come on in

herbs

I almost titled this post, "pathetic," but I thought that would sound pessimistic,

and I'd like to believe these little herbs will grow abundantly over the next few weeks.

Grill Master

Sara love, love, loves to grill.

So she bought a little grill,

and we all enjoy her outdoor cooking.

We even share the good smells with our neighbors ;)

Faith Love and Fancy

Sometimes I forget just how lovely music concerts can be...

A couple weeks ago Sara and I went to the Susquehanna Chorale's spring concert.

It was like eating a divine dessert, skillfully crafted for our ears.

absolutely stunningly gorgeous

I don't know how I can forget the delight of quality music.

This was my first "real" concert since returning to American soil.

red love

My boss and his wife own and operate a small strawberry farm out in the country here in Pennsylvania. Since Sara, Sharon, and I all had a free morning today, and strawberry season has just started, we planned a berry-picking outing.

ooolala or umyumyum

I've missed strawberry season in the States the past two summers, plus I've been waiting for years to visit Jonathan and Erica's berry farm. So, our berry picking trip was a pretty exciting event.

And after we returned with nearly 20 pounds of berries, Sara, Sharon, and I prepared a lovely luncheon of waffles, strawberries, and cream...

...which we enjoyed on the lawn.

DE.lish :)

What a lovely morning!

that looks like home to me...

Every time I fly home, I watch for neat, square plots of flat land...

And every time I see those straight lines and flat fields dotted with farmhouses and barns,

I get excited.

Because that's what home looks like.

And I love it.

Process

work-in-process, WIP

Not too long ago...

Amy and Naomi donned their aprons and created 15 cakes to be served at Josh and Betsy's wedding.

The cake creating was a major process,

and the final product was a beautiful and delicious success.

(I wanted to say it was a smashing success... but... that word didn't quite seem appropriate since there really was no smashing :)

I helped by mixing 8 batches of frosting the morning before the wedding as 

Amy and Naomi frosted cake after cake...

in action

ready for transport!

chocolate

Artsy Amy added a special touch and wrote the cake types within the squiggles on top of the cakes!

vanilla

pumpkin

lemon

carrot

Sadly- I have no final shots of the cake table at the reception. 

Visit Amy's blog here for photos of the impressive cake display.

sewing

Mom and Amy helped me with the finishing touches on my bridesmaid dress for Betsy's wedding last month.

Sisters Are Best!

When I found out I would be driving to Canada solo for last week's training, I was, well... pretty much the opposite of excited at the thought of driving 900 miles of unfamiliar roads.

In my bummed state I sent an email to my big sister asking if she wanted to join me in Canada (she LOVES the northland).

What started out as mostly a fantasy idea turned into a wonderful, fabulous, delightful weekend in Niagara Falls with two of my sisters and one of our close friends.

After my training was finished Friday afternoon I drove south to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

After Libby's morning class at MSU, she drove north to Midland. As soon as Libby arrived, she and Amy proceeded to drive south and east to cross into Canada. (We won't mention the paperwork frenzy for the border crossing or the fact that L and A had nearly reached Toronto when they realized the QEW highway has a "V"...)

What I will mention is the 18,000+ steps we strolled on Saturday, the quality sister time we soaked and soaked up, our multi-ethnic dining experiences (Lebanese, Mexican, and Greek)... and the fact that Amy's bed sheets didn't match the paint color on the walls in her room....

(Okay, so maybe that last item was extra info. Our bed and breakfast was lovely and perfect for our weekend.)

The weather was gorgeous. I still needed a coat, gloves, and a scarf for our evening visits to the Falls, but the days were sunny and picnic-perfect.

Our weekend together was incredibly special. It made the long solo drive the previous weekend seem almost bearable. It made the long solo drive back to Pennsylvania worth it.

My stomach was in knots Sunday morning during the sermon-- because I didn't want to say goodbye.

Sunday afternoon came way too soon. We said goodbyes and all drove home-- two vehicles to Michigan (5.5hrs) and one to Pennsylvania (6.5hrs).

there were a few others at the Falls too...

We want to visit Niagara again sometime-- in a few months when tourist season has passed :)

base

A few shots from an evening walk around base at NTM.

love the lighting in this pic