12.09.2010

Baby Shower!

*will update with photos once I figure out how to get them off our new camera!*

One of my dearest friends, Tiffany, and her husband, Kevin came down last weekend and blessed us SOO abundantly!! Tiffany threw the loveliest baby shower for me...it was such a special day with sweet friends celebrating baby Sophia Grace's awaited arrival. The Lord even gave us SNOW during the shower - we were all inside drinking cozy tea watching the beautiful snowflakes come down. I couldn't have imagined a more fun day! I have such wonderful, generous friends...I couldn't wait to show Eric all the sweet gifts baby Sophia received! We are both overwhelmed by how the Lord, family, and friends have provided for us and our baby girl.

Meanwhile, while we were busy eating delicious finger food and sipping tea, Kevin (& Eric as support) :) was busy at our house painting the baby room for us!! Ah, what a guy! We had mentioned to them how much we loathe painting (dislike in the extremest form!) and how terrible we are at it even if we didn't hate it so much....well Kevin cheerfully volunteered to take care of it for us as a baby gift! AMAZING!

We had SUCH a fun weekend hanging out with Kevin & Tiff...sooo glad they made the drive down to visit us! They taught us a fun new game, Monopoly cards, and we stuffed our bellies as we do best! Mellow Mushroom pizza, mexican cornbread, pirate's booty, kettle corn from the Farmer's Market, all of it was sooo good. AND Tiffany stocked our freezer so we have some meals ready for us after the baby comes! She takes the word "friendship" to a new level - thank you so much Tiffany!! We love you guys! xoxo

12.08.2010

Pregnancy at 30 weeks

Jessica Munting Tsuchiya is an amazing photographer! While I was in Seattle, she graciously took some pics of my pregnant belly and then did her magic to make them look good. :) I am so happy to have such a special time documented. Thank you again, Jess!



Seattle!


Ahh...Seattle. The city that holds one of my favorite people on the planet...my beloved sister!! I went out to visit Katie, John, & Luca right before Thanksgiving and had a marvelous time with everyone. I even got to see my Dad! He was visiting them to help after Luca's surgery and our visits overlapped one day...it was very special!


We took walks, drank tea, cooked yummy food (pasta bolognese one day, potatoes au gratin another day) and of course no visit to Seattle is quite complete until there is an almond croissant involved. :) Yum yum yum. Oh and this year Katie took me to a little German grocery/deli and we got fresh pretzel rolls, Gouda cheese, and Christmas spice cookies!! It was such a treat!!

This visit was also unique in that Katie LOADED me with amazing baby items to use when baby Sophia Grace arrives! Let me put it this way...I checked a suitcase on my way home (nothing I came with went in there) and it weighed 49.9 pounds. We hit up a really fun consignment store, Katie had already stocked up on sweet girl clothes/shoes, and she is graciously letting us borrow some of Luca's items that he isn't using anymore (pack n' play, nursing pump, bath wraps, onesies, and on and on). Even Katie's friends blessed us with a beautiful diaper bag, preggo pics (another post coming on this one), and swaddling blanket - Thank you Jess & Alicia!

One of my favorite take-aways from the visit is Luca's obsession with my belly button (which is doing funky things as it stretches!) and big belly being called "Phia" (short for Sophia). Apparently he has continued to call Katie's belly (FLAT belly) Phia as well so maybe we confused the poor guy on what exactly is going on. Either he thinks every girl is pregnant with a baby Sophia in there or Phia is the new word for belly. :) In any case, his little voice couldn't be sweeter as he says his cousin's name. Can't wait for them to meet, hopefully one day soon.


Katie, how did we get so few photos together?? Happens every time...too busy enjoying every moment spending time with you! Love you!!

Michigan visit

Well once again, I don't know where to start. So much happens so quickly, I fall behind in the blogging world, and feel defeated to ever catch up...it's cyclical. But then I decide to not go down without a fight! so here I am, trying to document the past two months. Let's see where it takes us...

