2023 Memorial Day Weekend

As always this weekend is a mixture of emotions. Growing up in a military town and knowing people who were killed while serving our country rightly casts a somber mood.

But, gathering with friends and celebrating the un-official start to summer in a manner of our choosing is a nice reminder of what freedom is. I am so grateful for those who have given of themselves to preserve our country.

Cleaning and Preparing for…a Cookout

You thought I was going to say, “baby”, didn’t you? We have been doing that for weeks and took this weekend to focus on ourselves and our friends.

Saturday we did some planning for the remainder of the year. We saw that some people have a family crest and that just doesn’t fit us…but the idea of having a symbol for our family did resonate.

So we hung up this sign in our home office (Willow approved):

Sunday we cleaned our rooftop deck to prepare for summer and you will all be glad to know it is officially un-winterized. The TV is set up and ready for summer night movies and Braves baseball.

We also cleaned up the backyard and rearranged where our firewood and Blackstone griddle are stored. We would welcome some tips on a good way to cover our Traeger and/or Blackstone when cooking so I can cook in the rain.

After cleaning the Traeger inside and out we were ready to welcome our church small group for a pig-pickin’ lunch and pool party.

Cookout and Pooltime

You all know that we love to entertain, but our small group has not had the pleasure of experiencing an “Austin and Courtney” party. So we rectified that yesterday.

I made pulled pork sandwiches with homemade sweet coleslaw and Cheerwine BBQ sauce in Hot, Medium, and Mild. Courtney made my favorite broccoli salad that our good friend Erica introduced us to over 10 years ago.

I made the bacon bits myself and I have to say the technique I used worked flawlessly with very little spatter. Reply to this email if you want to know how I did it!

Our small group brought sides and desserts and before we ate I was able to use the line my great-grandmother always used before every meal:

The weather did not cooperate for the pool party as it was unseasonably cool on Monday here in Atlanta. The sun did come out late in the afternoon and warm it up enough for us to spend an hour at the pool.

Bacon Explosion

The highlight for me was the appetizer that I made: The Bacon Explosion

I have been tinkering with this recipe for 14 years. I have never been able to get the taste profile just right. Usually it is too salty, too hot, too dry, or just “to something”.

Yesterday I nailed it. I used my mild Cheerwine sauce which was VERY sweet and my go to sweet BBQ rub that I use on my pork shoulders. It was very well received.

I’m really proud of this effort. Those of you who suffered through my earlier attempts, you deserve to taste this. (I’m looking at you Brian, Joe, Eric, and Matt.)

Baby Update

We are less than 3 weeks away from Baby Lee’s arrival. The name and pictures will be revealed first HERE on the newsletter. So if you know someone who wants to be among the first in-the-know, tell them to subscribe.

Until our next adventure,

Austin, Courtney, and Willow