Family visit

Recently we had a short but nice visit from several of our family members from the DC area.

Spouse's sister, brother-in-law, their 2 sons, their daughter, son-in-law, and their 3 children all came for a couple days at the beach.  (In case you're doing the math, that was 6 adults and 3 children under the age of 5.)

In addition to lots of beach time, they also went to the boardwalk for games and unhealthy but tasty food. The joke around the house was that they couldn't go more than 45 minutes without a meal or substantial snack, so there were a couple trips to the grocery store, delivery food, and restaurant visits.  While I was at work during most of that, I think I gained weight just hearing about all the food they ordered/bought/made/consumed.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos at all (I was not with them at the beach) but I did get these 2 cute ones.

Our nephew David and Marvin making himself King of the Pillows

Me and my boys

 It was a very nice visit and we all had a good time!

Happy birthday!!

Saturday was Spouse's birthday!  And Walter's birthday!

This year I planned a very social weekend away for Spouse's birthday but kept all the details a secret.  I told him to simply pack casual clothes and don't try to figure everything out.

So Sat morning we drove to the DC area where we used to live and arrived just in time for lunch at the Taco House with our friends Jeff, Shaun, Brandon and David.  Spouse was happily surprised to see them, and of course equally happy to eat at our longtime favorite Mexican restaurant.  I'd emailed in advance to be sure the owners (who are also friends) Juan & Gloria would be there, so we had a nice reunion with them too.  Unfortunately I took no photos.

Next we drove over to have a short visit with our good friends Bugsy & Roger.  It had been about a year since we'd seen them at our house so we enjoyed a nice, relaxing visit at their home.  Again I took no photos.

Then we drove several miles south to the area where I grew up, but that has changed quite a bit.  Spouse knows that our friend Carl lives there so he guessed we were either going to Carl's house or meeting him somewhere for dinner.  But instead, we arrived at a hotel and checked in.  After a few minutes of relaxing and changing our clothes, we went to a hip bar/restaurant nearby.  Waiting for us to arrive was Carl, Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, Kim, Justine & Liz, Harriet & Bob, Ana & Jose, Javier, and Emily & Brandon!  This time I managed to take a few photos but they're pretty bad.  

L-R: Kelly, Javier, Harriet, Bob, Jose, Ana, Hugh, Kerry

L-R:  Carl, Kim

L-R: Kerry, Justine, Liz, me

The birthday boy

I didn't give people time to look at the camera or smile, I just snapped away.  As you can see from the table, alcohol was involved which likely contributed to the (non-)quality of the photos, but at least its better than no photos.

About 3 hours later everyone left except Kerry & Hugh and Carl, so the servers moved us to a smaller table where we ordered a couple desserts to share and continued visiting.  We had a lovely, lovely birthday dinner, as well as a fun day overall.  We got back to the hotel and crashed.

The next morning we showered, checked out, and headed back north to Spouse's sister's house.  Waiting for us there was his sister, her husband, her 2 sons, and Spouse's brother and his wife.  'The family' had a yummy brunch and visited for a couple hours before heading home to DE.

Spouse complimented me on the terrific birthday weekend and said it was probably his favorite ever.

Sharing Spouse's birthday, although completely overlooked this year, is Walter who turned 5 years old.  We adopted him in Sept but were told he was born on July 20, the same day as Spouse.  That is why Walter's middle name is the same as Spouse's first name.

Memorial Day

As I predicted, our Memorial Day long weekend was lots of fun, if not a bit tiring.

Ron & James and Clark arrived in town before noon but wanted to take advantage of the tax free outlet store shopping so we didn't see them right away.  Mike had an unexpected activity so he drove separately later that night.  When ready for a break from shopping, we met them for lunch, and then they finished up their shopping before finally arriving at our house.  The weather was lovely so we sat on the porch and visited.

James, Ron, Spouse, Marvin

We enjoyed a few cocktails and some snacks as we caught up on the goings on in each others' lives.  Then we went to Blackwall Hitch for dinner. I selected it because they would take a reservation. 