During mid-October, I had the pleasure and privilege to go visit Chris in his new med-school world...which happens to be in East Lansing, MI (at MSU). It was so much fun!!! The weather was GORGEOUS, fall leaves at their peak, and we found the perfect balance of activity and rest. On Saturday, we went to an apple orchard where they had fresh donuts and apple cider (groan! so so good), a fun corn maize, and fruit flinging. What is fruit flinging you might ask? Well take an old, bruised apple and fling it at a target...voila. I watched this event (which happened to be the most popular activity among the crowds) and it was more fun than I anticipated! We also made a bunch of meals for Chris to eat throughout the week and now he has beef stew & chicken casserole added to his cooking repertoire! Periodic rest was welcomed as I had many braxton-hicks contractions throughout the weekend...they created the perfect opportunity to lay down, take a walk, watch some "Office" reruns, while Chris dutifully studied and kept up with his class work. It was very cool to see him so acclimated, getting the rhythm of med school down in order to be successful...makes me proud of him! Keep up the good work, Chris! Thanks for such a great visit!!

Here is Chris, fruit flinging those apples! Notice the face guard, this is a dangerous sport, people!

The orchard building that had doughnuts and cider...look at what a beautiful day it was!

At the start of our corn maize...first one I had ever been in! :)

Chris with meals for the week - way to go! :)

9.29.2010

Baby Shilling is a...



GIRL!!!! This is not "new" news to most, but I realized I never did post it officially! We could not be more thrilled about a little girl coming soon! Secretly, I hope she gets her daddy's dark features...tan skin and deep brown eyes. :) We shall see!

As you can tell...she (aka my BELLY) is growing! It is surreal to feel all her jabs, kicks, and rolls...I couldn't love it more!
Braxton-Hicks have started a couple of weeks ago - they don't hurt at all thankfully. I'm glad to know my uterus is practicing for the big day ahead...just so long as it doesn't go overboard - it needs to keep baby girl cozy and growing in there for at least 11-12 more weeks! Crazy thing is, time is flying and it will be here before we know it! For now, Eric and I will enjoy our quiet evenings together and soak up the fall weather with pumpkin muffins and decaf coffee/tea/hot chocolate. :)

9.15.2010

5 Year Anniversary!!


For our five year anniversary, we went to Grove Park Inn (thanks to some AMAZING parents at GDS!) in Asheville, NC. It was awesome, amazing, relaxing, enjoyable....you get the point. It was everything lovely and desirable for the celebration of our marriage!

We had complimentary dinner (5 courses) on the "Sunset Terrace"...everything from salad with feta and walnuts to filet mignon to shrimp cocktail (for Eric) to peanut pie for dessert....it was all decadent and delicious.

The name "Sunset Terrace" don't lie...the view took our breath away. You know how mountains look huge in person and tiny on camera? this would be the case here...but to enjoy the beauty of nature on a gorgeous summer night was so awesome.

Room service breakfast in bed...oh how I love thee, let me count the ways...

The best part about our anniversary is that each year of marriage has gotten better - how much we have to look forward to!


7.29.2010

Oh BABY!!!

We are having a baby!! This is the sweetest, most exciting thing that has kept me from blog updates! We are overjoyed, flabbergasted, in awe, speechless, soooo thankful!!!!!!!!!

This ultrasound is the baby at 7 weeks...and now we are 14 1/2 weeks! 3 months already! Jan. 24th is the due date...

We have been just bursting at the seams with this great news...now that we are cruising in the second trimester, we are shouting it for the whole world to know!!! Baby Shilling on the way!!!!!

We pray for this sweet little babe to grow strong and healthy...oh, how sweet the anticipation is to hold him/her in our arms! Thank you, LORD!!!!!!

7.24.2010

Small Group Lake Weekend


Eric and I are part of an awesome small group with 5 other couples. We have studied various topics together, prayed for one another, and grown close over the past year. We are currently on "summer break", which is understandable given everyone's crazy summer schedules, but Eric and I are looking forward to starting back up again in the fall!

