51. Restaurant firsts
I decided to lump all of the restaurant firsts, at least the ones I can remember, into one post, with some food critic editorializing thrown in for good measure. Here they are:
*Dogtown Coffee & Cookery in NLR- hopefully, by now, most NLR residents have had coffee or a meal here. It is run by the son of some friends of ours, Hank & Liza Godwin, and seems to have caught on VERY well, very quickly. They have great food, including a salad that I really enjoy. I haven't had coffee from there yet, but plan to soon.
*Brown's Country Store in Benton- I think I mentioned this one when Brian & I went to Arkadelphia to the Henderson House. HUGE buffet. Food was fine, but not necessarily a place that I will need to visit again, though I'm glad we finally ate there, as I have wanted to try it for many years.
*Trading Post Cafe at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs- we had a fun outdoor BBQ dinner here, at Micah's recommendation. The food was good and the atmosphere was great. And, of course, the view all around the place is amazing!!!
*Houston's in New Orleans- dee-licious! Definitely want a "re-peat" of this restaurant, in N.O. or anywhere else we find it.
*Ed & Kay's in Benton- this was a recommendation from David Wallace and he was right about how good it is! David & Roberta & Brian & I went to a play at the Royal Theater in Benton and we actually got the "boys" to decide on the restaurant. Great home-cooking, with lots of choices, and AMAZING desserts!
*Smokin' Buns in Jacksonville- several of our friends at Trinity Fellowship had raved about this place, telling us you had to get there really early to avoid the crowd. We don't need convincing when it comes to restaurant crowd avoidance :) We went with Bob & Patsy Beatty and had a very good time. Food was very good and so was the "fellowship."
Those are the only ones I can remember at the moment, and, of course, I still have a little over 3 weeks to try more new spots. Recommendations are welcomed :)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
The Peabody Duck Parade
50. Watched the Peabody Hotel Duck Parade
Today, Brian & I and all 4 grandsons, as well as their parents and Adriann W. and the cute little Joel Winters family, went to the Peabody Hotel in downtown LR to watch the Duck Parade. This was a first for several of us in this group.
We started with a brisk, chillier-than-expected, multi-block walk, because we were too "frugal" to pay for parking :) Then we staked our claim to a spot along the red carpet duck walkway and waited for about 15 minutes. Soon the Duckmaster arrived and gave us a little history lesson regarding this one-of-a-kind spectacle. Soon the "five little ducks" (yes, Jude & Cale & I sang the song quietly) disembarked from the glass elevator and waddled (a little faster than we expected) around the duck pond on their red carpet, climbed up the red carpet stairs and paddled into the water. Their brunch awaited them and they put on a cute little show swimming around and just being duckish.
Next we boarded the trolley. This is always extra fun in December because the trolleys are decorated with lights and wreaths and garlands. I think the inside is always nice, with the pretty wood of the seats and the fun of turning your seats around backward when you get to the course-reversing spot along the route. Our conductor today was having a lot of fun! We all sang Christmas carols, and, at one point, he had a lady come by with mistletoe to encourage you to kiss your seatmate (or someone near you, preferably someone you knew). At one stop, he let the kids come up and step on the floor button that rings the bell. All 3 walking grandsons did it and had great fun. We rode the trolley across the river from LR to NLR and back again, finally departing at a stop (thankfully) near our cars.
SO fun to share this first with all these people! If you haven't ridden the trolley, especially in December, be sure to remedy that oversight soon!!!
Today, Brian & I and all 4 grandsons, as well as their parents and Adriann W. and the cute little Joel Winters family, went to the Peabody Hotel in downtown LR to watch the Duck Parade. This was a first for several of us in this group.
We started with a brisk, chillier-than-expected, multi-block walk, because we were too "frugal" to pay for parking :) Then we staked our claim to a spot along the red carpet duck walkway and waited for about 15 minutes. Soon the Duckmaster arrived and gave us a little history lesson regarding this one-of-a-kind spectacle. Soon the "five little ducks" (yes, Jude & Cale & I sang the song quietly) disembarked from the glass elevator and waddled (a little faster than we expected) around the duck pond on their red carpet, climbed up the red carpet stairs and paddled into the water. Their brunch awaited them and they put on a cute little show swimming around and just being duckish.
