Charlevoix: Day 1

Yesterday we drove all the way to Northern Michigan,with absolutely no problems. Jon let me sleep quite a bit, so the trip felt alot shorter to me :)

Today has been blissful, and I know I can feel the stress of work sliding away into the clear waters of Charlevoix. Auntie cooked wonderful waffles for us all for breakfast. We let the food settle in, and then decided to all hop in the water and play! I haven't played in the water in a long time, and we has  blast doing head stands, watching the "boys" [aka, Jon J, Jon L., and Josh....J3 basically...] compete jumping off the dock. Slowly we tired and came up for some lunch. Having eaten heartily, a nap was the order of the day, and we all trickled off to various couches and beds around the house for a few minutes. Or hours- I'm not quite sure; time has a strange way of slowing down up here.

Upon waking, Jon and Josh took the sunfish out for a sail, and I stayed behind to chat with the family. Wonderful! When they returned, we kept chatting until dinner: home-made tasty stromboli made by auntie herself! YUMMY! After eating, we took the boat into down-town Charlevoix to stroll around and find Jon a Charlevoix sweatshirt. While we couldn't find a place to dock the boat (pop-pop Tom came and drove it back), we still were able to stroll around Charlevoix (it is basically one main street..) and found Jon a Charlevoix fleece. We grabbed some ice cream, strolled around some more, and got in the car to come back. On the way home we saw the sun setting, and quickly found an access road to Lake Michigan, where we watched the sun set over the lake. BEAUTIFUL!

We came home, ate more ice cream, and closed out the evening watching "Good Will Hunting." What a brilliant day!

Thoughtless Thursdays v.15

It is a good, good, good day, when you get to pack your tent, swimsuit, and summer clothes!!!
- Us :o)

Wednesday v.2

If anyone has ideas for how to come up with more amusing blog titles.... please let me know.

Tonight we're pretty tired. Between getting the house ready, and just life, I think we are ready for vacation. And there is one coming up soon! Saturday we will be in lovely Charlevoix, relaxing, relaxing, relaxing. We can't wait, and I'm excited to introduce Jon to our family's little haven. It will be quite lovely.

Until then pack, work, clean, and then we are off!

3 days until vacation.....

To help get ready for our departure in a few days, we have begun cleaning the house, doing laundry, and basically getting things ready. We really hammered away at our office/guest room/storage area!!!! Generally this is where we put things we can't decide on, which can become quite alot after awhile. It hasn't gotten too bad, but I generally concentrate on living spaces... even though Jon technically works here all day (somehow he doesn't see the mess). Impressively, things are looking up for the messiest spot in the Jerdan household. Jon's desk still, and most likely always will, reflect his creative spirit and productive mind. Mine however is feeling much calmer, rendering my confidence to become an effective house-hold manager much higher :o) So good, fun, relaxing evening.

So I'm just going to scroll through Heather's home-coming pictures one. last. time. Can't count how many times I've browsed through them already!!!

Monday v.2

First:

SAM'S HOME WITH HIS FAMILY IN THE US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have - literally- been stalking Heather's facebook page ALL DAY for, pictures, updates, simply whatever! Which is pretty hard for me to do actually, so that either speaks to my devotion, or simple need to peer into the life of my sister's family moment by moment from hundreds of miles away. I have instant TV - why not instant photos of homecoming?! (This is me laughing at myself!) I have to be careful to remember that only 15 years ago, such an instant view into someone's life simply wasn't possible. Remarkable... and something we'll have to monitor to make sure the luxury of instant-pictures/updates/emails, etc, doesn't become a demand or a need, but remains an incredible blessing and convenience.

This is also a remarkable week, because Jon got an interesting translating gig in Annapolis, where he has to drive out to Annapolis to proof a translation on a techie device with a group of people checking the other languages. So now we BOTH have to go to work in the morning! It's so interesting to have to go to bed at an early hour for both our benefits, and I have to say it was nice to have him putzing around with me this morning! Of course this comes the week we have to get work done on the apartment during the day.... yeesh. Also I'm somewhat paranoid that he'll get in an accident or something- I have simple gone soft with the luxury of having him at home! He's a safe driver... and will be safer if we get to bed! Bedward Ho!