In mid-May, we all got together at Allison's parents house, which happens to be on a lake! It was very kind of them to let us hang out for the day and have fun on the lake!



It was such a fun day! Eric waterskiied for the first time! Look how great he did!! :)
I can't say the same for myself. Let's just say there was only half a lake when I was done...I drank the other half trying to get up. You win some, you lose some. Next time, that lake is going down.

All in all, a very fun day!

Umm...I was abducted by aliens?

They didn't allow me access to my blog, it is the only plausible explanation as to my absence...

At least I am back! Much has happened in the last two months...anniversary celebrations, birthdays, high school reunion, travel, and more...

More posts coming up!


5.22.2010

India Party


Dewy & Carolyn came through town to visit us so I invited some friends over to hang out together! Carolyn brought some of her fabulous India products...scarves, jewelry, handbags, etc. It is always fun to see the Wetherbys; they never run out of stories about their adventures in India! :)


Carolyn also made some authentic chai - delicious! We are lucky enough that she shared the recipe with me!!

Chai (the real deal):
Makes 4 Cups

2 cups water
2 cups milk (at least 2%)
4 tsp sugar (increase/decrease according to preference)
2 cloves
Piece of Cinnamon bark (powder cinnamon works too)
Nutmeg (just a sprinkle)
Cardamom (1 pod, gently pound open)

Bring the above to rolling boil. THEN turn off the burner and add tea (1 tsp for every cup). Cover the pot and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain and enjoy! And believe me, enjoy you WILL!

To go with the chai, I made a strawberry tart, which was really fun! I had never made pastry cream before, so I am feeling good about learning how to do that! It is creamy, sweet heaven in your mouth...I know I will revisit this tart throughout the summer as different berries are in season. Right now, we are in prime strawberry season, so these were hand-picked locally...sure to be the juiciest and sweetest. YUM!


5.04.2010

Date Night

Here is my favorite kind of math:

Free chips/salsa
+ $1 Taco Tuesday
+ $0.99 draft beers (for hubby)
+ $7.00 coupon off total bill
= awesome food, fun date, the perfect Tuesday night.

Thank you Poblano's for existing. Your food and prices make us happy.


Oh, also, a radio station was doing some promotions at the restaurant so on our way out we got a couple of free cups. Sweet!

4.24.2010

Maria's visit!

Maria is officially half way through nursing school - yaay Maria! She is doing great and earning hard-worked A's! I'm so proud; she graduates in December! She only has 3 one week breaks in the whole program (15 months) so to spend some time this week with me up in Greensboro was such a privilege and gift!

Celebrating Maria's hard work paying off! Also doing my part to help her get the Starbucks Gold Card... ;)



We did all our usual fun things...cooking, baking, RUNNING (first trail run together - it was awesome...how did it take us 7 yrs to finally do that!), TALKING, laughing, SOUL SEARCHING, being entertained by Felix and Marzell, eating, chick flicks....amazing how much we did and yet how fast the time flew. Something that I read recently that made me think of Maria and our deep-routed friendship throughout the past 7 yrs: "I count your friendship one of the chiefest pleasure of my life, a comfort in time of doubt and trouble, a joy in time of prosperity and success, and an inspiration at all times." Edwin Osgood Grover

My attempt...



Maria's turn...



Fun fun fun!

4.16.2010

Spring Garden!

