Memorial Day Weekend

Once again we made our way to Pennsylvania for Faris’ childhood church’s annual conference. It was as much fun as I remember it being. My pictures are going to make you think the weekend was all about food, it wasn’t. There was an actual conference and we did actually attend. But I have no pictures. Who takes pictures while you are listening to teaching of the Word?

Here is some of what we did.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel on our way to our destination.
Yum!

Luke enjoyed his first Cracker Barrel lunch plus a few other Cracker Barrel bonuses.

In the Cracker Barrel candy store I picked up two little jewels.
My current mini-obsession: Jelly Belly Sours.
And this new to me item: Tootsie Pop Drops.
Think tootsie roll pop without the stick.
They are magnificent.

When we arrived in Lancaster we went directly to the town of Bird in Hand for their strawberry pie.
I’d been looking forward to this since last year.
It was a good as we remembered.

Faris, Luke and I left the conference early but not before we went to Friendly’s Restaurant.
Faris’ family always ate there when he was little.

It must have been neat for Faris to take his son.

P.S. A difference between last year and this year: Luke’s food. I hauled Luke’s frozen organic homemade food from our home to our hotel. The hotel had to keep it in their freezer for us. I also hauled up my own ceramic bowls. You didn’t think I would serve the homemade organic food I hauled in plastic bowls I microwaved, did you? In reflection, I do not think myself crazy or obsessive. I think I’m a woman of conviction. I said only organic food for Luke’s first year and I meant it, even if I had to haul it to another state.

An Addition

We are expecting our second child in mid-December!

Strawberry Picking

There might have been a few strawberries tossed about the patch.

Farmer's Market 2009!

Our Friday night Farmer’s Market is back.
It makes me happy.
It makes living inthemiddleofnowhere the tiniest bit bearable.
There are new vendors.
I can’t get over the new lettuce man.
No pesticides.
All summer this is where I’m getting my lettuce.

Mother's Day Lunch

We joined Faris’ family at a yummy Thai restaurant for lunch on Mother’s Day.














After lunch we strolled to an interesting restaurant for dessert.
Excellent outdoor seating.
Strange dessert bar.
You could pick up to five little desserts.
Five costly little desserts.
We considered walking away with the chairs, it only seemed fair.














They did have a cool coffee cream dispenser.





























Auntie Roula and Tata chased Luke up and down the promenade.
I was able to sit and enjoy myself…what a foreign concept it has become!
Thank you!

Mother's Day Brunch

The Saturday before Mother’s Day my parents came over to enjoy a Saturday morning Mother’s Day Brunch.
Quiche, Baked Cheese Grits, Delicate Potato Onion Cakes, and Fruit Salad.
Good Food + Excellent Company = Fabulous Saturday Brunch

Reading The Economist

13 Staples

John-David has 13 staples in his head.
And a rather significant bump.

I’ll let you decided how he got them:
Scenario A
In the gym parking lot, a 6 year old boy was left unattended in a car and managed to put the car in reverse.
The car was rolling backwards towards traffic.
John-David dashed out of his car with the flashlight he keeps on the driver’s side,
smashed the window and banged his head as he dove head first into the driver’s seat.

Scenario B
At work, John-David had to crouch down between conveyer belts and pipes and miscalculated when he stood up.

Scenario C
Late for class, John-David tripped going down the stairs in his apartment building.

Scenario D
Friday night John-David and his coworkers went for a joy ride on the conveyer belts at his work.
John-David fell off in a moment of tomfoolery.

Scenario E
John-David was checking his oil when the hood slipped of the stick thingy and banged his head.

Gross Alert
A picture of 13 staples.
For you, brother.

Sleeping

A nice way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Silence

I l o v e silence when my 19 month old is asleep.
It is rejuvenating.
Silence when he is awake is an entirely different matter.
I was in the kitchen when my ears pricked up like radar screens,
trying to locate the noise my son was making.
It was silent.
Mild panic set in as I raced to locate Luke, sure he
had fallen in the toilet or filled it with whoknowswhat
was writing on the walls
was balanced with one foot on the top of whoknowswhat.

My heart melted when I found him.

Recovery

It took days but Luke conquered the pesky virus
and is back to his wonderful self.
As sick people tend to do, Luke wasn’t much interested in eating for several days.
His first sustenance of any substance was macaroni and cheese.
He shoveled it in and I was so grateful.













I had to remove his shirt.
Gasp.
It became a messy affair.
A huge sickness allowance because at my table/house there is no service for the shirtless.
We come to the table dressed.

To inspire eating we took a trip to an ice cream shop.
He would not allow the ice cream goodness to pass his lips.
Can you imagine?