Happy Birthday America... and Myrtle!!

I wish more weekends could be like this past weekend was... my normal days off were Thursday, Friday & Saturday but then I took annual leave on Sunday and holiday leave on Monday, so I secured a relaxing 5 day break from the chaos that is summer at work! On Friday morning, I woke up with a stomach virus very similar to the one Brian had been suffering from earlier in the week. I thought for sure the weekend would be ruined, but thank God I recovered much quicker than poor Brian had! After about 12 hours of good, solid sleep on Friday night, I woke up on Saturday morning feeling much better! I was feeling so much better that I even went to a couple yard sales and ran a few errands before returning home in the early afternoon. Brian's friend Jith was coming up from Virginia to spend the weekend with us, so he arrived about 1:30 or so. The boys were going to order some boxing match that evening and I'm definitely not into that sorta thing, so it sounded like a perfect opportunity to go hang out with my mom & grandma for the evening! My mom made some delicious taco salad for dinner and we rented a movie to watch (The Final Destination). We also went to Baskin Robbins and ordered Cappuccino Blast's that really hit the spot! =)

Sunday July 4th might've been America's 234th birthday but it was also Myrtle Jean's 12th birthday! It's hard to believe that my girl is 12 already... it seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as a tiny 5-week old furball. Myrtle has been with me through all the big milestones of my life... turning 18, my high school graduation, recovery from several surgeries, the birth of my first niece (as well as an additional niece and nephew), my first job, my first apartment, turning 21, my first boyfriend, my first breakup, the loss of my other cat (Jake)... you name it, Myrtle has seen me through it! She might be a crazy girl but I love her SO much... every day with her is an adventure! Happy Birthday, Myrtle Jean Jomidad!

the birthday girl!! :)

it's hard to believe she was once this tiny! she might've been little but she's always had a BIG personality!

baby Myrtle!

On Sunday afternoon, Brian, Jith & I went to the community pool for the first time. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was! It wasn't too crowded and the water felt just right! We spent several hours there, just hanging out and having a good time!

the boys! :)

that's me... soaking up the sun! :)

While we were swimming, we started to get hungry... while we were discussing options for dinner, I came up with a great idea! Why not drive to Philadelphia for some authentic cheesesteak subs? Brian had never been to Philly before and I've only been there once and that was years ago! We all headed home to take quick showers and then we started out on our mini road trip! Once we arrived in Philly, the real question was... Pat's or Geno's? The long line outside Pat's King of Steaks told us we should start there!




The menu had lots to choose from, and there are even specific instructions on how to order... do it their way or go to the back of the line!



Somehow I was designated to be the spokeswoman of our group, so I bravely stepped up to the window and ordered three cheesesteaks: 1) wit cheez-wiz for Brian, 2) mushroom steak wit american for me, and 3) wit provolone for Jith. Here's what mine looked like!


After we devoured the sandwiches from Pat's, we headed across the street to Geno's to give them a try!


This time I only ordered one sandwich, for Brian and I to share... a wit cheez-wiz. Here's what we were given:

And just like that, we left Philly just as quicky as we had made the decision to come there! Once we were back in good 'ol Harford County, we stopped at my favorite snowball stand for some frozen treats. I ordered a new flavor combination that they've named "Yoo Hoo" - it's a mixture of chocolate, vanilla cream, and ice cream flavored snowball syrups, with a splash of milk. I got mine with extra marshmallow! Sooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!


Then we were homeward bound. Brian, Jith and I played a few games of Wii bowling... I lost every single one! Looks like I need to keep practicing! Even though I was the biggest loser, I still had fun! :)