Great Sunday

Today's Sunday was particularly fun! We watched some kids from our church this afternoon for a little while for their parents, and we had a BLAST. They were tremendously curious, talkative, and simply an utter joy to have around.

Our landlord also came by and fixed up a few things around the house, including some kitchen drawers that were hard to open. Never knew how much I was compensating before the drawers opened evenly! Now I don't have to think twice before going into certain drawers to rummage around for things - they open with ease.

And this evening has been utterly relaxing. Alas, the weekend is over - but vacation soon to come!!

Saturday!

So today was the first Saturday at home that we have had in 5 weeks! The past 5 weeks have been spent at a wonderful marriage seminar, some wonderful quality time with family, and some more wonderful travels! However, after all that wonderfulness, we were due for some mundaneness at home. In air conditioning. After we did our errands.

Jon remarkably went to play soccer in this heat! He is dedicated. I experienced my first "Zumba" class. Quite fun, quite energetic, quite popular, and thus quite crowded. I'll have to keep trying it, along with the spinning classes which I'm currently enjoying quite a few of! (Okay, well I've been to two....)

Thereafter we ate lunch, and promptly began our chores. This was going to the library to get our library cards! The shock and shame of being a librarian, but not having a library card, was beginning to wear on me. Plus I want to read more, without spending more money! What a great way to get some more reading in, without serious consequences on the wallet. Thereafter was a quick trip to Best Buy, and then rambled on to Trader Joe's for some food (what else?). I have a new grocery list system that I'll have to share in a later blog, and this was the trial run, and it went well. We also found wine for 2.50 a bottle. Say what?! A good way to wind down for the night.

Came home, made some spaghetti squash - not too bad! - and finished Parks and Recreation, a sitcom we've been following. Wish we had discovered it in about 5 more years, when we could just sit down and watch the whole series! Alas.

Unfortunately the bright-sunniness of today is overshadowed by pestering head-ache. However, it's getting better! and Jon is oh so patient - love that man!

Blackberry blunder

Last weekend, we had some ice cream. As we had some leftover yummy blackberry sauce that Sara had previously made to accompany a tasty chocolate cake she made, I suggested using it as a topping for the ice cream. So I popped the sauce's container in the microwave to warm it up, not actually aware of how long I should put it in for, but I figured if it was less than a minute, it couldn't do much harm.

A few seconds before the countdown finished, a "Pow!" was heard from within the appliance. And this was no small "poof!" like when the pressure inside a container rises high enough and lifts a corner of the lid to let the steam evacuate. This was a bigger "Pow," so I stopped the machine as quickly as I could and opened the door...

Oops!

Fortunately there was enough of the sauce still in the container to pour on the ice cream bowls. And it was luscious!!

Now we know to let food breathe when heating up in the microwave. Especially when using small, solid containers.

On the plus side, the inside of our microwave is quite clean now.

So incredibly blessed

As the heat has been rising I've been overwhelmed by the simple reality that I only have to experience the heat for about 30 minutes a day. The rest of the time I'm in climate controlled locations, both at work, at home, and at the gym.

I'm baffled by how little my life is influenced by the weather. And I'm not quite sure how comfortable I am living such a comfortable life. That said, another alternative isn't presenting itself at the moment, and the comfort of our first home together is truly tremendous. While we aren't rich, we never have to worry about food being on the the table, surviving the elements, or wondering if we'll be able to have decent health care. The convenience is simply overwhelming to me and I'm deeply grateful for it. That said, I'm on the look-out as to how to use our abundance to bless and enrich the lives of others. Not quite sure how we're best equipped for that, confident however that God will show us the way.

In the meantime, I'm fighting allergies that are simply being pesky and inconvenient, with constant stuffage. It's a frustrating irritant and I'm looking forward to them being gone!