Next we boarded the trolley. This is always extra fun in December because the trolleys are decorated with lights and wreaths and garlands. I think the inside is always nice, with the pretty wood of the seats and the fun of turning your seats around backward when you get to the course-reversing spot along the route. Our conductor today was having a lot of fun! We all sang Christmas carols, and, at one point, he had a lady come by with mistletoe to encourage you to kiss your seatmate (or someone near you, preferably someone you knew). At one stop, he let the kids come up and step on the floor button that rings the bell. All 3 walking grandsons did it and had great fun. We rode the trolley across the river from LR to NLR and back again, finally departing at a stop (thankfully) near our cars.
SO fun to share this first with all these people! If you haven't ridden the trolley, especially in December, be sure to remedy that oversight soon!!!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Guess how many more house payments we have???
This first has nothing to do with being brave and trying something new, but it is a biggie, for sure!!!
49. Our house is paid off!
We have lived in this house for 30 years, and today we visited the bank and wired the "pay off" to our mortgage company- hoo-rah!!! The process was considerably more complicated than I expected it to be. Being the financial wizard that I am, I figured I could just call the mortgage company, find out the amount owed, and mail them a check. Apparently, they have to know the exact time you plan to make the pay off (wouldn't want to miss 4 or 5 cents of interest!), and no, no, no, you can't send a personal check. I called dear Bank of America and they faxed me the payoff info, for a mere $30 fee (just to fax it? good grief!). Anyway, I don't know what happens next, but I know I can't wait to have a piece of paper in hand that indicates our little piece of real estate is PIF!!!
Now I plan to funnel these funds to whittle down a couple of credit card balances and car payments. I'd like to be a better and better steward of my finances. Might just take the Dave Ramsey course our church is offering next semester.
I want to wish you a VERY happy, merry, memory-making, fun, calm Christmas! We are looking forward to having all our chickadees home during the holiday. There will be a 36-hour window when all 12 of us will be in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at the same time! Can't wait!!!
49. Our house is paid off!
We have lived in this house for 30 years, and today we visited the bank and wired the "pay off" to our mortgage company- hoo-rah!!! The process was considerably more complicated than I expected it to be. Being the financial wizard that I am, I figured I could just call the mortgage company, find out the amount owed, and mail them a check. Apparently, they have to know the exact time you plan to make the pay off (wouldn't want to miss 4 or 5 cents of interest!), and no, no, no, you can't send a personal check. I called dear Bank of America and they faxed me the payoff info, for a mere $30 fee (just to fax it? good grief!). Anyway, I don't know what happens next, but I know I can't wait to have a piece of paper in hand that indicates our little piece of real estate is PIF!!!
Now I plan to funnel these funds to whittle down a couple of credit card balances and car payments. I'd like to be a better and better steward of my finances. Might just take the Dave Ramsey course our church is offering next semester.
I want to wish you a VERY happy, merry, memory-making, fun, calm Christmas! We are looking forward to having all our chickadees home during the holiday. There will be a 36-hour window when all 12 of us will be in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at the same time! Can't wait!!!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Christmas mementos of 2011
(Just a post for fun, as a reminder to myself of this fun year.)