I am really enjoying the spring gardening season...last year was my first attempt at having a garden so I just stuck to one season - summer, what a great season to try! But this year I planted spinach, carrots & lettuce in early March and they are doing wonderfully! My friend Susan gave me some extra broccoli plants that she started from seed and another friend Josh had extra pea seeds so he put both of those in for us while we were in India. They are doing excellent - hopefully soon we will be enjoying some peas & broccoli thanks to Josh & Susan!
I am still planning to plant a summer crop in the next couple of weeks, we'll have to see if my lettuce is ready to come out at that point. My plans right now are: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lots of peppers, more carrots, basil, parsley, cucumbers, and anything else at the farmer's market that I can't pass up trying. I am so looking forward to a big garden this year again - Oh how I love putting what I just harvested on the table for dinner!
ALSO, a recent MAJOR victory for me is that I finally convinced Eric to let me expand! I have a beautiful little area that I have begun (haven't made much progress yet...obviously) that will soon be home to my zucchini, summer & butternut squash plants! I can't wait! :)

My broccoli



One type of lettuce



Another type of lettuce



Carrots...they are finally coming up!



Spinach...still babies



Peas


Aren't they all so beautiful?!

Zucchini & Squash - here I come! :)

4.07.2010

Struggles of Re-Entry...

Slowly we are transitioning back in our normal routine life, whatever that means. Normal is an interesting word. How can anyone or the life they lead be considered "normal"? Normal for whom??
Webster's definition of normal says "conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern." But again I beg the question, whose standard do we follow to set this conformed pattern? I resist the notion to let culture rule what we take at face value as normal. Today, I encourage you to break from any mold that you find your thinking squeezed into. Let today be the day not to take things for granted. It is not 'normal' for most of the world to get a hot shower today, if you are lucky enough to have one, enjoy it! Eating lunch today? delight in it.
Unfortunately, our perspective is programmed by the world we live in, yet how do we live IN the world but not AMONG it? WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Yes, but how? Eating whats on sale? Buying smaller & older cars? Commuting by bike? How do you commute by bike when cities are so spread out? Giving our time to the community? Helping out a neighbor we don't know? Shopping at good will? Eating out less? I often hear people talking about the little things making a difference...I want to know about the BIG things - why are we settling for only making a little difference? What are the bigger things we can do WHERE WE ARE to swim upstream in our culture?
--Deep Breath-- Now that I have gotten all that out, I would like you to remind me going forward not to indulge in deep thought while still recovering from jet-lag. thank you.
but seriously it's impossible to come back from third-world unchanged. the challenge is what to do next. turning a blind eye on some of the most beautiful souls I've ever met with the deepest needs isn't an option. it can't be.

4.04.2010

"Delhi Belly"

The last 24 hours have included lots of rest. Though we both felt great on the plane (so thankful for that!) and throughout the 36 hours we spent travelling, as soon as we got home, we have been experiencing the typical traveller's tummy bug, which is lovingly named "Delhi Belly" if acquired in India. :)
Just trying to keep hydrated with liquids; our sweet friends stocked our fridge with yummy sandwich stuff and yogurt so we have been nibbling on that. How wonderful it is to eat fresh crisp lettuce and fruits after staying away from unwashed produce this whole week! Thank you Matt & Karen!! :)
As re-entry can prove difficult coming from such a contrasted world, it is a blessing to be celebrating our Savior's resurrection today, reminding us of His conquered victory over death, pain, sickness, loneliness, and sadness! We can rest in His peace!
He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!! Hallelujah!
Happy Easter!

4.03.2010

Back on US soil

We landed into Newark about 2 1/2 hrs ago, made our way thru customs, re-checked our luggage, went thru security AGAIN and now are enjoying the beautiful sunrise over the NY city skyline. Not a bad view! On one hand, it seems like we have been gone a month, on the other hand it feels like we just blinked and now have to pinch ourselves that it all wasn't a dream.
We both slept a bit on the plane and had the same massive movie selection to choose from (I enjoyed watching 2 movies in German) :) so after some eggs and a cup of coffee, we are feeling pretty good!
Looking forward to sharing all our pictures when we get back to GSO. What a wonderful, wonderful trip. It really couldn't have gone better - praise the Lord! :)

3.31.2010

Downtime

-- I wrote this on Tuesday, but since I had an Indian man looking over my shoulder, I waited until now to log onto my blog to post it. --

