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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Moxie was lost... and now he's found!


Scott and I are at a marriage retreat this weekend, so our dogs are staying with other people. Mia is at my mom's, and Moxie is some wonderful people from our church's home. Last night, apparently they had friends over for dinner and Moxie had lots of fun playing with them. When they were leaving, Moxie and the other 2 dogs were outside. Well, when the friends started driving down the driveway, Moxie decided he had so much fun that he wanted them to stay. So he ran after them. And he ran and ran out the driveway. Ahhh!!


Scott R ran after him, but he was gone. Then Karen and Scott went looking for him until super late (or early in the morning). They called us this morning to tell us that Moxie was missing and they still hadn't found him. Well, I called home since our number is on Moxie's tag. Someone had called and said they found him, but it was not clear whether they were going to hold onto him or leave him by the road or what. So I tried calling the guy, but I couldn't reach him. We talked to Karen again and told her that, and she also called the local animal control to find out if anyone had turned him in.


Well, it was a rather emotional morning since I didn't really know if Moxie was okay or not - if he was out in the woods somewhere, laying beside the road, or safely inside someone's home. This afternoon while I was out in Camden, Karen called to say the guy had called back. Apparently they had taken him home and let him stay in a crate in their heated garage. They had also fed him!


I was soooo thankful that he is found!! Yay! I am so glad and now I don't have to worry anymore...

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

SNOW Much Fun!

Anyone who lives in Maine knows how much snow we have right now. But for those of you who don't live here, it's A LOT! Here's a few pics of the fun we've been having with snow lately. (Note: Fun does not involve driving in the snow, shoveling the snow, or paying to be plowed out every other day!)

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

My Best Christmas Present!

Well my friends, Christmas Eve was a good day. Let me share... we got up slightly late, but not too much, because we knew we had a big day ahead of us. I cleaned up the kitchen (it was a MESS) while Scott prepped the living room. Then I made us a big french toast and bacon breakfast, which we ate in bed, because that was the only place we could find to sit in our home!

After cleaning up breakfast, the fun began. We began installing our new laminate flooring in our living room. For those of us who know us, you know that we've been working on this remodel for several months (4 years actually, but this past 4 months we've been doing the living room and dining room). So it was really exciting to actually be able to put the flooring in. Amazingly, Scott and I didn't argue the whole time. We worked together and got it installed in about 3 hours! Then, we took a lunch break and relaxed a bit. After that, we got back to work with arranging furniture. It was hard to decide where to put everything, but we finally decided - for now.

Of course, the room is not completed. We still have to paint the top border and paint and put up the trim. But, it is SO WONDERFUL to be mostly done the room. We can now actually sit and relax in the room, and it looks so good! Anyway, here are some before, during, and after pictures:

Sunday, December 23, 2007

A Christmas Song

Two days away from Christmas... wow, I can't believe this year has gone by so fast. I am so excited for Christmas - I love this holiday. But as our pastor pointed out this morning in his sermon, we have to remember why Jesus came to earth: to die. When you think about that, it makes you even more appreciative of the gift He gave us. In that light, I want to share some song lyrics from a song I heard this past week. It is becoming one of my favorite Christmas songs. It is by Flyfleaf, but it's one of their softer songs. Here it is:

Christmas Song
A frightened virgin teenage girl
Receives a message that defies the laws of this world
All she can do is weep and nod
She's to bring into this world the Son of God

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

A star appears fulfilling ancient prophecy
There's an ounce of fear as wise men follow faithfully
The Virgin Mary brings forth the human savior
And this future king sleeps soundly in the manger
Soundly in the manger

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Tonight He is born so one day He can die
To heal hearts that are torn and live the perfect life
So He hang upon a cross and we can take His life
So we can live as sinners
And He can pay the price
Tonight He is born so one day he can die
But He will rise again

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Virtual Christmas Letter

As opposed to sending out a letter to every family member and friend on earth, we decided to write a virtual Christmas letter here online! Enjoy : )

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from snowy Maine! This year we've had more snow than usual, and now we're in the midst of another snowstorm. Today we're supposed to get 5-8" plus sleet and freezing rain. Oh the joys of living in Maine! We hope that wherever this letter finds you, you and your family are happy and healthy this year!

