Virginia Beach

Olive and I got go with Gina (my sister in-law who lives across the street, thank heaven) to VA beach a week or so ago. We just stayed the night and played at the beach one day but it was a great intro to Spring and Summer. Virginia beach is a strange town, it's stuck in the 70's with some new hotels and lots of funny motels and diners. Olive and I were glued to the beach and dug around for hours. Making sand cakes in our yellow bucket and eventually taking a much needed nap right on our towel.

She is looking at the kids running into the water. Yelling, it's not warm, because I kept telling her was too cold to go in. Cold oceans are for dads not pregnant moms.

While I was there I got to indulge in a new favorite book. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. My brother Sean recommended it and I always trust his judgement. Just don't look for a plot and enjoy the simplicity. I am not one for reading books over but this might just become an annual summer read.

Saturdays

Chas has been hard at work for the last month. Almost every Saturday is dedicated greenhouse day. This little project is his brain child and he practically deserves another masters degree for all the research and time he has put into this. Months ago we found some free sliding doors on craigslist (of course I thought it was silly) and the journey began.A little framing and 20 sliding doors later we now have the skeleton of what I have come to know as a passive greenhouse. It will hopefully feed a lot of people year round, if we ever get to planting. Here are some progress pics. I think it is pretty amazing.

Last Saturday was painting.

Notice Chas on the roof, Gary (Chas' Dad) bottom right and good old Fred, the awesome handyman that puts up with all the farm projects that these 9-5ers have no time for.

While Chas slaves away in the sun and heat Olive and I try to entertain ourselves around the farm. Last Saturday Chas took a break and joined us down the road to pick some strawberries at Miller Farms. If you live in Northers VA this is super fun for kids.

Chas' brothers fam (Zac, Gina and kids) is top left. To say Olive loves her cousins would be an understatement. We like them too.

first hair cut

It's not really the "first"; I have taken my chances with the scissors and trimmed a little here and there. But, this is the first time I have paid someone who knows what she is doing. A girl in our ward with little girls of her own cuts hair in her house and she did a great job. Olive was so good, she stood still the whole time and even let her blow it dry. Before the haircut I had been constantly trying to figure out what do do with Olives sparse un-even head of hair. It got long enough to barely get in pig tails (with lots of clips and hairspray) and they were so cute. Now it looks so much better and much fuller.

green spagetti

It's not always easy to find something Olive will chow down on besides cereal. Pesto pasta is one exception. I made it for dinner the other night and away she went. It is strange but I can't describe the feeling when you watch your child devouring and enjoying something delicious you made.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it on your little one:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
a little less than one cup olive oil
1 cup grated parm
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. (heaping) pine nuts
2 cloves of fresh garlic

Blend it in a food processor or good blender and pour over any pasta while the pasta is still hot. My favorite is angel hair. You can also grill chicken with it and serve with parm on the top.

decisions

This is whats on the docket as of late. We have three possible roads to take.

1.) Find a job overseas = move after the baby comes, have an adventure and give us another year to prepare for the process of buying a house and decide better where we want to set down some roots
2.) Buy a house = awful commute for 2 more months. Chas doesn't see Olive until Thursdays... then go overseas in about a year and rent our house.
3.) Rent a house = move sooner and pay someone else's mortgage... 1 more move to our leap frogging life. Be closer to work


Right now Chas' commute is 2 hours each way. It makes me sad just thinking about it and I don't know how he does it. His days are even longer because he works 10/4's so he can take Fridays off. This is the only thing that saves us but it also makes it harder Mon-Thurs.

As of right now I am in the go overseas camp and Chas is more for buying and staying with his company for longer. Who knows what we'll end up doing and I know I'll be excited for any of the above. I just want to know now.

Virginian Safari

Last weekend we went to Safari Park. It really lived up to its name and was surprisingly what I imagine a safari would be like, minus the jeeps and extreme heat. There were Giraffes and ostriches, crazy monkey's and kangaroos. It was so fun for Olive and we got to feed and feed and feed all the animals. On the "safari" part of the park they come right up to the window of your door expecting food. It is pretty amazing but I was wishing we had a truck and not a tiny Prius. I felt a little vulnerable so low compared to the huge animals.

Unfortunately we left our camera card at home so iphone pics will have to do.

All set with our safari hats!

Camels posing for a pic!

Mama kangaroo and my joey.

life after death

I recently read this book and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. Being a believer in the afterlife this was an amazing secular view at the evidence of the possibilities of our spirits continuing a journey beyond this world. I highly recommend it and if you do have a chance to read it I would love to hear any and all reactions.

D'Souza is also the author of Whats So Great About Christianity, also an interesting lens to analyze a typically personal and spiritual thought process.

28 weeks

BAM!