Thoughtless Thursday v.14

A good way to get the house clean, is to know the landlord is coming over tomorrow - The Jerdans

Daily Critical Success Factors

Today I am feeling much, much better. Sleep and a helpful husband do absolutely wonders!

I'm also learning to establish the critical success factors for my evening, before my evening begins! CSF, for short, are standard for businesses in addition to their mission statements. Namely it's what the company decides will be the standards for knowing that they have met their mission statement. For me, its knowing that I've set a reasonable goal for myself, and then I can rejoice when it is met.

This way I know when it's time to rest, what else needs to get done in an evening, and allows for the end of the day "happy feeling" that I was able to complete the tasks I had set for myself, rather than the end of the day "guilt" that the house isn't in pristine order, I didn't serve a homemade dinner, and that there are still unread books on my shelf!

Tonight's factors: Make Dinner [check!] Relax [check!] Do Laundry [half check!] Blog [check! Well, soon enough!] Get to bed at a reasonable hour [we'll see soon!]

Tuesday

So last night I put myself to bed early, falling asleep to the sound of Jon putting the dishes away! He deserves a superhero-cape!

Tonight things are beginning to slowly return to normal. The bags are unpacked and put away, so it feels more like we are settled down for the next several days! The past month or so our bag has just stayed out, as it was a matter of days before we needed it again! I also successfully cut Jon's hair, so he is now free of what was becoming quite the man-mane.

So home is beginning to feel less like one-big-chore and more like a place to come home and relax. Which is quite wonderful.

Tired, tired, tired

Between the recent travels and busy time during the week - I'm tired. Moments like this I wonder how mother's do it, as I can't imagine how much chaos a kid or 3 adds to the mix. Perhaps staying at home would help mitigate the onslaught of dishes, laundry, unpacking, and tiding there is to do here, as I'd have some of the energy and purpose that work gets during the day. Or at least I'd live in it all day and wouldn't notice it so much coming home.

That said, bed is calling my name early today, and I intend to listen!

"Grant"ed a Visit!

This afternoon we had a nice visit from Grant, a friend of Jon's from college. (hence the title of the blog, he-he) Also a fan of soccer, he watched the World Cup Women's Final (Japan vs. US) with us. This turned out to be a brilliant game, and I believe Jon and I are now interested in following Women's Soccer. The game is simply cleaner than when the men play - there's less faking of injuries and drama about bad calls. This game seemed to be two ridiculously good teams, with tremendous teamwork, playing a good game of soccer. They all fought hard for the victory, which Japan earned in penalty kicks, and played ferociously. The women handled themselves professionally both on and off the field.  By the end of the game, I'd say the future of women's soccer - taken seriously-  - is very bright.

Grant also will be taking a trip to France soon, and wanted to learn from Jon's expertise in this matter! Jon propped up a map on the door to our balcony, and I couldn't help but take a picture :o)

Delving into the map of France:

Jon pointing out the roman ruins:

New family game!

So tonight we played a full-force 4 player game of Ingenious! Here are snippets of the evening:

The board begins to build- mom nonchalantly puts down another piece...

Josh eats delicious popcorn and ponders his next move. (On a side note, I ate so much of this popcorn I currently am wishing I didn't. Never quite ate that much popcorn before!)

 The game in full swing! Mom dives for the bag of pieces... (Heather and Jess are watching a wonderfully witty show in the background)

 So this is mom's card in the end. For those of you unfamiliar with Ingenious - she is one point a way from an absolute perfect score. She's so smart!

 The full board! I just think it's cool looking.

This Day In History

Today marks a full 1095 days since I first met Sara! Of course, besides being 2 full weeks + a weekend before the 1111 day marker, 1095 is exactly thrice the number of days God gives us in a common (non leap) year.

On July 15, 2008, soon after I arrived at the Dalbys' home for our regular C3 meeting, a beautiful redhead entered the abode. She wore a Heidelberg University T-shirt, reminding me of a high school trip with great memories to that old German city on the Neckar River, where I'd fly back to in a heartbeat. Introductions were made, pointing out that we both spoke German, so in such speech did our first conversation happen. It was pretty exciting to have a new, fun, kind friend with whom to practice and maintain that language. It was very nice of Josh to be accompanied by his sister that week.
After the Bible study, as people were filtering out, a game of Cash was initiated, and my new "German friend" and I partnered up, with very decent results. It was a lot of fun!

