Mother's Day

I’m perpetually behind on things- watching shows on my dvr, movies that came out two years ago, books on my book piles, reading and writing blogs. So today I was catching up on blogs (hadn’t read any in a few weeks) and really enjoyed all the mother’s day ones. So I thought I’d write about mine (only 2 days later!)

 A lot of the bloggers I follow are young parents, and so they have a lot to reflect about on mother’s day. I, however, am not a parent. I currently have no plans to be a parent in the near future (as I’m quite single, I’ll wager that it’s not likely to happen by the next time mother’s day rolls around at least). So, I got to spend this mother’s day (as I’ve spent most others) celebrating the moms in my life.

My recently married sister hosted a gathering for our mom, our grandmother, our aunt and uncle (parents of 3, but the closest of their children is in Dallas, TX), her mother in law, and her mother in law’s parents. She, her husband, and I did all the cooking so the moms didn’t have to bring anything. It was fun. It was the first time that “the kids” took care of the day- not leaving the work to the moms. We had “brunch” (though I still argue that you cannot call it brunch at 2:30pm)

We didn’t do anything to fancy- egg casserole, ham, scones (which my sister made from scratch) and pie. And mimosas. Our new favorite cocktail. But it was nice to just celebrate the moms in our lives. I’m a little embarrassed that it took us until 27 & 29 to serve our moms like this- but we’re slow learners.

I used to think mother’s day was kind of silly. I’m not a fan of these “card company holidays” that make you feel guilty if you don’t participate. However, how many times do we REALLY take the time to celebrate moms? I’m not even a mom and I get how thankless a job it is. I see my friends parenting their young children tirelessly- and it never goes away. I still count on my mom to do much more than me than I really need her to- but it’s just what I’m used to (29 year habits die hard). So, why not take a day to say Thanks to our moms?

I hope that if you’re a mom you were celebrated in a special way on Sunday. And I hope if you’re not a mom you had someone in your life whom you could just love and serve.

Teddy

Last week Teddy, our beloved family dog for the last 17 1/2 years, died. It was very sad, but his health had been declining pretty quickly these last few months, so it was not completely un-expected. But, it was still very hard.

We got Teddy in November of 1992. My parents didn't want to tell us they were thinking about getting a dog- in case it didn't work out- so one weekend in November while we were away (I was at a youth retreat- not sure where my sister was)- they went to look at a red toy poodle they had seen in the paper. He was the only one left in his litter. They fell in love and brought him home. When I got home that weekend from my retreat- we had a little dog in an enormous box in the kitchen!!

We had him for a few days before deciding on a name- Teddy. Because he looked like a Teddy Bear. And he did. I've had this photo of him, just a few weeks after we got him, framed since I was in high school. All through college and my adult life I've had people question me, "why do you have a framed photo of a stuffed animal?" I have to explain to them he's a real dog!

He was a precious dog from the start- always wanted to sit with you- was a great lap dog. We never fed him "people food" so he never begged at the table. For the first, probably 10, years of his life, while we ate dinner he would curl up on the arm of the sofa in the family room- it was warm there under the light and he could watch us eat from the next room if he wanted to.

We loved playing with him, taking him for walks, and teasing him- he was always good-natured. In fact, the only time he'd really ever snap at you was if he was on your lap and you told him to get down. He'd usually growl and bark, and then get down anyway.

It was fun to have a little fluffy dog around- he was always so cute. I never thought I liked poodles- but now I am sold on them. when we'd have him out places people would often ask what kind of dog he was- because he wasn't super "poodley" looking.

This is Teddy one Christmas @ my grandparents- he always came to family holidays.

We will all miss Teddy a lot. I mean, what 12 year old expects to have their dog until they're almost 30?? I haven't been to my parents' house since he's been gone- mostly because I've been snowed in at my house, but I think it will be hard to go there and to not see him. For 17+ years the first thing you did when you walked into their house was find the dog. In fact, we only lived in that house for about 4 months before we got him- so he's as much a part of that house as anything else there has been.

I always enjoyed posing him places for photos- here he is in my teen-age bedroom.

There are hundreds of photos and stories everyone in our family has about Teddy, and they'll remind us of all the good times. As my dad reminded me this week, grief is the price that we pay for love, and we got a lot of love from Teddy.

Teddy in the sun (which he loved) about 2 weeks before he turned 16.

California!!....California!!!! (in the style of Phantom Planet)

Late July to Early August my sister Amy and I went to CA to see our cousin Lisa and her husband Eric. Lisa is a dentist in the Air Force and was stationed for this last year at Travis AFB in Northern CA. They lived in the town of Vacaville. We were there for 6 days and saw nearly everything. (well, not really, but it was a lot) Here is a whirlwind tour of what we saw. (since our trip Lisa and Eric have moved to their next assignment: Guam!)