Today is a relaxing day...we moved hotels to be closer to the river, which is downtown. We are closer to the children this way as well. When we first arrived to our new hotel, the power was out and they were running on a back-up generator which meant no A/C. Eric panicked for a moment (or three hours) but now the power is back on and our room is cooling upstairs as I type. It is definitely HOT with temps over 100 during the day. The only relief is around 7-8 pm when the sun goes down, it probably dips into the 80s which is very tolerable. What is crazy is that it will continue to heat up for their hottest season during May-June. I can't imagine what mid-day feels like during those months.
The time with the children yesterday was very touching. Eric and I went with Ravinder to collect the boys from the station (the ministry is held outside 1/2 mi from the station). It was just as humbling to see their dire conditions yesterday as it was last October. The smell of the station as these sweet boys sleep on the filthy planforms, their only cover (if they have one) is a stained, soiled wool blanket. Flies swarm any skin or hair that is exposed. We came upon one boy that has especially captured my heart, Sahid; his sleepy face lit up when he saw us. One of the first things he said to me, which R. translated, was "you are good because you are one who came back". I was obviously touched that he remembered me from October but immediately my yearning for the last 5 months to return was affirmed by the fact that it means as much to the children to be reunited as it does me. Eric and I attempted to teach them kickball with a ball we brought with us...soon it became a free for all which R kept calling, 'kickball "Indian rules"'. :) It was fun to see them laughing, getting energy out, and having fun. Eric shared the story Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego with them and I sang Father Abraham as well as a few other songs we taught them back in Oct. We will see them again tomorrow morning.
One observation that I want to note is that both at the rail station and with the slum children, I was surprised, shocked even that my memory had forgotten how TINY these children are. I was struck by their small limbs, frames, under-nourished bellies, poor hygiene, you name it. R. showed us some photos of past trips over the last three years and honestly? The children looked the same in those photos three YEARS ago. I commented on how little the children have grown in three years and he said that is what happens when they have such poor nutrition, lack of food, improper medical care, etc. We are so accustomed to being blown away at how quickly children in the western world grow, even my own nieces & nephews seem to shoot up like little trees in just a few weeks time. In the past 5 months from when I was here, these children seem to have shrunk and my heart sinks so deep within me because of it.
Last night we taught the slum children to play kickball as well, they had a better attention span and the behavior necessary to explain most of the rules. It was a big success, hopefully we will play again tonight.
They sang for us and recited memory verses, what a sweet time it was to listen to their little hearts praise the Lord and speak His truth by memory.
As Eric mentioned in his post, we had the opportunity to have dinner as the honored guests in an Indian home last night - it was very humbling. We were fed delicious food, so good! After accepting heaping upon heaping of everything, we balanced trying to be polite while stomaching the sheer quantity we were given. As code near the end, I asked Eric if he remembered the song "pop goes the weasel" he smiled and agreed that he was feeling the same. Each time we said, 'this is delicious, thank you!' we earned ourselves another helping. We are struck by the generousity of the people here despite that they have almost nothing. We are praying for supernatural cultural awareness and that grace would transcend any natural cultural barriers there might be. Our hope is that our gratitude would exude from every single part of us.
We are so thankful to be here and look forward to seeing the children again tonight. We are so blessed by all of your thoughts, comments and prayers. Thank you all for being such a blessing of encouragement! :)
Lots of love - B

--Thursday--
Today we went on a sunrise boatride on the Ganga...very eye opening. We are now getting ready to head out to visit the V. Fort and some temples. It is sad to know that tomorrow we are leaving already, but we have soaked up so much culturally and spending time with the children so we are very thankful. Goodbyes are especially hard to say when you don't know when the next visit will be...having to just trust the Lord with that. :)

3.29.2010

WOW! (From Eric)