I was completely oblivious to what was later to come, in what ways this cute lady would impact and bless my life, just in the few short years to follow. I can only imagine how Sara will continue to bless my life in the decades to come!

Seattle Part II

Seattle! Still Day 1....

Yay! Space Needle!

So on the day we were at the "Space Needle Park" (I forget the proper name), there was a Bastille day festival! (aka, the French Forth of July) We were very excited.

Jon, very happy about Bastille Day:

So this apparently is a very famous type of French Car that was on display. Next to Jon it looks quite tiny...

The International Water Fountain. Kids were running through it and all. Made me wish we were in bathing suits - well, almost.

This is the oddest museum I've ever seen. Pop-culture museum. Also somewhat of an eye-sore, depending upon your perspective. Jon was so kind as to pose for me :o)

Seattle! a driver's guide

As the token driver for our rental car (yay for getting a free upgrade to a big Chevy HHR), here are things I noticed during our recent trip to our Washington away from Washington...

Seattle fits tightly on various islands and peninsulas, between all kinds of bodies of water and on and between steep mountains (which did cause its Midwestern founding fathers to make some poor planning when first settling the area). This means there is not much space to work with as the city grows and has had to accommodate more traffic. So the local Dept. of Transportation uses all kinds of measures to manage the mess.

There were HOV lanes pretty much everywhere. For our readers not used to busy US metropolitan areas, that stands for High Occupancy Vehicle. Now the H in HOV is relative of course. In fact, even though I was never alone in the car during the trip, I never went to those lanes because I couldn't keep track of where they were for 2 or more people per vehicle and where they were for at least 3 persons.

As the limited highways crisscrossing the area's lakes can get busy at times, especially when one of the main ones is shut down, as was the case on Saturday & Sunday, incoming traffic is filtered in by lights on the on-ramps during rush hour, so that vehicles adding to congestion trickle in rather than flow into the gridlock: the light flashes green for just one car, then the next one has to wait another 5 seconds or so before coming in. But here again, for HOV's, there's a second lane in the on-ramp that bypasses the light.

There are a LOT of signs to look out for. And sometimes, you don't have much reaction time to move over a few lanes so that you get your exit, or you don't leave the highway before you want to. You may very well find yourself where the right lane suddenly is for the next two exits only, the next lane is for the following exit (which is less than a mile away), and the lane after that is reserved for buses. Oh and the road is twisting and turning around, between the cliffs and the water, while the locals who know the roads are hurrying by all around you.

Oh, and even once you're going down the exit ramp, keep watching the signs. If you're not ready at the fork, you could easily wind up way up- or downhill (though according to the map, right next to) where you want to be. Remember: steep slopes everywhere. We got caught at one point as we were leaving downtown, and after looking at the map we figured turning onto 5th Ave would get us en route to the interstate. Well, instead of intersecting with 5th, we found ourselves about 5 stories above 5th Ave (on a bridge between the blocks).

Most of the city is on a grid: avenues go North-South, and streets go East-West. But the heart of downtown is actually on a slightly different grid: avenues go NNW-SSE, and streets go WSW-ENE. And then right next to that, there's an area with NW-SE avenues, and SW-NE streets. Be careful when going from one neighborhood to the other (remember, all the locals all around you are in a hurry to get moving between the lost tourists)! Of course a lot these roads are one way only. And just because you want to go toward your left and the upcoming major throughway has traffic going in that direction, left turns may be illegal at that intersection.

With all the cars of a major American city is such a tight place, they had to do something about parking too. Fortunately there are quite a lot of parking lots and garages throughout the greater downtown area, with a range of prices (which vary depending on the time of day/week) and of shadiness. It was interesting to note that apparently every one of these had a whole bunch of parking spaces reserved for "compact" cars. Sometimes the painting indicating that the spot was for small vehicles only was so faded, I had no idea if anyone checked if these indications were being abided or not, or if the space was still considered for compact cars or not. The HHR could fit in most of them, but if other cars were parked adjacently, it was a much easier exit to get the unmarked spots.

