Friends & Family

December 4, 2021 I need to catch up on all the goodness of the special people in our lives. Plus, a few folks have been asking for Scarlett pictures… she is definitely a cutie! Mom Parker has been introducing new foods daily – yogurt and avocado are a thumbs up, sweet potato is still a question mark, but it is clear that she loves the camera. 🙂

Random: the guys working at the house have “break” every day at about 9:30 am. Break is both a noun and a verb – it refers to break time, and also the food consumed. So, when I bake a batch of brownies AND 2 loaves of banana bread, and this is what is left after 15 minutes, I know that break was good. 🙂 Random 2: My teenage Pcar guys Jay and Matt have grown up to have families of their own, but the memories die just a little hard, haha, great seeing them at a holiday party! Random 3: My grandnephew Beck (my brother Bill’s daughter Mary’s son) is not only adorable but he is wearing a black SHEEP onesie!! Love him!!! 🙂

Michelle Berke – nominee for a statewide Volunteer of the Year award – congratulations!! She does wonderful counseling work with Haven, a NH organization supporting and providing safe haven for women and families in crisis. And here we are at a UNH Football game with the UNH Wildcats mascot “Gnarlz”, and enjoying our tailgate burgers too!

Thanksgiving: Parker ran a fast 5K in Dallas. Hannah was off in the sun in Costa Rica (so jealous). My mom came to NH and we went to the beach for a walk before turkey…. Amanda Berke and best dog Gabby – so photogenic! Why have just one flavor of pie, when you can bake four (yes, I am slightly insane – but aren’t they gorgeous?) Planes, Trains and Automobiles…. a classic Thanksgiving tale that we watch every year, and John Candy and Steve Martin are SO funny, but you know? This pic from Groundhog Day sort of sums up the year, don’t you think? And yeah, what happened when I drove my mom home to upstate NY… Winter has begun, too bad I didn’t get the new tires before it snowed, duh.

A weekend trip to Ocean City, NJ with our wonderful friends Randy and Lori Strong, and then to the Gingerbread Ball in Long Branch sponsored by AUSA to benefit Fisher House, which builds comfort houses where military and veteran families can stay free of charge while loved ones are hospitalized. A worthy cause.

Just before I left to meet Bob in NJ (I drove south, he drove north), I went with Michelle and Tori to the Exeter Festival of Trees – wouldn’t you know that I bid on and won a gorgeous tree (a benefit auction) – there were so many decorated trees to bid on! Michelle and Tori picked it up and delivered it to the house for me while I was gone, so sweet! Sydney looks underwhelmed…. probably because I didn’t win the Red Sox Nation tree. NH is full on for the Boston Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots (and are still mad at Brady for bailing….) But, enough of that!

Back to the house next, promise! 🙂