In a Nutshell: Sweet Summertime

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It’s been a while since my last In a Nutshell recap … almost five months have gone by (in what feels like the blink of an eye). But before I do a full recap of this summer, let me break down the past five months in a few key bullets in true consultant fashion. Since my last Nutshell post I’ve accomplished the following:

  • Posted 14 new recipes, 2 gift guides and 2 travel posts
  • Taken over 30 flights since April and spent over 120 nights in a hotel this year
  • Traveled (a few times) to North Carolina,  for the first time to Nashville, and went back to Portland, Oregon and Seattle
  • Captured countless sunrises from 30,000 feet and sunsets from the lake on Cape Cod
  • Celebrated my nephew’s first birthday
  • Decided to move to Raleigh, NC after spending the past 13 years in Boston
  • Listed my condo and sold it in 24 hours
  • Started a Boston Bucket List to see (and eat and drink) all of my favorite people and things before I say farewell to beantown

Sweet Treats

Let’s start with the sweet stuff. I experimented with lots of new flavor combinations to create some delicious recipes over the past few months. Some of my favorite recipes were my Funfetti Cookies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich CookieBlueberry Streusel MuffinsCranberry Orange Streusel Muffins, and Blueberry Galette. The definite winning recipe this summer was hands down my Indoor S’mores Bars, which I’ve probably made at least 20 times.

Smores Graham Bars

Up in the Air

There was lots of travel this summer … over 30 flights between April and August. Most of the travel was commuting back and forth to work in Orlando, but I did fit in a few fun trips as well. I went back to the Indulge Conference in Portland, Oregon this spring and then my friends Katie and Caitlin flew in to explore Portland and then we drove up to Seattle for a few days. If you’re thinking of exploring Portland or Seattle, be sure to check out my recaps of what we did and all the things we ate: Indulging in Portland and Savoring Seattle

Portland Indulge Con PDX

Escape to the Cape

My favorite summer spot is on the lake in Cape Cod, and while my weekends felt like they were way too short, there was still a lot of good times and memories made this summer.

We celebrated July Fourth this year with a lakeside lobster dinner and a patriotic sunset on the lake. The key to successfully cooking your own lobstah is to not name them, otherwise you’ll get too attached and it’s harder to eat Big Red if you’ve thought of him as more than just a meal.

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Speaking of sunsets, I think I took 900 sunset photos this summer …. each one more amazing than the last. All of these sunset photos were taking from the same spot on our dock … and it’s incredible to me how vastly different, but equally stunning they all are.

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The best sunset view is always when the Skipper is at the helm of the boat.

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Nash-Vegas

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haw y’all!

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I had a work trip to Nashville, Tennessee for a meeting this summer, and because I had never been before, decided to stay the weekend and my friend Jess flew down for a girl’s weekend. I now understand why they call it “Nash-Vegas,” though I think it took me longer to recover from the food consumed than the nightlife. I still need to write up my recap of all of the delicious food we had, but we had amazing gourmet popsicles, fried hot chicken, ice cream, biscuits, fried green tomatoes and lots of other unhealthy but delicious southern fare. The breakfast at Biscuit Love was my favorite spot of the trip.

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The Big O-N-E

Some of my favorite memories from this summer were spent with my nephew who turned one in August. My parents and I visited this little peanut down in North Carolina for birthday celebrations. It’s been so much fun watching him grow up and develop his little personality. I’m also happy to report he loves sweets, which means he’ll be a great cookie taste tester for me soon!

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I continued to fulfill my godmotherly duties by teaching him important life skills like how to make fart noises on a beach ball and encouraging use of the the noisiest toys (like the multiple Fisher Price Corn Poppers I have provided him with). Oh, and snapchat filters, of course.

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Carter made the trek up to Cape Cod for Labor Day weekend, where he was introduced to bubbles and Sundae School for the first time. Being around this little nugget definitely makes you appreciate the simple things in life again.

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Gone to Carolina 

And now for the big news of the summer ….. drumroll please …. I’m moving to North Carolina … NEXT WEEK. After 13 years in Bean Town, I’ve decided to sell my home, throw my snow shovels into the street and head south. Since this news tends to trigger lots of the same questions from different people, here’s all the answers to the question: Why Raleigh?

  • There will never be 118 inches of snow in North Carolina
  • I’ve been (and will be) staffed long-term on a project in Orlando, so I’ll cut my commute by over half
  • I worked in Raleigh for my first consulting gig out of college and have a good network of friends down there from work and other places
  • Yes there’s a boy involved … and he’s 13 months old. My brother, sister in law and nephew relocated to Chapel Hill earlier this summer so they will be close by
  • Did I mention there won’t ever be six feet of snow to shovel again?
  • My parents have plans to eventually move to the NC coast
  • It’s a great time to sell in Southie, so cha ching ba da bing
  • It was time for a change
  • And did I mention I’ll never have to shovel my roof ever again?

I’m excited (happy, sad, tired, overwhelmed, psyched, anxious, exhausted) and ALL the other feels. It is a big move, but it’s going to be a great one. You can’t go wrong when sunshine and family are involved. I’m looking forward to seeing my nephew grow up, and to be able to explore a new part of the country. I’ve already got a list of new places like Asheville, Charlotte, Charleston, Savannah and the Outer Banks that I can’t wait to explore. And I can’t wait to start incorporating some southern flare into my recipes. Though my mom keeps warning me that I’m going to need to watch my Boston “accent” in the South … though I think the boys down there will find it wicked fahkin charming.

I have spent the past month living out my Boston bucket list … which has basically been a great excuse to jam pack all of my free time in Boston with great friends and delicious food. I only wish I had been spending all my time like that, and not just waiting until I was leaving because it’s just been so much fun. So look for a post in the coming weeks recapping all the great friends and food I spent my final days in Boston enjoying.

I’ve been listening to James Taylor on repeat these days, prepping myself for the move South. It’s going to be an adventure (and not just the part where I’m road tripping from Boston to NC with my parents in my car) but I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life. Just remember to ….

“Say nice things about me ’cause I’m gone south now

Got to carry on without me, I’m gone

Gone to Carolina in my mind”

– James Taylor

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