Another gadget they use out there to control traffic on the highways is electric speed signs. So the speed limit can be changed throughout the day. There may even have been a case of different speed limits for different lanes.

They also put those little bumps next to the white lines between lanes, and the grooves start in the white line marking the edge of the right lane, rather than out in the shoulder. Clever ways to let drivers know as soon as they are moving out of their lane.

Even though we were in the same country, I felt like it was a very different driving experience than what I'm used to. At times it was fascinating. Certainly, it was best enjoyed when we were not pressed for time. As a quarkochronic myself, not being pressed for time when going somewhere isn't my strong suit, so I'm glad God blessed me with Sara, who's much better at getting out the door extra early.

So if you are ever driving in the Seattle area, I hope you remember this briefing. Drive safe, and do enjoy the beautiful landscapes and sceneries all around you, which are truly stunning out there. But keep checking your blind spot too. Was that the exit we wanted? Oops!

Seattle! Starbucks...

Here begins a small series of blogs, dedicated to our time in Seattle! Here we are at the first Starbucks at Pike's Place Market, a fascinating large market which, of course, I neglected to take pictures of, overwhelmed by the beautiful flowers, goods, and crowds!

Starbucks began here, and so did our first full day:

Here is the inside, completely devoid of comfy chairs and other Starbucks amenities, however with coffee paraphanial galore. It was almost like a coffee version of Disney-world, completely with someone who told you when to get on the "ride" - aka to order your coffee. Fascinating.

So - I had no idea it was founded back in 1912? At least the building was....

... or maybe that's just the building's address. We tourists aren't sure how things are done around here.

Jon happily drinking a delicious drink (even though they ironically got his order wrong...) near the totem pole.

The park was right next to a highway, and we found this graffiti rather amusing. Still wondering how they got up there to paint it so. In the background you see the beautiful water and the edge of the mountains.

Ode to Cally

While exciting pictures and news from our trip will be posted shortly, today I think I personally need to blog about our dear old dog, Cally "Tabitha Smith." She has been slowly declining for nearly the past 3 years, and in fact in two months she would have been 16 years old, quite old for a mid-sized dog.

However as she has lost control of her bladder for the past few weeks (or months) and today began to decline very fast, our mother made the brave decision to have her put down before she suffered any more. I think it was the wisest decision mom could have possibly made, and I am very proud of her.

I'll miss Cally, perhaps not exactly as she was - a very old dog who could barely walk, see, or wag her tail- but for who she was in our lives over the past 16 years.

When Cally came into our lives, she was a spunky rebellious dog, and we logged many hours chasing her around the neighborhood. She eventually calmed down, and became an obedient, cleaver, trusting dog, who always seemed to be around when the family gathered, going from person to person to get petted or to convince them to throw the ball. She was at home as I completed 3 college degrees, always glad to see me when I would return from who-knows-where, and ever ready to go outside!

When I came home after the second degree, confused and unsure where to go in life, she was there with the dog-like nonjudgmental spirit (well, unless you weren't playing ball with her on her schedule...). After the other siblings left, she was the one who slept by my bedside during those lonely mid-twenty single years, who was sad to see me leave in the morning (if she herself was awake...), and always glad when I returned. During that overwhelmingly self-absorbed time of life, with academia and work, I needed to take care of something other than myself, and Cally helped fill that void in my life for nearly 3 years. It felt good to know I needed to be home to make sure she was walked and fed, and emotionally I needed that type of responsibility.

She taught me how to relax, to just enjoy being around others. She forced me outdoors when I'd be more inclined to stay inside. I learned basic discipline and confidence from our walks around the neighborhood, and even got to know our neighbors better because of them.  She was a good pet-buddy.

