Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chick-fil-a -- I had never experienced it until moving to Charlotte.  My husband and I needed something quick for lunch one day and so we decided to give it a shot.  The drive through lane had at least twenty cars backed up so we were definitely going inside.  I opted for the Chargrilled and Fruit Salad which turned out to be awesome.

It had grilled chicken, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, fresh strawberries, red grapes, apples, mandarin oranges, and granola, over mixed greens with a berry balsamic vinaigrette.  All of that for only 230 calories and 6 grams of fat.  I was feeling so healthy.  Then my husband pulled out the package of chocolate chunk cookies he had surreptitiously purchased.  Yes, I said package.  He didn't buy just one--he got the package of six.  Well, I have to tell you, you cannot eat just one.  These cookies are soooo good.  Since I had only had the salad, I indulged in two cookies, all the time thinking, "How bad can they be?"  Of course, I didn't check it out until long after they were into my digestive system and moving toward my hips.  Here's the skinny--320 calories per cookie with 14 grams of fat.

They do have 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber, so at least there are some redeeming qualities.  I feel so much better.

Apartment Living

We have officially moved out of our house after living there for 18 years.  The movers packed everything up on Monday and Tuesday, which turned out to be two of the hottest days of the summer.  The poor guys were dripping with sweat--which dripped on every surface they were near.  I don't even want to think about what landed on our mattresses and other items that were carried out.  (Thank you to my mom, my daughter, Anne, and my dear friend, Beth, who spent countless hours helping to clean my house after the movers got everything out.  I am truly blessed.)  Since the moving van won't arrive in Charlotte until Monday (I won't say anything about this whole moving process, except don't, under any circumstance, use North American Van Lines), we have three more nights of apartment living.

I've lived in apartments before, but I'd forgotten what it was like.  My memory has been refreshed.

Positives of Apartment Living

• Decent workout facility
• Pool that I don't have to maintain
• Takes only thirty minutes to clean apartment from stem to stern
• Valet garbage (set it outside the door and someone picks it up)
• Have met a lot of interesting people

Negatives of Apartment Living

• "Future Residents" parking spaces are normal size, but residents parking spaces leave no room to open the car door to get out.
• Shrek lives above us and constantly stomps paces back and forth.
• I can hear the guy in the bathroom next to us retching in the morning--is he getting chemotherapy or does he party a little too heartily?
• The flowery smell in the hallway used to mask the garbage center smell is nauseating. (Maybe that's my neighbor's problem.)
• We are on the bottom floor (street level is the third floor) and have to go outside to get cell phone reception.
• We have four doors and a gate to go through to get from the parking garage to the apartment--a definite challenge when hands are full.
• Weekend nights are loud with all the young residents.

I'm counting the hours until we get into the house.

4th of July

For our first holiday in Charlotte, my husband and I decided to get out of town and check out the North Carolina countryside. I looked online, and since I love to hike, decided to go west to the Lake Lure/Chimney Rock area and then head into Asheville.

Lake Lure turned out to be beautiful. We had lunch at La Strada Italian Bar and Grill. Even though it was 90+ degrees outside, we sat on the veranda with views of the lake and mountains. I had the Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad with this incredible sesame-honey dressing. Yum!

Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad

They look pretty comfy sitting on seat cushions.

With our tummies full, we were off to Chimney Rock Park. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. When I think of hiking, I picture Rocky Mountain National Park with remote trails. This was a little more touristy with staircases and an elevator instead of switchbacks. 

View of Lake Lure from Chimney Rock

Never-the-less, it was pretty. Of course, with the heat and humidity, we were sweating like pigs. My husband was less than excited about all of this "back to nature" stuff. He reminded me of our children when they were young and forced to hit the trail. He whined a bit but placated me. We ended the torture session with an ice cream cone. He was appeased. We continued on our way to Asheville. We had no idea what to expect, since we hadn't done our homework. Mike had read something about the Grove Park Inn. It's a beautiful resort that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's rated as one of the top five spa resorts in the country.

