One of the many reasons I married Billy… his family.

Billy’s grandparents drove all the way up from S. Cali to meet Brooke. Billy’s grandma shows every person she comes in contact with a picture of Brooke (I am not exaggerating!), it was about time they met her. On the way up they may or may not have been stopped by a police officer and when she tried to explain that they were in a hurry to come meet Brooke and show him a picture he wouldn’t even look. I am sure if he would have looked at the picture he would have let them off the hook.

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PS the hotel they are staying at had delicious fresh chocolate chip cookies at the front desk. They could charge as much as they wanted to stay there and I would happily pay in order to go to the front desk 15 times a day for fresh cookies. More hotels, companies, malls, any store ever needs to incorporate the cookie idea if they want more business.

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Fun fact (and coolest thing ever): Billy’s gma’s favorite food in the whole wide world is whipped cream. She would choose a bowl of whipped cream over any other food you can think of. We get along really well.

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Billy’s grandpa is the funniest man alive and Brooke loved his jokes.

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We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. The last time that I ate there was with Billy’s family the night before we got married.

We had a seafood dish with mussels, calamari and shrimp and also fettucini alfredo with chicken and broccoli.

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I ate broccoli last night and absolutely loved it. I am feeling more like myself every day.

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Brooke was the entertainment for the night and was very wide awake (or slightly creeped out by the statue next to her).

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Billy’s grandparents don’t let you leave without dessert (I promise I married Billy because I love him and not just because his family is so awesome and they love dessert just as much as me).

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Brownies and ice cream are meant to be unified. I actually don’t think I have ever eaten a brownie without ice cream and I never intend to in the future.

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Is there any seafood that you don’t like? Ever tried calamari… do you like it?

Where do your grandparents live by? Great-grandparents?

When was the last time you got a speeding ticket?

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69 comments

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I love calamari…actually all seafood for that matter, especially with marinara sauce! Billy’s grandparents seem adorable…I live with my grandma :D

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Yay for running Janae!!!!

That picture of Brooke and the statue made me laugh so hard;-) Great way to start the morning–she is just so precious! Enjoy your time w/Billy’s grandparents.

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Those pictures of Brooke with Billy’s grandparents are just darling … you can see the love in their hearts :)

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So excited you’ll get to try out running again! I need Billy’s grandparents to adopt me and my husband, please! :) I really don’t like any seafood…I can down popcorn shrimp if necessary or the only option, but none of it is really good to me, except the hush puppies that accompany it!

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I’m not a fan of ANY seafood really. I’ve tried to eat it but I just can’t do it!!
My grandparents live down the street!
Only 3 miles today but I did 10 last night before bed! ;)
Never got a speeding ticket EVER!!

Have an amazing day!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!

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Awwr grandparents are the best! Not gonna lie… when I think about getting serious with a guy, I definitely look at his family. I’m super close with my parents, so having a big, loving, supportive family is pretty important to me. Love that there’s so much love and laughter in yours :)

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Awww I love all your pictures of Brooke!! She’s so sweet, I love all the little faces she makes :)

And yay for first day running!! I won’t be running at all today… Or tomorrow haha. I ran my first marathon on Sunday and oh.my.stiffness! My legs are barely bending at all and it hurts to move! I might do a one mile shakeout just to get rid of some of the lactic acid, but I don’t see a normal run happening for at least a few days!!

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Billy and his grandpa have the same kind eyes. :)

Huge seafood fan, but not such a huge fan of shellfish or calamari. Perhaps the only kinds I’ve ever had have been overcooked?? It’s the texture that gets to me …
Never actually been issued a speeding ticket, but got a warning. Funny thing was that when I passed the cop, I had just slowed down about 20mph … had he caught me at the speed at which I’d originally been going, well that would be another story entirely! (In my defence, I was late for rowing practice.)
Happy national Janae is back treading the weather beaten trail day!!

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My Grandma lives in So Cal also. She’s in Torrance, which is where I am from.