She of course was around when Jon and I started dating! I'll always remember during one of our first long conversations in the kitchen, we heard a steady banging at her food bowl, and then looked down to see she had dragged it with her paw from the kitchen island to the table! Clearly it was time to eat, and she made that perfectly clear to us. She was oh-so-smart at times.

I witnessesed some of Jon's first "disciplining" skills with getting the dog in the house - forceful and kind - because as nice as Cally was, she was indeed selective at times with what she "heard" in her old age.

We'd walk Cally a little during our talks, and sometimes she'd sneak on the porch when we were swinging. It was nice to have her around at such a fun time in my life. Then in October Jon swept me away into the next phase of my life, which has been filled joy and gladness I had not yet known, and I finally had someone to take care of, converse with, and truly know.

These past few months I've seen Cally when we've gone home, noticing how age was beginning to leave its unmistakable mark. She always was delighted to see us, however her ability to even hear when we came in, let alone greet us, has declined, as well as her energy for her typical enthusiastic greetings. By this weekend, we knew the end was near. I said good-bye to her Sunday night, noting that her spirit was still loving and so glad to see me, while also seeing her body could no longer support her enthusiasm. Gone were the days of grabbing a ball or the pull toy, or even rolling over for a tummy rub. She gladly accepted scratches on the ears, but I think even after standing she was getting tired. I knew in my heart it was time.

I'm glad she is at rest. I'm unsure whether animals go to heaven, however I think all that they embody to us - the unconditional love, acceptance, friendship, comfort, laughter, enthusiasm, appreciation of the outdoors, and personality - is certainly a reflection of our Father towards us. Creation is a reflection of God's glory and, in some small way, I think Cally reflected that at times. I think when we arrive at our Lord's side, the joy we have found in the presence of his created animals will be there in a small way (if there is such a thing as "small" at God's side...).

And I think the pain I feel now is also part of God's design somehow; to take and love another being who cannot love you the same way in return, and to somehow be okay with that. I'm very grateful for her faithful pet presence in my life.

Leaving Seattle!

We have had simply the most wonderful time in Seattle - keeping so busy I neglected to blog! On this trip we've seen gorgeous mountains, the Puget sound, and explored this most unique City. We visited Pike's Market, the "old" city, hike a local park, and, of course, saw the Space Needle :o) And, naturally, we were deeply honored to witness the marriage of Austin and Theresa. The West Coast has been breath taking, and we both hope to come back some day for a much longer time!

More blog to come! But now to bed, and up to the airport in the morning :o)

I have little expertise when it comes to early

When we got out of bed yesterday just after 6 am (Eastern Time) -- we didn't know how much rush hour traffic we'd hit on the Beltway -- my brain started singing this song to me on a loop:

Waking up is hard to do
In the morning, in the morning
Waking up is hard to do
Very early in the morning

Brain went on to make up a couple other verses, one in celebration of coffee, and the other one may have had to do with how nice a hot shower feels in the morning, in the morning... it's hard to remember exactly what was going on up there at that time.
When we got back to our hotel room around 11:15 pm (Pacific Time) after the pre-wedding party, my brain automatically started singing:

Going to sleep is good to do
In the evening, in the evening
Going to sleep is good to do
Very late in the evening

It was nice to be able to wake up leisurely this morning.

Seattle or Bust!!

Packed? Check
Packed carry on with extra set of clothes? Check
Gift for wedding? Check
All print outs for all reservations? Check
Excited? Check

Getting to bed at a reasonable hour so you can leave home at 7am to make a flight at 12pm out of BWI? Working on that one....

You know that dream when you wake up late for work? Apparently it's not always a dream...

This morning I learned we do not have enough redundancy in our alarm clocks. I have one set up on the room, another in the adjoining office, and then the faint reminder of Jon's cell phone turning on in the morning. Somehow I managed to sleep through all of these and kept slumbering happily away. This has never happened before!

When I woke up and looked at the clock, it took me awhile to realize I was coming from sleep, into awakeness, and not the reverse- and the number on the clock truly was several minutes past the time I'm suppose to bless the office with my presence!

