Hello! I have been on break and wanted to share pictures that would help tell an overview of what happened while I was “missing.” I will admit that I splurged a great amount when it came to eating out instead of cooking. There were visits to Bamboo Garden (Chinese restaurant), Dave & Busters, multiple visits to Panera, a couple visits to Chili’s, Olive Garden, Denny’s, and the Cheesecake Factory.

The orange “flower” was actually a fancy way of incorporating carrots with my sesame beef meal that I thoroughly enjoyed while having a meal by myself to indulge in my passion for reading. If you don’t know about the author Johanna Lindsey, you should look her up! Something else that’s new was my experience at Dave & Busters. My “group” from high school (me & three other girls) went there for some drinks, delicious food [I had the Samuel Adams, pretzel bites with varies dipping sauces, but the cheese dip was the best, and magnificent baked mac n’ cheese that had garlic bread on top and chicken & bacon cooked within], and we played a bunch of arcade games. I won over 900 tickets! Woo! They even had the massive Fruit Ninja game that I absolutely love.

My first Panera visit was during my wait for my car to be finished in the shop. Have to get that annual maintenance done eventually. Not only did I indulge in some food, but I went a tiny bit crazy in buying clothes and DVDs. The second time I visited the wonderful Panera, I was actually on a date. Not sure if a second date will occur… But my experiences at Chili’s were much better, surprisingly. My aunt came to visit and my mother and I treated her to a meal out. They have tablets at every table now so you can play games, order desserts, and even pay your bill! The second times I went there was with a childhood friend, and that was the third time I saw her in one week! That’s amazing because we never get to see each other anymore.

Going with the flow of family, we had a family dinner at Olive Garden. That delectable chocolate cake you see in the slideshow was from there. So tasty and rich! My mother and I squeezed in a trip to Denny’s and that is where I was able to enjoy the wonderful red velvet cake milkshake. Last, but not least, we were able to make a visit to The Cheesecake Factory. It’s one of my favorite places to eat, but you have to time your visit just right otherwise you’ll be stuck waiting (both for a table and for relatively decent service).

Moving away from food, my paper whites have bloomed beautifully. They are so delicate. I have jumped on board with the owl theme my mother created for my 21st birthday. Who gives a Hoot?! Almost all my christmas presents were owl themed. Christmas cards were sent, and the family christmas reunion was better this year, than last. My father brought me along on adventures to some matches, which I played photographer again. Can you find my dad in the picture? Look on the left side of my head 😉

The sculptures were my final project for the sculpture class that I thought was going to murder me. [Skeleton cowboy, skeleton puppy with his chicken wing, and a giant penguin]

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