Just took a walk down memory lane reading this blog. Starting a new one so keep your eyes out for Spicers Quest coming soon to a blog near you.

Sisters Night Out 

sisters three

Jo, Mar, and Kate, sisters three, came together for our first (hopefully annual) SNO in Earlysville, Virginia, home to Kate and family. We only had a few days, but we packed in a variety of activities to keep us busy. No Kerrick gathering would be complete without cocktails, Jo brought fresh strawberries so we started with strawberry daiquiris, YUM. It was a lovely spring evening so we walked and dined on the downtown mall. 

5K ready, bring it on

Up bright and early the next morning and ready for our walk/run 5K. Kate, the multi-marathoner, planned our route around and through the UVa campus. Then it was time to tour Monticello...

and off to the really fun stuff, two wineries...

Jefferson Vineyards

Nice sampling tray

To top off the day we arrived back at the house in time for additional cocktails, wine, a delicious steak dinner prepared by Tom, and we tapered off with a little Tawny Twenty and chocolate. It was a special few days spent with special sisters. We are already planning SNO-2! 

Coffee Dilemma

Anyone that knows me, knows that I like my daily Starbucks run for ice coffee, or whatever my current favorite coffee drink might be. I even have the phone app with my Starbucks card bar code on it so that I can scan my payment directly from my phone. One of the best apps ever. Anyway, I was recently discussing the pros and cons of soy vs. half and half vs. artificial sweetener. Today I looked at the soy box and, as my sister already knew, way too much sugar! Hence the dilemma: half and half has too much fat, soy has too much sugar, artificial sweetener is said to contribute to belly fat. That leaves black coffee and how tasty is that? Bleah.....

21

 1991

The family came together in Ponte Vedra to celebrate Colleen's 21st birthday. There was bonding at the spa, laughter, shopping, purple, reminiscing, champagne, walking on the beach, dinner, presents, cake, and  lots of love.

2012  

Spa Ready 

Relaxing

Funny Man

Sisters

Celebration

It's on the windy and cooler side this a.m. even for northeast Florida. I saw the moon set as I went for my daily Starbucks run and am watching the ocean waves lap at the shore as the sun comes up over the horizon to a cloudless sky. I am going to need my shades in another second.

MiddleAgeWomanProblems

When I look at my twitter feed I see retweets from my daughters and their friends about "whitegirlproblems" or "sororitygirlproblems" so why not "middleagewomanproblems".  My quest is the perfect hair style for the upcoming nuptials of Emily and Kevin. Having been on the move for the past three years, and spending only a few months in any one place, women everywhere can imagine the challenges of finding a salon and stylist that can get it right. On top of that, I have short hair, enough said.  I think I have probably visited 7 different salons, some more than once, in the past 18 months.

The funny thing is (and I chuckle here) that I clearly remember my mother in middle age squinting in the mirror and cutting her own hair. My sisters and I would roll our eyes and wonder why she just didn't leave it to the professionals.

Well now I know -- it is "middleagewomanproblems".

12 Days and Counting

Most would think that a count down at this time of year would be to Christmas. But not for me. I am counting down the days until Colleen arrives home in the good old US of A from her semester abroad studying in Florence, Italy, and traveling all over Europe. She has visited: Croatia, Spain, Germany, France, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy (of course), and those are only the places I know about! She left on her adventure in September and I can't wait to get my arms around her for a huge hug!

Colleen says Ciao to her Papa in September.

46 Hours...

...that is all the time we had in San Antonio, Texas. We jetted down Friday night and jetted back Sunday night. It was short, but oh so sweet. We enjoyed two days of golf, the best ice cold margaritas, delicious chips, salsa, and guacamole, and just being away on vaca.

We stayed at the two year old JW Marriott, the second largest in the world with 1002 rooms. Second only to the JW in Indianapolis with 1003 rooms. There were two TPC golf courses, spa, multiple pools with slides and a lazy river, huge conference center. A destination resort for sure.

We only saw San Antonio from the air, and everything in Texas really is bigger! Just look at the size of that TV screen in the sports bar and the number of beers on tap. Yowzer!