Scott and I have had a very full year. One thing that has kept us quite busy is Scott's job as the youth pastor at Church of the Open Door in Hampden. In March, we had our annual Winter Retreat for the teens, and this year we combined with another local church and went to Fairhaven Camps for the retreat. That was a lot of fun, despite being snowed in at the church for the first night (and sleeping on the floor). Later in the year we went to New York with 3 teens on a Group Workcamps missions trip. Although we had a small group, God still taught us a lot on that trip. The theme was "Renovate", and while we renovated other people's houses, we were also learning about how God wants to renovate our hearts and lives.

In the past few months, we also did a trip to a local farm, Treworgy Orchards, and did the corn maze there with the youth. That was followed by a large bonfire at one of our volunteer's house. Finally, we had a Christmas party for the junior high and then one for the senior high the following day. We had the traditional Yankee Swap, but instead of having the kids purchase gifts, they had to find or make something. Then, we collected donations from them to put towards a gift through World Vision's Christmas catalog. Our group chose to donate some chickens and a goat to families in developing nations. We raised over $200 between the two groups!

Scott is still enjoying his job a lot and is often amazed that he gets paid to tell kids about Jesus! We have many students coming from the local public schools. We also have many students who come from other churches that do not have youth group programs. We are very blessed to be a part of their lives, and we learn a lot from them. In the fall they surprised us with a bunch of cards and a gift certificate to Dysart's. Thank you guys!

As for me, at the start of the year I was still working full time and had just recently started a new home business as well. This has been an exciting year, as I have been able to cut back to working part-time. I am now at Families & Children Together as a Family Advocate, which is a fancy way of saying I'm a case manager for foster children. I enjoy the job a lot - it's 20 hours a week, flexible hours, great co-workers, and wonderful families to work with.

My new business has been going well also. I've been helping others get safer, healthier products for their home, and also earn some extra money if they want to. In October, I advanced to Director IV, which is much more than I originally thought I'd do last year at this time. However, it has truly been a lot of fun, and I feel blessed to be a part of such a great company and support team. In August, Scott and I went to Altanta, GA for the convention. Mom and Paul also went with us. We had a lot of fun despite the 90+ degrees weather every day (we were inside most of the time).

One other exciting event of this year is that we added a new family member. No, not a baby... we got a puppy! His name is Moxie, and now he's about 8 months old. He is a black lab, and we got him from our friends when their dog had a litter of puppies. He's been a spunky addition to our home. He's still learning how to behave appropriately, and I often find him with laundry strewn about the bathroom or licking out a pan on the stove. However, we do love him, and he and Mia love to play together.

Another thing that has kept us busy this year has been renovating our home. Most of you know that we bought this house 4 years ago with hopes to renovate. We did a lot before we moved in, and have continued since then. But the living room and dining room have been neglected as it was such a big project. We were able to start tackling this project this fall thanks to my business income. We are in the middle of painting the two rooms, and soon we'll be putting down the flooring! We'll be sure to post photos here when we are done, so be sure to visit often.

Thank you all for being a part of our lives. We pray that God blesses your family this Christmas as much as He has blessed us!

With Love,
Esther & Scott
(and Kira, Mia, & Moxie)

Sunday, December 09, 2007

The Loud Ones Get All the Attention






I've noticed that most of my photos on here are of my dogs. So I thought I'd share some photos of my beautiful cat, Kira. She's not as loud as the dogs, but don't worry, she still gets lots of attention. Plus, she gets the privilege of being upstairs when the dogs are downstaris...


This last one is my favorite! Tell me what you think.



Thursday, December 06, 2007

Long Overdue Post

Ok, I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy, and our internet keeps going on and off. The most exciting thing that has happened recently is that we have a new front door!!! YAY. On Saturday (while I was at the church warm and cozy working on Christmas crafts), my hubby and his friend put in our new front door. It was probably like 10 degrees with 30 mile an hour winds... but they got it in! And not a moment too soon! We got hit with a huge snowstorm on Monday, so it was great to have the new door and not be getting a huge draft into our downstairs.

So, thank you Steve! And Scott! Now, on to finishing the mudding so that we can finally paint!!! I want to paint.... yes, I'm strange, I enjoy painting. I am still hoping we might get at least the dining room done so that we can put up a tree before Christmas. My house is not looking festive at all!

