Goodbye Summer...Hello Babies!

I noticed I haven't blogged in forever.  I mean really...I only posted once in July.  My excuse?  I'm enjoying my summer, but now that's quickly coming to an end.  In six days, I'll be returning back to school.  I've been preparing myself for this since the last day of school on June 11th.  While I love setting up my bulletin boards, rearranging my desks, opening up packages of fresh pencils and paper...I really love summer.  I love sleeping in until 11 am, walking my dog 3x a day, going on vacations/mini-getaways/date-nights with my husband, pinning things on Pinterest that I may never use, and aimlessly wandering around stores such as Target and Staples.  It's amazing.

But as summer comes to an end, I think about all the wonderful things I have to look forward to this fall.  Not only will I be starting my fifth year of teaching, but also my third semester of graduate school.  I am only getting closer to the end of my Master's degree!  But the most wonderful thing I have to look forward to - my sister is going to become a mom!  My nieces will be here by the end of the month, if not sooner!  :)

So as many of you know...my sister, Kiersten, and brother-in-law, Andrew are having twin girls.  We had her baby shower at my parent's house back in June and I've been waiting anxiously to blog about it.  My extremely talented cousin, Nina, took all of these wonderful photographs that day, so I wanted to share everything from the cake to the cookies to my sister's super trendy outfit that matched the party perfectly.

THE CAKE

Made by Cakes and Candies by Maryellen

Visit the Website

Follow on Facebook

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

 

THE FAVORS

Made by YellowCake with Sugar

Visit Erin's blog

(she's my sister-in-law!) 

Follow her on Facebook

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

THE DECOR

Set of 3 - Nautical Pictures

Nautical Decor Shop

Visit the Website

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Invitations

I DO INVITATIONS by Michelle

Visit the Website

Follow on Facebook

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Banner

Sutton & Co.

Visit the Website

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

THE SHOWER

Just a few pictures...

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

 

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

 FAMILY

 The Mathieus

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

 The Anderssons

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

Cousins

(Nina, the photographer, is pictured on the left!)

Photography by Linda Sartorelli

Friends

THE PARENTS-TO-BE

Kiersten and Andrew

Photography by Nina Sartorelli

 

What a fantastic day for the Tomson family!

Where is this going?

I haven't blogged in a while.  I've been enjoying summer - oh, the life of a teacher.  First off, I finished all my summer graduate school classes.  WOO HOO!  My next class starts September 3rd...which is a huge reality check.  Why you ask?  Hopefully, my sister is going to give birth to her baby girls September 5th.  That's only 7 weeks away!  Where.has.the.time.gone?!  I can't wait for the Tomson twins to arrive :)  We also went to Jamaica to celebrate our one year anniversary.  Yeah mon - I'll post about this next week.  I'm still recovering from relaxing too much.

So since this is my first post of July, I really started thinking - what's the purpose of this blog?  Where is this going?  I originally started it anticipating I would find all these neat, little "wonders" of Delaware that I would want to share with other Delawareans.  As I continue, I'm finding it's becoming a mix of personal life and RESTAURANTS!  Do we eat out that much??  Well, we don't have children.  That helps.  I know life in the future with kids in tow will be much different.  But for now, with our family of three (dog child included) - I'm am thoroughly enjoying casual dining and exploring the city.  But I am going to try to make an honest effort to go see places in Delaware (besides restaurants)!  I promise.  Plus I just like writing informally about our lives.

But I have to share!  Tonight, Jason and I went out to dinner.  Another restaurant...I know.  His aunt gave us a gift card to a quaint, sushi place only a quarter of a mile away from us.  I was so impressed with the decor, the service AND the food - I wanted to share.  I have to share!

We went to Le Shio.  Translation?  Salt!  Anyone who works with me knows that I have a slight obsession with salt and carry a small container in my purse.  So when I saw the name - I was already intrigued.  We arrived around 8 pm and had to wait about 10 minutes.  I take this as a good sign, especially on a Friday night.  They're busy.  I like places that are busy.  The decor?  Super simple.  Exposed pipes and beams, great lighting, open spaces - very warehouse/industrial-like. The service?  Great.  I'm easy to please as long as I have enough soy sauce and water.  The food?  Yum.  Delicious.  Tasty.  Not enough - and I had four rolls!

Here is my before picture...yum!

Here is my after picture...

Yes, those are finger streaks.  I really like eel sauce.  

I would have licked my plate clean if it was socially acceptable.

And here's a snappy of us.  Just because.

He's so handsome...

I have two more posts coming soon!  My sister's baby shower (my cousin finished editing pictures) AND of course, Jamaica. 

