A Full Day of Family

Meant, of course, in a POSITIVE way!

This morning, I went to the Farmers Market with Nathaniel, Analee, Kendal and Holly. They picked me up around 10 and off we went.

Despite it being a tad chilly at first, it was a lovely morning. And, the market was PACKED (turns out it was the first day of it being open from 8-12).

My primary reason for going was to pick up a few items so that I can try my hand at cooking something for Monday's book discussion group from fresh and local produce. I figured I should since it's the books theme, after all. And, I've got some time on my hands to be creative.

So, we wandered around; tons of people, dogs, strollers and an Easter egg hunt going on to boot.

I ended up buying:

1. Butter leaf lettuce

2. Radishes

3. Kale

4. Green Garlic (I THOUGHT this was a huge bunch of scallions....not)

5. Eggs

6. Farmer's Cheese

7. Cranberry Nut Loaf

8. Wine

Obviously what I concoct won't be made 100% from local ingredients, but, it'll be over 50%. I'll keep y'all posted on what I end up doing.

Anyway, here is a nice picture of Kendal (although I cut off a bit of his head; hard to take pictures with a cell phone into the direct sun):

When I got home, my other SIL contacted me and asked if I wanted to stop by later that afternoon for a cocktail on their sunny front porch. Sure!

So, after checking on the townhouse (new tenants move in Thursday), off I went, Lucy in tow.

We ended up sitting outside for several hours sipping our drinks, chatting, and watching the girls play. Lucy did really well with them; they LOVED getting Lucy kisses!

Here are pictures of the girls with their mom and dad (Jon with Sophie and Shannon with Jacqueline):

All in all (and, in fact, the past few days), I've felt blessed to have my wonderful family nearby to hang out with and keep me from being a lonely CPA "Widow".

BTW, Mr. B IS alive and kicking. Tomorrow begins the final 10 day shove. His life is pretty much the same from day to day and night to night. His big excitement was a deer ran into his car the other night while he was on his way home from work. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt, the deer walked away, and the BMW wasn't overly impacted (thank GOD it wasn't our TBD new car!)

Mrs. B

Places I've Been at 8:30 AM

It was a brilliantly beautiful morning today; sunny and blue skies with just the right combination of chill and warmth. As I was driving home from dropping The Kid off at school around 8:30, I got to thinking about all of the many places I've been on sunny mornings at 8:30. Here are a few (in no particular order as this was supposed to be a "free-flow" exercise!):

Walking from my apartment to class in Verona, Italy

Sitting out on our private balcony on the Queen Mary II with Mr. B on our honeymoon

Walking Lucy in our neighborhood

Cuddling with Nigel and Clyde in the Green Chair in my condo in Torrance while reading the morning paper and drinking coffee

Early morning driving on more road trips (and with just about everyone I know) than I can count!

Having breakfast in England with Father and Margot

Walking across “the campus” at Space Park on my way to a 9:00 meeting

Sitting in our sun room reading the Sunday paper

Chatting with my in-laws and working the crossword puzzle at our kitchen table

Snuggling in bed after playing hooky from either school or work

Having breakfast with mom at The Weathervane

Helping dad do repairs on rental properties

Sitting in East Commons (at San Diego State) smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee

Making Sunrise breakfast sandwiches at Carl’s Jr. and working the Drive-Thru

Sitting in more (elementary, junior high, high school and college) courses than I can possibly remember

Riding a bus from Serrano, Italy to Rome with Hisaka

Sitting in Piazza Erbe in Verona sipping cappuccinos and people watching

Strolling through the Rialto Market in Venice with Pam

Eating biscuits and sausage gravy at Emily’s diner with Father (and sometimes Margot and Jon S.)

Roaming the farm and “helping” Grandpa C. feed the animals in upstate NY

Having breakfast with my siblings and cousins at Grandma Walbring’s house

Watching cartoons (when I was young!)

Getting lost in the airport in Paris

Riding the Tube in London

On a bus with Mr. B from Southampton, England to London

On more airplanes and/or in more airports than I care to remember!

Walking from my “barracks” to the work facility in Alice Springs, Australia

On the beach in Cairns, Australia (the sun rises in the West in Australia!)

Watching the sun rise over the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona

Sitting on a lanai in Maui, Hawaii; having breakfast, with mom and dad

Hung over!

Opening Christmas presents and drinking Mimosa’s

Walking along the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Eating breakfast while watching the fog rise over the distant mountains in Puerto Vallarta

Sitting in front of my computer

Pulling into the parking lot where my current consulting gig is

Driving home from dropping The Kid off at school

Mrs. B