Monday, December 16, 2019

T Stands for an Eventful Week

Hi everyone. Here it is just about a week until Christmas. Do you have everything done you need to do for the holiday? My house is decorated and some of my wrapping is done, but my Christmas cards aren't quite finished so I think I might have to make them New Years cards. 
So since our last T day, life has been a little eventful for me. First of all I submitted my official letter of intent to retire when school is done in June. I've been blogging  about retiring occasionally for a couple of years now so I thought I would  mention that. No second thoughts there, and I am excited about all the possibilities that lay ahead. I am also excited that next holiday season I will have plenty of time to make those Christmas cards and bake cookies, as well as everything else there is to do. I might even get my cards out in the mail at a normal time. Smile. 
And secondly, my school ran something call the annual Holiday Raffle last week. The student council goes out and gets donated items, and then people buy tickets to win those items. All the proceeds of the tickets go to help students in  school with families that are struggling, so even if you don't win anything, it is worthwhile to buy some tickets. The kids do a fantastic job of getting donations, and every day there about 25 prizes of various sorts. Most years I don't win anything, but this year I won one of the big prizes.
This certificate is for season tickets for 2 to a local theatre company. They put on 11 plays a years, so I am really excited about having some date nights with my husband. Or even maybe an evening out with a friend. Plays begin in February so I think you will be hearing about some of these in 2020.
It was really exciting!
And for T this week, my third event last week was a birthday dinner for one of my friends. There are 4 of us who go out each year for each of our birthdays, and one of them had a birthday last week. We went to a restaurant called the Thirsty Moose in Dover, New Hampshire.
The beer I really wanted (The Blizzard of 78 brown ale) was out, which disappointed me. But I had a Fat Tire  amber ale (from Colorado) which was good so no complains.  And behind my beer the birthday lady Deb decided she would toast all you T day visitors.
 For dinner I had this yummy meatloaf (a huge piece I couldn't even finish) along with mashed potatoes and carrots.
And usually we split a dessert to celebrate, but Deb wanted to try a chocolate martini since she had never had one. So she had the bartender split the drink into 4 glasses so we could split that instead.
 It was all I needed especially since I had had a beer with dinner. But it was actually quite a nice couple of sweet dessert sips.
We had had some snow that day, not a lot, just enough to make the ground pretty but not interfere with driving. So when I got to Dover  I parked up the road a bit so I could get a little walk in. I had to cross the bridge over the river and thought it made a pretty picture.
Or 2.

Stop by   Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to see what the T gang is up to or to join in the fun.  All you have to do is share a drink related photo.
I hope everyone has a super week and as always, thanks so much for stopping by to visit my blog.




15 comments:

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

First, congrats on your upcoming retirement. It's the best "job" we;ve ever had with really good hours too! yes, we mostly have the holidays under control because we did not go crazy with decorating or shipping. We have been attending some fun holiday concerts and shows and get togethers. I am still writing cards, but do that sop I don't have to rush all at once, so it's more of less a tradition. Nice that you and your friends get together to celebrate those special times.

kathyinozarks said...

Congrats on looking forward to retirement-I love being retired. I always had to drive so far to work and back that I was so happy to just stay put lol
fun with the birthday parties-that does look like allot of food but nice to take home leftovers. Beautiful wintry photos-Happy T wishes hugs Kathy oh and congrats on your win-that sounds like an awesome prize

Linda Kunsman said...

Congrats on officially setting your retirement day- how exciting!! And then , look at the raffle prize you won- what fun you're going to have seeing the shows. I do enjoy a light snow- but once is enough for me;) Cheers to Deb, the birthday lady! And what more comforting food can one have than meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Hope you're able to get caught up with the Christmas to dos. Happy T day!

Valerie-Jael said...

Your retirement is coming nearer, great! Congrats on the gift certificate. Enjoy! Your food and drink at the restaurant look soooooooooo good! Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

Iris Flavia said...

Great idea with the lottery and YAY for winning, too!
And also for the decision of having much more time soon.
Fun name for the beers!
When with friends in Perth the waitress addressed me with "150 Lashes?" I said, "yes, please" and thought, OH, WHAT DID I SAY?!
Being German that is not a name but my brain translates and I don´t want even one. But it is very yummy. And did not hurt at all.
5 minutes of snow was all so far, and that is enough for me...
A Happy T-Day to you!

Pink Rose said...

Hi Erika congrats on your wonderful win,what a lovely surprise for you,oh that steak looks yummy xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Congratulations on officially submitting your retirement papers, Erika. I know you are going to LOVE all that free time.

Congrats, too, on that win, too. This is a beautiful surprise. There's nothing better than theater. I always love it when Scott gets me in to see a musical.

What a nice birthday treat you shared with your friend. I saw the Red Hook on the wall behind her and immediately remembered touring their facility in Seattle one year (2003, I think). Wish Deb a happy belated birthday, too. So sweet of her to toast us.

Gosh, I thought that was a steak. It looked bacon wrapped to me. The potatoes and carrots looked fabulous and now I'm hungry for those really lovely carrots. You don't often see those in the midwest.

Thanks for sharing your great win, your meatloaf, your beer, and your chocolate martini with us for T this Tuesday, dear Erika.

R's Rue said...

Congrats.

Divers and Sundry said...

Congrats on your retirement decision. And also on your prize. That will be so much fun! Those seasoned mashed potatoes look delicious. The snow scenes are a treat for me to see. You should've seen how excited I was over the bit of flurry we got this morning lol Happy T Tuesday!

Let's Art Journal said...

Many congratulations on your win! How wonderful to be able to go to the theatre to watch some plays of your choice - fabulous 😁. Your birthday celebrations look great, delicious looking beer, food and chocolate martini! Sending you happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

CJ Kennedy said...

Congrats on your retirement. Lots of stuff to look forward to. Wow, what a great prize. Will be fun to go to the theater vicariously. Looks like you guys had a fabulous birthday celebration, too. Happy T Day.

Jeanie said...

It sounds like a wonderful celebration for your friend. It looks like such fun! And three cheers! Win, snow that's pretty, everything! I love it all!

Meggymay said...

Congratulations Erika, retirement comes highly recommended from me. Its a new beginning, you will still need more time but its totally different from going out to work.
The raffle win must have been a super surprise, you will enjoy seeing the shows.
It must have been a lovely meal out with your friends, the food does look delicious.
Happy T day wishes Erika.
Yvonne xx

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. I think I recall you saying at the end of the last school year, that you would have only one more left, and it being kind of bitter sweet. That is fantastic to win season tickets to the local theatre. The actors in those always do a great job. I love your photos of the snowy river scene near the restaurant. As much as I hate snow, it looks beautiful. In the Monday/Tuesday storm, I got about 0.18 inches of ice, but power stayed on. Yay. Happy belated T-Day!

Eileen Bergen said...

I share your joy about your upcoming retirement, Erika, and all the possibilities that lie ahead. It's wonderful having more "me" time to do the things you've wanted for so long. But I guess this means no more trip to Japan. ;-)

What a terrific prize. I'm sure you will enjoy those tickets.

Lovely photos. You really captured some beautiful reflections and lighting.

Happy T-day! Eileen xx