That's it for now. It's 11:30pm and once again I am up way to late.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Reforming Society and Friendship

Last night, our good friends Peter and Shannon invited us over for Thanksgiving leftovers, along with our friends Steve and Jess. I was so excited because, you see, Scott and I went to two Thanksgiving dinners and did not have any turkey. Scott's dad had requested ham, so we had ham on Thursday. Then my uncle requested ham, so we had ham on Friday. I was bummed because I love turkey and it's Thanksgiving!!!

So, at Peter and Shannon's, I got to have turkey. YAY! Plus, I got to spend the evening hanging with friends. We talked about all kinds of things, but here's a quick overview of our discussion:

  • How Christianity today is not reforming culture; it is either forming a sub-culture or conforming to culture
  • The need for chairs at out church instead of pews, and how that is now possible thanks to a sizeable donation
  • How the education system is failing our children - they get to college and don't know how to read or write well, and they lack life skills
  • What to do about a broken bed
  • The state of missions today, and that many people would rather give money than give of their time
  • How crazy our pets are and all the stories to go with this (and how long it's going to take Peter and Shannon to finally get a cat!)
  • How the church is failing our youth by not helping them deal with serious issues such as premarital sex
  • The next activity we are going to do - which is either go to the Texas Roadhouse followed by a movie, or the dinner theater at a local church
Yup, I think that sums it up in nutshell. Basically, we are going to reform society, the church, the education system, all while having tons of fun with our friends!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Total Money Makeover

I recently started reading "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. It was recommended to me by a leader in my business. Jeff said that our company had given it to the top leaders to read, and that he recommended it to everyone. It's a book that contains a lot of common sense, but also a plan for how to pay off debt and secure your financial future.

Last year at this time, I don't know if I would have been ready for this book. But over the past year, I have started to envision becoming financially free. I can truly see paying off car loans, student loans, and eventually our mortgage as well. Last year at this time, this probably would've sounded crazy to me. But I've seen that it can actually happen. I have friends in my business doing it, and I know I will be soon as well.

And I believe anyone can do the same. I definitely agree with Dave on several points. One, debt has become so common that we hardly blink when we take out a loan for something. We Americans tend to buy, buy, buy without thinking about the consequences. 90 days interest free, and we buy it. Bonus points, cash back, new credit card offers... the temptations are everywhere. Dave talks about how important it is that we stop using credit cards and use cash or your debit card instead.

Another point he talks about is paying down debt using the "snowball" method. He basically says to take everything you can and start paying off your smallest debt. Then add that payment to the next highest debt, etc. I am excited to start this and have already figured out how we can get rid of our non-mortgage debt in the next 2-3 years. I don't want to try and summarize his whole program in a few paragraphs, so I recommend you buy the book. I got it off of overstock.com and actually got an additional discount thanks to my business.

If you decide to get the book, let me know. I'd love to know what you think!

To Write or Not to Write

The other day at work, my supervisor gave me an unexpected compliment. She asked me if I had ever considered writing. She was handing me one of my reports that I have to write on my clients, and noted that I am a good writer. Needless to say, I was flattered, and it made me feel good. You see, I have always enjoyed writing. As strange as it seems, I thrived on writing papers in high school and college. I'd much rather write a paper for two reasons: 1. I learn a lot more by writing than by memorizing facts, spitting them out on a test, and then forgetting them, and 2. I enjoy putting words to paper.

So, back to the discussion with my supervisor. My answer was, yes, I have thought about it. It's one of those dreams I have in the back of my mind. Someday I'll write a book. Someday I'll write articles about travel, politics, or business. Someday I'll write my story. Well, who knows, maybe someday will be sooner rather than later. For now, though, I'll have stick with letting out my writing juices at work and in the blogosphere...

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Midnight Madness

Last night we had quite an ordeal here. It was midnight, yes, midnight. I was FINALLY going to bed (so much for going to bed early starting this week). Scott was already sleeping soundly, and I went downstairs to let the dogs out one final time. I let Mia out on the chain and took Moxie on his leash. When we headed back for the door, Mia had wrapped the chain around a tree and couldn't reach the door. So, I unhooked her, ready to open the door and let both dogs in at the same time. That's when the madness started. Mia ran towards the door, and then did a 180 and headed back around the cars toward the backyard. I thought, oh, she's probably just gonna get her pink ball, which she had somehow lost in the grass with it being so dark out. So I took Moxie in and stuck him in his crate, and then went back outside to get Mia.