Day Trippin

I recently tagged along on a day business trip with Jim to Duluth which is about 2 1/2 hours north of Minneapolis. A pleasant drive on a beautiful morning, even if it was 0 darkhundred. 

Sunrise and ground fog over the MN countryside.

Duluth from the Skyline Pkwy

Duluth sits along the shoreline of Lake Superior whose largesse and beauty astound. The largest freshwater lake in the world it could contain all of the Great Lakes plus three additional lakes the size of Lake Erie.

Lake Superior from the harbor.

The craggy lake shoreline.

The landmark  aerial lift bridge built in 1905 spanning the harbor is only one of two in the world (the other is in France).

Aerial Lift Bridge

Driving along the 36 mile Skyline Parkway highlights included the Chester Bowls park and ski area including two very cool wooden ski jumps.

Ski jump complete with stairs!

I came across birders looking for eagles, hawks and other migratory birds that fly along the parkway on their way south for the winter because they won't fly across large bodies of water. Winter arrives early in northern MN, it was 32* with a hard frost when we arrived and the tourist attractions I wanted to visit were already on their winter weekend schedule for the season. A return visit is a must!

What it Takes

Here's what it takes to spend 35+ hours traveling from Martha's Vineyard to Minneapolis:

2 books: Silver Girl, World Without End
4 magazines: People, More, Elle, and Vogue
4 movies: Bridesmaids, Something Borrowed, Mother, Company Men
1 comfy pillow
earplugs
fuzzy socks
Advil PM
Pandora Radio

Interesting adventure, not sure of a repeat performance though.

What a Day for a Bike Ride

Bike Path

Kite Surfer on Sengekontacket

Nantucket Sound

Taking advantage of a perfect fall day in late September I set off for Oak Bluff, a 20 mile round trip bike ride. One reason I love this particular ride is that it snakes along the beach with beautiful vistas of Sengekontacket Pond on one side and the Nantucket Sound on the other.

Gingerbread Houses in OB

East Chop Light overlooking Nantucket Sound

It is the ride our family took on our first visit to the Vineyard in the summer of 1996. Although I had received email alerts that Steamship Authority boats were being diverted from OB to Vineyard Haven, it didn't register how windy it was until I had reached my destination of the East Chop Lighthouse and turned around to head home. 5 miles in and I was wishing I had some money to hop on the bus, bike and all. Battling a headwind the entire 10 miles, I made it back tired and sweaty.

One Day

What just happened?

One day we are at the beach soaking up the summer sun, sand and surf. The next day fallen leaves line the rain soaked streets.

One day the crowds bustle from store to store. The next day the streets are empty.

One day it is summer. The next day it is shoulder season.

I am looking forward to spending September on MVY; forging new territory. 

Wedding Mania Part 2: The Dress

This weekend was all about getting the details of the wedding hammered out - sort of an Engagement Retreat. We also took a walk down memory lane pulling out my wedding gown from 30 years ago. It was hermetically sealed, but it had been in the attic, down the basement and in my closet for so many years I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised upon the reveal that it was in perfect condition. Em was a good sport and tried it on for her old mother. What fun!

Deja Vu

Mother and daughters.

Wedding Mania Part 1: The Engagement

Hurricane Irene wasn't the only news last weekend — Emily and Kevin got engaged! Kevin had a lot of confidence asking me to assist with the surprise. Not only did I have to keep a secret, get her to the chosen venue, but I had to document the event with pictures! Luckily, I didn't disappoint!

Surprise!

 Grammie was also able to be present which made it that much more special. She was so happy she cried.

Happy tears.

Kevin thought of everything including Em's favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot. We made it a family affair and toasted the newly engaged couple at Nell, Colleen's place of employment (she abstained of course). Only wish Melissa could have been present, but we've only just begun.

Happy family, missing Mel though.

 And so wedding mania commences. Stay tuned.....

The  newly engaged couple. 

Reunion 1979 - 2011

Arriving in DE, yippee!