I like to buy ornaments when I go to new places, to remind me at Christmas of some of the fun memory-making times of the past year. In decorating this week, I found that I have 4 new memento ornaments this year! Extra credit if you can "name that location" (not too difficult, since most of them document the sites :)---
A)
B)
C)
D)
Answers:
A) The Parthenon at Centennial Park in Nashville TN- (Girl Trip)(First #16 & 17)
B) Capt. Henderson House Bed & Breakfast in Arkadelphia AR- (the kidnapping of Brian during his shoulder surgery recovery)(#34)
C) New Orleans LA- (visit to Clay at New Orleans Bapt. Theological Seminary)(#41)
D) Frank Lloyd Wright ornament, from Bartlesville OK- (Sister Trip)(#38a)
I like to buy ornaments when I go to new places, to remind me at Christmas of some of the fun memory-making times of the past year. In decorating this week, I found that I have 4 new memento ornaments this year! Extra credit if you can "name that location" (not too difficult, since most of them document the sites :)---
A)
B)
C)
D)
Answers:
A) The Parthenon at Centennial Park in Nashville TN- (Girl Trip)(First #16 & 17)
B) Capt. Henderson House Bed & Breakfast in Arkadelphia AR- (the kidnapping of Brian during his shoulder surgery recovery)(#34)
C) New Orleans LA- (visit to Clay at New Orleans Bapt. Theological Seminary)(#41)
D) Frank Lloyd Wright ornament, from Bartlesville OK- (Sister Trip)(#38a)
Amateur Percussionist
48. Play in the Percussion Pit at church
This is another adventure that has been on my actual written-down list of things I want to do. I begged Park Hill Baptist's percussion master, Marietta Hunt, to let me play something, anything in the percussion pit! She was happy for the help and gave me a few pointers. Primarily, she was very patient with me as I asked:
"Where are we?" "What measure are we on?" "What am I doing???"
I had SO much fun doing this! We had a Christmas Instrumental Concert on Dec. 4 and we percussionists :) played on 3 or 4 songs. I got to play the triangle, crash cymbal (with a mallet), xylophone, and big ole chimes! Video proof:
It is also fun to me that, instead of my children following in my footsteps, I followed in theirs- Ted played in the church orchestra while in high school & college, and Micah played while in high school. In fact, several of the pieces we played had notations of "M" and "W" written in, indicating when Micah & her cousin, Whitney, were to play certain instruments! Love this! And I get to play on the Overture of our adult choir music this coming Sunday night. Ooh, that reminds, I need to get to the church and practice!!!
This is another adventure that has been on my actual written-down list of things I want to do. I begged Park Hill Baptist's percussion master, Marietta Hunt, to let me play something, anything in the percussion pit! She was happy for the help and gave me a few pointers. Primarily, she was very patient with me as I asked:
"Where are we?" "What measure are we on?" "What am I doing???"
I had SO much fun doing this! We had a Christmas Instrumental Concert on Dec. 4 and we percussionists :) played on 3 or 4 songs. I got to play the triangle, crash cymbal (with a mallet), xylophone, and big ole chimes! Video proof:
It is also fun to me that, instead of my children following in my footsteps, I followed in theirs- Ted played in the church orchestra while in high school & college, and Micah played while in high school. In fact, several of the pieces we played had notations of "M" and "W" written in, indicating when Micah & her cousin, Whitney, were to play certain instruments! Love this! And I get to play on the Overture of our adult choir music this coming Sunday night. Ooh, that reminds, I need to get to the church and practice!!!
Thanksgiving 2011- Part 2
47. Thanksgiving in Colorado
Brian & I left NLR 2 days before Thanksgiving & arrived at Micah's early Wednesday morning. She had been getting ready for a big T'giving feast at her house, inviting several folks from her church. She made homemade dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and fancy rolls. Micah & I together made a yummy (& pretty) Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake, fresh off the cover of the Nov. "Southern Living." This was a first for both of us- as labor-intensive as I expected (which is what has scared me off so far), but SO worth it. Guests brought other delicious foods, so we had a true feast!
At the appointed noon-hour, there were 2 couples, a girl Micah's age whose husband is deployed (she is one of those FB friends that you don't really know, but have several mutual friends- so fun to get to know her!), her 1-year old son, plus us family folk there. About 1:30, a single guy arrived; later, another single guy arrived. One was armed with a homemade cheesecake that turned out to not be quite done. After several hours !!! in Micah's oven, we still had to eat it with a spoon :) Tasted good, though. About 3:30, a family of 4 from Kenya dropped by to say hello. Micah & Daniel were VERY great host(esse)s!
Ben, Micah, & I made turkey placecards:
Both my daughter & my daughter-in-law really showed me up this Thanksgiving! They both hosted lots of family/friends in their own home- VERY proud of Micah and Mindy!!
