The quest for empanadas

 

We had a hankering for some empanadas, and someone told us about a food truck in Manassas. So Jared and I set off on a quest for empanadas. We hit tons of traffic but finally found the food truck. Using Jared's best Spanish we found out that they were actually out of empanadas. But we decided to order some tacos and then continue our quest for empanadas. Well, we ended up waiting a really long time. By the time we rolled up to another location, it was late, it was dark, we were hungry, and we had cranky kids at home. So dangit, we were going to make the trip worthwhile. So we ended up getting Guatemalan tacos, Peruvian empanadas, Venezuelan empanadas, Venezuelan arepas, and El Salvadorian pupusas. It was a Latin American feast and quite worth the quest. Muy delicioso!

How you know your daughter hasn't REALLY read 'Of Mice and Men'

As Ellie is watching the movie, after supposedly finishing the book.

Mom: "Have they killed the dog yet?"

Ellie: "Wait, they kill the dog?!?"

Mom: "Yeah, remember, it's foreshadowing of when George kills Lennie."

Ellie: "Wait, WHAT?!? George kills Lennie?!?"

Happy Halloween

 We've reached that time in a teenage girl's evolution when we start to see the "Sexy [Fill in the Blank]" costumes. Sexy angel, sexy police officer, and this year's costume, Sexy Nurse. I anticipate this phase will last another 10 years or so, I'm prepared for a future of Sexy Cats, Sexy Scientists, and Sexy, well, everything. Buckle in, folks, it'll be a while!

And P.S., great job on the pumpkins, Jack!

Homecoming 2021

This is Ellie with her friends at Homecoming. A lot of stress leading up to it, and two parents none too thrilled with the length (or lack of length) of that dress. But in the end, the night was a great one. 

Battle of the Burn

 OK, so Jared and I don't watch much football. And to be honest, before this game, we didn't know exactly who our school's "big rival" was. But apparently they have a big rival, and each year they play during a much-hyped "Battle of the Burn." So we decided to be good school supporters and head over to watch the Burn. And we're glad we did - the game was awesome, our team won handily, and we had a great time. So we'll be sure to head back there next year, and this time we'll actually know who we're playing!

Seriously, where does this all come from

Life with teenagers = so very much laundry.

Thank you for your time.

Carry on.

First Day of School

 

Guess what this means?

It means the kids headed back to school. 9th grade for Ellie, 11th grade for Jack, both at the same school. The kids were excited for a new school year and Mom was excited to have the house to herself. 

Here's to a great school year!

If you build it, they will come

 If you build a pool, the teenagers will come.

And if you stick it near a hot tub, the teenagers will stay.

They will come and they will stay and will squeeze WAY too many people into that hot tub.

One might argue that the hot tub will be like a bubbling soup of sweat and teenage hormones.

But you know, that's just fine. 

So keep coming, teenagers. We've got plenty of hormone- and sweat-combating chemicals.

Cape Cod Getaway

We haven't had a getaway in a while, so it sure was nice to GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE. We decided to go to Cape Cod and Boston, and to bring Ellie's friend Sienna along with us. 

One our first day, Wednesday, we landed in Boston, then drove to Plymouth Rock to get us some education. We toured a replica of the Mayflower and, well, then the kids decided they had had enough education. So it was on to Hyannis Port. We strolled along Main Street and got some yummy food. 

On Thursday, we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard - cute shops, yummy food, beautiful scenery, and diving into shark-infested waters (well, what the movie "Jaws" says are shark-infested waters). We then ended our day back in Hyannis Port for another yummy meal.

Friday we headed over to Provincetown. We decided it was time for a little thrill-seeking, so we tried out parasailing (awesome). We had some lunch, then lounged at a nearby beach afterwards. Then yup, back for some good food in Hyannis Port.

Saturday it was time to head back to Boston, where we took a tour along the Freedom Trail. Some education there, but our tour guide made it fun. We had some lunch at Quincy Market, then walked around town a bit. Truthfully, we were a bit tired by then and it was starting to rain, so we ended up with some takeout back in our hotel rooms.

Then Sunday, it was time to go back home to Oliver. Definitely a thumbs-up on Cape Cod.