Week 48: Brr! It's Cold Outside!

New 3-year old. I find myself constantly praying for this boy. He has such a quiet nature about him, and a dry sense of humor. Terrible eater. BEST laugh I have ever heard. Loves to hold hands on the couch and do puzzles on the floor and have random dance parties. With all of my heart, I love him.

 

 

New crochet whimsey: Free-hand snowflakes. Easy and fun to make!

New breakfast: adding 1 TBS of olive oil to my oats or cream of wheat. Got this idea from Giada Delaurentiis, and it is sooo yummy in this electric-dry, Kansas cold.

New children's fiction (for b-day): Bang! Boom! Roar! and Waking Dragons. Both books are so cute, and once again, Momma has grabbed a Jane Yolen goodie in Waking Dragons, a story about a little boy whose job it is to wake up the dragons and get them ready for school (he brushes their teeth, feeds them, it is very sweet.). "Bang-Bang Rwraaaaar!!!!" as Henry calls it, is the clear winner of the entire year of new children's fiction. We read this book 1,000 times per day. Dinosaurs + construction equipment + a little I-Spy + good morals. We highly recommend both of these!

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(Not my photo: photo credit Simply Crochet) New project idea: This beautiful crochet garland (I would also like those gold drapes, the vanity, the vintage outfit, and the door, if that is possible)...

New beverage: German mulled wine. My neighbor introduced this to me, and it is quite tasty during a cold winter's happy hour :) I think I am sufficiently sick of it though. Kind of like egg nog, this will be a once-per year purchase. I'm just not a big sweet/flavory drinks person.

New (almost finished) crochet project: Summer baby blanket! This is 100%, American-made cotton, and there will be just a few, little lemon-yellow flowers decorating this as well. One of my sweet neighbors is having a baby girl next month, so my idea sprang from having a 6-month old in 108 degree, humid KS temps...

I also tried 2 new recipes this week. No photos have been included because they were both huge fails! One was a crockpot Thai chicken, which received great reviews on Food.com, but I just did not like it. Perhaps I was not in the mood for the peanut butter (I use Sunbutter), or maybe I added too much soy. It is always weird when I don't like a food of any kind, so beware! I also attempted to make a chocolate cream pie for Thanksgiving and burned the chocolate pudding. For the record, I am terrible at puddings and custards, but I LOVE to eat them. My Mom happens to be so talented at these types of yummies, and there is no way I can do the pudding from the box. My issue is that I always burn it. Do I need more patience? A double-boiler, perhaps? Less over-thinking? :) OR, maybe I should just stick to making what I don't screw up: fruit pies (for which, I credit Southern Living and The Joy of Cooking for teaching me how to make a good pie crust and fruit pie filling).

Week 40: Tomatoes, Prayers, and a Love Story

Week 40 brought strep throat to Henry and I. He actually had it at the end of Week 39 and is over it already, whereas I am just now in the thick of it. Thus, Week 40 was spent mostly on the couch, usually cuddling, and frequently watching television. Not being able to talk to my son has been difficult, and I have been in excruciating pain. I wonder if he was in this much pain, or if my adult body is just no comparison to his amazing pre-school aged one? Do any of us truly realize how amazing kids of this age are until we become stewards of them? The other night, during our bedtime prayers, he thanked God for "falling down, getting up, and for kisses and for stars...". I have no idea where that came from except that earlier that day, he tripped and fell while we were outside, playing. What a beautiful prayer just for life in general. Orated by a 3-year old.

Newness for Week 40: 

• Henry has read all of his books to me. I had no idea he had that many books completely memorized. 

• We have officially moved the puzzle station to the dining room table, which we rarely use anyway.

• I watched an entire movie from beginning to end in one sitting that wasn't made by Pixar: Les Miserables. I have never seen this - Any version! Weird, right? What a story of true love, from beginning to end. I don't think a greater love story has ever existed.

• Tried a yummy new smoothie recipe from Green Smoothie Revolution (Victoria Boutenko's recipe): 1 bunch dandelion greens + 4 Roma tomatoes (I used 3 vine tomatoes since that's what was in my fridge) + 3 cups water. This was good. I also added garlic since I'm sick, so it ended up being like a room temperature soup. As weird as it sounds, it was extremely satisfying. And besides Cream of Wheat and canned peaches, the only thing that tastes good. 