So.....yeah.....we're here and I'm not sure where this is. As Betsy mentioned in the last post from the moment we stepped off the plane there were so many senses that were overloaded. From sorrow, guilt, confusion, anxiety, you name it I felt it.
Today, Monday the 29th, we probably covered the entire V-City, not by foot or in car like one would think, but on the back of a motorbike. The only way I can explain how crazy this would be is to paint you a quick picture of how traffic works here. Picture with me 4 cars driving down the street, two on one side, two on the other. All cars are going the same speed as another and no one is impatient about getting to their destination.....Yeah that's not what it's like here! So there are three cars side by side with two motorcycles acting as wing men, a bicycle in between each car and the random old man walking in the middle of the street...did I mention there were multiple random cows and dogs there. Ok that is what the streets look like before the sun comes up. After that, I couldn't quite tell you because there was so much smog that my eyes were burning from trying to watch my life flash before my eyes. Now let me point out that this is a 45 minute ride of terror that we did 3 times!!! Yup 3! Amazingly enough if really is beautiful to watch. The fact that with all of this chaos going on, it actually looks like a bunch of figure skaters dancing to a planned script where each one knows when to duck, slide, and zig so that the others can gracefully move to their next position. The most important thing for everyone to remember, this means you worry warts, is that Betsy and I are safe and we were able to see parts of the city that most tourists wouldn't even think of walking down.
All in all it has been a wonderful visit. We were able to meet with the rail boys this morning and then get a quick nap before heading back to the Pink House to see the slum children. It was moving to hear them pray over us. We then had a wonderfully authentic Indian dinner, where we were treated as guests of honor. The family then asked us to pray over them before we headed back to our hotel.
In His wonderful hands of protection,
Eric
P.S. Yes we have AC and it has been DELIGHTFUL! Thanks for all the prayers!!!

3.27.2010

Here at last! :)

We arrived safely and are enjoying time with friends this morning in Delhi. We are reminded how different life is here; within the first 15 min of our 45 min ride from the airport to our friends' house, we saw a fatal motocycle accident and a teenage beggar with amputated arms tapping on our window at a stoplight.
Of course our driver wanted more than we originally agreed on and the bank we exchanged money at tried to give us less than their displayed exchange rate. Our driver couldn't find the address we were going to so as we were driving up and down darkened corridors that all looked exactly the same at 11 pm, we started praying hard when his car stalled and then refused to start. We look at each other and thought, 'plan B?' Thankfully God doesn't need plan B and had us safely to where we needed to go before long.
We are excited to go to church for Palm Sunday with friends, before we leave this afternoon for our next city to visit.
So far the chai is just as good as I remember...

3.26.2010

Leaving Newark!

And we are on our way! We are seated on the flight, waiting for all the other passengers to board. As we browse through the movies available...there are over FIFTY movies to choose from! Eric's comment on that was "you know it's going to be a long flight when they offer you fifty movies to pass the time!" :)
Hooray! Love to all!

First hiccup...

Well, we have made it all the way to... the Greensboro airport tar-mac. Our flight is through Newark and as usual Newark has delays! Admitedly I have an unfairly prejudiced opinion of NJ all based on their impossible airport. If only they would prove me wrong the next time I fly through there! Right now we are 2 hrs behind schedule, over an hour of which we have been seated in our sardine can airplane.
We are staying positive despite that technically we have been in travel mode for 3 hrs and we still aren't more than 10 miles from our house. Thankful that we had a long layover planned in Newark, hopefully we will still have the time we need to make our international flight connection.
Eric is napping and I am well blogging. duh. In a min though, I will be settling into my book "3 Cups of Tea" and trying not to wish that I had packed some cheezits or goldfish to snack on.
India here we come...even if I have to swim there myself! :)

First hiccup...

3.21.2010

INDIA!



Here we go again....I am beyond excited!!!! Eric and I leave THIS Friday (3/26) and will be in India until Sat, 4/3!! Did I mention I can't wait?!?

