Hey, Girlfriend!

 

Jon (my husband) and I spent New Year’s weekend at my mom and dad’s.  To clarify, I have two dads.  Daddy, the farmer/businessman and Dolly (Dale), my stepdad.

 

It feels wrong referring to Dolly as my stepdad.  We’ve never talked about it, but I know he feels the same way about calling me his stepdaughter.  Since he became my stepdad when I was 7, he has been a best friend, a sounding board, a wisdom-giver, an entertainer, a role model, an encourager and so much more.  None of my love for Dolly takes away from my love for my dad.  I am doubly blessed.

 

Besides being gifted in decorating, gardening, painting, sewing, hospitality, administration, and singing, my mom LOVES cooking.  She is a passionate cook and is happy as a clam spending 12 hours a day in the kitchen.  It doesn’t matter which kitchen either.  She could gleefully cook in a camper or a king’s kitchen.

Isn’t the New Year when we resolute to quit eating sugar and fried food?

 

I took a few photos of food over the weekend, but the above pictures don’t reveal the full food story.  We had steak, salad, potatoes; possibly the richest 3 layer cake ever made; ice cream; Shepherd’s Pie (with the steak and potato leftovers); lots of veggies; pan fried oysters with the best homemade tartar sauce known to mankind; waffles; omelets; fried eggs and the list goes on.

 

Time with my parents would not be properly spent if Jon and Dolly didn’t get to play Cribbage.  They play before breakfast and they play before bed. They play every chance they get.

 

I’m not a huge game lover (until you get me started).  I usually opt out so I can catch up on reading.

 

I finally finished blogger Erin Gate’s book.  It’s endearing and humorous.  While I was reading, my mom, Doll and Jon spent hours playing Hand and Foot, a game I’ve never played.

When the Rose Bowl or other football games weren’t on TV, we repeatedly watched Oh Brother Where Art Thou.  My mom and I adore the hymns in the movie and we sang along (I, not in tune – pitchy as they say; my mom in tune).  The boys laughed a lot and recited their favorite movie lines in Mississippi accents, which made for a heightened entertainment experience.

 

The movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou

 

We played Dominos ~ Mexican Train on two nights.  The first night, I was so sleep deprived from my Girlfriend Getaway, I came in last place on every one of the 13 rounds!

In Mexican Train, the goal is to have the least amount of points.  The last night we played, everyone else was too sleepy so we only finished 12 rounds.  I was fresh as a daisy after sleeping in.  Look below, under M, at how many zeros I got!

After spending a few days in our pjs, pigging out, sleeping in, reading, watching Oh Brother Where Art Thou and football; we went to Gig Harbor and walked around.

After Gig Harbor, we went to Case Inlet, in my parent’s neighborhood, to take in some pretty views.

If you have lived in the region, you probably think of totem poles as normal landmarks.  If you are unfamiliar with totem poles, this is the definition I found on Wikipedia: “Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved on poles, posts, or pillars with symbols or figures made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America (northwestern United States and Canada’s western province, British Columbia).”