Back outside, Mia was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't just down on the slope where she had lost her ball. She wasn't in the backyard. Then I heard her - she was off in the woods to the side of our house! I started calling for her, whistling, all the things I usually do, but to no avail. She was on something's trail and wasn't about to come back to me. So I went inside to get some food, because that is a huge motivator. I took the dish and food outside, and starting clinking it around so she could hear. Then I yelled, "Mia, come get some food, come get a treat!" Still nothing.

Soon I started to panic, thinking "What am I gonna do? It's midnight, it's freezing out here, and it's pitch dark!" I ran inside, went upstairs and woke Scott up, telling him what was going on while running back outside. We both were outside before you knew it, and we could still here Mia's tags jingling off in the woods. But we couldn't get her to come back. Then I started walking up the road, because she seemed to be heading through the woods parallel to the road. I kept walking, but at that point we couldn't hear her anymore.

I went back over to Scott and started crying. I just didn't know what to do, and I felt horrible because I was the one who let her loose, albeit accidentally. I stood there praying that God would just make her come back, and that I wouldn't lose my dog. I started thinking I was going to have to get in my car and drive up the road. Just as I was about to head up to get my keys, I heard jingling. Then we saw Mia running towards us from the road. I was so thankful, but angry at the same time. We grabbed her when she was close, hooked her on the leash, and went back inside.

It was finally over, but once inside we told Mia how naughty she had been. It's hard because you don't want to yell at your dog when the finally come to you, but at the same time, you want them to understand how bad it is to leave like that. Anyway, I am just so glad that she returned, and that she didn't get hurt or hit by a car. I finally was able to go to bed - a lot later than planned!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

The Pink Ball

So we have a pink ball. It's one of those Planet Dog balls for dogs, obviously. We also have a blue one exactly like it. I try to buy 2 of everything now, so that Mia and Moxie won't fight. Ha! The always want whatever the other one has. Anyway, the pink ball has now moved up to the top of Mia's list. She holds it in her mouth, squishes it, drops it and picks it back up, uses her paws to play with it - you get the idea. It's an obsession! She even sleeps with it. If I come downstairs at 5am to use the bathroom, the pink ball is on her dog bed right next to her. If I reach down to pat her, she quickly grabs it so as to keep me from taking it.

It's hilarious when Moxie gets the ball from Mia. Mia is never sure what to do. She doesn't let go of the ball very often, but when she does, Moxie occassionally is quick enough to grab it (he's a little dopey). Then Mia runs after him, and he loves playing keep away, so he just runs and runs and avoids her. He is actually quite good at that, despite being slow at other things. Mia occasionally just grabs the ball right out of his mouth, but usually Moxie gets distracted and drops it, and Mia immediately reclaims her prized possession. Oh, my dogs... they are funny. As long as Mia doesn't swallow this ball like she did the purple one, I'll be happy.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Favorite TV Shows

Recently, Scott discovered that we have "instant watching" availability on Netflix, meaning that we can sign into our account and watch movies, tv shows, etc online. So he started watching "The Office". I had heard a lot about this show and watched bits and pieces of it a few times, but I never really got it. Well, since he started watching it, I have started doing the same thing. Now, I'm addicted. Forget "King of Queens" and "Friends" - I'm now going to have to get "The Office" on DVD. I think it's one of those shows you could watch over and over, and it would still be funny.

Anyway, as for other shows that I am into right now, I have to say there's not a whole lot. "Lost" is one of my faves but I guess it's not back until January. My guilty pleasure show is "Desperate Housewives", which is sort of drama/comedy/romance. I know, I know, many people think it's ridiculous (my husband included), but it actually does have a pretty interesting story line. And, since we don't get cable, I don't get to stay current with my other favorite show, "Smallville". I need to watch Season 6 - I'm waiting for Netflix to send it to me.

I think that's about it for shows for now. Any other suggestions out there? Not that I need to spend more time watching tv...

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Funny Dogs

This morning when I was getting ready for work, my dogs were being hysterically funny. Mostly Moxie, the black lab pup. He does this thing where he acts like a cat - he puts his head down low, crouches his body a bit, and stalks our other dog. Well, it's always funny when we see him do that, but this morning it was hysterical.