The Grove Park Inn

Being the holiday, the restaurants were booked, so we had a couple of appetizers in the bar and then headed back to Charlotte. At one point, we came upon what, at first glance, appeared to be a major pile-up. Cars were in the ditches on both sides of the highway with people milling about. But no accident was apparent. It was the town's folk waiting to view the fireworks....hmmm...seems a bit dangerous to me, but this must be North Carolina!* All in all, it was a good day. We're enjoying exploring our new environment. My husband says our new adventure will keep us young...either that or give us gray hair.

*We have friends who were missionaries in Africa, and when anything strange would happen over there, they'd say, "TIA" meaning "This is Africa." I'll be doing a post soon about the strange things in Charlotte.)

Moving is Not For Sissies

Packing--it never ends. I had been packing since we sold our house in April and thought I was making good headway--until last Friday. Our plan was to be done and on our way to Charlotte by lunchtime. We were still packing at 9:00 p.m.

My hubby and brother moving the moose (minus one antler).

This is difficult to see, but a man on a scooter

 (the scout) came by and called a guy in a van to come 

check out our garbage.  Apparently, there were some "treasures". 

By this time, we were bone tired (we had started at 5 a.m.), so we decided to get on the road, even though we weren't finished.  (I'm flying back when the movers come and will finish packing then.  So, of course, all I can think about is what I have left to do and how I'm going to accomplish it in less than 48 hours.)

The trip down to Charlotte was long, but good. We spent Friday night in Ann Arbor. We drove through town and waved goodbye to the "Big House"--no more fall Saturdays cheering on the Wolverines with 110,000 like-minded fans. Saturday morning, we got a not-so-early start and drove to Columbus, where we had lunch with our friends, Toni and Jeff.

Toni would want you to know she didn't 

have power and couldn't do her hair.

Toni was our Katie's kindergarten teacher

and we've been friends ever since.

Three hours later, we were back on the road. Our original plan had been to have dinner in Columbus on Friday evening and press on for a few more hours. On Saturday, we realized that God had delayed us for a good reason. Ohio had been hit by terrible storms Friday evening and thousands were without power, including Toni and Jeff. We saw trees down and debris along the highways from Ohio to Virginia. As a result, the lines at gas stations in southern Ohio and West Virgina were horrendous. Unfortunately, they were hit with more storms on Saturday evening. I can't believe we never had a drop of rain the whole trip. We were blessed with perfect travel weather.

Crossing the Ohio River

We finally pulled into Charlotte around 1:30 a.m. Before we could fall into bed, we had to go to the airport to pick up Mike's car where he had left the keys to the apartment he's been living in.

Upon arrival to the apartment, I realized that in one month of living on his own, my husband had gone feral.  The toilet was so filthy, I had to clean it before I could use it.  That was my first "eww" moment.  I've had many more in the light of day.  Thankfully, someone invented cleaning products and sanitizers.  Welcome to Charlotte.  

Goodbyes

I'm down to my last two days of work.  Yesterday was my last day with my co-worker, Jill (on the left).  She's off for the next two weeks, so I tried to savor every minute with her.  She is an awesome nurse who is my role model.  She's smart, kind, and has a great sense of humor.  She always knows the right thing to say to make people feel better.  I will miss her so much.  Since it was the last time that she, Wanda and I would be working together, the two of them had a party for me with our patients.  They had punch, coffee, and muffins set up for the patients during our morning classes and cake for the afternoon classes.  They also had a book for all the patients to sign and write a note in--so sweet.  I'm going to save reading it for our drive down to Charlotte.

Memorable moments from yesterday:

A little man, who only comes on Wednesdays, started to cry when he said goodbye.  I hugged him and told him that we would spend eternity together in heaven.  Through his tears, he said, "Yes, and we won't have to exercise."  (Either that or we'll love to exercise.)

One patient asked how much weight I've lost.  "Ten pounds," I answered. She said, "You look really good.  You were getting chunky."  Nothing like a compliment followed by a slam.

Another patient and I always talk about how much we love steel cut oats for breakfast.  I ran out of them a couple of weeks ago and didn't want to buy more, since it'll be one more thing to pack and move.  Going back to old fashion oats has been less than desirable.  So yesterday, he came in with a large batch of steel cut oatmeal, all prepared.  Yum.  Breakfast was so enjoyable this morning.