Today I plan on running 7 miles down by the lakefront. My husband is busy basically all the time and rather than whine I about it I’ve decided to take advantage of it. This way I can take my time on my run after work without having to rush home to make dinner. It’s kind of nice.

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I’ve tried calamari and I wasn’t a fan, it was rubbery and just didn’t taste like anything! And I only have one “real” grandparent still alive, my mom’s mom. All my others died well before I was born, or my parents even got married! My grandmother re-married though when I was 6, so her husband really is my grandfather! They live in KC with my parents and most of my family!

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I don’t like most seafood. Except shrimp. I like shrimp.
My grandmother lives in MA.
My plan says to run 5. But I am dreading it and just not going to do it (today). I don’t want to dread my workouts. So I will bike today and tee up the run for tomorrow.
It was quite a few years ago. Trying to keep it that way.

The Kidless Kronicles

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Good luck on your run today! :)

I am doing 5.66 miles, which is 9.11 km (9-11).

LOVE calamari!

I can’t for the life of me remember which hotel this was, or where (either somewhere in California or Florida), but we stayed at one that had fresh cookies at the registration desk. I am not kidding – I got one every single time I walked past. My husband was embarrassed. I wasn’t. :)

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unfortunately, my grandparents have all passed and so have my husbands. i do remember spending time with mine though ( i never got to meet my mom’s mom because we never had enough money to fly to austrailia where she lived ). great memories!!!!

gonna run 3.5 miles ( or maybe 4, depends on how it goes. )

hubs just got a silly speeding ticket going down hill. crazy policy here some times.

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Billy’s grandparents look so young!!

I love seafood and will pretty much eat anything except calamari. I don’t like how rubbery it tastes. Mike hates all seafood so I rarely have it.

I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket. I have gotten tickets for other things, though.

I haven’t decided about my distance for today’s run yet. It’s amazing weather, so I might go further than I normally would.

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It’s awesome to feel that way about your spouse’s family – Brooke is lucky! :)

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I love the sweet pictures of Brooke. Especially the one with Billy’s gma. I love that spiked hair. I hope it never goes away!

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I think I love most seafood and love calamari! It is so good with a dill dip :)
My grandma lives about 20 mins away from us.
I have never had a speeding ticket!!

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I AGREE 100%! I have said it before and I’ll say it again, the chocolate/vanilla hot/cold combo of vanilla ice cream and brownies is the best thing ever. It might even beat out chocolate and peanut butter because of the fact that it covers almost every sense: smell, taste, texture…so good. Congrats for your comeback! I’ve got an appointment for the reading of an MRI in 2.5 hours that may result in my own comeback. Fingers crossed!

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Oh my word, those pictures of Brooke with her great grandparents are way too precious for words. Her facial expressions are precious and totally crack me up.

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Brooke is so expressive! Love that picture of her with her great-grandpa!

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Grandparents are the best! So awesome that you’re running again! :) I’m doing 3 miles because that’s what is scheduled on my training plan

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Can’t believe he wouldn’t look at the picture and/or let them off the hook. Lame sauce.
My Gma Jane lives in the same town I do. I eat lunch at her house at least twice a week and she ALWAYS has at least 2 kinds of fresh fruit cut up. She’s fantastic!
Running 5 miles today.
So glad you are back to running!

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I just wanted to let you know… my Toyota dealership where I take my car has a fantastic waiting room! You get a free token for a soft drink from a machine (it’s like an automatic win slot machine! haha) and they always have fresh, warm cookies whose aroma fills the room and makes waiting for your car to be repaired that much more enjoyable. They even have free computers so you can access the internet. But the warm chocolate chip cookies are what really makes it great. I think places are catching on!

I hope the DMV picks up on this warm cookie trend!

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Oh, I have stayed at those hotels with the cookies! Yum! They will always get my business.