Week 38: Our Brains Are Alive (and Melty Is Too A Word)

What's new?

Oh, how I missed you, Wally Lamb. Reading favorite authors is like stepping into a nice, hot bath. You can confidently just let their words completely absorb your melty, porous brain because you're not tripping over their shitty, cliche, underdeveloped characters or bored out of your mind or disgusted because once more, someone mistook a pessimistic point of view for good writing. It is like knowing in advance you are going to get a brain massage and a good laugh and your imagination is going to come alive and be free. The Hour I First Believed is a similiar style to I Know This Much is True, where he ties deep, historical roots with regard to the protagonists family history into the current day. This story centers around a couple going through marital problems who deal with the after-effects of the Colombine massacre. Deep, complex, believable, and thought-provoking.

Week 38 New Stuff:

• Henry has given up naps. Oddly, he seems SO much happier and content on this schedule. No more spending 2 hours a day fighting him to take a nap, then fighting him to eat, then to go to bed. He sleeps from 7:30-7ish; eats more; talks more, is more affectionate and playful. I think this is actually working! Quiet time for an hour in the afternoons is a must, and I am learning as I go. Time Management...this is something that is being quickly readjusted :) Not sure if I will ever crochet again!

• Cod liver oil - A lot of great research exists on the benefits of cod liver oil on brain development, the prevention of learning disabilities, and even various disorders of the Autism Spectrum, not to mention nerve disorders. I just don't think it can hurt, especially since our boy is such a picky eater!  

• I signed up for a half marathon on Post the first weekend in October. One of my girlfriends offered to come hang out with Henry that morning, and having that possibility made me more excited than waking him up early to take to someone else's house while also trying to get ready for a half marathon. While I am no stranger to half marathons, it has been a year since I have run one!

• New green smoothie recipe from Green Smoothie Revolution. I had been wanting to try this one for a while because it only had 2 ingredients and looked extremely refreshing; 3 cups of cubed cantelope and 1 bunch of parsley. That's it! I add a little water to mine every time just because I have a blender from 1994, but you fancy VitaMixers need not add water. I THOUGHT this was going to be good. I am obsessed with parsley. I love anything with melon. I had both ingredients handy. However, it didn't really sit right with me. The flavor combo was not doing it. Green apples, sour berries, lemon, other greens...those are things that work with parsley. Cantelope is too sweet or too melon-y or something. Blech. Like all of those fruit and mint candies and gums? Those also gross me out, and this was kind like that (1/5 stars).

Week 32: Beginnings of a Thunderstorm

What's new?

Week 32 brought with it so much 2.5-year old. This boy! I have never seen such a willfull, stubborn, independent little person in my entire life. It is apparently, time for pre-school. SO much Henry newness...He now says "Bless You" when someone sneezes. He walks by himself into the post office (not in the stroller) and most other public places. He drinks water because I have convinced him "that's what big boys do." He rips child safety mechanisms off of doors. He quotes books. He washes himself. He lets me know which music he likes and wants to know who the artist is...What happened to that baby I just had?! Who is this little man-cub? :) 

One of my girlfriends has a son who is in his early 20's. She was almost in tears the other day as she told me the story about how he broke up with his serious girlfriend (who had been so serious she was in family photos) whom they had all fallen in love with. The reasons he gave his mom, my friend, were not (as a momma) ones that you want to hear from your son, the one you raised to be a stand-up guy. Mom was extremely disappointed in his decision and trying hard to be supportive of him and be the good listener that she is. The fact of the matter was that her son is not ready for a serious, grown-up relationship. Growing pains - do they ever end? :) 

Listen

One morning I awoke to a muffled song

A deep soft sound like the beginnings of a thunderstorm

My feet touched the ground as I followed the voice

It grew louder though was still unclear

I came upon a baby boy, sleeping in his bed.