I have never attended a high school or college reunion, but after spending two days with two friends from my early years in Boston, I see what all the fuss in about. Although Sherri Schaeffer nee Ciuffetelli, Patrice Dunn nee Bonsignore and I (Mary Murphy nee Kerrick) have different memories of the exact sequence of our time living together, and it was only in fact for about two years, our friendship has spanned 32 years to date, 3 weddings, and 9 children. Our best recollection of our last get together was about 20 years ago -- we had a LOT to catch up on. We ate, we talked, we drank, we talked,  we talked and talked and talked over good food, good wine, and beautiful accommodations. 

Outside Sherri's lovely abode.

Patrice and Sherri

What I learned: never underestimate the power of Christmas cards, Patrice loves puns, Scott is a great cook, CRS (can't remember s***), don't wait so long between reunions!

Sitting on the Amtrak Acela Boston bound train zooming along on a blue sky day smiling at the memories. Happy that I'm not in a car zooming along I-95.

Stormy Weather

Storm approaching....

 It was a wild one last weekend at Norton Point on South Beach. All set up for a beach day when we heard some rumblings then watched as this storm came our way passing directly over our spot on the beach. We hunkered down and rode it out in our cars. Call us crazy! Thunder, lightening, rain, wind, clearing for a few hours, and then fog. We ran the gamut of elements.

In a fog.

But, there is no stopping a beach day. We enjoyed ribs, wings, caprese and caesar salads, sirloin, king crab legs, grilled veggies, brownies and .....

S'mores!

Nothing like a beach day on MVY. What fun.

Just My Luck

As my followers know, I have been enjoying cooking and eating many new recipes from the Cooking Light website. That was until last Wednesday. When I woke up and poured my morning glass of ice coffee, something was off. Strange, but not troubling, until I had breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and anything I ate or drank was followed by this horrible bitter, metallic taste in the back of my mouth. Thinking it would just disappear as randomly as it appeared, in true Kerrick fashion I powered through. After three days and countless teeth brushing and mouth rinsing to no avail, I turned to the expert: Google. Sure enough within the space of a mouse click I had my diagnosis: pine mouth. The culprit: pine nuts. Specifically, pine nuts from China. I have purchased and eaten many foods with pine nuts and never experienced this phenomenon. I have never even considered where pine nuts come from to be an issue. Apparently, we should all pay more attention. Although not everyone experiences pine mouth, enough people do that there is even a notation about it in Wikapedia. Worse still, it lasts anywhere from a few days to two weeks. I am on day 6, just my luck.

Choosing Healthy

No matter what your lifestyle, it is always a challenge to eat healthy and make it savory! After a long Memorial Day weekend of overindulging, I resolved yet again to make better choices. So, I know this might not be news to you healthy eaters, but I discovered the Cooking Light website and the endless recipes with fresh ingredients, interesting flavors, and most important, low calories. In particular, I ventured to experiment with using MyRecipe.com to plan, organize and save recipes I want to try and to make shopping lists. Tonight it is Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joes. Looks and smells delicious.

Zentangle

An artsy friend introduced me to this creative pastime about a year ago, and I thought "that's cool" and left it at that.  But, in my ongoing quest to keep busy while I bounce between MVY and MSP, I decided to give it a go, and it is addicting. Often considered yoga for the mind, Zentangle takes practice, patience, and skill. It is purported to calm the mind, reduce stress and improve focus. I don't know about that, but I do find it relaxing, rewarding AND less expensive than some of my other favorite hobbies i.e., golf, pilates, needlepoint and can be done anywhere. So, have pen and paper will travel, you never know when you might be the recipient of a Zentangle design by The Spicer! Here are a few samples....

Delta Gamma Golf: Round Two--A Family Affair

One for all and all for one.

How lucky am I that four out of five family members golf? It makes for fun get togethers, friendly competition, and lively conversation. Two of the five are Delta Gamma Sorority sisters. Check them out at:   http://www.deltagamma.org/. Support for Sight is their philanthropic cause, so when the annual Duke DG golf tournament fundraiser came around this year, it was a no brainer. We didn't win any prizes for our golf, but we looked great! Check it out:

Putt for dough, drive for show!

Next on the tee.

On the course and lookin good.

Golf Divas!

Although the weather was cool and overcast, we enjoyed being together, supporting a good cause, and doing something we love. There's always next year!

All finished and still smiling.