10 Years and We still Do

Is wedding anniversary overrated? I am thinking out loud. A response is optional.

Anyway, it has been quite awhile since I last wrote anything about "anything" here. Being said, the last thing I want to write about is... relationship (and all the crap that goes with it). But it looks like I'm leaning towards that topic now.

@The State Capital

Last Hurrah for Summer 2014

We just got back from another weekend camping. This I presumed is our last for the season. I will be back to work starting this Tuesday. This means fun is over for me. But then maybe not. I will surely find time to have fun even if summer is over, I promise!

 Our luxury accommodation for the weekend. LOL

Camping with Fam Bam

The weather last weekend was really gorgeous so we took advantage of it. We spent it at Byron again. This time B joined us. Though it took a little convincing because B also knows that camping with Daddy means gold panning which means he will be bored all day waiting for him to be done with his thingy in the river. LOL

Our accommodation for the night.

I'm having fun Summer-ing!

This is a late post. I have lots of stories to tell about my summer but I was busy summer-ing, so bear with me. I will post all of them before summer is over. Promise!

I have 2 more weeks left of my summer vacation. In a couple of weeks I will be back to work and fun is over. Well, not really. I will surely have fun working with kids again. But working for 12 hours straight is really tough, so to speak. But it is what it is. I just want to spend the last few weeks of summer with my Sweetest doing some fun things.

The familiar School House in Byron, Maine near the Coos Canyon picnic park.

Seven, Seven, Seven, Seven

I don't do Math. I hate that subject when I was a student. But number "7" is very significant to me. My Sweetest and I got married on the 7th of July, 2007. Yesterday was our 7th year anniversary.

@Portland Head Light  - 07-07-07

Thank God it's Saturday!

 There are two things I look forward to Saturday.

1. Sleeping in. I wake up 4 in the morning every day to go to work. But on Saturday, I still wake up at 4 AM still but not to go to work but to the bathroom. LOL. Then I would go back to bed and sleep in. And when I wake up, I don't need to change. I can stay in my PJs and browse on Groupons to look for discounts or play candy crush or some other thing that I don't usually do on work days.

Getting Ready for Hunting Season

Last weekend, I was enjoying my regular Saturday breakfast-in-bed while watching Good Morning America while my Sweetest was multi-tasking... eating breakfast, watching TV and searching online. Apparently, we was trying to get a hunting license.

Oh yeah, it's deer hunting season again. It's the most awaited season for almost all men here in Maine. Well, I already anticipate it that's why the last time I went shopping at Sam's Club, I got him a pair of camouflage base layer tops and bottom.  See, I don't usually shop for myself. I love shopping for my loved ones too. wink*

Since it is Fall and Maine's weather is kinda cruel, having the right outfit helps. Well, I'm not really too crazy about hunting but since I cannot do anything about it because it's his favorite sports so I might as well accept it. Besides I want my Saturday breakfast-in-bed so much so I don't want to jeopardize that. wink*

The pair of camo was a steal. I paid $11.95 for the tops and same price for the bottom. It's made of microfiber materials so it is good for moisture absorption and quick drying too. He was happy as a kid in a candy store when I gave them to him.

Some Moments

I'm having a long weekend. It's a good thing. It means I can sleep in longer instead of getting up at 4AM. And moments like these are precious.

It also means that I can do nothing or focus on things that seem unimportant.

The Flowers or the Photos?

I was browsing my photo file when I stumble upon this old photo. I'm not really sure what was the focus on this photo.

I don't know if it was the flowers that I got from my Sweetest or the photo frames.

But just to let you know, this is not how my bay window looks like now. And you will not have the chance to see a photo of this window because I don't have the guts to even take a picture of it. LOL. Oh how I miss that window. hahaha.

Candy Bar

The Candy Bar is always a big hit in parties especially for those with sweet tooth. I'm not really a big fan of candies but I love setting up candy bars for parties.

The Candy Bar is always a main stay in every party that I organize.

We have a "decorative well outback" and I used it to set the candy bar. Last year when B celebrated his 11th birthday with a Dino Video War Theme party, I trimmed the roof with the personalized birthday greeting banner.

With some cute items I picked at the Dollar store, I came up with some awesome containers to hold the candies.

And I made some personalized party favor bags too.

It's indeed a sweet way to celebrate a loved one's special day.

My Take on Online Dating

Years ago, I happened to have so much time in my hand that having 5 or 6 active blogs of my own were not enough to satisfy my thirst to express my nagging thoughts and desire to earn extra income online. So, I did some blog moonlighting stints on the sides for a virtual friend's blog Bizarre Marriage.

These blogs are basically about Online Dating and my personal experience in Online Dating. As many of my old friends here in Blog-o-sphere know, I found my Knight-in-Shining-Armor not riding a white horse but surfing the world-wide-web... and the rest is - the publication of this blog.


Here are some of the blogs I published about Online Dating. Hope you enjoy reading them.