First Night: Dinner at Tahoe Joe's, a local restaurant. We went for Happy Hour and ate a TON of appetizers and had some fun drinks!

Amy, Lisa, and Becki w/ Tahoe Joe himself!

Day 2: we went to base for lunch w/ Lisa, and then to two local wineries in the Suisun Valley. They were great!! Here is a shot from one of the wineries.

That night, after Lisa was off work, we went to downtown Vacaville for dinner (more happy hour) and then to an outdoor concert in a park.

Saturday we got up bright and early and headed to Muir Woods to see the Redwoods. It was awesome!!!

After Muir Woods we headed into San Francisco and saw IT ALL!! Here are a few things:

sea lions at the pier

it was very windy that day!!

We saw Mrs. Doubtfire's House and went to the Full House houses!

We went to Chinatown

We also went up to Twin Peaks for a view of the city (too foggy), walked all over the city, and drove the crookedest street. We ended our day w/ a Giants Game!!! It was great!!

Sunday we went to Sonoma and Napa Valleys. First was a picnic at a winery in Sonoma, after getting tasty sandwiches downtown.

Then we went on a tour and started tasting!

Next stop: Napa for the Laird Winery!! Probably my highlight!

We came home that night and just played cards and watched a movie- we were wiped out!!

Monday we just hung out by the pool during the day. it was gorgeous!! This is what is looks like in Vacaville ALL THE TIME!!!!:

That night we headed up to Sacramento and ate at the old town. I tried to look for Arnold, but I did not see him....

These are just a FEW of the 600 pics we took. What a great trip!!!!

What i've been up to...

It's September 1st. Fall is in the air, and I'm a little bummed about it. I really love summer. I love fall too- but I'm not quite ready for it... Summer seemed to fly by so quickly. But at least this year I got to take some vacation!! Here's a brief overview of where I have been the last month and a half... (in which I'm not sure I've had a full work week...) I have pictures of most events (thanks to my new pink camera).

July 4: Annual 4th of July Carnival in Jacobus, followed by a fun family gathering @ my mom's. This is my young friend Julia killing it at the balloon game.

July 11: Annual LAIRD family reunion in Ebensburg, PA. A Classic Day.

July 12: My step-sister Allison's bridal shower in Pittsburgh (2nd sister to get married this summer!)

July 16: Trip to Burkittsville, MD w/ friends for small town carnival. Always entertaining!

July 18: Heidi (one of my bff's from college and Philly roommates) got married!!!!

July 18-25: BEACH WEEK! Annual family trip to Rehoboth Beach, DE. We had a lot of rain and clouds this year, but I read 4 books (see previous blog post)

July 29: Mom's Bday!!! (no pic)

July 30-Aug 4: CALIFORNIA!!! My sister and I went to Vacaville, CA (outside San Fran) to visit cousin Lisa and husband Eric. She's an Air Force Dentist. We had a GREAT TIME!! (see upcoming post on the trip)

Aug 7-9: American Idol Live in Atlantic City, NJ and weekend to follow on Long Beach Island with great friends.

Aug 13: CCO Area Day- Day trip to State College (which always feels like I'm visiting my homeland). It was a great day to reconnect with the CCO staff in my area and gear up for another school year (I maintain associate staff status w/ the CCO).

Downside to the day: I was stung by 10 bees. (once in the eye- got hives 1 week later)

Aug 15: "An Evening at the Landings" celebrating friends' new apartment

Aug 15-20: ALL THE COUSINS TOGETHER!! Before Lisa & Eric left for Guam (her next AF assignment) they, her brothers and their wives & kids came into town and the 5 cousins + spouses were together for a few days. We had a great time.

Aug. 31: Visiting Kelly & Tim- good friends from college (though Kelly and I go back to camp)- they work for a missions org in Chicago- we only get to see each other once a year- but it's always refreshing to spend time with them on their brief visits to York.

Aug. 23-today: I've had a nasty cold that I can't seem to shake... but I need to improve because THIS weekend is when my step-sis Allison gets married AND my friend Meghan gets married (that's right folks- 2 weddings- 1 weekend). In one (sat) attending the second (sun).

Looking forward to next Monday when I'm home from all my travels and can rest from my Labors!!! It was a good summer... I wish it could last just a bit longer, but all I can do is reflect on its fullness and goodness and prepare for the glorious season of fall!

Berry Cobbler

So, I've mentioned my berry cobbler and have had a request for the recipe, so I'm sharing it with the world. But you have to get the back story first.

