Friday, August 10, 2012

Friday's Fave Five #203



Whoa Nellie, it's been a busy week but it's good to be back for Friday's Fave Five.  Good to take a breath, slow down and look for my blessings and highlights of the week which could easily slip by in the busyness.  I had my maintenance week last week and armed with a huge to-do list, I tried to tackle one chore at a time.  Not sure how successful I was but there was some time to steal for fun family time too.  And it is from these moments that I'm drawing most of my five.  Please join in with your blessings for the week.  Everyone is welcome!  If you need the guidelines to FFF they are here.

1.  A day trip to the zoo.  It was a spur of the moment thing.  But we usually have the most fun with those kinds of day trips.  And instead of mall shopping we chose the zoo.  So much fun.  We haven't been there for quite a few years and there was quite a bit of changes.  Three baby tigers made us laugh with their antics, the new pengquins and their home was amazing, the butterflies in their orchid house were beautiful, and bats as big as my cat creeped us out while totally drawing us to watch them.  And that was just a few of the amazing animals we saw.   And the weather was perfect.  Hot but not so much that it was unbearable.  

2.  Cirque du Soleil.  My sweet hubby got me tickets for our anniversary, a total surprise!  This was the first time they've been in our city.  I've wanted to go for years, it's on my "bucket list", but by the time we drive to the big city, pay for tickets, meals and most likely a hotel, that is one expensive show!  But here they were and there we went.  I've seen them on tv but there is nothing like it live and up close.  Such talented performers.

3.  Finalizing cabinet plans and picking my granite.  Whew, this reno is a lot of decisions. We've never built new and have never done this kind of extensive renovation.  We've always had laminate covered cabinets.  For someone who second guesses herself constantly when it comes to choosing most anything, it was quite nerve wracking.   I was well aware the whole time that this will be the kitchen to last my lifetime and the price of it was weighing heavily on me.  There is no going back and changing it up in a few years.  I just find it so hard to envision the end result when I'm looking at 9x9 inch pieces of cabinet, a handful of backsplash tiles and huge slabs of granite.  Each individual part I love, but how it will look all coming together is what is making me a wee bit nervous.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  But it's on my list as a favorite because it is something that my hubby and I have done together from beginning to end.  And that has been fun.

4.  Sleeping in.  Oh it has been nice.   I don't think I need to say more.

5.  Lots of walks with hubby and the furball.  It has been nice to go for walks whenever the mood struck.  That is a rare treat for us as our schedules are different.  He's a morning person, I'm a night owl.  So it's been great to both have the week off and just be able to drop what we were doing and go when we felt like it.  If that is what retirement is like, I think I can handle that.  ;v)

So, share with us, what has been your favorites from the past week?

Oh, and check out my book giveaway here!



13 comments:

nikkipolani said...

What a fun (and serendipitous) way to spend the day -- enjoying God's creatures! Your down time sounds perfect with a little excitement and lots of rest. Hope you'll be posting bits and pieces of your kitchen reno.

Willow said...

Zoos are the most fun places to spend a day! Aren't penguins adorable? Your day sounds perfect.

Kitchen remodels are the hardest! I don't envy you having to make all those decisions although I'm sure I'll envy your new kitchen.

Lots of walks--oh yes!

Annette Whipple said...

Oh, what a week for you! What freedom and fun! Yes, choosing a kitchen is tough...even when choosing laminate and vinyl floors! I was surprised and thrilled to see mine actually come together.

Faith said...

Sounds like you had a fun AND productive week, Susanne!! We haven't done MAJOR renovs....but we did replace the vinyl flooring to granite about 7 yrs ago and I remember the difficulty of just which stone we were gonna go with! I'll bet you will love it when it's all complete!! Yay for walks with hubby...I had those too this week but for different reasons....:( And YEAH!!!! so happy you got to see Cirque de Soleil!! we saw them last summer in saratoga springs which is only about a 25 min drive for us....and the tickets were CHEAP as it's a deal we got through our school district. They performed while the Philadelphia Orchestra played....it was just spectacular. I am SOOO glad you got to see them!! OH...and Happy Anniversary!!

Barbara H. said...

I know exactly what you mean about second guessing yourself on decisions with renovations and changes to the home. I do that, too. I hope you'll love it when it all comes together.

Sounds like a great week, a blend of getting things done and just hanging out together. The best kind.

Brenda said...

I've been wanting to go to Cirque de Soleil for a long time too, maybe one of these days. . . And I love long walks, something so relaxing about them, and its a great time to talk!

ellen b. said...

Sounds like a very busy but fulfilling week. Hope the remodel goes real well! I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results!

Lynette said...

Renovations...ugh. Love the outcomes, dislike the decision making and process.

Happy Anniversary.

Jerralea said...

What a fun week you've had!

Planning a kitchen can be agonizing but so rewarding! I know you are going to love it.

Sleeping in is definitely always a highlight.

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

Sounds like a great week to me! Some celebration, some downtime. Nice. You must post a photo of that kitchen once it's finished. Can't wait to see it!

Carrie said...

Hurray for husbands who go out of their way to surprise us with such fantastic things! (We just went to see Cirque du Soleil this year also. It was on my bucket list too!) Fun, fun!!

Sandra said...

Sounds like you had such a fun time last week :) I want to see the kitchen when it's done :)

Cirque Du Soleil said...

I love Cirque du Soleil! I’ve never been to see the show live, but I’ve caught it on TV before.