I think you have to blog to celebrate a blogiversary.

So here I am.

It's been SEVEN years since I started this blog.

Other than a few recent entries I've been gone since Halloween of last year.  Must have been too stoned to post.  Kidding!   Really it's just been busy, as usual.  

So let's start off with November.  You're probably thinking...  Is she serious!?  We have to hear about 10 months of happenings.  My FB peeps are totally rolling their eyes (I can see you, you know).  It's gonna go fast.  Blogging with pictures helps. 

Honey had a fall at work.   Huge tear of his rotator cuff.   It's been 8 months since the surgery, doing well, but not back to where he was before.  Long recovery.   Went back to work on light duty a couple months ago though. 

Love.love.love my birthday... celebrating with glass in hand. Sitting across from my lover.  Then my husband picked me up and we went to dinner.  Again, KIDDING!  Ron took the photo, which he doesn't mind, it's being in them that he doesn't like. 

Our 30th anniversary was a few days later.  Because of Ron's injury, we didn't get to do much celebrating.  We received this lovely box of chocolate dipped strawberries.

And we went to dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse.  Have you ever been to one?  Wow!  You can get some serious meat sweats at place like that.  After you've gorged yourself on a delicious salad bar...  waiters then start to bring large skewers of meat and slice pieces onto your plate.  You can have a little or a LOT!  You can send them away, then call them back, send them away, call them back.  A wooden 'signal' sits on the table and when you want meat... turn the green side up.  When you're on a break, keep it to red.  Green/red/green/red.  Then, after you've unbuttoned your pants, let out a few grunts and groans, tried to stuff in a little more but finally start to roll out of your chair ... lay the signal down and TAP OUT.  Do it!  TURN IT ON IT'S SIDE and STOP the MADNESS.

I don't think we ate again until Christmas.   My favorite holiday... well, other than my birthday.  Here's the tree in our living room.

One of my gifts was American Horror Story (Asylum) on DVD.  Wild show.

The grands were dressed up and being sweet little darlings.

New Year's Eve.  KABOOM!!!  We had a few friends over, and just after midnight while out front banging on some pots, drinking, and hugging... we hear a THUD.  WTF?!?   Turned out to be 'celebratory gunfire' ... not from anyone in our party... but a neighborhood somewhere.  HUGE bullet hole in our car.  The bullet actually missed my girlfriend by maybe 10 feet.  Scary!

We found a good body shop and the mechanic found the bullet.  Crazy, huh?

In March we took a road trip.  We went to the caverns in Shenandoah and Luray, VA.   It was very interesting to see all the magnificent stalactites and stalagmites.

Picturesque scenery along the way.

The main reason we were traveling earlier this year was for something extremely SPECIAL.  Some of you know a bit of Ron's history... he was adopted as a little toddler from Korea.  Amazingly, he was reunited with his birth mom about 13 years ago and he's maintained a relationship with her and some of their family.  Her husband was not Ron's biological father.  They tried searching for him but nothing came of it.  Then... one night while at the computer... Ron just decided to type the man's name in and a few key words and see what came up.  Something did pop up this time.  An article that had been written on him a couple years back because he was a Army Veteran.  We emailed what he found to his mom and she confirmed that is was definitely him. Contact was made, he was welcoming of Ron and looking forward to meeting.  The story is quite interesting in it's entirety, but no time today for that.  Sorry. 

And he has a sister from his birth dad, too.  She's sweet and funny, we both adore her.

Ron has another 'mom' to add to the ever-growing collection.  Sheesh... I have 3 mothers-in-law now.  Each one extremely different, but all call Ron 'son'.  

Ron's new sister presenting him and dad with a gift.

On that road trip we also got to see his birth mom, her brother and sister-in-law.   This photo cracks me up because that song from Sesame Street comes to mind when I see it.... One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.    Haha!   Yup, the pale girl with frizzy hair and a bright dye job.

It was a nice trip.

They hugged their goodbyes... but keep in touch on the phone all the time.  Ron actually did get to see his dad again over 4th of July weekend.  And he talks to his sister every.single.day.  They have a lot of catching up to do.  

Then a little something for me.  Boy George played in Philadelphia and I was so freaking excited to get tickets!!!   Standing room only... so we got there early for a good spot (second row from the stage).  Yeah, baby!  He was magnificent.  His voice is deep and soulful.  He did a few old songs, but has some very good new music so it was a pleasure to hear that.   Thrills, kids, I tell ya it was a fun night.

Another wonderful thing that happened this year was our grandchildren *finally* got to meet their great-grandparents.  Ron's birth mom and her husband don't live near us to allow many trips.  He has a very busy work schedule, too.  So, when it worked out for them to drive up, we were all extremely happy!

My son and his niece and nephew during dinner while the grandparents were still visiting.

Mother's Day is not an especially wonderful day for me emotionally.  Ron sometimes tries extra hard to make the day nice.  This year, it really was.  We went to the Japanese Tea House and Garden in Philadelphia.

Another day trip we took was to Washington's Crossing State Park. 

And yet another day's outing had us wandering around Batsto, one of our favorite places to visit.

Located in the Pine Barrens, part of the Wharton State Forest, Batsto Village is an historic site with more than forty sites and structures, including a mansion, an old grist mill, a post office and church (both still in operation).  We sometimes just enjoy a walk down one of the trails. 

Ron's parents here in NJ had some celebrating to do this year.  His dad turned 80, his mom to be 80.  They are doing very well and get around better than I do most days.  Pfft... I might not really be kidding.

You know who this is.....
He's a beauty, that sweet Cody Jr.

Ron's parents were enjoying the new little guy when we were all at Ron's sister's house celebrating their 60th anniversary.  Sixty years!!  Quite a good reason to celebrate.

My daughter and me at the party.

What??  Another day trip?!   Hey, if there are that many things to see and do in the area, one should take advantage.  Fonthill Castle is located in Doylestown, Pa.  Built in his own way, over a 4 year period with poured in place concrete, at a cost of under $14,000 ... Henry Mercer lived very well. 

Saw this pretty butterfly in the small garden near the castle. 

I could live there!  Actually, Mercer gave life rights to his housekeeper and her husband.  She was still giving tours until 1974 when she was in her 80s.  Now the local historical society maintains it.  It's so neat inside.  All sorts of tile work, a very large collection of prints, books, books, and more books.  Lots of other things to see in his collection, both here at the castle and at his museum a mile away.  Shame the tour of Fonthill was only about an hour and no interior photography was allowed inside. 

Ron's garden is growing strong this year.  This was one of the first batches to come in. 

Since then he's been busy making pickles with the awesome cucumbers.

 

We have tomatoes stacked up in a couple of places around the kitchen.  Mater sammiches are delicious!!  One of the best things about summer.

Blueberries are another.  We took the grands to the fields and picked many pounds.  Can't seem to get enough of those delightful berries.  We ate what we picked and are now buying them in the grocery store. 

 

Finally... something that hasn't appeared on FB yet.  A photo of last night's dinner.  Haha!  Yeah, I'm one of those Facebookers.  No theme there either but you will see food.  We like a variety of cuisines.  Some I try to make, some I buy ready to heat and eat.  Indian food is a hit around here.  I don't like anything tooooo hot, but some of the dishes really aren't.  They're just very flavorful.

Happy 7th Blogiversary to me. 
Thanks for stopping by over the years.