Until then...I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am!

Redfire Grill Steakhouse

Once in a while...every so often...a husband and wife need a date.  The type of date where you dress up, order whatever you want, sit for hours and just talk...you know - THAT type of date.  You've been on them, and maybe not as often as you would like, but when they happen - you leave and say wow that was a great date.  And it really was just an overall, fantastic experience.

My husband and I have always been good about making time for each other, from the very beginning of our relationship.  We would go on dates all the time.  Whether it was out to dinner, or to get water ice, or to our living room for a night of board games, or even just a walk in the park.  Quality one-on-one time together.  It's necessary for every relationship.

This past weekend, Jason and I decided that Sunday would be our night.  We wanted to go somewhere new, in the area, with great reviews.  We didn't have to look too far.  We chose Redfire Grill Steakhouse in Hockessin, Delaware.

We decided to sit outside on the patio since the weather was just perfect.  I ordered the seared scallops to start, the filet mignon as my entree, and key lime pie for dessert.  Absolutely delicious and pictured above.  Jason had the chicken tortilla soup to start, the swordfish as his entree (on special), and some sort of apple yumminess with vanilla ice cream for dessert (also on special).  The waitress was just right - not pushy, visited often enough, and knew the menu well.

Redfire is a part of the Platinum Dining Group.  The company owns four different restaurants and a market place in northern Delaware.  All of the restaurants have diverse menu options and locations.  After our experience at Redfire, I can't wait to try the others.  I think Eclipse Bistro is next on our list...

Hello SUMMER!

Happy summer!  Despite the heat wave and daily rain...I have been thoroughly enjoying myself.  So what have I been doing in no particular order?  Let me explain in way too much detail.

Kiersten's baby shower - I'll post about this later once all the pictures are edited by my cousin.  Here's a sneak peek though!  We had such a blast and it was so good to see friends and family celebrate my sister and her twin girls.

Graduate school - I finished one of my summer classes!  I still have two weeks to go with my other class.  After that?  I am taking a short, but necessary hiatus from grad school until September 3rd.  Four down...eight to go...

Visiting friends - I went to Washington DC for the night to visit some of my sorority sisters and had an absolute blast.  We went to Lauriol Plaza and indulged in some very yummy tacos.  I haven't seen them since December.  Way.too.long.

Working out - Jason and I have been trying to make an effort to work out more together.  It's been a little difficult not having a gym.  I'm still looking into joining one, just haven't found the right fit yet.  In the meantime, we'll keep ourselves content with work outs we find online (thank you Pinterest!) and DVDs that I can do in the basement.  We did this one last night.  Try it!  I was sweating...a lot.

I have a 5K coming up next Thursday (July 4th).  A bunch of my friends are making it an event and we're all doing it together.  I'm not thrilled with my time right now since I had to take time off from running though due to my...

BURN! - I got a mix of a second/third degree burn my first weekend of summer.  I was participating in a charity scavenger hunt in Philadelphia and received a lovely pipe burn on the inside of my calf from a motorcycle.  I'm on day 12 and the pain has finally subsided.  The doctor says I'll have a lovely scar and the "pink" won't go away for another year.  Awesome.

Smiling...post burn!

Reading - I love reading.  I also never get the chance to read anything by choice during the school year.  Instead I'm reading essays, articles for class, e-mails, more essays...it's exhausting.  So when summer comes around?  You can find me behind a book.  I just recently finished World War Z.  I thought it was good...but not my favorite book in the entire world.  I am also a huge science fiction fan and an even bigger zombie fan, and still - not my favorite.  I also have a feeling that it has nothing to do with the movie.  I'll still see the movie and can guarantee I won't be disappointed...Brad Pitt and zombies?  Love it. 

Being a stay.at.home.wife.and.dog.mom - and loving every minute of it.  I'm caught up on laundry, the house is clean, dinner is cooked...sometimes, I get to spend hours browsing Home Goods and TJ Maxx, and I am very well rested.  Plus I get to hang out with my little Tyger every day.  Yes, I will brag and rub it in while I can.  Life is good.

Hope you are enjoying your summer so far!

Kickball and the Italian Festival

Delaware Sports League
Jason and I just finished our second season of kickball through Delaware Sports League (DSL).  What a great season we had!  I am actually really sad to see it end because we have met some really awesome people and have enjoyed hanging out with them every Tuesday!

So how did our kickball season work?  Each Tuesday (for the past two months), we would have a kickball game.  Afterwards, we would go out for drinks and dinner to celebrate our victorious win.  DSL would coordinate with local bars and restaurants and each week a different place would have specials.  This was perfect for us.  Food and drink specials and a new location every Tuesday?  Worked great for us!

