Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve

Here we are...the last day of a very....interesting....year!  My family will celebrate it as we always do, by heading to my parents' house for movies, cheese and veggie trays, and lots of fried appetizer foods!  It doesn't sound all that exciting, but we do look forward to it every year.  

I always take my tarot deck and do 12-month readings for family members.  Over gooey mozzarella sticks and crunchy sauerkraut balls, they take notes and joke about what the cards say is in store for them, and they reflect on last year's reading and comment on the things that did happen as predicted.  It is a great time for us to sit and recall the good times and bad from the previous year and share the wonderment we feel over what is to come.

This year, my husband, myself, and my Mom are feeling a bit under the weather, so I don't think we'll all last until the ball drops.  This will be the first year that's happened that I can even remember.  But we'll be together in spirit, even if we've all gone home and tucked ourselves in bed when midnight arrives and 2011 begins. 

Wishing you all the very best that 2011 has to offer!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

A visit to the Whole Day Cafe in Wadsworth, Ohio


Last night, I attended a Wadsworth Relay For Life core meeting at our usual spot, the Whole Day Cafe in Wadsworth, Ohio.  It was a productive, but bittersweet meeting, as our "old" American Cancer Society Partner, Rachel,  spent the meeting working toward passing the torch to our "new" ACS Partner, Bridgett.  We'll dearly miss our awesome Rachel - she's become a very dear friend, and it won't be the same, not having her around.



By the way, she's looking for a new boyfriend, so check her out!

(HAHA...told you I'd do it, Rachel!)





While conducting business, I was able to enjoy a nice meal away from home that I didn't have to cook or clean up after.  Bliss!!!  I opted to select a taco salad, although I really wanted to try on of their breakfast crepes - I hear they're phenomenal!  Nutella cream, bananas, and pecans....seriously, how do you beat that?!

Despite the bad reputation that the humble taco salad has earned as we have grown more fat-conscious as a society, the Whole Day Cafe version was actually a very healthy option!  It is light on cheese, heavy on dark lettuce leaves, and the chili is meaty, beany and very lean.  Sour cream and quite possibly homemade salsa are served on the side, so I used the salsa only to keep the dairy content low.

It was great-tasting, for sure!  Combined with a very sweet and delicious mango smoothie, I left feeling very satisfied and looking forward to my next meeting...I think I'll try that crepe I've been craving on my next visit!




The Whole Day Cafe is located at 101 High Street in Wadsworth, Ohio, on the Northeast corner of our beautiful Historic Downtown area.  They offer an extensive food and beverage menu, full-day service, and live music on some weekends.  Check them out, and be sure to tell them Rhonda Abbott sent you!

~  Rhonda Abbott
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Wadsworth, OH

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The crazy cat family

After denying it for almost a month, I think we'd better own up to the fact that, yes, we have indeed adopted yet another stray cat into our family.  I mean, the kids have already named him (he's either "Spooky", "Pan", or "Nighhawk", depending on who you ask!), and he's already made best friends with the dogs....although the other cats aren't feeling quite as cordial.

And about those other cats:  we already had 7 feline strays who have inserted themselves into our lives, so I guess what's one more?

Although, to our credit, it's not like we even had a say in the matter - this little guy is jet black and quite stealthy!  When stepping out to let a dog outside to do its business, he sneaks in while our backs are turned so that when we come back inside, he's already on the back of the couch, looking eye-to-eye at us lazily, as if he's been perched there napping all day.

And, if we're unavailable to let him in when he is waiting patiently to ambush us when the door opens, he scratches relentlessly at the door frame until we wave the proverbial white flag and open it for him so that he may, once again, grace us with his regal presence.

Do we really, truly NEED another cat...and one who still needs fixing and shots, I might add?



NO!!!!



But, honestly, who could resist this adorable little face???






~  Rhonda Abbott
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Wadsworth, OH