Some hurried phone calls into the office (it's a slow week, so few noticed), and a quick scramble about the place - Jon made my lunch :o) - and I was at the office in due time, and will just have to work a little longer next week.

Quite a way to wake up in the morning! Setting a third alarm clock now...

Budget....

Tonight we finally worked through the June budget, which is a very good practice for us. Jon claims I added this financial structural brilliance to his life; personally I think he was tracking it all in his head, he handles money so well.

Together we designed a beautiful (and complex) spread sheet to track it all. Every month we pour over the sheets to see where we have gone over budget from month to month, how we need to adjust our spending habits our allotted funds to a category, and to make sure we are tracking towards our financial goals.

Now, the funniest part about this (to me), is that Jon tires out much easier than I do, even though he is the math major! I enjoy delving into the nuances and complexities of our financial state, making plans, adding new features or data to our spread sheet - it is almost addicting. He doesn't get quite as energized as I do by it, but is definitely grateful.

It is also the Mount Everest of our communication skills. Between the numbers, the different accounts, and coordinating the receipts, on top of understanding our different strategies for managing the data, we can easily get into a muddle! However with alot of love and understanding we seem to recover just fine :)

4th of July

Today was pure bliss. Here's the quick run down:

• Slept in - made nest-eggs for breakfast! (see previous post)
• We started doing things around the house - now it is nice and clean! I haven't been able to clean off my desk for 2+ years, it is such a relief! It's nice to have an area where I feel like I can effectively "manage" our home, rather than the constant worry that I'm missing something in the pile. 
• Went to Mon Ami Gabi for lunch, as they were having a promotion and our meal was basically half of. It. was. delicious  (it's our favorite french restaurant in the area!) Very fun to go out on a date!
• Went to hunt down a petanque court (French boci-ball), and found a gravely patch in a park that will work well. Unfortunately the bugs enjoyed it too, and it quickly got too annoying to play. Got a few quick rounds in though!
• Came home and got busy resting. Watched all the extras on "The King's Speech" and then watched the movie with the commentary. So relaxing and informative at the same time! Can't seem to stop researching it, the royals are very fascinating for some reason. 
• Walked to the nearby park to watch the fire works! It was fun - they put on a decent show here [although I'm not a fan of fireworks in general.]
• Walked home, chilled some more, and now we're feeling rested for the week!

It was blissfully to stay home for a day and just be - especially as Jon took the day off from work. Yay quality time! 

I did however discover that I do not enjoy the plethora of people shooting fireworks off at random on the streets, sidewalks, and parks. They are loud, dangerous, obnoxious, and illegal in other states. So weird. Definitely hearing alot of ambulances...

Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! We are so glad you were born today! :o)

July 4th, Part I

We are just having the most wonderful relaxing day! To celebrate a morning of rest, I made the Egg's Nests that I had mention on a previous blog. Well, they succeeded! (With one slight hiccup) - there they are!

Aren't they beautiful? They were fairly easy to make, the only trick is separating the eggs, shredding the cheese, and making sure the egg whites get whipped up well. Also the oven is set to 450, which is fairly hot. They called for parchment paper, which we didn't have, and we used wax paper instead. It was harder to separate the wax paper from the eggs!

It was a very fun way to eat eggs in the morning, and I'm looking forward to making this treat in the future!

King's Speech

Tonight we watched "The King's Speech" with mom and dad Jerdan - what a great movie! Now I'm itching to do research on the film, but alas it is time for bed!

Highlights of today:
The many meals eaten with family and friends
Petanque game!

Country Music

I recently have been listening quite a bit to country radio. I'm not quite sure why, however I've noticed my fondness for country music ebbs and flows. Currently I'm on an ebb.

That to say, I'm noticing how often when there is a guy singer singing about how much he loves his love, I often think "I bet Jon would like this." And often times he does.

How blessed am I to know deep in my soul how much he loves me, that I can hear others sing about their love and know in my heart he'd be right there with them. It's great!

Great Aunt Dot is apparently doing well - for more details contact my grandma :o)

We are safely in PA! Yay for visiting family.