Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Sap is Rising


Don't be fooled by this lovely picture of spring flowers--it is freezing outside. And I mean almost literally freezing. When we got up, the temp was 35, and we were both really relieved that we have (so far) restrained from planting anything in our garden except the asparagus. What with the days in the 70's the past week, it was pretty tempting to get out there and start putting stuff in the ground! Perhaps we are becoming wise gardeners...

Apart from the frigid temperature, things are just dandy around here. Now that the miserable stretch between President's Day and Easter recesses is over, and my thesis draft is finally in my adviser's hands, I am loving life. Did you know that there are books out there that you can read? And really great shows that you can watch? And, I know, get this--sometimes you can just sit down for no reason and not feel the least bit guilty.

To celebrate, some of my book club girls (whom Jason refers to as my "little friends") are coming over for a Pride and Prejudice marathon. We will be having scones. It will be lovely.

Other things that make us happy:
* This news is simply awesome. We've been praying for Adam's job situation for a while, and it is amazing to see God work everything out to the detail.

* The first spear of asparagus has peeked up its head!

* Baby Hudson, Steven and Amy's new son, made his appearance earlier this week. He is the fifth of five new babies born to couples in our Sunday school class within six months! I think this is what they call "growing a church the old fashioned way."

* Yesterday I got to go to Target and stock up on things like cleaning supplies and make-up. It was a big load, which shouldn't have surprised me--I literally have not had time to run errands for five weeks. It turns out there is a strange sense of freedom in errand-running!

* This soup recipe, which feels a bit like spring while still being warm and cozy. Nice.

It's a pretty nice weekend, all in all. And even if it's cold, the sun is shining brightly and I am finding that I can enjoy the hyacinths and tulips without feeling the urge to go a-digging yet...which makes the weekend even better. Ahhh...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Scents of the City


Since Missy is at the moment (hopefully) putting the final touches on her thesis draft, the task of blogging our weekend jaunt to New York City falls to me. With the fond memory of our Fall trip to the Big Apple still lingering, and since the clock is rapidly winding down on Andrea and Telfer's time as our East Coast neighbors, we decided to hop on Amtrak and head to NYC. (We have really come to enjoy train travel. Comfortable seats, power plug-ins, smooth rides, and no airport security! In fact, I found myself browsing Amtrak's longer track lines and looking up Canada's VIA transcontinental excursions just for fun).

Weather-wise, we couldn't have picked a better weekend. In contrast to the cold, dampness that characterized our last visit, mother nature granted us bright sun and a balmy temperature for this trip. And we packed it in. We started out the morning with fresh bagels from the city-famous bagel shop across from the Griffiths' place. Then headed to the Union Square farmer's market for brunch, characterized by an unusual but amazingly delicious Brazilian pork and bean dish special.

We headed to Broadway in the afternoon to catch the hit musical In the Heights. We were remiss that we didn't make more of an effort to see a show on our last trip, and with Missy's birthday only two days removed, we decided to splurge. Afterward, we took a slow walk through a sunny (and very crowded) Central park, bought ice cream cones from a softee truck, and then linked up with Telfer and Andrea for a late evening dinner at their favorite restaurant, Fatty Crab. We quickly discovered why it rates on the top of many foodie lists. Billed as neo-Malaysian, the dishes, from duck, to pork sliders, to my favorite -- pork bellies on watermelon, were flavorful, spicy, and very filling. This is a must return locale for a future visit.

One of the things I noticed distinctly, especially as we walked around the Griffiths' Upper West Side neighborhood, were the fragrances of the restaurants and cafes as we ambled past. Despite strangely categorized places, such as a Spanish-Chinese cafe, or perhaps because of them, each locale was brimming with the seductive cooking scents you find throughout the world, all within a few steps. It certainly is possible to travel the world -- at least for a food aficionado -- block by block.

Fatigued by such pleasant smells and dining experiences, we were not surprised that we slept well that night (also, thanks to the Griffiths' gracious hosting). To round out our weekend, we decided to walk all the way to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Egypt and painting galleries, hit the downtown subway to pick-up some glassware Missy wanted, and then connect with Andrea for an evening church service.

We both remarked how much we both needed a weekend away, especially for Missy. And now, since Missy just came in and told me she finished her first draft, I will sign off.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

March Rocks!


Cooper Milan McAfee was a little slow in deciding to make his grand appearance, having been expected on Wednesday, but today (with a little help from Dr. Auntie Fay) he decided to show up! He knows that March birthdays rock and just wasn't quite ready to be birthday buddies with Uncle Casey. I heart camera phones at times like this, since it always takes a good day for someone to send pictures via email (update: hooray for pictures from Shaanti!). He's pretty sweet, huh? Maybe I'll just have to go see him in person in a few weeks...

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Brother.

Happy birthday, Brother! Casey reminded me when I called that his birthday means that mine is only five days away (as if I could forget...). Casey was my big 5th birthday gift--one of my earliest distinct memories was when Mom and Dad told us that something special was going to happen around the time of my birthday (I thought maybe a playhouse).

One of my favorite things about close birthdays is talking to Casey twice in one week (which is sad and should definitely be remedied). It is a long tradition for the two of us to think that March is the best birthday month...and now we have Kim and are expecting a Cooper to join in on the fun!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Busy

Grand Thesis Central

I am tired. We are three weeks into our worst five-week stretch of the year, and here's to hoping we've hit bottom and are about to work our way back uphill. Between spending 10-12 hours at work a day and then pouring over my thesis on the weekends, I need a vacation! And a very long night's sleep. I've been getting by with the help of yoga, the fabulous four-week meal plan, the first season of "Glee," and the best husband in the world. Oh, and an alarming amount of tea.
In other news, it appears to be spring. On February 28 it seemed like winter would never end. Then suddenly, March arrived much more like a songbird than a lion. For the past few days it has been balmy and in the 50s--the 50s! This weekend it is rainy (but not snowy. so thankful), and I've decided to let that thesis rest for a while so that I can finish Emma by an early-spring fire. Last weekend it was gorgeous, so we planted asparagus and took our first walking tour of all the spring bulbs that we've planted to see what has started to peak its head up. Crocus, hyacinths, and tulips, oh, my! And daffodils. Don't daffodils make you think of the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland?
planting asparagus


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

First Signs of Spring...