food and grace.

i am so hungry! it's times like these that i do realize i kinda like food, coming from someone who, if i could, wouldn't eat at all. and unfortunately, the things i choose to eat aren't always the best for my body. go figure. so i guess what i'm saying is that though i'm not a big fan of food, i'm completely hungry right now...and that's after i just consumed a starbucks chicken salad sandwich at almost 11 o'clock at night.

anyway, with that completely random start to a blog post, and speaking of food, the girlies and i had the best time on our friends-mini-stay-vaca. why i say food? because every time i'm at their house, i do enjoy food. and i enjoy it to the fullest. and it's good for me. and it's in good company. ms. j always surprises me with delicious, simple food that she's discovered and i eat. lots of it.

the girls and i took off friday afternoon on what is usually a thirty minute drive out to our friend's house to have a sleepover {fun, right?!}. to my unfortunate bladder, we got stuck in stop and go traffic on the tollway due to an accident at the beginning of rush hour. awesome. i absolutely had to get off at the nearest exit only 20 minutes into our drive time because according to jessa, i just couldn't "go" in the car..."please, mommy!", she said. on the verge of tears, i pulled off and found a walgreens - i've never loved that store more than i did that day. it was all amusing, really and two hours later, we finally reached our much anticipated destination. one look into baby daniel's eyes and i knew every bladder-exploding-car-overheating-traffic-stopping moment was worth it.

we had such a fun time being surrounded by the fun and laughter that fills their seven-member home {yes, that means we made ten}. we ate and played and watched and swam and giggled and story-told and napped and skipped and colored and snacked and read...spending 27 wonderful hours with our dear friends {thank you SO much!!}.

it was lovely for the girls and i to get out for a bit, it truly felt like a little vacation getaway. these last two weeks the hubby has been working extra hard on his greek class. he is entering the final week of his summer semesters and the work load has intensified. his recent days look a little something like this:

7am: gets up, feeds girls {he's the breakfast king *smile} , makes coffee {coffee king, too *wink}.
8am: takes a seat at the desk.
12:30pm: eats lunch.
12:40pm: back at the desk.
5pm: mental break - takes girls swimming {thankfully, this happened 3x last week, it's his favorite} or putts golf balls down the hallway.
6:30pm: eats dinner.
7pm: back at desk.
11pm: bed.

on the days that he actually goes to class, he's gone from 8:15am - noon. on the days that he goes to work, he's gone for a solid eight and a half hours. the way he just keeps going is amazing. the way he handles his load is amazing. the attitude he keeps during it all is amazing. he's just pretty much amazing. and the grace that the Lord gives him is beyond amazing. i really have been learning a lot by watching my hubby and the way he deals with what could potentially be a huge amount of stress. there are days that get hard, obviously. but the grace supplied is always enough. always the right measure. always fulfilling.

now i just wish i could send him on a real vacation...even for just one night.

life, everyday {week thirty nine}.

i'm so out of it, i had to double-double check the month, after attempting to write "02" instead of "03". sheesh.

{03.12.10} friday: my little homie looks so grown up in this picture...she just 'looks' two to me {in only 12 days!! eek!}...from her cute painted sparkly toes to her sideways, cool-cat-hat, she's stylin', baby! look at her stand so straight and tall!
{03.13.10} saturday: three things: organization. miley-proof. pure happiness. {and i only need one more on the bottom to bring completeness to my indulgence *wink}
{03.14.10} sunday: daddy needed a little power nap the minute we walked in from an all morning and afternoon at church. miley gave daddy puppy while he was resting and then jessa exclaimed, "aww...daddy looks so cute sleeping!" he was pleasantly surprised to wake up to find puppy {and miley} in his face.
{03.15.10} monday: we spent as much time outside this week as possible. miley enjoyed...err, was obsessed with the pile of dirt that used to be a big tree on the campus lawn. i was happy to see this little print she left behind. "behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands - Isaiah 49:16 nasb
{03.16.10} tuesday: ...and hill rolling in the sunshine.
{03.17.10} wednesday: yes, i was wearing green too on this st. patty's day celebration...but only for the fact that i DIS-PISE being pinched. it makes me nauseous. seriously. and the fam just looked all cute huddled around the laptop trying to get ice age to work {miley's absolutely favorite movie of. all. time.}
{03.18.10} thursday: my beautiful girl being entranced with the magic of a castle, the anticipation of seeing a real live princess, and the pure joy found in our favorite day spring break had to offer. this was a perfect ending to an all day spent at the zoo with new friends.

paris, france 09.

musee du louvre{one of my favorites of gran'ma and me from the entire trip}though the museum was overwhelming in size, we did find {more than} a few breathtaking works of art.

winged victoryvenus
sainte chapelle and the rosette window

notre dame with a new look

paris, france 09.

the beloved eiffel tower, the heartbeat of paristhe view from the second floor walk-about. the very tippy top of the tower was closed and my stomach was very thankful for thatthe seine riveri love this picture. probably because when i look at it, frank sinatra immediately starts resonating "i love paris in the springtime" in his deep melodious voice. just as the rain hit, we were tucked comfortably away on our lunch cruise down the seine river
glorious notre dame
the view from the top of notre dame - 400 thigh-shattering steps later

sacré-coeur the artists square at the top of sacré-coeur was like having dessert after those monstrous steps we had to take to get there. what a vivid picture of creativity coming alive!

murano, italy 09.

it's only a ten minute water bus ride from venice to the famous glass blowing island of murano. this is looking back at venice on the way.
though small, murano offers just as much flavor, beauty and culture as its neighboring sister island.

venice, italy 09.

i love the simple quaintness that this picture brings. makes me want to scale out my own window to hang a line.
this place was incredible! my auntie had watched a show on venice from the travel channel and the hostess highlighted this popular, but hidden treasure. i was so thankful that i saved my euros for some authentic art in italy - this is exactly what i was looking for! mandanova's masks: ca' macana venezia. the artist handcrafts and hand paints each individual paper mache face with intricate detail and creativity. each one is uniquely beautiful and completely different from the one it sits next to. he's popularly known for sculpting for the theatre, making a famous carnival mask for leonardo dicaprio and nicole kidman. we spent over an hour picking out just the right ones to bring home for souvenirs. and if you're wondering how expensive? i thought they would be a couple hundred for one...at least. i surprisingly walked away with three treasures for under 100 euro. i was beyond thrilled!

auntie and 'cuz at the basilica in plazza st. marco {a.k.a. pigeon plaza}.

05.09.09

venice, italy 09.

after spending about 15 minutes down at the camp pool (which was more like a hot tub), i'm back in the trailer dreaming of this...my venezia at night
our hotel - hotel abbazia - a charming, historical place of rest hidden in the heart of venice
my first official, authentic italian pizza. i'm going to say three words and three words only, "goodbye papa john's!" insert whatever pizza place in america you wish because it will blow all of them away. for real. yum! i seriously had about five of these in the course of being in italy for three days. i tried my best to read italian to order the veggie choice every time.