Just a couple of pictures of the youngest redheads, Ben & Isaac---
And a fun Christmas tree picture, as well as the boys (& Mommy) with Santa---
Thank you, God, for so many blessings!!!! I need to always remember to be
"Too blessed to be stressed!"
Brian & I left NLR 2 days before Thanksgiving & arrived at Micah's early Wednesday morning. She had been getting ready for a big T'giving feast at her house, inviting several folks from her church. She made homemade dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and fancy rolls. Micah & I together made a yummy (& pretty) Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake, fresh off the cover of the Nov. "Southern Living." This was a first for both of us- as labor-intensive as I expected (which is what has scared me off so far), but SO worth it. Guests brought other delicious foods, so we had a true feast!
At the appointed noon-hour, there were 2 couples, a girl Micah's age whose husband is deployed (she is one of those FB friends that you don't really know, but have several mutual friends- so fun to get to know her!), her 1-year old son, plus us family folk there. About 1:30, a single guy arrived; later, another single guy arrived. One was armed with a homemade cheesecake that turned out to not be quite done. After several hours !!! in Micah's oven, we still had to eat it with a spoon :) Tasted good, though. About 3:30, a family of 4 from Kenya dropped by to say hello. Micah & Daniel were VERY great host(esse)s!
Ben, Micah, & I made turkey placecards:
Both my daughter & my daughter-in-law really showed me up this Thanksgiving! They both hosted lots of family/friends in their own home- VERY proud of Micah and Mindy!!
Just a couple of pictures of the youngest redheads, Ben & Isaac---
And a fun Christmas tree picture, as well as the boys (& Mommy) with Santa---
Thank you, God, for so many blessings!!!! I need to always remember to be
"Too blessed to be stressed!"
Monday, December 5, 2011
Some Thanksgiving Firsts- Part 1
Our family started a new tradition in 1989- we spend a night or 2 away from home, just enjoying some family togetherness. Our 1st few trips involved spending the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving at the Holidome in NLR, about a mile from our house :) We stayed in a hotel room, swam in the huge indoor pool, and played shuffleboard in the activity area. We would eat breakfast there on Thanksgiving morning and then head to Grandmomma's for the big Graddy family feast.
As the kids got bigger, we moved to booking 2 adjoining rooms, then to Embassy Suites in LR, and then to a cabin or rental house at Petit Jean, Mt. Nebo, Hot Springs, and last year's sight-unseen rental of a duplex mobile home with cows in the front yard :)
Since all the "kids" are now grown and have real jobs, it has become increasingly difficult to schedule around everyone. Last year, Cate & Clay couldn't get off work in time to join us, so this year I scheduled it for the weekend before Thanksgiving. Sadly, Clay still didn't get to be with us. He works at Dillard's in Louisiana and couldn't come to Arkansas until that Sunday. The rest of us had a very good time, though, at the Tanyard House on Petit Jean Mountain. The view was unbelievably gorgeous! We had our traditional pizza Friday night, hiked to the falls Saturday, and had our traditional chili Saturday night. We also celebrated Mindy's birthday a few days early.
Video proof---
To be continued... in Colorado... wait for it...
3 bridges in 1 afternoon
46. Walk 3 of the Little Rock Bridges in 1 day
For several months now, I have thought it would be a fun little adventure to walk at least 3 of the new Little Rock pedestrian bridges in one day. I've been on the Big Dam Bridge and the Junction Bridge before, and on the Clinton Center Bridge last month with Ted & his family. The Two Rivers Bridge opened within the past few weeks & I really wanted to see it. So I enlisted my there-for-you-anytime friend, Tommie, who at least pretended to think this was a good idea. I suggested another friend that might want to join us, but Tommie said "I don't think she is really much of a walker." To this I replied "WE are not much of walkers!!!" Athletes we are not!
