So This is Fredericksburg

I had to take my car in today because the connections between the buttons on the dashboard and the actual heating/cooling unit weren't working. They had to replace the whole part which was GREAT because it was covered under the extended warranty (Thanks Dad!) and they ended up putting all new buttons in. AKA SHINY! It did not take very long but my new friend Kelli came to pick me up. She took me to Old Towne  Fredericksburg and it was fabulous! It is filled with boutiques, antique shops, candy stores, tea shops, restaurants, and other wonderful things.

Some highlights:
Lunch at Foode
http://foodeonline.com/

This insane store called "Taste" where all they sell is Oil Vinegar Spice
http://tasteovs.com/
(Seriously, Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar would truly make an amazing salad dressing. On anything. And I would absolutely cook with the majority of them. It was so fun. They just let you try a little bit and they have three sizes OR six packs of  small bottles, and you can pick the six. Seriously a fantastic place.)

There is a store that is filled TO THE BRIM with NOTHING but CAT things. Katherine would just die if we went here. They was even a live cat running around.
http://thecatscloset.com/

I easily could have spent the entire day there. There was an antique shop with tons of green dishes and depression glass that I could have added to my collection, but I specifically told Kelli to slap my hand if I tried to buy anything. :)

After we were all down in Old Towne, Kelli took me to Wegman's, the big grocery store around here. It is HUGE. And unbelievable. The selection of crabs, oysters, lobsters, and everything is unlike anything I have ever seen...so fresh....so huge. It's wonderful I can't wait to branch out in my cooking to include all of these things. The selection of everything there is really large. It reminds me of a high class Baker's. The best part of everything is the craft beer selection. The microbrews. Oh goodness I was just in Heaven. Although they don't carry Lucky Bucket (how could I be so lucky) they do carry a lot of my favorites from home. I bought Chris a six-pack of Dogfish IPA which, while we lived in Nebraska, you had to go to Colorado to get. I am personally drinking Bell's Kalamazoo Stout, which is delicious and dark and smooth. Luckily Kelli had enough patience to wait for me to decide. The selection was overwhelming. There is a selection for New York beers only and I have never had a beer from New York. I am very happy to say that I now have at least one plan for the summer--try a lot of different beers. :)

Nalli has been moping around the house all day long. She lies in the middle of the floor of the living room and lets out big sighs to make sure that I know she is not happy she can't go outside due to the rain. Now she is lying next to the door to the deck in a horribly mopey position with sad eyes to make sure I know how depressed she is by the rain. I let her walk to the mailbox with me but I guess that just doesn't cut it.

I have Sweet 'n' Sour Pork Chops in the slow cooker. These were on the menu for YESTERDAY but the funny thing about slow cookers is...they cook slowly. So when you forget to start it up until 1800 they probably won't be done when the very hungry husband comes home. So they are on the menu for tonight and yesterday I made Padre Island Shells instead.

Yesterday ended up being both an emotional and frustrating day. I'll start with the frustrating part first. Every person I called yesterday either didn't answer or I got a busy signal. I spent most of the day moping around because it is incredibly hard to find a job here for a new graduate. There are a million nursing jobs but nobody wants someone without experience. So here I sit with this nursing degree I should "be able to take anywhere" and "get a job anywhere with" and instead I sit here at home playing happy housewife. It was fun for about three days.

Yesterday was truly emotional. A friend and old co-worker of Chris' clipped a power line flying out of Norfolk over the weekend and his plane crashed. Both he and his passenger died. It hit really close to home. Dale was his name. He was one of the people at the airport who was always really easy to talk to and I know Chris really enjoyed his company. It's hard because nobody out here knows who he is so it's just kind of Chris and I coping out here on our own. It makes me really sick because Chris and I have flown that same flight a bunch of times. We've flown into Norfolk, eaten at Barnstormers, and flown back more than once. It could have been us. It wasn't, and it's unfair. Dale was like us--young with lots of potential and lots of life ahead of him. I can't stop thinking of his friends and family because I know what a nice guy he was and how much he will truly be missed. (Although I didn't know his passenger, I feel just the same for her, her friends, and her family.) I don't know why things work the way they do sometimes, but something that has always helped me get through times like that is this: New International Version (©2011)
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."