can't stand that. To make it seem to fit, isn't lying in a way, laziness? 

8. What is the thing that, when it happens, you think, "Today is going to be a good day"?
It truly depends on the circumstances. When my husband was deployed I would've said "getting to talk to Nick in the morning or hearing from him"  Now that he's home, just waking up and knowing my loved ones are ok means it's a good day.

Okay, now I make up 8 questions and tag 8 people.

My Questions:

1. If you could go back and start all over at the age of 21, would you? Why or why not?
2. What would be the perfect pet for you?
3. If you were a car, what kind would you be?
4. What is in the floor of your closet?
5. If you had the chance to do anything you wanted for a living, what would it be?
6. If you had the chance to spend one day with someone who is gone from your life, how would you spend it?
7. Describe yourself in 200 words or less. (sorry, I stole that one)
8. What is your favorite holiday? How would you spend it if you could have your way?

I tag:
Michelle at Married/Single Parent
Patti at Peppermint Ph.D.
Mindee at Our Front Door
Nadine at The Albrecht Sqauad
The Mrs. at Trying Our Best (sorry I don't know your first name)
Emily at Scatterbrained Frame of Mind
Laura at Being Loopy
Jackie at The Outpost (Jackie is a real life BFF)
I can't wait to hear what you all have to say!