Thank you all so much on your kind and encouraging comments on my last post!!
Favorite dinner of the week was a Southwestern Chicken Salad with a loaf of store-bought french bread:
Phil just sprinkled some rotisserie chicken seasoning on top of the chicken breast and grilled them (above was only the first batch of chicken). I set up a salad bar with lettuce, black beans (made the kids take their ages in beans), corn, cheese, scallions, fritos, bacon, and I added some smoked paprika and chili powder to a Peppercorn Ranch dressing to make it a little more southwesterny.
Our lives have turned into all shop talk all the time to get The Ice Cream Cottage opened by Mother's Day weekend, fingers crossed. We are currently getting quotes from contractors to do the work needed on the building, working with someone to create tshirts, calling insurance companies to get insured before our lease starts on April 1, and researching and ordering equipment.
Declan drew his own version of the shop, and I loved his "Grab" window, because that's what you do when someone is handing you an ice cream, right?
Phil and I have been very intentional about trying to have a date once a week where we don't talk about the shop (we never succeed) but it's nice to keep trying! Honestly though, we have dreamed of opening this ice cream shop for so long and we can't believe it's going to happen. So exciting!
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| St. Joseph's Day dinner by the beach |
Let's see what else happened this past week? JP went back to college to finish the rest of his spring semester at Franciscan. Two years went by so fast! And he only has one year left until he graduates (thanks to his high school AP classes). He is trying to figure out if he wants to go the medical school route or the Physician Assistant school route, and if he wants/needs to take a year off in between college and the next school in order to get patient care hours as an EMT. He doesn't need those hours for medical school, though it will look good on his application. I think it all matters on where he gets accepted as it's all so competitive.
Andrew went away with friends to ski last weekend, staying at one of the friend's houses. Did I mention he has some very wealthy friends who are very generous and invite him to go with them? He had so much fun and then his job started this week at the ice cream shop where he has worked for years. He will continue working there until our shop opens.
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| I honestly don't know which one Andrew is - ha! |
Eamon's first day back to work is tonight and he will continue to work there for a few shifts all summer, in addition to our shop. We just felt really bad taking away all of our kids from this other shop that has been so good to them. Maggie chicken-sat for our neighbors last weekend and got paid in eggs - yippee! Brendan is finally feeling better after getting diagnosed with strep after two negative tests and nine days of a fever. Poor little guy. He was able to go back to school for his first ever fieldtrip and bus ride with his 1st Grade class.
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| He said everyone was wild and crazy :) |
Phil's MRI of his kidney cyst came back benign, thanks be to God and I joined Weight Watchers...again...hoping to shed a few pounds before I start eating ice cream every day. I think it might be an impossible goal and I should just embrace the midlife chubbiness.
Have a wonderful weekend celebrating the solemnity of the Annunciation and remember to indulge in all the things you gave up this Lent!
The scramble to figure out meals every single day (often THREE TIMES A DAY) is real! One of the hardest parts of being a grownup to me for sure.
ReplyDeleteHaving started two small businesses with my husband over the years, it spills over into everything (but often in a good way!!). Even when we get away alone together, a big chunk of time is devoted to talking about the kids and/or work!
It is definitely consuming our thoughts and convos, good thing we like each other ;)
DeleteSo glad Brendan got to go on the field trip! Sounds like a great week you all had, I cannot believe how fast 2 years of college went for JP. What the heck?! You should have a "Maggie in the Middle" signature ice cream sandwich. 2 cookies with whatever flavor ice cream Maggie likes best! I cannot wait to hear more details, especially about what flavors you will have. My special treat flavor is Blue Moon but it's such a midwestern flavor I don't know that it would be available for you.
ReplyDeleteHey you coined the term, you should coin the dessert! :)
DeleteI am DYING over making your kids take their age in beans!! Genius!!
ReplyDeleteThe ice cream shop sounds like such a dream come true, although I'm sure it will also be a lot of work - but seems like a perfect fit for your family. Our local shop is within walking distance and my girls are already set on working there when they turn 14!
I'm a primary care PA and my sister is an MD -- deciding to go down our individual paths really hinged on our personalities and life goals. I absolutely love my job but really love the flexibility to be home with kiddos some of the time (I've worked 3 days a week since having kids) and also enjoy the collaborative nature of my work. I want to work as part of a team and have a physician to help advise me when I need it (obviously this was more of a concern when I first graduated, but I STILL don't want to be the big kahuna in charge of everything!). I have no interest in the business/administrative side of things; I like to go in, see my patients, and come home :) I also really loved the fact that I was able to start my career at age 24.
My sister, on the other hand, is very detail-oriented and type A. She has pursued subspecialty fellowship to enhance her training and offer robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery (so far she's the only one to offer it in her mid-size town). She is just now, at age 34, starting her first year as an attending physician (because of the 2 year fellowship). I have never once regretted going the PA route, but I know she would not be satisfied with that and despite the additional hours of training and debt load, she's very happy with her path so far. Of course, our earning potentials are very different, but some of that is due to the fact that I'm in one of the lowest paying fields and she's in a surgical specialty -- surgical PAs would earn much more than I do. If your son has any particular questions I'd be happy to try to answer them, but ultimately would encourage him to shadow several PAs and MDs in different fields to get a sense of what direction he wants to go!
Thank you for your detailed comment Kate!! JP is very easy going and I could see him being a PA for sure, but he seems really interested in becoming an orthopedic surgeon as well. There are four doctors on my side of the family (sister, brother, SIL and BIL) and each of them has a different idea on what he should do. Some feel like it only makes sense to become a doctor and others feel like the schooling and debt wasn't worth it, others think there will be too many PA's in the future and others think that doctors won't be as needed in the future. No matter what he chooses I know he'll be okay :)
DeleteI love black beans and could definitely eat my age in them! :) Glad Phil's cyst was benign. What a relief! I think that the best ice cream in the world is on the Cape! I know we definitely eat our fair share of it when we are in Yarmouth. My favorite flavor is French Raspberry Truffle. I can't wait to hear about all the flavors of ice cream at your new shop. I'm so excited for you guys!!!!
ReplyDeleteOoooh French Raspberry Truffle sounds extra fancy. Have you ever been to Katie's in Hyannis? That's our old shop :)
DeleteThe dinner assembly line looks very efficient. Love the bean allotment.
ReplyDeleteI think I would find it hard not to constantly chat about the new business venture too.
I am always in awe of some of the cool adventures our kids have experienced thanks to the generosity of their friends' families.
We make them eat their age in lots of things they don't care for. Isn't it great how God provides the experiences that we feel we can't? I love that.
DeleteI want to Chicken Sit for eggs too!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you guys; you deserve all the best and this Ice Cream Cottage is going to be so much fun for your family. Work too, but you know, fun kind of work.
The Southwest Chicken Salad spread is right up my alley and I will easily eat my age in beans.
Chicken sitting for eggs is way more valuable than getting paid nowadays :)
DeleteJust wanted to weigh in as an internet stranger married to a doctor (a DO family physician): I VERY OFTEN wish my husband were not a doctor, or at least that being a doctor were different and more family friendly. It has been very hard on our family and especially on my husband since he got out of residency and went into the “real world” of primary care. He has basically no free time and is just not able to spend the time with his patients that they deserve, nor the time with his family that we deserve. I definitely won’t encourage any of our kids to pursue medicine. I wish it weren’t this way! I think the PA route has much to recommend it!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your viewpoint. In the end I will support JP's decision and know their will be joys and sacrifices along the way.
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