Touched his cherubim face and held the light upon it

Deafening were his inaudible lyrics –

One day to be discerned as clear as bells

but perhaps just not by me 

this morning

by, Becca @Allbrandnewin52.blogspot.com

Other Week 32 Newness:

• Red Barn Pickled Asparagus. Mom got this for me (I love pickled asparagus!) while she was here and we were visiting our local Red Barn Farms out in Weston, MO. I paired it with Absolut Peppar and a little Mrs. T's and a sprig of celery :) Basically, a delicious little salad.

• Learned how to align my BOB SUS thanks to my amazing neighbors who fixed it for me (it had been pulling very hard to the left). Basically it was like someone wrapped my sprained ankle. Lifesaver. By the way, having smart, kind, intuitive neighbors who recognize that running outside is your sanity is going on my list of deployment musts.

• Cookies fail! Yes - I am publishing a fail. You cannot substitute Sunbutter for peanut butter in cookie recipes, apparently. If anyone out there has successfully done this, please let me know how you did it.

• Sharkbait #3. Yes. Yep. Youbetcha. I think I traumatize my Betas when I go on vacation. This little guy seems pretty feisty, and I am trying him with no tank heater, this time around. I am pulling for ya, Buddy!

• New workout! The 10-minute body-weight workout (August 2013 issue) from Women's Running Magazine, a great, digital publication has been a wonderful supplement to my runs lately. The body-weight exercises include alternating lateral lunges, squat thrusts, the inchworm, and mountain climbers. The exercises are done for 20 seconds with a 20 second rest in between, for 10 minutes. Love this one!

Week 26: Climbing Mountains and the BEST Foodie Penpal, Ever

What's new?

Week 26 was full of mostly deliciousness and a smidgeon of growing pain. In addition, I have had the worst bout of insomnia for the last few days (who knows), so please bare with me as I typo my way through this post and regale you all with the Newness.

• My Foodie Penpal package arrived!! Oh my goodness - A huge, cyber-hug and a thank-you to the beautiful and thoughtful Laura (and please check out her website, Urban Starlings!). As I opened her package, I LOVED how each item was individually wrapped. Each totally non-fat item :) Yum. First of all, the Sahalie Tuscan almonds were devoured within 2 days of opening. Second, dry Italian salame. The end. But not really...Sonoma Jacks soft cheese wedges and coffee candies. Cheese straws. SWEET note. What it was, was a celebration in a package. 

• La Croix sparkling water. The grapefruit is my favorite, but I also gave the cran-raspberry a try this week. Not only does this beverage seem like such a splurge (is it because it comes in a can???), but it has no sodium, artificial color, flavor, or sweetener. When it is 88 degrees out, and you just finish a 5 mile run pushing your 35-pound son in the jogging stroller up a hill, those little, mini (but HEALTHY) splurges in life sure are welcome! And they will not give you a beer belly or digestive disorders (diet soda) :)

• My little Love is going to preschool. We toured the facility and signed him up, and boy has that experience elicited some major growing pains in this momma. On one hand, I have never been more excited for him to begin this (what I think will be a) wonderful experience. His teacher seems so amazing in all of the ways that I need his first teacher to be. He loved her (in fact, he keeps asking to go back and see her!). She reminds me of my Sister-in Law, Whitney's mom. Not super gushy or emotional, but sweet and caring. I think maybe a little bit of a control freak, which I liked. I think Henry will challenge her, but I think she can challenge him right back, in a loving but firm way. I am so happy that he will get structured, quality time with other kids learning about things like following directions, manners, trusting and (hopefully) bonding with other adults, and working as a group. On the other hand, I feel nervous. Since birth, the most we have ever been apart with him in someones care other than my husband is 4 hours, and that maybe happens once every 3-4 months. And usually it is no more than 2 hours :) I am extremely picky about who cares for him. For example, I would never in a million years do something like Sitter City. I would have all of the teeth rot out of my head and bleed to death before I ever, ever, ever did that. I know it is time to climb this mountain, and I sincerely believe that there will be a happy little boy at the top. Ted has been such an amazing husband listening to me freak out about all of this, even on deployment. I sure do miss his cool, calm and collected physical presence during times like this. I'm pretty sure Henry does too :)    

• A new recipe, which I super-modified from this month's issue of Southern Living, from a recipe called Chicken Salad Exotique. This is SO yummy and easy to make! I am completely, 100% obsessed with this kind of old-school chicken salad recipe:

1 baked chicken breast, cut up into small squares

1/2 cup of organic red grapes, halved

1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, chopped

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup mayo

1 tsp oregano

a dash of salt and pepper

Week 25: Look with your Eyes, See with your Heart.