Clark, Ron, James

Fortunately Mike arrived in time to join us for dinner.  We all thought our food was good but pricey.  I left them to pay the bill so I could get my make-up started for the show.  The bar/performance venue was totally packed and the crowd was enthusiastic and engaged.  It was a fun show!  Afterward we walked over to the ice cream store for treat, then returned home to chat a bit before bed.

Sun morning we had coffee on the porch and then Spouse made breakfast for everyone: scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, fruit salad, and bagels.  Sun marked Spouse & my 23rd anniversary so we had mimosas with our breakfast.  It was significantly warmer on Sun so once we'd finished eating we continued talking inside.

Ron reconnected with Marvin and Walter

Then the 4 guys went for a walk around town, ducking into some of the antique shops and such.  Spouse & I stayed home since it was hot outside and we've been in the shops so many times before. We had cocktails and snacks at home again, and then that evening the 6 of us had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery where we happened to get our favorite server Spencer who is always fun.  Everyone agreed we liked our food better and it cost less than the night before.

Spouse and James

Ron and Mike

Me and Clark

The 6 of us

After dinner we went for a walk along the boardwalk and then returned home to chat a little before bed. 

Mon morning we had coffee and more visiting on the porch.

Mike and Ron (with Marvin)

Spouse with Walter

Ron and Marvin

The guys packed and loaded their cars, and then the 6 of us had breakfast at Arenas.  It was cooler again, more like Sat, so we were able to eat outdoors.  Regretfully we said our goodbyes and they headed back to VA.

Less than an hour later my cousin's daughter Chelsea and her husband Gabe arrived.  We sat on the porch and got reconnected for awhile, then went for a walk through town, looking at all the unique homes and talking about real estate.  We had a late lunch at Nectar. The skies threatened rain, so we returned home and got into the car to continue our tour of the area.  (This was their first visit here.)  After a brief shower we decided to stop for a bite at Station on Kings.  Chelsea and I were still full from our generous lunches so we both ordered desserts, while Spouse & Gabe had dinner.  The shower had taken away the humidity and a light breeze made for a delightful evening to dine al fresco.

Gabe, Chelsea, Spouse, me

Once back at home we talked until bedtime. 

We loved having our friends and family visit us over the long holiday weekend!  But I must admit I'm a little tired. I think I will sleep well tonight.

Weekend forecast

Today is the official start of the summer season here in our little coastal resort town.  The traffic was backed up at 9am!

Tomorrow our longtime friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James will arrive for a few days of eating, cocktail drinking, relaxing, laughing and catching up.  The weather forecast shows no rain so that's good.  I anticipate lots of time on the screened porch.

I'm also performing (as Boy George) Sat night at the Blue Moon so the 6 of us will have dinner nearby beforehand so we're not searching for parking or feeling rushed.  They guys have never seen me do Boy George, and of course being of "a certain age" they know and love his music, so it should be fun for them.

They're leaving after breakfast on Mon, and shortly thereafter my cousin's daughter Chelsea and her husband Gabe will arrive.  I visited with them last May while in Pittsburgh for our nephew's college graduation.  They'll be at a wedding in NJ on Sat night, then stopping at our place Mon for a visit and overnight stay.  

So it'll be a full but fun, social weekend.  Here's wishing everyone a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Easter weekend

We were on the road by 8am Sat and arrived at Spouse's brother's house at 10:30.  We visited with him and his wife for about an hour, then went to meet friends for lunch.

Our original plans were to meet Jeff & Shaun whom we met on a cruise a few years back, and their friends Brandon & David.  However a family emergency called Jeff & Shaun out of town, so we just met up with Brandon & David whom we'd not met before.  We had a wonderful lunch at Taco House (its actual name is Cantina Mexicana) and easily understood why Jeff & Shaun thought we should meet.  

It was a lot of fun and the 2 hours passed quickly.

We returned to check on the dogs and get settled in, then went to Spouse's sister's house to visit.  We normally stay there but she was expecting a full house.  We had fun catching up on the family happenings, then returned to our home base to wash up before dinner.

We met up with our friend Carl who took us to Bar Louie, one of his favorite haunts, for cocktails and dinner.  Carl and I both had delicious cosmos.  Spouse had a Corona.

