Spring Break Oh Eleven!

It began with some early morning belated birthday gift opening on Saturday. After the four-weeks-and-three-days-on-a-boat-shipping debacle of Lily's birthday package, I decided it was easier and faster to hand deliver!

Book!

Where the Wild Things Are, Dutch Style:

Hello Kitty nightgown/dresses and wooden clogs - what all the kids are wearing these days. 

Then it was time for a litte roadtrip to Charlotte:

Cause Schmeegy got married!!! 

(Does that mean I have to start calling her Mrs. Schmeegy?!)

The ladies of Beverly Woods:

Kelly was my chauffer/date:

We only miss each other a little bit:

Who wouldn't want to marry this gorgeous girl?!

Did I mention that the Rochester O'Brien's were in town too? 

Nothing says Keen Family Fun like the pancake house!

There were a few minutes to relax on the porch. 

I caught up on People, Rory caught up on The Great Gatsby.

Smitherman is so cool she doesn't need sunglasses:

And no visit to Charlotte would be complete without a trip to the Hickory Tavern. 

Where there was a balloon artist. Who made Smithers a Luigi.

 A match made in heaven!

Love triangle:

I love you more! No, I love you more!

On the way back to Raleigh, we made our traditional spring break pilgrimage to Chapel Hill (or Chapa Hiiiiii as Rory called it):

I think this series of Kelly trying to get a group shot is kind of hilarious :)

Can you tell we're related?

Best friends:

Rory trying to lick syrup off of her elbow at Breadman's.
(I've taught her everything she knows!)

LUCY!!!

Rory Hobbs, Dog Whisperer:

Lily Hobbs, Professional Downhill Runner:

We had a play date at my favorite park with Ashley and Graham (aka Hammy, aka Graham Cracker):

Followed by some snuggly silliness at lunch:

There were Webster O'Brien's in Raleigh:

Traditional spring break blue moons on a patio:

Silly faces:

And more snuggles!

Waiting in line at the second Apple store that didn't have iPads:

How did this trip go by so quickly?!

(True love is wedging your large self in the middle of 2 car seats so you can spend as much time as possible with your nieces!)

Why are we smiling, I HATE this part! 

(But love this picture!)

Hobbs girls (and boy), Spring Break Oh Twelve in Amsterdam?

I'm Trapping a Mouse and Going to a Wedding!

I have clearly been driven slightly mad by the nighttime visits from my arch enemy the mouse. (Note: I have been referring to him by names other than Mickey which are not really appropriate for a blog that my parents read.) Evidence of my madness are my recent google searches which include "How long do mice live" and "How to kill a mouse. Dead. Forever". 

The Creepy News:

• An adult weighs about 1/2 ounce and is about 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long, including the 3 to 4 inch tail.
• They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface.
• They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface.
• They can slip through a crack that a pencil will fit into (sightly larger than 1/4 inch in diameter).
• Barf. 

The False Information:

• Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours.

(My mouse has been surprising me the past few mornings. In daylight. The internet lies.)

The Good(ish) News:

• The life span of a mouse is about nine to 12 months. So even if he continues to evade traps, poison, and my short fuse, Mickey will hopefully die of natural causes soon. 

Here are the treats I left for Mickey while I'm gone for Spring Break. Apparently Dutch mice prefer all natural peanut butter. 

(Don't worry, I won't post any after shots!)

In completely unrelated news, did I mention that I'm flying home TODAY? For Schmeegy's wedding?! If not for the mouse in my house my life would be kinda perfect :)

Haarlem (The extra "a" makes it fancy!)

The weather has been astonishingly gorgeous here lately - bright sunshine until 8:00 at night. (Although as I write this post, I'm still drying out from the frigid downpour that attacked me during my morning commute.) On Saturday, Heidi, Kate and I decided to take advantage of the sun and warmer temperatures to bike to Haarlem, a town about 20 kilometers west of the Dam. 

2 of the many reasons Kate and I are friends: She loves pink, and coordinates her outfits with her bike :)

Dutch cottages along the water:

 No tall buildings in site :)

Windmill!

Look, I can read Dutch: Bike Parking!

These enormous ferrys kept floating by, full of bikes:

Quaint little streets:

The main square had a church:

A statue of an inventor:

And a market:

Complete with Dutch herring. 

(Doesn't raw/pickled fish look so much more appetizing with a flag stuck in it?!)

 The (windy!) ride home:

 A sheep!

Please note: If you plan to be biking for 4 hours on a sunny day, I would recommend sunscreen, otherwise you end up with sunburnt hands and funny tan lines on your wrists.