Goodbye Old Saybrook...

     The summer has been full of so many high points.  I asked Audra to tell me the highs and lows of the summer.  The high points were too numerous to count.  She spent a lot of time relaxing at the beach with her friends and she ate way too much pizza.  A low point this summer, and last summer too, come to think of it, was this...

Audra is not happy.

Yes, a broken phone.  Audra has had too many experiences with broken phones.  So many, in fact, that Big Tex (her dad) and I don't even acknowledge a cracked screen anymore.  It was my decision not to get the screen replaced because she was having a lot of trouble with her phone holding a charge all summer.  Fixing a cracked screen, on an older phone, might just set us up to waste a bunch of money.  It may be just dumb luck, but as soon as I replace a cracked screen, some other fatal problem crops up, and I am forced to buy a new phone anyway. Darned refurbished phones!!  Anyway, I decided that I needed a new phone, or actually a new camera, because I am really enjoying blogging and appreciate clear pictures when I am reading my favorite blogs.  Audra made the argument that I should buy the Iphone 7 plus because it has a new and improved camera feature.  To her advantage, I would give her my old phone, and all would be right with the universe once again.  That's my girl, a problem solver!!  I do feel like the pictures are amazing on the new camera.

     The rest of the post will chronicle the last day at the shore.  I zipped over to the Big Y and picked up steamed lobster for dinner.  At $7.99 per pound, we were able to have an incredible feast.   My family has put up with me hosted me all summer, so the lobster is the least I can do to repay the kindness they have shown me.

Mom loves her lobster.

This is the first year Audra pulled out the meat and ate the whole lobster.

Audra and her crazy aunt. 

We took a ride to the beach after dinner for sunset and social hour.  I asked the squad to meet us there for our last sunset together.  We crowded around and got as many pictures as possible before it became too dark.  I'm gonna miss the squad tons!

Me and Audra

Mini Squad

Lauren and her beautiful girls.

Beautiful Karen rushed to get back for our photo session.

Andrew didn't want to get into the picture.  I think he's tired of being the only boy!

Laurie and Steve

I see we have a photo bomber!

Left to right: Lauren, Heather, Me, Karen and Jenna with Chloe as the bomber.  Sadly, Liz is missing from this one.

I am still getting the hang of the new phone camera and don't understand why the pictures looks great on my phone, but once I transfer them to my computer and ultimately the blog, the pictures aren't as clear.  If anyone can tell me why this is happening, please post a comment below. 

Goodbye Summer of 2017!!!

Mailboxes and Such

     I needed to show off the adorably styled mailboxes that I see along my travels.  I am especially jealous because we have very boring brick mailboxes in my neighborhood.  They look like this in Texas.

Basic and Very Boring

     Old Saybrook boasts a picturesque beach vibe that is showcased everywhere, including the mailbox posts!!  It is yet another decorating opportunity that some residence couldn't resist.

           This last mailbox is my favorite.  He gets a  complete makeover each holiday.  How fun!!

Casual Lunch with Friends

Hi All,  This is my first outfit of the day post.  I thought I would share what I wore to lunch with my college girlfriends today.  We had a ton of fun and I look forward to this outing every year.

Shirt   Converse Sneakers   Jeans   Necklace   Earrings

I don't know if you will agree, but I find that if I visit the actual store, the price on the items is exponentially cheaper than buying it online.  The necklace is $21.99 online, but I paid a little more than $9 for it at the store.  The shirt is adorable with bell sleeves that make it really modern.  This is a size large and I wish I had bought it in a medium.  I bought the navy in a medium and it sort of stretches out a little when I wear it, so downsizing is smart.  When washed, the cotton/modal material holds up well and doesn't lose shape at all.  

This picture was taken at my mother's house and you can see my sister's house in the background.  It is under construction, and I have enjoyed watching the renovation all summer long.  She lives across the street right now, and is moving on the other side of my mother.  I told her that she has mother issues.

I promise the picture quality will get better.  I hate blurry, fuzzy pictures.

Audra's bike has been in the driveway all summer.  She uses my mother's bike all summer, and had an unfortunate brake line failure the other day.  The cable broke, and thankfully, was still able to use the other brake to stop.  She texted me that she needed me to buy her a new bike.  She has been angling for a new bike for many years, but I can't justify it for the 6 weeks a year that we spend in Connecticut.  So, I was very happy when the bike shop was able to fix it for $15.  I call that a win!  I don't think Audra would agree.  She wants a beach cruiser (not!).