Its a lively place so there was plenty to see while we chatted and laughed with Carl.

And speaking of things to see, we noticed several men wearing onesies, so when one of the guys walked past our table in a cow print onesie I said "Nice udders!"  He laughed and thanked me, which opened the door to my question about why he and his friends were wearing the onesies.  He explained that they were members of the local rugby team and once a month they have a themed pub crawl.  This month's theme was onesies. 

This led to a broader conversation after he left about why we weren't hip enough to participate in themed pub crawls, and what possible themes we'd suggest.  After dinner we strolled the promenade and had some frozen yogurt.

Sun morning we helped Spouse's brother get ready to host the family for Easter, then made a quick run to Trader Joe's to stock up on pantry staples.  

Back at the house I put on my Easter shirt (worn only on Easter day) and took the dogs out to play in the back yard where I took this selfie.  Then Spouse & I went to pick up Aunt Mary.  The rest of the family started arriving around noon and we had a great time visiting with everyone.  The weather was sunny and in the mid 60s so it was fantastic.  

I got to hold our niece's son Alonzo who was born 2 days after Christmas.  He's such a good baby, never fussing or squirming, and he stayed awake for more than 5 hours.

We took Aunt Mary home and then headed back to DE.  It was a whirlwind weekend but an enjoyable one.

Easter plans

Spouse & I typically drive to VA on Easter Sunday to spend the day with our family, and then go back home that night.  That's about 5 1/2 hours of driving round trip.  But we usually do that because I typically work on Saturdays.  

This year I was able to request off on Saturday so we're going Saturday morning, meeting up with friends for lunch, and staying overnight.  This will give us more time with the family and spread out the driving over 2 days instead of one.

What are your Easter plans?

Final vacation highlights

Fri was our final day in Puerto Vallarta.  We decided to go back to Coco's Kitchen for a late breakfast.

Spouse at Coco's Kitchen

In Mexico it is customary for servers to wait until you ask them for the check, which we kept forgetting to do, so our meals always included extra time relaxing.  Then we returned to Blue Chairs beach club for our final day at the beach.  It was a bit overcast with periods of sun poking through, but we didn't mind.  It was so relaxing to sit under the palapa and hear the waves, watch the men, and go in the ocean.  

After cleaning up at the condo we headed out for the evening.  This was our view that evening:

Spouse wore his new bear tank top which looked so cute on him!

Our 1st stop was Anonimo bar for a pre-dinner cocktail.  I'd read online that the bartenders were gorgeous there, which was not an exaggeration.

Bartender at Anonimo

And trust me when I say that as good-looking as he is in this photo, he was even MORE beautiful when he smiled.  While enjoying our cocktails we had a celebrity citing!

Me and Cher

Actually, her name is Thirsty Burlington and she was out promoting her Cher impersonation show.  

She was just as funny as Cher and sounded just like her!  We were sad that it was our last night in PV and that we wouldn't be able to go see her show.

Then we went to dinner at La Piazzetta for dinner.  The menu of Italian specialties was quite extensive and delicious.  The 3 of us shared 2 appetizers and then each of us had a wonderful, authentic Italian entree.  Then we walked onto the pier at Playa Los Muertos.  It was dark and I knew my photos wouldn't turn out, so I'm borrowing this one from PeterKTravels.com.

Then we returned to the condo to begin packing and tidying up, then we had some 'screen time' on the terrace before going to bed.

The next morning our property manager/driver (who was absolutely gorgeous) picked us up at 10am and took us to the airport.  Our flights to Chicago and DC were uneventful, and we were picked up by our nephew and taken back to Spouse's sister's house where we spent the night.  Sun morning Spouse's brother and his daughter came from MD to join us for breakfast before we headed home to see our boys.

We had a wonderful trip and I'd recommend Puerto Vallarta to anyone who enjoys a relaxed, LGBT-friendly beach environment.  The peso-to-dollar ratio is terrific.  We always felt safe.  The food was delicious.  The prices were very reasonable.  The locals were very nice and everyone speaks or understands English.  This was our 3rd visit to PV (and our 2nd Beef Dip) but certainly won't be the last.