Our 2:00 class all chipped in a got me an afghan with scenes from West Michigan on it.  It's beautiful.  They are the most thoughtful group.

Our patient, who has the Kentucky Derby party every year, gave me a glass that lists all the past winners of the Derby.  He had roses in the glass and told me to think of him whenever we use it.

Other patients brought in cards and gifts--I was totally overwhelmed.  In a way, it was like being at my own funeral.

We broke a lot of rules yesterday--food in the gym, pictures taken without release forms--harmless, but still wrong.  I guess they'll have to follow me down to North Carolina if they want to reprimand me.

It hasn't quite sunk in that I won't be seeing all these wonderful people anymore.  I haven't cried yet, but I'm sure it'll hit when I least expect it.  I'd better keep a bucket handy for when it does.

The Philadelphia Story

Last Wednesday afternoon, my mom, my daughter Anne, and I left on a road trip.  The occasion: our son's graduation from Villanova Law School.  After three long, difficult years, he walked across the stage and received his Juris Doctor degree.

CONGRATULATIONS DAVE!

My husband, who is already working in Charlotte, NC, met us in Philly.  We had a great weekend with Dave and his girlfriend, Danielle.  We had incredible weather (sunny with highs in the mid 70's and lows in the 50's), great food, and stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast just down the street from Dave's apartment.

The highlights:

 We had dinner at a great seafood restaurant Thursday evening.

Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it.

On Friday morning, we took the train from the city to Villanova--about a 30 minute ride.

 Dave, waiting to cross the stage to receive his diploma

The whole gang (minus our youngest daughter, Katie) 

 There was a reception for the graduates and families 

after the ceremony.

Dave and I went for a run Saturday morning. 

 We ran up the steps of the museum, just like Rockie.

 Philadelphia has a great running/biking path along the river.

 We went to the Italian Market after our run.

 A great cheese shop in the Italian Market

The Magic Garden is a museum that has created things 

with various junk (bottles, bike tires, plates, etc.).

 Independence Hall

 Elfreth Alley-the longest continually inhabited residential

street in the United States.

My husband has been living in a hotel for a month now.

He packed rather quickly to drive up to Philly, and halfway 

through the weekend, he realized he had two different shoes on.

The weekend went way too quickly.  It's back to reality now--sorting, packing, pricing things for the upcoming garage sale, and everything else that goes along with moving.  Waaaah.

Stressed

I am looking at a piece of paper with a name written on it and I have no idea who it is or what it means.  Unfortunately, the handwriting is mine and I think I wrote it down this morning before I rushed out the door to work.

I've been a bit stressed the past few weeks.  "Why?" you ask. Well...my husband has accepted a job in Charlotte, NC.  We're moving!  After 28 years in one town, we're leaving behind family, friends, and a job that I love.  We're moving out of the house that we built and raised our kids in.  We're leaving Michigan where we live within walking distance of a great lake with incredible beaches.  I could go on and on of reasons why I don't want to move.

On the other hand, it's a new adventure that God is calling us to.  The way things are falling into place, it's evident that He has His hand in this.  So I must follow.

It doesn't mean I'm stress free about it.  We've worked like mad to get the house ready to show.  Of course, when you decide to put your house on the market, everything that's wrong with it comes into clear focus.  AND THE STUFF!  We have so much stuff!  39,000 pounds of stuff, according to the mover.  I've been
purging, but I've hardly made a dent.

We've had three parties come through the house in the first week.  We have more coming through Thursday and Friday.  Of course, I get a little crazy trying to get everything perfect.  One good thing--my husband started his new job today, so I don't have to reclean everything since he's out of town.

Did I mention I had a phone interview today?  (That's part of the reason for the unknown name I wrote down.  I was quickly looking up something online that was interview related and must have jotted it on the paper.)  Anyway, the interview went really well.  I'll meet them when I go down in a few weeks.

So now I'm off to sort through cookbooks.  On second thought, I think I'll put my jammies on and read for a few minutes before hitting the sack....after I google the mystery name.