This week is my “easy week” according to my SmartCoach plan. I did 4 miles on the treadmill this morning! Welcome back to running! It’s great when you get the go ahead from the doc to tart running again. I got my clearance about a month ago. Yay! (I had two surgeries this summer, not a baby- just to clear up any confusion)

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Is there any seafood that you don’t like? Ever tried calamari… do you like it?
– I <3 <3 loveeee seafood! and def love calamari prepared anyway fried, grilled, sauteed etc…

Where do your grandparents live by? Great-grandparents?
– Both sets have passed away but I still have family all over the US

Since today is a National Holiday (because I am making my running comeback today), how many miles are you going to run?
– Yay!! Did 4 miles this morning in the cool crisp air :)

When was the last time you got a speeding ticket?
-knock on wood no speeding tickets yet ;)

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As always your families are too cute too handle, you are a lucky girl. Enjoy your run, can’t wait to hear about it!

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That picture of Brooke with Billy’s grandma is the sweetest thing ever! Love calamari (if it’s fried). Agree….brownies and ice cream are a match made in heaven.

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Love this! Brooke is so adorable with all of the faces she makes.

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Ooooh I love ALL seafood! This looks like such a fabulous meal!

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I don’t actually have any grandparents, they had all passed away before I was born. I do have a kind of foster grandmother, who kept watch of my mother when her parents died at 18, and she is about a 6 hour drive from me- I don’t see her often enough. Billy’s grandparents (or family, in general) seem awesome!

The only speeding ticket I have ever got was when I was 19. It was a camera, not a cop. Technically, though, it was my dad’s ticket. I was in his car, so the ticket went to him, but he still made me pay it!

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Good luck with getting back into running. I’d be interested in hearing about how it affects you with breastfeeding as you get more and more into it? That’s the thing I’m worried about when I start back again after this baby comes.

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Hi Jessica!

I just wanted to weigh in for you because I was worried about this too before I started running again post-baby. :-)

I had my baby 5 months ago, and I started running again as soon as I was cleared by my doctor (about 6 weeks post-baby). I transitioned back into it more slowly because I had a c section, but I personally don’t feel like my breastfeeding has been effected at all. I make sure to drink lots of water and to eat enough, but I have been breastfeeding without a hiccup since my boy was born.

I have heard by more sources than not that as long as you eat enough and drink enough, working out shouldn’t really affect your supply or anything like that. However, I have heard a few people say that when they started logging a ton of miles, they felt like their supply did drop a little. They just cut back on the miles and took it easy and their supply came back.

I’m for sure no expert, but I would think you could try it out and if it seems like it is affecting you at all, you could maybe cut back a little? You could always ask your doctor too and see what they think. Hope this helps!

Kiera

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Thanks Kiera! I’m due in about 3 weeks, and have been able to still run some, so I’m hoping to get right back into it as soon as I’m cleared by the doctor. I’m going to train for my first marathon in June, so am just looking for all the information and advice I can for running while breastfeeding a newborn! Thanks for your experience, it’s great to hear that it worked well for you!

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These are all very justified reasons that you married Billy. Dessert is an important part of life! I love all of Brooke’s facial expressions – too stinkin cute!

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I’m so glad that the grandparents got to meet Brooke!

Growing up my grandparents were close so we saw them about every other week. But now I live 13 hours away and only see them twice a year.

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Going to do 5 miles today. I hope. I need more time in the day to get things done. Ugh.

Buca de Beppo! I haven’t been there in over a year. It’s always crazy crowded to. If you drove down Hamilton by Bascom there’s Road Runner Sports (great running store) and that’s the one that does the womens runs every third tuesday of the month.

I love seafood. Especially sushi. Calamaru rocks. :) You just got to find a place that makes fantastic.

My grandparents in law live in the Sacramento area (HOT!) and mi abuela lives in the Salinas Valley (cool).

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I love seafood – especially calamari!

My grandparents live in Miami, FL.

I’m planning on running an easy 3 miler today.

