Midwest weekend

Between the new house, hosting guests and other happenings, we realized that we hadn't been able to get out of town at all this year - yikes! So we decided to take advantage of going to our friends' wedding in Indiana and make a weekend out of it.

We headed out Friday morning, stopped for lunch at the oh-so-worth-it Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor and took in a brief visit at the nearby Matthaei Botanical Gardens. (The last couple times we went to Zingerman's we called in our order about 20 minutes before arriving and then we are able to go through the back door and simply pick up the sandwiches and pay while completely bypassing the line snaked around the front of the building!) Then we continued westward, and despite the oil spill just a couple of miles away, we had a nice stay on Friday at the oldest operating inn (and part of the underground railroad) National House Inn in Marshall, MI complete with a dinner at the 100-year-old Schuler's and a walk past the fountain and through the little historic downtown. I overheard a mother talking to her son about the farmer's market and was glad I inquired as our Saturday morning stroll netted us these locally grown veggies and some glassware from a local antique store. I told the hubs that he could add these to the list of things that he would never do as a bachelor :), but I don't think he minds much because he gets to have things like the pictured tomato & onion salad and galette

border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503440062635375250" /> (including Michigan peaches & blueberries previously purchased) that I made for Sunday dinner tonight.
Observation: people in Marshall say "hello" and "good morning" much more readily than they do back home - although everyone I say hello to when walking around our neighborhood generally responds in kind - and also there is a greater tendency at the yoga studio I go to, but I chalk that up to the patchouli :).

Oh, and the wedding on Saturday included a wonderfully intimate Christ-centered ceremony and an absolutely beaming bride and groom - we are so happy for you, congratulations Kelli & Andy! I've already made plans to whisk her away for lunch upon their return to the D to get to know her better and acclimate her to the area. Random fact: during a bout of boredom in the car I was able to make a list of over 50 weddings - and still counting! - that I've been invited to over the last 12-14 years, now that's a lot of "I do's"!

Going west side

Despite getting caught in major accident traffic on I-96 W (causing me to turn around and purposely drive the wrong way on a highway just to escape the deadlock!) my little day trip out to Grand Rapids yesterday resulted in some girly fun that included (not) being quiet at the beautiful library, sweating outside within seconds, uncontrollable [me] laughter at the art museum, delicious eats and cute accessory finds at some resale shops - thanks ladies for such a delightful day in your company! 

Sphere of influence

This morning in church I was listening to Drew in his message remark about how much one's community can affect the things we believe, the activities we do, the places we frequent; and really shape the person we are - for better or for worse, if you think about it.

This reminded me of last week when I was driving in the car and caught a 20-minute segment of the local NPR station airing a Shane Claiborne interview as part of their "Speaking of Faith" program. For those of you who are familiar with him and his way of thinking/living as a self-professed "ordinary radical" Christian, I don't think you have to agree with everything he says or does to find some of his fundamental ideas compelling. He talked about living in community, a popular concept among Christians, but with a perspective twist that challenged me. He was talking about how for him living in community meant surrounding himself with the kind of people he wished he could be like (well it was something generally like that, for what he actually said, go and listen to the interview or excerpts yourself :). And this perspective resonated with me, because in my life there are SO many people who do things or have personal characteristics that I admire - because they are so smart & learned, they are compassionate, they are prayer warriors, they are witty, they are organized, they are great parents/spouses/siblings/friends etc. I was carrying on to a friend recently about some friend's deeds that I greatly admired, and the friend interrupted me and said "and YOU are that person for me", and while I was simultaneously humbled and embarrassed, when I reflected on it later I realized that she was just trying to pay me a compliment, and I'm sure that there is someone in her life who would say the same thing to her, and on and on. The reality is that all our words and actions have the potential of affecting the lives around us, whether it is our family, children, peers, colleagues, friends or enemies. This might be a heady notion to think about our power as individuals, yet it is actually a power that we all possess - so hopefully you are striving to be a better person and as a result we will all benefit!

Lunch and learn

You know the "ladies that lunch" type, rich ladies with plenty of time for yoga classes, shopping and long lunches. My friends and I would make fun of them, except that now I am one these days - clearly minus the rich part! But I can honestly say that I have cherished the many leisurely lunch dates I've had over the past couple of months; taking the time to visit with former colleagues that I'm friends with, building and maintaining some networking contacts, catching up with friends and hearing their stories, and now, the intimacy of inviting people to our new home. The easy salad in the picture was recently served up to some ladies who are moving only a couple of hours away but are taking on a new chapter in their lives, and I wish them luck on their journey, as happiness is always close at hand when you can be content with your current lot in life. So, thanks friends, for your time, and for those of you who I haven't had the pleasure of lunching with yet - let's get something on the calendar! :)

More house pics

Powder room/downstairs bathroom






Family room

Home sweet home

It's been about a week and a half since we moved into the new digs, and we couldn't be happier to finally be surrounded by our own things and not feel like we are living in two spaces. But what has really made it our "home" is that in that short time, we have already had two parties and weekend houseguests (happy/safe travels to Cali, Isaac & Natalie)! We both agree that sharing our home with family and friends has completed the transition for us, and we've worked hard to put our own touches into the house (thank goodness the hubs is okay with my decorating touch being the heavy-handed one:), and we know that we'll work on it together for years to come. Here's a couple shots from around the house, but we'll leave you to guess to which ones are the "before" and which ones are the "after"!

(Turns out I'm going to have to put the pictures in separate posts, because for some reason my Blogger dashboard is doing strange things with them)

Living room



Dining room

Summer bounty

I decided to say summer bounty instead of summer harvest because that might imply that there are herbs growing in our nonexistent garden (hey, we haven't even been in this house a week yet!), instead I clipped them out of the little potted plants residing in my kitchen's garden window. The ones I'm growing from seeds are not exactly hardy yet after a month, but I picked up this little guy from the Royal Oak farmer's market a couple weeks ago, even though I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with orange mint. But inspiration struck after eating the wild rice & orzo salad at J Alexander's while out at lunch with a friend yesterday (great to see you, Jen!) and deciding I wouldmake a cold lentil and brown rice salad to go along with the marinated chicken and grilled pineapple that will constitute dinner via the inaugural use of the new grill for our first meal outside, on our new patio table and chairs. That plus I was giddy to pick up some summer squash and tons of blackberries and nectarines on sale today at the grocery, don't you just love summer eating?? I know I do.