What's new?

"Look with your eyes," is something that I say to my son quite often these days :) Though I mainly say it as a command synonymous to "don't touch that!" - it is something that he understands on a deeper level than most 2.5-year olds. He genuinely seems to enjoy looking "with his eyes", and we have the most fun together reading our Eye Spy books and looking for birds and bugs. In Week 25, I was much inspired to take Henry to his first art museum. We had a blast. He surprises and impresses me with his little brain, and more and more, I love hearing what he is thinking about, as he starts to verbally express himself (though not much...I think he might take after his Daddy just a bit in that department), I find that I just want to show him the World in the way that you want to show off for someone. I want to grab his hand and present him with all of this amazing beauty and life. 

Of course, my expectations were that we were, realistically, going to probably last all of 6 minutes before we were done (because he had to be in the stroller). Not so! He really seemed to enjoy looking at all of the paintings. We tried to play a larger version of "Eye Spy" books, and it worked. He also got a kick out of the sculptures and the sound of his voice as it echoed in each room :) Some of the docents came over and commented on how well he was doing and pointed out some more cool stuff to see. We ended our hour-long visit with a trip outside, which was just an extraordinary terraced lawn/landscape with even more sculptures. I highly recommend the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, should you find yourself in the area. It is free admission, and parking is only $5.

Other Week 25 Newness:

• I received the most beautiful book of watercolors of local landscapes called, Return to Kansas. The artist is J.R. Hamil, a local who worked for Hallmark Cards for 15 years before deciding to open his own studio in 1973. His wife, Sharon Hamil, was a teacher and writer of curriculum materials in Kansas. She wrote the accompanying historical text in the book, a really wonderful gift from my peeps that just moved away. I will treasure it, always.

• We are now hamster-sitting for 5 weeks for some neighbors who are on vacation. Henry is obsessed with this mangy little thing, and I will admit, it has grown on me. She follows me around in her little ball and just mostly wants to be held. She rolls in her poo and pee, and I try not to think about it too much because she really is pretty cute. Messy little creatures...

• Henry and I are learning our owl calls. He memorized all of the species of owls in my bird book and then kept asking me what they sounded like...uh...I knew 3? So, we have spent some time on YouTube and in the Ornithology Institute's library :) 

• I learned that milk thistle greens are edible.

• Tried a new green smoothie for the week: Kale, cucumber, granny smith apple, and banana (just a little bit to sweeten, otherwise it is very "green").   

• Conducted my first interviews of preschool potentials for Henry and found one whose director I think I may have a small woman crush on who JUST SO HAPPENS to be the teacher for the 2.5-year old class! I am so excited to have found a preschool that has a 2.5-year old class that is a perfect fit for us, and we meet next week for the tour! I think Henry is going to have the best time. 

Week 24: A Galaxy, A Smoothie, and A Toddler

what's new?

We spent week 24 in the company of our fabulous friends, the Morrows, who were staying with us for a week before they moved to their next Post. We have grown quite close over the last year, and I gave them my whole heart, and they gave me several solar systems, in return. Sometimes, when you allow yourself to be truly vulnerable in friendships, you get stung, but other times, you get a galaxy :) And so, there seems no other passage more befitting than One Art, by Elizabeth Bishop:

 The art of losing isn't hard to master;
 so many things seem filled with the intent
 to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

 Lose something every day.  Accept the fluster
 of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
 The art of losing isn't hard to master.

 Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
 places, and names, and where it was you meant
 to travel.  None of these will bring disaster.

 I lost my mother's watch.  And look! my last, or
 next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
 The art of losing isn't hard to master.

 I lost two cities, lovely ones.  And, vaster,
 some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
 I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

 ---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
 I love) I shan't have lied.  It's evident
 the art of losing's not too hard to master
 though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

New things we tried in Week 24:

• Scooter's Blend Coffee (a medium roast/blend). I liked it - very deeply roasted and nutty flavor overall. Still not better than my favorite, but better than many. An easy drinking coffee that you can get at the drive-thru in a pinch if you don't want to make a special grocery store trip just for coffee.

