Weekend round-up

I haven't done a weekend round up in a while, so I thought I would do one tonight. As opposed to the heavy laden post I was planning on doing. Enough heavy posts lately.

Friday I had a new, but becoming good, friend for dinner. We drank beer and ate too much cheese and cooked and talked. We talked about being single women and how hard it is and our longings and the Fall...you know, typical girl night fodder...
I hope that our dinners become a regular thing.

Saturday I woke up early and headed to Pepper Place. It was HOT outside. I was quickly reminded that I do not enjoy Alabama summers. At all. However, Pepper Place market is my favorite thing about Birmingham, so I brave the heat. If I don't go every week (last week I slept until 1pm and missed it completely), I find that my eating for the week suffers. That is where I buy a lot of my fruit and vegetables for the week. This week I was delighted to see Blackberries and swiped them quickly up.



I then went to a super fun, laidback baby shower for Susan. It was truly a celebration and was refreshing. We laughed and joked and talked about what kind of girl Carrie is going to be and what kind of parents Su and David will be. Watching Carrie grow up is going to be fun. I can't wait to meet her. Sadness snuck it's way in after a few hours so I excused myself and went home. Where I slept and read for the rest of the day...which was wonderful.



I think that rest was much needed. As was some good alone time, which I had been avoiding for some time now.

Sunday I got up, made some delicious blackberry muffins and packed a bag for a day on the river. We canoed for 5 hours and arrived home exhausted. The kind of day where your body is tired and your muscles cry for rest. Where your body is too tired for your mind to keep you up at night. It is amazing what being on the water and using my body does for my soul. As Patty Griffin says " I need a little place in the sun sometimes for I think I will die". The sun and swimming did me good today.


A good day.




Here's to a good week. I leave Thursday for Wisconsin to see my youngest sister graduate High School. Way to go Ash. This year has been hard, but you did it. I am so proud!!

Weekend round-up

Here it is Sunday night, the end of another Spring weekend. I love Spring, but I am always so afraid of it's departure. One day soon I will wake up and it will be full on Summer. I am not looking forward to that. I love living with the windows open (i haven't closed them in a little over a month) and the doors open and cool nights and chilly mornings and warm days and new flowers. sigh.

ANYWAY, back to my weekend...

Friday I came home from an exhaustingly busy work week and baked a peach Tart (more on that in another post). I am not a baker, but am determined to bake something new every week. The Tart was a success. It was sweet and tart and soft and warm...like any good tart is. Friends and I devoured it in one night amidst laughter and silliness.


Saturday, I started at Urban Standard with Carrie and John, followed by Pepper Place. There I procured radishes, peaches, goat cheese, eggs and an alien looking vegetable called a kohlrabi. I love going there and talking to the farmers and sampling the honey and cheese and asking them about their farms. It feels very communal and connected. I also took a bunch of photos (many people asked me if I was a photographer with my fancy new camera!). Had lunch outside with a friend which was surprisingly delightful, to catch up and talk about life.


After all of that, I thought a nap was in my future. However, an idea had popped into my head that simply begged to be listened to. So, I called Jenn and she agreed that it must be done. So, we packed a little picnic of red wine (in a Nalgene bottle!), plastic cups, hard boiled eggs, water and books...and headed to the botanical gardens. After I took about 100 photos of the rose garden, we found a little place where we could read and hang out, quietly drinking wine that is strictly forbidden there. It was lovely. People kept coming by and asking if we were students, to which I replied "No, but thank you for asking!". It was really fun. I took a little nap in the sun and we saw some lizards and birds.




A good day.

Sunday I slept late, cooked breakfast and chilled. Some friends stopped by and we talked about food and farms and gardens, topics I never tire of. I decided to go back to the Gardens, not realizing that it was apparently "bring your bride and photographer day". There were 2 weddings, 2 brides walking around having their pictures taken and a perfect looking couple about 5 feet from my favorite swing taking engagement pictures. it was sad, but did not bother me nearly as much as it would have a month ago. Progress, slow and steady. It was actually a very enjoyable afternoon spent on a secluded little swing, reading.
I left there for church. Tonight in my little church we welcomed new members, baptized a beautiful boy and prayed for a former Pastor. It was, to me, a striking picture of the Gospel. Hope and brokenness, all mixed up together.
Tonight i made some yummy hummus and now am going to drift off to sleep.

I hope each of you is enjoying the Spring.


This is a kolhrabi! crazy looking, huh?