9 Days of Juice

After watching "Fat Sick & Nearly Dead" via netflix, we decided to have a juice semi-fast of our own. I filled 2 carts with fresh produce, coconut water, and herbal tea for our 9 day excursion. :) Our fridge was packed and the excess flowed onto the counters and surrounding shelves. During these days our air conditioner went out, our juicer broke, and our car had to be towed. Eventful week for sure. We enjoyed the juice combinations (some pictured below) and were "full" most of the day. The evenings were tough, which is why I called this a semi-fast. ;) Overall it was great and I would totally do it again.

Pineapple Gazpacho Soup

Perfect for those hot summer days that you don't feel like cooking and

your air conditioner stops working. {yes, that really did happen} 

Diced pineapple
Chopped bell pepper
Fresh cilantro
Lime juice
Red onion
Salt & pepper
Apple cider vinegar
Sliced ginger root

Combine all together in the blender, pour into a big bowl or pitcher and let it chill in the fridge for several hours. Pour in a bowl and enjoy. I didn't include measurements because it is kind of a "make it to taste" recipe. Obviously you want more pineapple than anything else. :)

A Summer Night

Our backyard beckoned to be occupied this evening. I crocheted. Tony read out loud. We are loving the privacy that comes with our new fence! Earlier in the day we picked blueberries together. Some were blended with raspberries, banana and yogurt for an afternoon treat. A blueberry pie is in our very near future. Once inside, we cooked dinner together -- jalapeno poppers, tomato sandwiches, and sprout salad. We enjoyed cuddle time on the couch watching the The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. And now bed time has arrived. Side by side we lay in our high thread count sheets. :)

Ken visits & we build a fence

pretty things in my garden :)

From Wednesday - Wednesday our dear friend Ken stayed at our place. We teased him and said that we purposely planned to build our fence the week he was here so that he could help. I guess you can say he earned his food and lodging (and even a movie ticket). ;) He and Tony's dad were a great help!! We worked on the fence for 4 days straight. It was a LOT of work, but oh so worth it!!  This past weekend, Tony and his dad added the gates. Now all that is left is to finish packing the dirt and trimming some of the tops. Then it will be all done.  

The neighbor girls made beaded necklaces while we worked. And there's a picture of my fishtail bracelet.

The nails marked the spot. The auger strained to get through our very hard ground. After an overnight water soak and in combination with post hole diggers, a heavy spike, and the auger we were able to dig 40 some holes 2 feet deep. :)  

Lowe's delivered all the materials on Thursday!! :) 

The very first corner :)

July 3rd we celebrated Shonda's birthday!! Complete with a new pet turtle that stuck his tongue out at the camera. 

Mrs. Donna's beautiful garden!! She has blessed me with many tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, bell peppers, and spaghetti squash. :) I've already fixed one large bowl of salsa and will be making another batch tomorrow.

On the fourth, we had my parents over for dinner and then joined more family to see the fireworks. 

On Ken's last night here, we went to see Cars 2. I loved it!!
The evening was topped off with Brooklyn's Pizza & Krispy Kreme doughnuts. :) 

Our Anniversary Trip -- Part 3

Saturday afternoon we checked into our fancy apartment at Oasis Suites. It was pretty awesome! We enjoyed wine, showers, time on the balcony overlooking the sound. For our anniversary dinner I prepared steak, italian potatoes, the last of our garden peas, and dinner rolls. I cooked in my black high heels and anthropologie ~ special occasion, you know! ;) I had went into the bedroom to add some final touches to my outfit, while Tony added some final touches to the table. I could hear him shuffling around out there. I came out to all the lights dimmed just right - greeted with a sweet hug and kiss by my Tony -- and a very pretty wrapped box on the table. He surprised me!! The largest bottle of Miss Dior Cherie with a tiny clutch and travel size perfume. Love it!! And surprises are definitely one of my "love languages." ;)  

The rest of our evening: Tanger Outlets, sun set, ocean waves, ice cream, and trivia on the balcony.   

On Sunday I fixed cinnamon raisin french toast with blueberries and raspberries. We attended "Church of the Outer Banks," then made our way to the "S-Turns" at Rodanthe. We parked our car right past the no parking signs and climbed over the {hot} sand dune ~ once just to look at the ocean, twice to carry our things to the beach, and Tony actually climbed it a third time to retrieve my woven hat from the car. I sat on my brightly colored blanket with my hat upon my head and journaled about our days events. :)   

Next stop was Frisco. We walked down a loooong, hot dirt road to get to the beach. Those with 4 wheel drive are able to drive their car right up to the ocean. After a few hours at the ocean, we started our long pilgrimage back to the car. It way off in the distance -- around the curve to the left. Back at our apartment, we enjoyed some time in the hot tub. We got our showers & into comfy clothes. We watched some TV and had a vegetarian dinner. Then we crawled in the very comfortable bed for 1 more night. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Monday morning we had a big breakfast on the balcony.We packed up everything, took pictures of our home away from home, and clocked out at 11am. :) 

On the way home we did a drive by of Plymouth and a brief walk through the oldest incorporated town in North Carolina ~ Bath. It was a quaint little town filled with history.  

On our way to lunch... 

We used our Olive Garden gift card from Joey & Chrissie!! 

Our waitress told us about this giveaway at the local Harris Teeter ~ so we went to get the information. If we win, it will be a good excuse to buy another one - that way we can ride together. :)

It rained, rained, rained a lot of the way home. 

And were greeted with this beautiful evening sky shortly after reaching our sweet abode. We had so much fun celebrating our sixth year of marriage!! :) X's and O's to my love!! 

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Sketches from my journal -- when we toured the Hatteras Light House, there was a sweet elderly lady sitting on a bench, sketching the lighthouse with all the trees in the forefront. It was beautiful and had lots of detail. That put me in a sketching mood the rest of the trip. So as I journaled, I embellished my words with little drawings. ;)

me on the beach with my loosely braided hair and woven hat, water bottle, and vogue

the two of us in the hot tub

our little squirrel friend

our loooong pilgrimage to and from Frisco beach

the love tree at Jockey's Ridge