I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket! I got pulled over once but never got a ticket…not gonna lie, I cried & the guy let me go. Oops.

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I am not a seafood person. I can handle wild salmon most of the time, and sometimes tilapia, but that’s about it. I can’t handle the fishy taste or the texture of a lot of seafood.

There is nothing better than waking up to a national holiday that you didn’t know about before! In honor of this momentous day, I am going to run 5 miles.

Yay for your first day of running!!

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I’m not a fan of seafood. I really only like talpia, salmon & halibut. I’ve never had a speeding ticket (or any other ticket) before. On my side, I don’t have any more grand parents, but Jason still has one set, but they live in Idaho (I live in Cali). They are so sweet, but too far away. His grandmother is like 4 feet tall & so adorable and his grandfather is like 6’5″ and so cute!

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Ah, Brooke is so freaking adorable!! I love the faces she makes!

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I love the photos of Brooke and her great grandparents – the one with great Grandma is incredibly sweet!!

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I hope everything goes well in your return to running! I’m super excited and finally got back up to running 9 miles today. It’s been awhile. I’m sure you’ll be back to your awesome running mark before you know it.

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Oh my goodness I love whipped cream too! And I love Brooke…could she get any cuter? And seriously I’m not gonna lie when I say that pasta dish nearly had me licking my screen. YuM!

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OH MY! Brooke already has your facial expressions nailed! I love her face with grandpa holding her :)

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I’ve never liked seafood, any of it. Prior to going veg I began to like crab cakes (clearly the priciest sea food on the menu would be the one I’d like), but that’s it.

I never got to meet great grandparents or grandfather’s on either side. Both grandmother’s died when I was young and they lived far away so I wasn’t close to them. I’ve always had a hard time comprehending people’s close relationships with their grandparents because I never experienced it.

I’ve had 1 speeding ticket (knock on wood) and it was in 2005. I think I was going 86 in a 65.

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Oh my goodness! his grandparents seem so sweet! I want to adopt them! Yay for Buca! Thats a family favorite:)

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What a fun family dinner!

And yay for broccoli <3

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In Ohio, cake and ice cream is as ubiquitous as walking down the street and swearing is in NYC. Great combinations are always classic.

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Haha. LOVE that his g-parents love dessert too :) My g-parents have all died, but they are amazing people :) My grandmas both loved dessert & herbal tea, so that’s where I get it from, I am sure.

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Unfortunately I do not have my grandparents anymore. Luckily my BF has wonderful, loving grandparents that I have hijacked as my own! Grandparents are such a blessing.

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I have 2 grandma’s that are still alive. They both live half way across the country. It was so fun when they got to meet my kids. Great grandparents are even better than grandparents!

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hahaha that picture with the statue is hilarious! Brooke has the best expressions- I like her bold eyes in the pic with Billy’s grandpa too haha. Yesterday I was showing people the picture of “floating baby” and laughing so hard about it.. Brooke is really going to enjoy having all these moments in pictures :)

I love calamari- and pretty much all other seafood.. so good!

Today is a cross train day for me so I did a 8 mile walk with the dogs.. so happy that you get to start running again!

Last time I got a speeding ticket was senior year of high school- I was speeding to my chiro appt haha

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I have never received any type of speeding/driving ticket! Lucky me considering when I first got my license I thought I was soooo cool and such a rebel driving at 90mph on 280. Now I don’t feel such a need to drive fast. ;)

ps. Brooke is adorable!

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Did I miss something? Did you get a speeding ticket or something? :) Last one I got was about a year and a half ago. It wasn’t pretty, I lost my cool and said a few choice things to the officer, crumpled up the ticket and threw it. Seriously. Not proud, but he was the meanest cop I’ve ever come across…the motor cycle cop that almost killed me when running was a close second.

I heart brownies and ice cream…big time, and now I want Italian food and chocolate. Thanks a lot.