We are going to be visiting and staying with old family friends, Dewy & Carolyn, in Delhi then off to V. City! What I am looking forward to most is seeing the sweet faces of the children I have been praying and aching for since our goodbyes in October! I cannot wait to hug them and see their smiles and hold the little ones on my hip! We will be bringing vitamins and toothbrushes as well as introducing the game of kickball! Who knows, maybe Eric will break out a lesson or two of math? :)

Some Huge Praises:
- All tickets/travel plans/hotel reservations were successfully booked!
- Visas arrived! We are legally allowed in!
- Time off work and Eric's spring break making the available opportunity to go
- The missionaries and nationals working there welcoming us with open arms - what a blessing
- God providing financial love offerings of dear friends and family that we have been able to use for supplies as we go. Phil 4:17 says, "Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what might be credited to your account." May the Lord richly bless you for your heartfelt care & concern for His children of India!

Prayer Requests while we are there:
- Safe travels (Eric isn't too excited about 15 hr plane leg, but as long as it is safe, we will be fine...traffic by rickshaw is really what he should be worried about! what an adventure!) :)
- Health (prevention of tummy and travel bugs)
- Maximized time with the children...I want to spend every second with them!
- That our visit would be encouragement to the missionaries and other ministry workers
- Spiritual Warfare - where we are going is a spiritually DARK place...that we would rely on God's power to REIGN supremely despite Satan's strongholds in that city
- Unity of hearts for Eric and me - that the Lord would use this trip to bring us closer as well as show us what His plans are for us as a couple

Thank you! I love you all and so appreciate prayers for us. I feel so incredibly blessed to be a small part of the lives of these Indian children and cannot wait for Eric to experience that first-hand. I know he will be hooked by their big brown eyes and devastatingly heart-breaking lives. We will take lots and lots of pictures!


Garden!


So...we'll see what happens while we are gone for 9 days (see next post about that!), but I am excited to say that I planted an early spring crop in my garden! I put in two varieties of buttercrunch lettuce (yum), carrots, and spinach. I am so excited to be back into gardening season! Hopefully my harvesting will yield veggies like those in these pics!


3.05.2010

FLORIDA

From one end of the country one week to the opposite end of it the next week....

Maria and I had a great weekend together doing what we do best: talking for hours, eating, and soaking up every minute together that we could! We got up for the sunrise on Sat. morning...it was gloriously beautiful!! We figured why not start the day at 5:40 am together rather than "wasting" 4-5 hrs sleeping in? :) Best friends would do anything for each other, right?



After getting some breakfast, we went to walk around the green market and bought some of the world's best guacamole - seriously, it was oh so good. Then, cappuccinos at an outside restaurant on Palm Beach!

Could this day get any better? Oh yes it could!

As beautiful as the day's weather started off, it turned into a rainy afternoon....but what a perfect excuse for a movie and snacks! (enter guacamole)

Later, we went hot tubbing under the stars and an almost full moon...it was really cool to start and end the day in awe of nature's breath-taking beauty.

The time with Maria was as always, too short!! Working on getting another weekend together scheduled soon!

Sidenote: another fun aspect of the weekend was being back in the city Eric and I fell in love together...so many memories there: our engagement dinner, the church we got married in, "setting up house" as a newly married couple in our first apartment...can't believe that was almost 5 yrs ago already...

2.24.2010

Seattle



I'm not even sure I could express in words how wonderful my trip to Seattle last week was...just wanted to smuggle Katie & Luca in my suitcase coming home! Luca is just the coolest ever - the most laid back, HAPPY person you could meet! You can't be sad when you are around him, his smile and laugh are contagious. Katie posted on her blog too, but at the indian restaurant we went to, the waiter asked if we were twins...we'd like to think we are twins just three years apart. :)

The view on a walk around their neighborhood...literally RIGHT outside their doorstep...not so bad on the eyes, eh? The beauty of mountains always blows me away.

Felt like spring break coming from all the snow in Greensboro to THIS! Gorgeous blossoms!

Love these two so much

Luca LOVES bathtime...he is so fun to watch kick and swim...definitely not afraid of the water! :)

These smiles make ME smile. :)