This recipe is from my great-grandmother from Texas. My "Poppy" was born and raised on a ranch outside of Houston, Texas. My grandmother "Nanny" grew up in Holidaysburg, PA (you win a prize if you know where that is). They met in California during WWII. Poppy was in the Air Force, and Nanny went out there with her sister to work in an office. She always says "things were different during the war." They got married in Harrisburg, and then moved to Houston after the war because that is where Poppy could get a job. Having grown up on the farm, his mother was always cooking fresh foods and desserts from the farm. She (the original Nanny Smith) made a fresh dessert, I think, every day. My Poppy was used to that, so my Nanny learned his mother's recipes for her new husband. After 3 years in TX my Nanny got really homesick and so they came to PA "for a trial period" and never left. But she brought the TX recipes with her and now we all use them! It's kind of a rough recipe b/c she just passed them along verbally to my nanny.

Nanny Smith's Berry Cobbler

make a pie crust for a 1 layer pie- but use milk instead of water. (refrigerate or put in freezer til ready to use)

mix in a sauce pan: 2/3 to 1 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 cup already-boiling water. Stir in water gradually, and bring to a boil for 1 minute- keep stirring.

After 1 minute add in 3 cups of fruit (any fruit that you can bake in a pie will work, but my FAV is black raspberries. my family also does it w/ peaches a lot)

now roll out your pie dough and cut into squares (about 1 inch - 1 1/2 inch)

in a dish (i used an 8x8, but you can use smaller for a thicker cobbler) make a layer of fruit/sauce. sprinkle over top 1 tbsp of butter (in quarters), 1/4 tsp vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then add a layer of crust squares.

* a time saver is rather than adding the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter into the layers, you can just mix some of each into the fruit/sauce mix

repeat this for 3 layers, finishing with squares on top (save the middle squares from your rolled out dough- they're the prettiest), and press down on the squares gently for the juice to come over some of them.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

DELISH!!

here is what was left of mine when I decided to take a picture....

My sister got married!

After many years, my sister Amy married Dallas over memorial day weekend. We had a great time leading up to it and the whole wedding weekend, and we're happy to have Dallas in our family!! There are a few pics here to capture the weekend!!Amy and Dallas @ the rehearsal

Sisters!

Just post-ceremony

Sweetheart table with good food!!

A great group of friends to celebrate with!

loving

One of the quotes on a recent episode of Felicity that I watched really stuck out to me. Sally was giving Felicity advice on her disastrous relationship with Ben, and how she had done something to him that made him so angry he didn't want to talk to her anymore, and she didn't know how to respond. Sally's advice was this:

"If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me."

It wasn't until recently in my life that I really started to grasp what that meant. My natural reaction when there is not equal love in a relationship that I'm in, be it romantic or not, is not to be more loving, but to either be more spiteful (which is usually a game I am better at winning), or to shy away, let the other person be more loving while I just sit quietly and afraid. However, I am learning, through the wisdom of JJ Abrams (writer of Felicity), and the grace of God, that those are not the most appropriate reactions. The response should not be to spite back to someone to the best of my ability, but to love back.

It is often putting oneself out on a limb to be the one who is more loving. You can get hurt, you can feel lonely, you can feel frustrated that you're not getting back in return what you are giving out. But that is not what loving is. Loving is unconditional- whether you receive it back or not. This, of course, is mirrored in our relationship with Christ. What if he only loved us as much as we loved him back. We'd all be in trouble.

As I look at the broken relationships in my life, I can see that they are a result of me not being the more loving one. I pray that I can better learn how to do that.

My Aunt, and Smells of Spring

I initially titled this "Smells of Spring and my Aunt" but realized that I did not want to write about "smells of my aunt." So, here we find ourselves.

I have a wonderful Aunt who likes to do nice things for me. Sometimes she does them in large quantities.

Today I called her because I heard that her lilacs are in bloom and that is my very favorite smell in the whole world, and so I wanted to see if I could get a few clippings from her lilac bushes to put in a vase in my apartment. She obliged.

When I arrived at her house she already had cut some for me because I was arriving after dark. I allowed her to load them into my trunk. when I got home I realized the sheer volume that she had sent with me, but I couldn't let them go to waste! So, I cut what I could, discarded what I could not, and was left with what you see below. A lovely smelling apartment, and 7 vases of lilacs!

I hope that you are smelling some wonderful smells of spring as well!

just thought I'd share this photo of me at the beach last summer. getting ready for another fun summer!!! And no, I didn't drive it. (but I did ride on it- my first motorcycle ride ever... not as bad as I imagined it to be...)