The New Guards

on June 5, 2010

A few weeks ago, Kath sent the Husband and I an E-Invite for a â€œHello, HTP; Goodbye KERFâ€ party. She called it â€œthe changing of the guards.â€

Iâ€™m REALLY said that Kath and Matt are leaving Charlotte the same month that weâ€™re moving in! :( But luckily for us, sheâ€™s introduced us to a new group of potential friends.

Kath has a great big backyard, which is perfect for entertaining. I spent the afternoon helping Matt prep for the party by making Emilyâ€™s Vegan Black Bean Burger Recipe and chopping vegetables for the grill.

While Matt and I formed veggie burger patties, I snacked on Cinna-Chip Bread from Great Harvest.

Have I mentioned that there is a Great Harvest only 1.0 mile from our new place? I have a feeling that weâ€™ll be eating this delicious bread VERY often!

And thenâ€¦ people started to arrive and we spread out all over the backyard. The boys started to play Frisbee and the women chatted.

My cookout meal:

Three cheers for Emilyâ€™s Vegan Black Bean Burger Recipe! I loved the addition of pumpkin seeds and carrots to the mix. It made the beans wonderfully crunchy and delicious.

Plus, cous cous and a yummy salad mix.

I also drank one beer. But just one! And tons of water and mock-tails (non-alcoholic cocktails with seltzer water):

Desserts were also amazing. There were chocolate chip cookies, banana pudding, and strawberry shortcakes.

I had banana pudding and 1/2 a strawberry shortcake.

The perfect ending to a perfect party! 🙂

We leave for Orlando TOMORROW!

{ 36 comments }

Shallin June 5, 2010, 10:31 pm
Caitlin, I love the pics on Kath’s blog of you girls doing cartwheels! Sooo fun!
- caitlin June 5, 2010, 10:35 pm
  hehe it was fun! i just wanted to cartwheel across her lawn!
Heather (runningwithsass.com) June 5, 2010, 10:32 pm
yay! so glad it was a great success! So weird to see my best friend (Jen) in a picture with you guys!
- caitlin June 5, 2010, 10:36 pm
  I loved Jen and might adopt her as my new training partner 🙂
Erin June 5, 2010, 10:43 pm
That cookout looks delicious! Glad you’re meeting new people–it can definitely be hard moving to a new city.
Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter June 5, 2010, 10:44 pm
The buns on the burgers look absolutely phenomenal? Are they from Great Harvest as well?
- Caitlin June 5, 2010, 10:46 pm
  yes, rosemary garlic buns!
Jenna June 5, 2010, 11:05 pm
Why didn’t you and kristien just move into kaths house?! Did you ever think of that?!
Samantha @ Health, Happiness & Skinny Jeans June 5, 2010, 11:06 pm
Ohh, I want to try that burger recipe. I am trying to eat more vegan dishes these days and that one looks great for a summer BBQ!
Wei-Wei June 5, 2010, 11:07 pm
The buns looked great! I saw pictures of bags of them on KERF, and boy did they look like lovely, smooth puffs of awesomeness. The burgers look like cookies! 😛

I’m glad you had a lot of fun and met a lot of people. It should help with your transition! 🙂

Wei-Wei
Cynthia (It All Changes) June 5, 2010, 11:08 pm
That is so crazy that you are changing places almost. At least you got to spend some time together before she and Matt moved.
Claire June 5, 2010, 11:18 pm
Sounds and looks like a great night lady! I can’t wait to meet you guys at the HLS because it always seems like a great time when bloggers are together and I have yet to experience it! I also wish you were my training partner…for my fall marathon and late summer half…
- Caitlin June 5, 2010, 11:26 pm
  Can’t wait to meet you earlier!
brittany June 5, 2010, 11:57 pm
wow kath’s home and back yard is so BEAUTIFUL!! She must be sooo sad to leave there! I wish i could move in! 🙂
Allie June 6, 2010, 1:00 am
I hope you don’t feel the need to say “just one” beer! Beer is part of summer cookouts! You are a human- a beer-loving, young, human -so don’t feel bad for having some brewskis! if you had 2 or 4 or 7 or even 12 I would not judge you! (well, maybe if you had 12 every night i would). Honestly, If you had 1 beer because that’s all you wanted, great, but do not feel the need to tell us the exact number you had, or feel guilty if you had more than you wish to tell.

