July 2010 Archives
This past weekend my parents met my boyfriend's parents for the very first time. We hosted a little barbeque and I was incredibly nervous. Nervous about being hostess, and nervous about all the parents meeting. Would they get along? Would it be awkward?
I am a perfectionist and was freaking out about everything. There was pouring rain for a couple of days beforehand so I was upset that my flowers weren't looking their best. I was worried about what we were going to serve. When we were at the grocery store gathering supplies I wanted to get chicken, ground beef, and sausage so people would have a choice. I wanted to do pulled pork and baby back ribs so that I'd be sure everyone would be able to have exactly what they wanted. My boyfriend eventually convinced me that 2 options was plenty. We settled for BBQ chicken and cheeseburgers. I was worried our sides and appetizers weren't fancy enough. I wanted to buy a million different types of drinks so that, again, everyone would have exactly what they wanted. I was freaking out about the house not being clean enough. Everything had to be perfect. I am like this with most things. I get very upset if I don't live up to perfection. And since I'm not perfect, I get upset a lot!
Now that it's all over, I can breathe again (until next time). And I am happy to report that everything went better than I could have imagined. Our parents clicked immediately. Everyone was really happy with the appetizers, drinks, main meat choices, and side dishes. The food was cooked to perfection. The weather was perfect and the yard actually looked really good. We sat outside for hours and hours and we didn't stop laughing until it was time for everyone to head home after an apple pie and vanilla ice cream dessert.
I am certain there will be many more such get-togethers in our future. In fact, my parents have already invited everyone over to their lake house later this summer.
Do you have a good story to share of your parents meeting the parents of your significant other?
The following is a list of thirty of my favorite books that I've read over the last 10 years or so. As you will see, once I read something I like, I will make it a point to find other books written by the same author assuming I will like those as well. I am rarely disappointed. I hope you enjoy the list and find a good book or two to read!
- The Help - Kathryn Stockett
- White Oleander - Janet Fitch
- Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
- In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner
- My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
- The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks
- Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
- Something Blue - Emily Giffin
- Baby Proof - Emily Giffin
- Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir - Jeannette Walls
- Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner
- She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
- I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb
- Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
- Joy in the Morning - Betty Smith
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
- Life of Pi - Yann Martel
- American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
- Prep: A Novel - Curtis Sittenfeld
- The Man of My Dreams - Curtis Sittenfeld
- Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner
- The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
- The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
- Rise and Shine: A Novel - Anna Quindlen
- The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve
- Light on Snow - Anita Shreve
- The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
- Fall On Your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald
- Angela's Ashes: A Memoir - Frank McCourt
* Disclaimer: All link are Amazon affiliate links
Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite books from the last decade? Share your thoughts on any of the books above, I'd love to hear your opinions.
Midnight Mama is a lovely young lady in Canada soon to embark on her thirties. She became a mother with the birth of her daugher last fall and recently started a blog. On her site, Dear Daughter, she shares both funny and thoughtful stories and experiences of her daily life as a young mother sprinkled with letters to her daughter. To find out more about Midnight Mama and her blog, check out her about page. I am confident you'll want to stick around and read more once you do. She is a wonderful storyteller and her posts are very relatable.
She also has a 30 before 30 list that she is working hard to complete before the big 3-0 milstone.
My garden this year is completely surpassing my original expections. When I was first placing the delicate little plants into the ground I really didn't have high hopes. My previous attempt failed pretty miserably and didn't really believe this year would be much, if any, better. I was wrong. Very wrong, and I am thrilled! I should have some very fresh veggies atop my dinner plant and in my salads very soon. I am practically bursting with anticipation. I am having so much fun going out to check and work on the garden every single day. It's so fun when you can see a difference in even just one day. It really does grow that fast. I greatly underestimated how well these veggies would do and how much space they would take up. But I suppose it is better to have than over the opposite problem. :)
left: green beans; front row: cucumbers, carrots, yellow squash, zucchini; back row: red pepper, and two tomato plants
green beansgreen pepper
patio tomatoes
yellow squash
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