Picture this: Mia is tied outside minding her own business, digging around in the pile of branches, probably looking for a squirrel. Scott and I are inside getting ready for the day. Scott was about to take a shower when I looked outside and saw Moxie. I motioned to Scott to come look out the back window with me. We look out and see Moxie way down in the back yard (he's tied out on the run), and he is crouching down, walking slowly toward Mia with this intense look in his eyes. He did this for probably about 20 feet before he actually decided to "attack". When he "attacked" (i.e. ran full speed towards Mia with his front paws going up to tackle her), Mia started running away super fast. It was hilarious! Scott and I were laughing so hard.

I don't know what it is, but I have never seen a dog do this before. It's something you see cats do all the time when they are going after their prey - you know, crouching and being really quiet and then full on attack - but I have never known a dog to do it. Perhaps we'll catch it on video sometime and win lots of money on America's Funniest Videos...

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

My Day's Events

Crazy busy day today! I left the house at 7:30am (a few minutes later than planned) and then hit Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Then I drove to Machias for team meeting - yes, that's right, Machias. It's quite a drive but it is beautiful this time of year. Not sure how that's going to be mid-January. I arrived a few minutes late due to the major traffic to get across Bangor and Brewer. After the meeting, I headed home and made a few calls on the way.

Back at the office, I worked on several issues and finally got a conference call together which was really important. Then I left a bit early because I realized I was going to get my hours due to going in early yesterday and today. So I headed over to Bangor Christian to watch the girl's soccer game. I saw one of our youth group girls play, and that was nice since I hadn't gotten to any of the games yet. Scott met me at the game and then afterwards we headed home.

At home, I took a nap because I was really tired from staying up too late the past few nights and getting up earlier than usual. (The ride back from Machias, I was struggling to stay awake). It felt really good to rest for a little while. Then I forced myself to wake up because I had a business call to do. I spent the rest of the evening working on my business, except for break for dinner - which my wonderful hubby made for us! It was a good night for business, as I helped someone on my team and also did some stuff for myself. Finally, I got done and relaxed! Now I'm debating on watching another episode of King of Queens, watching The Office on my netflix account, or just getting ready for bed. I know which one I should do... we'll see if that happens.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Dancing

I am not a good dancer. Growing up in a conservative Pentecostal family, dancing was a "sin". Even when I was in high school and my family wasn't quite so rigid, I still didn't learn to dance. That was mainly due to going to a Christian school where dancing was also not allowed. Of course, my friends and I would have our sleepovers and dance the night away - but in the privacy of our own bedrooms. I never learned to truly dance.

During college, dancing was okay. I went to a Christian college, but they had dances and such. Again, I usually just went for the social piece and didn't really dance. If I did, I probably looked ridiculous. And, my boyfriend/fiance at the time was not around (he was several states away), so I definitely didn't do any slow dancing.

At my wedding, there was no dancing. Mostly because of not having the space at the reception center (it was a low budget wedding) and because my grandparents probably would've keeled over if there had been dancing. Scott and I went to other weddings with dancing, and I made a feeble attempt when dragged onto the dance floor with my hubby.

I think I've gotten a little better with this dancing thing over the years, but I've still got a long way to go. I've been on a few trips with mostly women (business trips) that involved dancing, and I did give it a try then. But that was okay because there were other people who looked just as unskilled at dancing as I am.

So, last night Scott and I were at at wedding, and some of our friends were there too. We did dance a few times, but we were really put to shame by the Mexicans who were there (the groom was Mexican). It was so fun to watch them. I could picture myself doing all the moves, but then when I'm out there, I'm probably looking like a fool.

Oh well. One area in which I have truly changed over the years is how little I care about what others think about me. It's fun to dance - so who cares if I look ridiculous? I managed to get my hubby out there for one faster song (which I prefer to dance to), but then he left me. I stayed out there dancing with Peter and Shannon and random other people. Fun.

Well my friends, when are we going to take those dancing lessons? We want to follow in Jason and Sarah's footsteps - literally.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Headaches and such

Well I am so bummed because today did not go as planned at all. The first part of the day did - got up, showered, went to meet with someone for my business, came home. But by the time I was home, I started to feel my headache coming back. It had started Saturday and therefore I hadn't done much Saturday other than the youth group Harvest party. Well, it was feeling better yesterday, but it came back today. So I took a medication with my lunch, but I didn't notice much change.