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By the way, that cop got the last laugh. He gave me to tickets that totalled $500. Ouch.

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There’s a hotel we used to stay at in Anchorage specifically because it served milk and fresh cookies. Comfort Inn Ship Creek, if you ever make it up there. haha :)

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Brownies and ice cream go together like peanut butter and jelly :) It’s hard to think of eating one without the other!

And Brooke’s face in all of the pictures! Too cute! Her eyes are SO big!
xo

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I love all seafood – especially fresh calamari!

Billy’s grandparents seem so precious! None of my grandparents are living, but I think of them daily and treasure my memories with them.

Last year, I got pulled over on the way home from school on a Friday (but didn’t get a ticket), and then the very next Monday I got pulled over on the way to school (but again didn’t get a ticket). It was crazy! The only way to avoid it was to quit going to work, so that’s what I did. Just kidding. :)

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That picture of Brooke looking up at her grandma is priceless!
I like all seafood that I’ve tried so far. In fact I just had sushi this weekend and it was so good. Never gotten a single ticket ( I hope I didn’t just jinx it)

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These pictures are so precious! Brooke is so blessed with so many loving people!
I looooves all seafood (except there’s seriously some weird super fresh ones in Korea… like sea cucumber… usually still moving a little bit because it’s so fresh).

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grandparents are seriously the best! did you know it was even grandparent’s day on sunday?? my grandparents live in kansas city, MO, stepgrandparents in charleston, SC and grandma-in-law lives in florida! i only knew because i walked in a target for one thing and walked out with 32 other things. also…i like zero percent seafood. nooo thank you!

i’ve also never been pulled over but know when this happens…i will have an absolute meltdown!

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I know what hotel that is! I have stayed there and the chocolate chip cookies gave it away.

Calamari is delicious and I am a fan of all seafood.

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Those facial expressions with his grandparents are priceless! Buca’s is awesome! I haven’t been there since my grad school graduation though (07). Vanilla ice cream on top of a warm dark choc brownie equals heaven! :)

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I really wish I was part of your family

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I love the look on Brooke’s face when she is looking at her great grandma. Priceless!

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Oh my gosh, that picture of Brooke looking up at the grandma is so precious! She looks like, “I know you! I love you!”. So sweet.

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First, all that food on the table looks delicious and second, that picture of Brooke looking at the statue made me laugh out loud for real haha I am not a seafood person (I live in New England, you think I would be!). The only thing close to seafood I eat is homemade linguine and clams…with clams from the can.

My grandparents are 45 minutes and 2.5 hours away while my husbands are 15 minutes away. I’m not going to lie though as much as I love my grandparents they are not as fun as my husbands. My grandparents don’t speak English well so it’s still hard to communicate with them. But there is always communication through food and we have that part down :)

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I used to love ALL seafood. Later in life now (I’m 32) I’ve for some reason grown a hate for mussels???? not sure why when they used to be my absolute favorite, but for some reason, as time has gone by..they gross me out. I also used to love calamari, but after reading a weird and disturbing article recently, I will never touch the stuff again. Doesn’t matter that the article dealt with raw, uncooked, squid, it was enough of an image that I just can’t get past it to deal with calamari. LOL. My favorite seafood now is scallops. Love scallops.

My grandparents live in New Jersey. I live in Ga, luckily they come to us once or twice a year. My husband only has one remaining grandparent, his grandfather on his dad’s side. Sadly, all our Great Grandparents are gone.

I pinkie promise this next confession… I have never ever had a speeding ticket. Ever. I’ve had 2 car accidents, both of which were neither my fault (seriously) and no speeding tickets, nor traffic violations. I just never really find the speed limits on our roads to be all that slow. I mean…really, why go faster than 50 on a 2 lane road? or past 35 in front of a school? and who in the world needs to do more than 80 on a hwy with other cars? there is no where I need to be that quickly.

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Aw, this was a very nice post. Finding the time
and actual effort to generate a top notch
article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.

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