Start of Summer break

This begins my summer vacation, one week off from work. This time we are staying around with maybe a quick camping trip.  Friday night was relaxing and headed into Saturday which included yarn shopping and an early birthday dinner for Amy J.

Sunday found us with our old friend visiting from Kansas with their new baby girl. There is just something about cuddling a four week old baby girl. I did a lot of knitting but still working on the finally rows of the shawl.

Knit Night - Applied String Knot Theory Class

There is a small group of us that try to meet at the girls house once a week to do a knit night on Thursday as much as possible. Last week, Em had testing for her yellow belt so that we didn't get together.  Last night we got together for knitting and food.  Three of us are doing a KAL. We are doing baby booties and beret. We are going as slow as the slowest knitter.

The three of us

The yarn cakes

Dinner!

My yarn

Our other friend is working on a scarf of her own design.  I cast on a 2nd yarn of the project so that I can knit ahead so that if we run into problems with the pattern, hopefully I have figured it out before we each it together.

On a side note, I have been knitting socks since 2006. Em was telling me I have probably knitted over a million stitches, I don't even want to think about it.

Bookclub and knitting

As this is the second Monday of the month that means it was book club night with friends. I love our group, so many ages and tastes. We read the hobbit this month and even though I said I wasn't going to read it, I ended up reading it as Amy bought the book. I enjoyed the book and the discussion. Shannon and I ended up sitting together which meant we had fin and caused trouble. :) I was able to deliver the cowl that she had me make for her. She wore it through the shot evening. I am happy with the results but I am very excited to be done with it.

Great Friends

I have to admit that I have some awesome friends.  But there are four people right now that my husband and I spend a lot of great time together.  Two are my wonderful neighbors, A and E and then our friends that are like family H and J.  We have gone camping together, visit together, watched football together. (The wonderful Utah vs BYU game last week, all of us cheering for Utah).  Both A and I are gluten free and the rest support us and eat everything that way along with us. 

So why I am mention them today especially? Well today was a big dental appointment for me. Those who follow my blog know that several years ago I had all my top teeth crowned all at once. Well today was the crown prep for 8 of my bottom teeth.  I have two implants that are in process and the others are crowned.  So in the least you could say eating was going to be mushy to say the least. Normally it is shakes and applesauce. Both can get very boring very quickly.  Well my dear friends made sure it wasn't. While I still had my normal peanut butter chocolate milkshake after the 3+ hour appointment, I was gifted with some amazing food at dinner.

H and J brought and cooked, J's wonderful mexican dip full of flavor and goodness. (Mine had to be put through the blender but it still tasted awesome). I look forward to the leftovers tomorrow, but I also look forward to having it again some other time with tortilla chips.  No picture of these dip as it sort looks like baby food and not at all pretty. But very, very good.

Then a little later A and E brought over rice pudding, oh my goodness.  It was so very, very yummy and beautiful.  They had found a recipe that was more like the rice pudding that the Indian restaurants serve.  I felt so very, very spoiled. 

I am truly blessed by my friends and I look forward to spoiling them back.  I did get extra servings of the rice pudding, and I am sorry but I am not sharing. Well maybe a little with hubby as I can't eat the nuts yet. 

Friday Night Fun

I love when a boring friday night becomes one of fun with a phone call from friends.

Tonight was going to be just a few errands to run and a quiet dinner at home with Mr80grit and myself. But this afternoon some friends called to meet for dinner.

It wasn't the restuarant that made the night, it was the time spent with friends. We met at a national fast food chain where I actually can eat a few items.  We were there about an hour and half just laughing and telling stories. We so enjoy the time we spend with our friends.  I can't wait for our next time together.

Now we are home from running errands after and Mr80grit has to work in the morning, so time to finish up and go to bed. Night all!

The last few days in my life.

This last week as been a little surreal to say the least. Thursday was the "BIG" celebration before the first round of layoffs..or as I have come to see it - the first escape. My now former place of work is still one of the best places to work I think in corporate America. The center I worked at was one of the best but that is due to the leadership there. The people that work there are some of the best and I will miss many of them including my assistant.

On Thursday, I didn't say goodbye to her and so she stopped by at my new work on Friday with this beautiful flowers and a card to make me cry.



Luckily she brought her wonderful children with her and they helped us from sobbing all over the place. I have only read the card once so far, I keep tearing up so it will have to wait a few days.


So I decided that night that I needed to leave something to remind her and thank her for all her wonderfulness. So I got a pink cute puppy and knitted it a scarf full of love. Light purple is her favorite color and the scarf has that in it.


I worked on Saturday and left this guy along with a nice note on her new desk as she changed departments. I got very emotional when I wrote the note and when I left it on her desk.

She is a very dear friend and I have said it before and I meant it. I plan on keeping her!


On Saturday, I decided that I would do everything that made me feel good, starting with a huge coffee from my favorite local place. See below, I think this was a coconut ivory mocha. Yummy!

One of my dear employees, bought me lunch from one of my favorite burger joints! We had a nice long lunch. Then at the end of the day, everything decided to break so instead of leaving at 5 pm, I finally left at 7 pm. It was a perfect end. When I went to leave, I saw no one. I grabbed my bags, walked out of the building for the last time that way, I said goodbye to the building and left. It was really peaceful and calm.

Then it was out to dinner with Mr80grit for a fabulous dinner that ended with my favorite dessert, they sure cut me a big piece this time!


Sunday was a nice quiet day spent with friends and family watching the superbowl. (at my new bosses house)

Today I got ready (with makeup) and when to my old work to sign the formal papers and was done by 9:45 am. I got to say goodbye to some others that I missed last week and even saw my dear friend. (We notoriously dressed a like and we did today). I am going to have to come up with a good blog name for her.

Now it is on to the next adventure!

My Friend's Contest...

I have a blogger friend that I have been reading since January of 2007. She started her blog in Nov 2006. In honor of her blog anniversary she is having a little contest/campaign, which I think is really cute, go check it out here