Then, after lunch, I decided to lay down instead of work on my business. I just felt like I couldn't make my calls because I couldn't really think straight. Urgh. Anyway, I layed down and ended up sleeping for 3 hours!!! Crazy. When I finally woke up, I felt a little better but still a little funky. Mostly it's my head, but I think that all the work we're doing here at our house is causing me to have some sinus/chest issues and that's really annoying. So I took care of the dogs and started to get ready for youth group. Then I realized that I really didn't feel up to going out, which is frustrating because I hate missing youth group. I miss being with the kids, so I really hope that everything went okay. I'm now sitting here deciding if I can eat something for dinner... I'm hungry but I want to eat something that will help me feel better.

Anyway, I guess this is a weird post... all to say that I hate getting these headaches (which the doctors have told me are migraines) and I'd like to find out what is causing them. I also hate it when I don't accomplish what I wanted to for the day, but I know the world won't come to an end and I can work on some things tomorrow evening. Hopefully I'll feel better by then!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

a couple more photos

Ok, since I've received so many comments on my photos (ok, not so many, just one... hint hint people!), I've decided to post a couple more. I love this one of Scott and I taken by Abby, and then there's one more that I took of Abby. This is at the cliffs of Magnolia in Mass... a little place that hardly anyone knows about...



Sunday, October 07, 2007

Photos of our weekend

Here are the pictures I promised to post.... there's more on my myspace page...

Seagulls in front of the surf at the Cliffs of Magnolia







A great wave at Pebble Beach in Rockport







Pebble Beach again







A cool bird on Pebble Beach











An old, rundown building in Rockport











Taken by Scott and Esther.... please don't use without permission.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Ahhhhhh....

That's ahhhhhh in a good way. Scott and I are in Rockport, Mass on our little getaway! It's so wonderful. We drove down yesterday after I got out of work. Before we left, we had a big answer to prayer with Moxie. We hadn't found anyone to keep him, so we were having to take him to a kennel, which I didn't really want to do. Anyway, a family from our church emailed and said they could take him, and so we cancelled the kennel reservation and had him go there instead. Yay! Thanks Karen and Scott! They have 2 older labs, and so they already know all about raising a dog. Anyway, that was a big answer to prayer, and when I called to check on him tonight, Karen said he'd been swimming in their pond and having all sorts of fun.

So back to the trip... on the way down after stopping to eat at On the Border, I called our B&B to let them know we'd be later than planned. When I called, they didn't have us down for a reservation! I was so confused, because I knew I called two weeks ago and made the reservation. Well, thankfully they still had the room open and we were fine. When we arrived, they had found the reservation, so I was relieved to know that I wasn't calling the wrong place.

Today we spent the day relaxing and having fun. We started by going shopping in downtown Rockport, which is fairly small but has tons of cute shops. We also climbed out on a bunch of rocks and took tons of pics of the birds. Then we went to Pebble Beach in Rockport, which was absolutely beautiful!!!! It was about 80 degrees today, so if I had brought my swim suit I probably would've gotten in the water. I left the beach with a burn on my neck and arms. I knew I was forgetting something.... sunscreen! As we were walking down the beach, Scott remarked at how crazy it was that this is October.

After that, we headed to Beverly for a late lunch at Bertucci's.... yummmmmm. I'm eating the leftover Silano pizza right now. Then, we headed to Gordon and met up with Abby L. Yay! We walked around the new and improved "Fowler Campus" (named after the couple who just donated $60 million to the school), spent time in the bookstore, and just enjoying reminiscing about my college years. Then we took Abbs on a trip to one of my fave spots during my college years - The Cliffs of Magnolia. It's a little known spot in the town of Magnolia, but it's so beautiful... I'll post the pics when I get home.

Then we headed to Captain Dusty's ice cream for some homemade ice cream - another favorite place from the college years. I couldn't even finish it because they gave me so much. Anyway, after the treat we took Abby back to Gordon and then came back to our B&B. Since then, we've been watching a movie, reading, talking, and now I'm going to hop into the jacuzzi tub. Yup, it's a rough life....