So Jonathan's cousin Kristine came down from DC for a visit this weekend and we had a really good time. We kicked off the weekend by getting her in on some furniture re-arranging on Friday. She also helped with holding and entertaining Evelyn.
Then we went to a happy hour for one of my classmates who just finished with her Ph.D. (it really can happen!?). We thought we'd try to get her some good NC BBQ at The Pit in Raleigh, but they were super crowded and we struck out at another place as well before we finally landed at the Busy Bee Cafe. And then we finished off the night with a movie at home.
Saturday morning we all woke up and got ready to head to Madeline's third birthday party. There was a Dr. Seuss theme and I was again impressed with all of the themed decorations and games and activities. I have some pretty high standards for all things party-related with Jonathan's cousin Amy and our sister-in-law Abby around! Evelyn enjoyed the party because she got to wear her headband with a giant bow, which matched her cupcake shirt. She slept or ate through most of the festivities, but we all enjoyed the toddler mayhem and delicious food and excellent company.
After some cat-naps following the party, we decided to get back into the tourist mood and take Kristine for a hike through the Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens. It's a Durham must-see. I discovered that I adore hostas (especially the Orange Marmalade). We were unfortunately unable to see the terraced gardens because there was a wedding taking place, but we stood and watched the processional from afar. I assured Kristine that it's a Southern tradition to have a Jason Mraz song sung by an octet for all processionals. We swung by the Duke Chapel but couldn't get close due to another wedding. But I think we were close enough to impress Kristine with the place.
Saturday night we met up with the full NC Bartel group for dinner at the Blue Corn Cafe where we enjoyed good food, drink, and conversation. And even though our bellies were full, we had to squeeze in some Local Yogurt on our way home. Kristine and I discovered that getting Snickers as a topping gives you pretty much an entire candy bar. Not that it stopped us from polishing off our "healthy" frozen yogurts.
Once we were home again, it was time for Kristine to make good on her promise of semmel. She mixed up a batch and put it in the fridge overnight. We started watching Sherlock Holmes and I went to bed early dreaming of the delicious semmel. And this morning...
Success!
We feasted on some top-notch semmel, boiled eggs, cheese, apples, coffee... so good. It was a perfect Sunday morning and we were sad to see Kristine go.
So sad, in fact, that we are planning to visit her in DC at the end of July. Our senator has our request for tickets to tour the White House and I'm already getting excited to take Miss Mouse!
Then we went to a happy hour for one of my classmates who just finished with her Ph.D. (it really can happen!?). We thought we'd try to get her some good NC BBQ at The Pit in Raleigh, but they were super crowded and we struck out at another place as well before we finally landed at the Busy Bee Cafe. And then we finished off the night with a movie at home.Saturday morning we all woke up and got ready to head to Madeline's third birthday party. There was a Dr. Seuss theme and I was again impressed with all of the themed decorations and games and activities. I have some pretty high standards for all things party-related with Jonathan's cousin Amy and our sister-in-law Abby around! Evelyn enjoyed the party because she got to wear her headband with a giant bow, which matched her cupcake shirt. She slept or ate through most of the festivities, but we all enjoyed the toddler mayhem and delicious food and excellent company.
After some cat-naps following the party, we decided to get back into the tourist mood and take Kristine for a hike through the Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens. It's a Durham must-see. I discovered that I adore hostas (especially the Orange Marmalade). We were unfortunately unable to see the terraced gardens because there was a wedding taking place, but we stood and watched the processional from afar. I assured Kristine that it's a Southern tradition to have a Jason Mraz song sung by an octet for all processionals. We swung by the Duke Chapel but couldn't get close due to another wedding. But I think we were close enough to impress Kristine with the place.
Saturday night we met up with the full NC Bartel group for dinner at the Blue Corn Cafe where we enjoyed good food, drink, and conversation. And even though our bellies were full, we had to squeeze in some Local Yogurt on our way home. Kristine and I discovered that getting Snickers as a topping gives you pretty much an entire candy bar. Not that it stopped us from polishing off our "healthy" frozen yogurts.
Once we were home again, it was time for Kristine to make good on her promise of semmel. She mixed up a batch and put it in the fridge overnight. We started watching Sherlock Holmes and I went to bed early dreaming of the delicious semmel. And this morning...
Success!
We feasted on some top-notch semmel, boiled eggs, cheese, apples, coffee... so good. It was a perfect Sunday morning and we were sad to see Kristine go.
So sad, in fact, that we are planning to visit her in DC at the end of July. Our senator has our request for tickets to tour the White House and I'm already getting excited to take Miss Mouse!
Comments
I must hear more of this semmel of which you speak... ; )
Looks and sounds wonderful!
xox