The Wake-Up Call
* a lifetime occupation - Posted @ My Refuge Online

Pre-Online Dating
1. The Last Train and Class Reunions
2. The Late Bloomer
3. The Modern Day Quest
4. When You Forget to Smell the Roses
5. The Thing of the Past and the Present
6. Confession of an endangered Spinster (Part 1) - Posted @ My Refuge Online
7. Confession of an endangered Spinster (Part 2) - Posted @ My Refuge Online

Online Dating 101
1. The Introduction
2. Acceptance
3. The Mission
4. The Vision
5. Getting Started
6. The Seeker
7. The Age Factor
8. The Big Plunge

Post-Online Dating
1. I thought it would be easy!

When I finally got a day job my blogging time suffered a big blow so as my 7 blogs' PR. But my passion and desire to write about my nagging thoughts did not change a bit. I only struggle on time management. So Maybe I will continue writing about Online Dating here to continue what I started. What do you think?

Thai it is!

For me and my Sweetest... since we got married 6 years ago - Friday night is Chinese night.

Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

But not last night. Because last night I had Thai.

Pad Tai with Tofu

But he still had Chinese just like every Friday for 6 long years.

The Gregoires went picking

Last Wednesday my Sweetest didn't go to work and since it is still vacation for me and B, I decided to plan a blueberry[slash]raspberry picking for the three of us. Good thing my Sweetest didn't really have a plan to go anywhere that day so he said yes.

raspberries

blueberries

We went back to Libby's and Son U-Pick in Limerick because it was shouted out in their facebook page that raspberry picking is open for the day.

back to the orchard

We came a little late because my Sweetest wanted to finish his coffee first. So when we got there the raspberries were all picked out already. But I insisted to see the bushes hoping I would be able to find even just half a pint of raspberries. I just need to have raspberry. It isn't that hard to ask, is it? [wink*]

my Sweetest and B getting ready to be transported to the blueberry/raspberry fields

the view of the raspberry field from top of the hill

So yes, I could see from top of the hill that the raspberry field was already deserted. But when we got there, there was one old lady patiently picking some berries. I decided to go to the farthest end of the field where the bushes are all low and smaller.

the only soul I found in the field combing the bushes for some sweet ripe raspberry

And yes, I found some ripe ones enough to fill a half a pint container. And I was happy.

there you are

and there are more to go back to

At the other side of the field, my boys were busy picking blueberries. My Sweetest and B are not big fans of raspberries but both are fanatics of blueberries so they really went with me on a different mission.

my boys picking some blueberries

Hubby picking the ripe ones

So yeah, we had fun at the orchard and enjoyed our berries.

the pick of the day

A pint of blueberries and half a pint of raspberries... mission accomplished. The Gregoires are happy.

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This is a SPECIAL POST for MAINE Attraction... a regular Blog Series that features everything and anything about my home - Maine.

What Summer?

I'm on a countdown now. This is my last week of summer and work starts next Tuesday. Where does summer go? Didn't even feel it.

Camping it is.

Anyway, last weekend I went camping (yes, finally) with my boys and hubby's friend. It was not like the kind of camping that I was used to. No, we didn't go up Byron like we do for the past 5 years. We just camped out at Hubby's friend's property in Newfield.

Where the bumming-out happened.

It was just like bumming-out-camping where I just watched Monk the whole day. Yup I just did a Monk Marathon and I loved it. I don't really watch TV very often and having nothing to do at the camp just gave me that opportunity to watch the DVD I bought years ago.

Relaxing and bonding with Tony Shalhoub

And yes, I also spent uninterrupted hours on my kindle just stopping to get something to munch or take a quick trip to the bathroom.

My Kindle Fire taking a break and giving Monk the center stage.

Took a little photo walk around and saw some wild berries that are not yet ready for the picking.

 The dirt road

 Bugs are bugging. Poor beans.

Wild flowers

Wild berries along the dirt road.

I'm not the RV-kind-of-camper. I am more of a  "hard-core" camper. And when I say hard-core I mean "100-feet-away-from-bear-trap-kind-of-camping"camping. 

 Keeping my camp chair handy when I get tired of laying down

But last weekend's camping was not hard-core enough in the real sense of the word because if there was a bathroom at my convenience, "that ain't hardcore!" (Hubby's word, not mine.) As for me, it was just your-regular-grandma-camping where the most important part is - not making your bed! Woot! Woot!

My messy room and I love it.

Sweetest's friend's off-the-road property is very convenient because it has a nice veggie garden where I picked out some fresh summer squash and tomatoes for supper.

 Hubby checking the garden.

Ready for the picking.

Fresh summer squash and tomatoes stir-fry, anyone?

Well, even if it was not my-kind-of-camping, I still love it because... I didn't have to do a lot of things except cooked dinner.

Steak and chicken wings

When we are camping, I can make Hubby do things that he doesn't normally do at home. Like making breakfast and washing dishes at the same time. AND more importantly, he won't be bothering me for simple things he needs because he can find what he needs all by himself. Really strange. LOL

 Watching Hubby making breakfast while I was still in bed watching Monk.

Spying on him as he went down to the well to fetch a pail of water. La-la-la-la

As for my Sweetest and his friend... they just hanged out, drank some beer, trying to figure out how their new toy [game cameras] work and yes, did some target shooting.

Yes, that's me shooting some empty beer cans.

And they made me shoot target too.