We started on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. We went to the new Two Rivers Bridge first. It is very pretty, with a gorgeous view. That day was kind of the end of the fall leaf colors, so it was even prettier. This bridge's river namesakes are the Arkansas River and the Little Maumelle Rivers. There were quite a few couples, grandparents & grandchildren, and bicyclists on the bridge that day. I almost knocked a poor little boy scout off his bike when I set my timer on my camera & turned around to run into my place for our photo below:
Our 2nd bridge was the Clinton Center Bridge. This one seems to be well cared for (hmmm- wonder why???) and the flowers in the many planters on the bridge had been changed from mums to pansies in the 3 weeks that passed from my 1st to 2nd walk here. The view of fall colors is REALLY pretty here! We also took in the Lego Exhibit in the Clinton Center (happened to be free that day). This exhibit will be on display through February, I think, and you should really see it for yourself. And, of course, walk the bridge!
And, now, for the unexpected (and scary) conclusion to our excursion... Our 3rd bridge was the Junction Bridge. We parked on "lovely" East Washington in NLR, thought twice about starting across this bridge 20-30 minutes before dark, and decided we would make a quick run for it. We took a few pictures on the bridge and then a tall, dark man approached Tommie. He said (read this with an effeminate voice) "Don't worry- I'm a good sssstranger! But I truly am a homelesss perssssson." We assured him we had nothing on us to help him out, we were just out for a stroll. He saw my camera and said "Ooh- take my picture!" He then posed himself & Tommie, and I took their picture:
(That picture makes me laugh every time I look at it!)
Then Mr. Good Stranger wanted to see his picture. He looked at it and loved it. He said "Ooh, girl- I look good! I have lotsss of poses- take my picture again. Wait, wait! Let me get the pose jusssst right..." Here is one of his model poses:
After this, we decided we would hurry back to our car. 'nuff excitement for one afternoon!
Act like a tourist and check out the fun free adventures in your own town!
For several months now, I have thought it would be a fun little adventure to walk at least 3 of the new Little Rock pedestrian bridges in one day. I've been on the Big Dam Bridge and the Junction Bridge before, and on the Clinton Center Bridge last month with Ted & his family. The Two Rivers Bridge opened within the past few weeks & I really wanted to see it. So I enlisted my there-for-you-anytime friend, Tommie, who at least pretended to think this was a good idea. I suggested another friend that might want to join us, but Tommie said "I don't think she is really much of a walker." To this I replied "WE are not much of walkers!!!" Athletes we are not!
We started on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. We went to the new Two Rivers Bridge first. It is very pretty, with a gorgeous view. That day was kind of the end of the fall leaf colors, so it was even prettier. This bridge's river namesakes are the Arkansas River and the Little Maumelle Rivers. There were quite a few couples, grandparents & grandchildren, and bicyclists on the bridge that day. I almost knocked a poor little boy scout off his bike when I set my timer on my camera & turned around to run into my place for our photo below:
Our 2nd bridge was the Clinton Center Bridge. This one seems to be well cared for (hmmm- wonder why???) and the flowers in the many planters on the bridge had been changed from mums to pansies in the 3 weeks that passed from my 1st to 2nd walk here. The view of fall colors is REALLY pretty here! We also took in the Lego Exhibit in the Clinton Center (happened to be free that day). This exhibit will be on display through February, I think, and you should really see it for yourself. And, of course, walk the bridge!
And, now, for the unexpected (and scary) conclusion to our excursion... Our 3rd bridge was the Junction Bridge. We parked on "lovely" East Washington in NLR, thought twice about starting across this bridge 20-30 minutes before dark, and decided we would make a quick run for it. We took a few pictures on the bridge and then a tall, dark man approached Tommie. He said (read this with an effeminate voice) "Don't worry- I'm a good sssstranger! But I truly am a homelesss perssssson." We assured him we had nothing on us to help him out, we were just out for a stroll. He saw my camera and said "Ooh- take my picture!" He then posed himself & Tommie, and I took their picture:
(That picture makes me laugh every time I look at it!)
Then Mr. Good Stranger wanted to see his picture. He looked at it and loved it. He said "Ooh, girl- I look good! I have lotsss of poses- take my picture again. Wait, wait! Let me get the pose jusssst right..." Here is one of his model poses:
After this, we decided we would hurry back to our car. 'nuff excitement for one afternoon!
Act like a tourist and check out the fun free adventures in your own town!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)