Summer Time & the Living is Easy...

...it may be "easy", but it's sure HOT too!! Wow, this has been a scorcher of a summer - by far the hottest one we've had since I've been a resident of Birmingham! Not so good news for our yard & flower beds - I hope my little spurts of watering will be enough to save them.

This summer has been a very relaxing one - since we got back from our beach trip around Memorial Day, we've been keeping it close to home. In an effort to stay close to the nice air-conditioned house, we've been spending a lot of time cooking & doing inside projects. Last weekend we did a big BBQ for JD's mom & sister - we had all the 'fixins... pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, slaw, baked beans, & a new blueberry dessert recipe that I wanted to try - it was YUMMY!! I will need to post it for you to try! Everything was delicious & we had enough leftovers to feed the neighborhood!! Looking forward to re-creating this menu when we host Supper Club later this month!

JD & I have also been trying to focus on "healthy living" this summer - eating good foods & getting lots of exercise. We joined the local JCC back in April & immediately fell in love with all it had to offer - cardio machines, free weights, TONS of fun & interesting classes (including SPIN & ZUMBA!!), indoor & outdoor pools, etc... I've been impressed with our continued devotion to the "J" each week!!


We also recently purchased BICYCLES!!! And we are absolutely loving them!! We started out doing short trips in our neighborhood (which is the perfect area to ride - lots of looping side streets), but have recently started charting out courses beforehand & venturing out farther in the community! We have made a few rides up to the local Winn Dixie to pick up the bare essentials (milk, etc...) - oh!! Did I mention that my sweet husband bought me a basket & installed it on my bike?!? What a thoughtful guy :) Earlier this week we even went as far as Otey's in Crestline Village (for those of you unfamiliar with the area, it's about 3.5 miles from the house) to stop in & have a beer before heading back to the house. JD has joined an online program that allows him to track his courses, distance, time, etc... & it will save our paths so we can repeat them later - Through this site we have signed up to start a challenge of 120 miles in 30 days!! We start on Monday, so wish us luck!

Here are pictures of our bikes:




Some upcoming events for the Bakers are...
*JD's cousin, Janet, is getting married this weekend
*Trip to Rosemary Beach in FL with "Mom & Dad Goodroe" later in the month
*Supper Club at the Bakers
*2 Baby showers for a co-worker (Karen's baby boy is due Sept. 30!!!)
*Birmingham Phi Mu Alum Membership Drive in September
***AUBURN FOOTBALL KICKS-OFF ON SEPT 4***

As always, things are staying pretty busy for us - but we are really enjoying our summer together :)

Until next time...

peace & love.

Oh, & of course - WWWAAAARRRRRRRR EAGLE, HEY!!!