If you live in the Wilmington area, I highly recommend starting or joining a team.  It's a great way to meet people, stay active, and have fun!  For those of you not in the Wilmington area, there are two more leagues in Pike Creek and Middletown.

Here's a picture of our team at Cool Spring Park in Wilmington.

St. Anthony's Italian Festival 
Since we moved to Delaware, Jason and I have been going to the Italian Festival.  It takes place usually around the second week of June for an entire week.  There's live music, great food, a small fair, games, vendors, and tons of people.  We always have a blast each time we go!

We went this past Tuesday and Wednesday after kickball.  We won a double header on Tuesday which placed us into the quarter finals on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, we lost, but still had the opportunity to hang out with our friends at the festival for two nights.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday, Jason and I ordered dinner from La Casa Pasta.  La Casa Pasta is actually an Italian restaurant in Newark, Delaware where we had our rehearsal dinner last July.  They set up a tent and food section at the Festival and served a variety of dishes from their menu.  I'm pretty simple and ordered spaghetti and meatballs the first and second night.  Jason had spaghetti, meatballs, and raviolis the first night and mussels the second night.  Everything was delicious, as usual.

Each night we ended up in the fair portion of the festival.  Jason and I (as well as of our friends) spent countless dollars on funnel cake, cotton candy, goldfish, and carnival games.  Money well spent!

Here's a picture of our kickball team at the Italian Festival.

What a great start to the summer...

The Plate of Life

Thanksgiving is one of my all time favorite holidays.  I'll pile up my plate and eat everything...but usually one food at a time.  I'll always dive right into the cranberry sauce because that's my favorite.  Next I'll indulge in some mashed potatoes, followed by stuffing stuffed with bacon, and then I'll make my way over to the turkey.  There are some other miscellaneous foods that I'll feast upon - but it also depends on who is serving too.  My parents, Jason's mom, Jason's grandmother...they all have their own unique dishes.  After typing all this, it's starting to make my mouth water.  Like most people? - food is truly the key to my heart.  I'd rather have a bowl of macaroni and cheese than a bouquet of flowers.

Side tracked...

So back to my plate.  I was eating this weekend at a Memorial Day Weekend BBQ.  I piled up my plate and began devouring my way through, one food at a time.  It's rare for me to ever move on to the next food until I'm finished with the first.  One of the guests at the party noted my bizarre eating habits.  I pointed out that I know...and that other people notice too.  I sat in silence for a few moments thinking about how good my food was, how my eating habits are a bit strange, but also about ALL THE WORK I had to do later that evening.

I feel like my sister-in-law, Erin - she always makes these wonderful metaphors to her life.  It finally happened to me!  I realized in that moment that my life is very similar to my plate.  Weird...I know.  Let me explain.  I pile it up high - full of food.  Sometimes I take some to just be polite...sometimes I overload on the stuff I love.  Either way, I make my way through the meal one section at a time.  So basically this is my life...on a plate.

So that's been my deal lately.  I've been super busy and I've been working my way through each "item" one at a time.  Grad school, more grad school, projects, grading, lesson planning, maintaining a clean household, and spending time with my husband.  So blogging was not on the radar.  So my biggest accomplishment over the past few weeks was my grad school project.  It's funny because while I was not here blogging, I was still blogging somewhere else!  I had to create a blog on an emerging trend in technology.  I chose Virtual Assistants - aka Siri.  It was super awesome - I loved the research and how it turned out.

After I finished my project, spent time with our families, and actually got a chance to relax - my weekend was almost over.  I decided that I did not get enough time with my man so I planned a surprise date for him.  I do this on occasion...a few times a year.  I'll plan out this really cool thing for us to do.  He loves it.  And I love doing it for him...especially because he does everything for me :)

Our day date consisted of touring the Brandywine Zoo and having a picnic while we were there.  It was fantastic.  It's definitely a smaller zoo, which was great.  Much more affordable than city zoos.  I wasn't in the mood for a 4-hour adventure either.  The crowd was small, the animals were awesome, and the location was ideal.  I can't wait to take our kids there in the future...

Here are a few pictures from our day.  The capybara (top left) was our favorite!

A small wonder of Delaware - the Brandywine Zoo

I hope you had a wonderful 3 day weekend!

A Big Step for Delaware

Yesterday was a big day for Delaware.

It became the 11th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Here's an article worth reading.

Here's a video worth watching.

Here's a man worth following.

I love everything about this.