I don’t read your blog to account for you, or to mimic your every move. I hope I’m not over stepping the line or being too forthcoming (in an uninvited way), I just want to be a voice of reassurance that (many of) your readers won’t iJudge you for having fun with friends. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
- caitlin June 6, 2010, 10:23 am
  hahah you are so sweet. thanks for not judging 🙂
  
  i said ‘just one’ because it’s kind of hard for me not to drink a lot at events like that! plus, i’ve drank every night this week since getting to charlotte! so i did feel the need to limit… too much booze is not healthy!
Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) June 6, 2010, 1:04 am
Wow, what a great get-together! Such a shame Kath + Matt are moving. 🙁 That GH cinna-chip bread looks amazing. All of the food does, YUM!

Jenn
Hedda June 6, 2010, 2:53 am
So happy for you Caitlin 🙂
It must feel great to return home with so many positive experiences. That hopefully eases the transition when moving.
Can’t wait to follow you in a new city! It looks so nice there, and I love the fact that they have green areas.

Enjoy your sunday, sunshine 🙂
Courtney (Pancakes & Postcards) June 6, 2010, 3:03 am
Sounds amazing. Crazy about the changing of the guard. What kind of burger bun is that? It looks delicious. And word on the as many beers as you want 🙂 Cannot wait to hear about your new adventures!
- caitlin June 6, 2010, 10:23 am
  it was a rosemary garlic bun from great harvest
Freya @ Brit Chick Runs June 6, 2010, 3:18 am
Those burgers seriously look like cookies!? I am dying to make that recipe now 🙂 I’m glad you’ve had fun – it is just so sad that you move as Kath leaves 🙁
Have a safe trip back 🙂
Helen June 6, 2010, 7:15 am
What a great idea of Kath’s to introduce you to all her friends. It will be great to already know people when you move. It’s just a shame that Kath is moving out as you move in! The burgers look delicious, in fact, your whole meal looks lovely!
Camille June 6, 2010, 7:21 am
I feel like, to make the guard change totally complete, you guys should have moved in to Kath’s house!
I am always so jealous of her house… it looks adorable!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine June 6, 2010, 7:36 am
The bun on that burger looks so yummy!! Some kind of pesto maybe? And cinna chip bread? You’re definitely going to be enjoying that Great Harvest, I can tell! Wish I had one closer to my house 🙁 Hope you have a safe trip home!
Jessica @ The Process of Healing June 6, 2010, 10:21 am
That sounds like so much fun! You’re so lucky to have someone to introduce you to others in your new town!
Amber K @ sparkpeople June 6, 2010, 10:52 am
It must be amazing to go to a function with so many foodies who know great recipes! Looks like so much fun. =)
Nicci June 6, 2010, 12:31 pm
I’ll definitely be stopping by Emilys blog for that recipe. Ilove banana pudding, especially in the summer time. Looks like you’ll have plenty to do in Charlotte and new friends to explore the city with.
Jo June 6, 2010, 1:04 pm
oh wow the bun on that burger looks fantastic! what kind is it?
Heather @ Side of Sneakers June 6, 2010, 3:11 pm
I think it’s so awesome that you were able to meet a bunch of new friends before moving- it’ll make a new city seem so much friendlier! (Plus, they’re already pre-screened for you;))
Jessica June 6, 2010, 3:25 pm
Do you know if the banana pudding was Paula Deen’s recipe? I know hers calls for the Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies, but that might be a common thing. If it was hers….holy cow so good!
- caitlin June 6, 2010, 7:36 pm
  yes it was but it was ‘healthified’! i’m not sure how.
Lisa June 6, 2010, 8:05 pm
Are those dill buns? They look really interesting!
- caitlin June 6, 2010, 8:56 pm
  rosemary garlic :0
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) June 6, 2010, 10:57 pm
That burger bun looks so good!!
Stacey June 7, 2010, 10:02 am
UGh. I hate that I missed the party! I had a half-marathon that day and slept for 4 hours after haha. I’m so glad you are moving to Charlotte!!! I haven’t blogged in forever, but I still read yours. Hopefully we can hang out once you get settled in! Welcome to the QC 🙂 (Oh, that’s Queen City for you newcomers, 😉
- caitlin June 7, 2010, 10:04 am
  cant wait!!! 🙂

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