Robin made this amazing cake for us. It was a challenging recipe and it took almost the whole day to make, but she did it herself with minimal supervision. It was incredibly delicious. Didn’t look as perfect as the picture in the book, but pretty close! She loves to bake and I was so happy to support her in it. And I think everyone enjoyed the results!
Category: July 2023
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July 15
We are back in Jacksonville. It has been an emotional few days on top of a very emotional few months. I’m just putting one foot in front of the other and hoping that I’m stepping in the right direction.
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July 14
If this were the last snowfall,
No more halos on evergreens;
If this were my last glimpse of winter,
What would these eyes see?If this were the last slow curling
Of your fingers in my palm;
If this were the last I felt you breathing,
How would I carry on?This is not the last snowfall,
Not our last embrace.
But if I were that kind of grateful,
What would I try to say?-Vienna Teng, The Last Snowfall
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July 13
Robin and I are on a solo trip to Tampa for the next couple of days for her cheer stunt camp. I hope we’re able to connect while we’re there. We need it.
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July 12
What else would we be doing except playing the Harry Potter game? Christina has been into it with us this time, which has been a nice bonus.
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July 11
Chucky and my two little sea birds are getting along just fine, thanks. Also today was insane at work.
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July 10
Back to work today. I already feel like I am way behind and can’t catch up. I’m also insanely exhausted.
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July 9
I had plans to do stuff today, but then somehow I ended up watching tennis, sewing and playing Harry Potter for the whole entire day, except for the 15 minutes I took to walk around the block with Christina, Jackson and Pinot. I really need to do better if I want vacation halo to last.
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July 8
I’ve got a couple Maine beers left to help keep me there just a little longer. But it’s back to dance class and food shopping and cooking for myself. Vacation is always better than real life.
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July 6
Long drive today from New Haven to southern Virginia. We detoured around a lot of traffic and made it in about 9 hours, including stops. Going between the same two spots in the opposite direction took almost an hour more, NOT including stops, so I call this a win. I’m looking forward to being back home tomorrow, although for what it’s worth, I’d rather still be enjoying some natural beauty instead of Five Guys burgers. I’m not much looking forward to going back to my old routine, which, frankly, kind of sucks.
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July 5
We decided to get up early and go to Jordan Pond for the hike we’d missed before getting on the road toward home. We were all packed up and there by 8 and definitely missed the crowds. By the time we finished our hike, the trail was getting a lot busier with people who were clearly not avid hikers. It was everything I hoped it would be, and for once on our trip, the sun was out. It was gorgeous and Robin even spotted a couple of bullfrogs on the rocks. Great way to start a long day.
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July 4
We had a solid plan for our one full day at Acadia, but instead we arrived to Bar Harbor to find the entire town shut down for their Fourth of July parade. The shuttle service we were counting on was suspended most of the day. We wasted an hour hoofing from our parking spot outside town to the bus stop and back, then driving to Thunder Hole. It was beautiful, but the tide wasn’t right for the full effect. We decided to head to the larger spot at Jordan Pond for bathrooms, except that after 35 minutes of driving around, we learned that the closest parking spot to that was a mile away. Hiking two miles to and from the car plus the 3.5 miles around the pond without having lunch was not in the cards, so I cried a little and we headed back to Bar Harbor. The parade was over and we had lunch and did some shopping and then our paddle tour, which was absolutely wonderful and peaceful and just what I needed. But then everyone was setting up for fireworks and there were insane lines everywhere for dinner. We decided to head out of town for dinner, except that by the time we got back to the car and found a place, almost everything was already closed. And when we got to the one place we thought would be open, it was closed for the holiday altogether. We ended up getting back to the campsite at 9pm and ate bagels and peanut butter by lamplight until surprise, it started raining again. Not the best day, but not the worst, and at least we enjoyed time together, which is the point.
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July 3
We hiked up Cadillac Mountain – 7.5 miles round trip with 1,500+ feet elevation gain over rocky scrambles and muddy, flooded trails in rain and fog with little to no visibility. The kids were good until about mile 3, and then they started complaining. Poor Robin had a nasty blister on her foot. But we made it, and I’m really proud of everyone. It was exhausting but in my opinion rewarding, despite the lack of panoramic views. Robin slipped and landed hard on her butt several times and there were tears, but I managed to make enough jokes about it to elicit some smiles and laughs despite it all. All in all, very impressive.
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July 2
Not exactly the best vacation photo. We made an unexpected stop in Bangor to stay in a hotel so as to avoid the inch of rain expected tonight. It has been raining steadily all day and I just can’t imagine setting up a tent and feeding ourselves and sleeping all night outside in the rain. The rain is supposed to taper off tomorrow morning, so we’ll try again then. We were disappointed that the hotel pool is closed (wah!), but we have our National Parks board game from Siggi and our chocolate from Wilbur’s in Freeport and we’ll make the most of it anyhow!
Year in Photos 