Holiday highlights, the finale

Spouse & I remarked to each other that this was probably 1 of the best holiday seasons we can remember.  We never felt stressed, and everything just seemed to fall into place.

We got our tree up, our interior decorating done, and our exterior lighting all done before our tree trimming party.  (That has not always been the case.)  Our tree trimming party was fun, as always.  We attended the town Christmas parade which wasn't rained out as it has been in some recent years.  While our holiday shopping got off to a slow start, all ordered items arrived on time so I could wrap them without feeling rushed.  I got to attend the town's Christmas home tour for the 1st time ever.  I spent the good part of a day baking cakes, brownies, and breakfast casseroles to take with us.  We enjoyed our annual pizza and hippie roll luncheon with our dear friends Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, Carl, Lisa, Alex, Kim, and Danny.  We had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by cookies at the home of our old buddies Ron & James, along with Mike & Clark.  We had a lovely visit/lunch with my cousin Nez and her husband Steve.  We saw most of the family on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day.  Once we returned home we debriefed with our friends Steven & Thad over dinner.  We went to a lovely post-Christmas party at Marty & John's home. We did a lot, saw a lot, and ate a lot; pretty much the perfect holiday season!

Here are a few photos of some of our special/unusual tree ornaments:

Purchased in Palm Springs Oct 2018

1 of 2 clear snowflakes purchased at the Dollar store several years ago, and a Paris ornament from 2003

Large, silver snowflake from Joey & Glenn

Lenox sleigh from my friend Dawn

Eiffel Tower purchased in Paris Dec 2003

Translucent chicken from our friend Megan 15+ years ago, Lenox bear from Dawn, and clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin

Another clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin, and Chihuahua from Dawn

Blue glass ball with white swirl from Calvin

 Here are some of our interior holiday decorations:

Although not visible in this photo, the snow-covered trees have glitter on them and were found inside our very 1st home together in 1996.  I adore them and suspect they're pretty old.

The reindeer were from my cousin Nez, the snowman was from our friend Clara.  The old school ceramic tree is actually not old; we bought it at the QVC clearance store about 5 years ago.

Red truck pillows purchased about 3 years ago

Red truck floor mat purchased this fall

Red truck wall hanging purchased 2 years ago

Without any knowledge of our red truck decor Spouse's sister gave us this red truck cookie jar which coordinates perfectly

 And last but not least...

Marvin & Walter in their Christmas bow ties on Daddy's lap on Christmas day

I hope all of you had a great holiday season.

Holiday highlights part 3

I was delighted that our niece's daughters didn't wake up super early on Christmas morning.  We actually got to sleep until 8:30.  I slid the 2 breakfast casseroles I'd made in advance into the oven so they could heat up while we opened gifts.

After the gifts we had the breakfast casseroles which were a big hit!  Here's how I made them:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Empty a 2 lb bag of tater tots into a greased baking dish
2. Cut fully cooked sausage links into bite size pieces and toss pieces in a bowl with real maple syrup so that all pieces are covered.
3. Spread syrup coated sausage pieces over tater tots
4. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese, as much as you want
5. Mix 18 extra large eggs, 1 cup half-n-half, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl until fully blended.  Pour over contents of baking dish.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Later that day Louis & Karen and my aunt Mary came over to visit.

Around 4:00 we had Christmas dinner.  Spouse's sister made most of the food in advance which really made it nice for her on Christmas day.  She made chicken parmesian, eggplant parmesian, gnocchi, ziti, meatballs, Italian sausage, and stuffed shells!  It was an Italian smorgasbord!!  For dessert we had aunt Mary's hummingbird cake and assorted cookies, brownies, bark, cakes, and chocolates.

For the 3rd year in a row, our nephews made a short film for the family.  The 1st one was a spoof on the MTV show 'Made', the 2nd one was a spoof on a product infomercial, and this year's film was a spoof on the TV show 'Bar Rescue'.  We watched all 3 films in a row, and there was no shortage of laughter.  Then we all just hung out and enjoyed being together, including some silliness.

 With no nap that day, Marvin & Walter were exhausted and climbed up into my lap for a nap.

It was a very nice holiday!  We went home the next day.