• New deployment book for kids - Lily Hates Goodbyes. This book received the utmost praise from critics and reviewers, buuuut...I was not a fan, simply for the reason that "Lily hates goodbyes" is repeated on almost every page, despite the creative and wonderful things she is doing throughout the story. I don't like the idea of harping on hating something and continuing to whine about it. Say it once, get over it, and move on. Tough baloney, Lily. C'mon. 

• Red Barn Farms Country Market (Weston, MO). I LOVE the town of Weston (about 20 minutes east of Fort Leavenworth), and though we have visited many of the local farms around here, have never made it to Red Barn! They have the cutest little country store - I highly recommend paying them a visit, should you venture out this way.

• The Farmhouse (Kansas City, MO). Beautiful farm-to-table restaurant downtown, near City Market. Our dear friends treated us to this great find, complete with lovely outdoor seating and delicious wine and appetizers before the beginnings of a toddler meltdown occurred (mine) and we said goodbye. It happens...We will be back. They have Black Butte Porter ON TAP :)  

• Green Smoothie Revolution (by, Victoria Boutenko). This book was given to to me to read by my neighbor, after chatting about rebuilding immunity from being sick/taking antibiotics. Her exact words were, "This book will rock your World.". I (wildly) concur and recommend to just about anyone. I learned quite a it about the overall digestion of green vegetables in general from this book. As a Colitis patient, I also learned some valuable tips for the absorption of the vitamins and minerals from veggies, but even if you learn nothing, this particular recipe feels really good on your tummy. I love parsley. It is highly underrated. We will alternate the types of greens we use (to avoid alkaloid absorption) every other week, but here is this week's smoothie recipe, which I modified (the original called for dates and only one lemon, and I prefer the piney-citrusy flavor of the parsley and didn't want it that sweet, so I opted for unsweetened berries):

2 cups parsley

1 Fuji apple (we used whatever)

1/2 cup frozen blueberry/raspberries

lemon juice from 2 squeezed lemons

a little bit of water to make my cheapo blender turn

This will be enough for a couple of days - make sure to store in glass, not plastic, which will leach nutrients

Week 22: Happy Dinosaurs

What's New?

We fully lived each and every moment of Ted's week-long, pre-deployment visit in Week 22, on top of which, he let me win at Scrabble. Just kidding. If you think for a second either of us would ever let the other one win at Scrabble, you totally have the wrong idea regarding the level of competitiveness in this household :) Buuut, I am pretty sure I won with a word that I misspelled, and he initially questioned it, but at the risk of losing his turn should he end up wrong (I was 99% sure of my spelling), took the chance. The word was "Ouija", which I had incorrectly spelled, "O-u-j-a-i". But what a great way to use your J (8 points!) on a double or triple letter block! 

Aside from Scrabble, puzzles and stories with our Buddy, and 99 bottles of delicious and nutritious beer on the wall (to wash down all of the BBQ we consumed), we just enjoyed each others' company and had lots of cuddle time and outside time with our Henry dinosaur. By the way, our level of dinosaur knowledge, in general, is insane right now. Ask us anything about the Cretaceous period, or rather, ask Henry. He would be happy to explain it all to you, which is good because I am pretty sure some of that is going to be on my Praxis exam in July. 

Ted and I also managed to squeeze in a wonderfully long date night at The Majestic, which is a delicious steakhouse and jazz club located in downtown Kansas City. This place had come highly-recommended by some dear friends and acquaintances alike, so we had to try it out! Though it was recommended that we get a seat downstairs, in the club, we actually opted to sit upstairs, in the main dining area, next to the beautiful bar and the jazz pianist. It was a little more open and airy, which was a plus for us. We experienced wonderful service, and any server who is willing to talk about the marbling and aging in steaks for 20 minutes had me at hello. I recommend trying one of their prohibitionist era cocktails :) Also, I am 99% sure that after a week of partying with my husband and 2.5-year old, I can no longer fit into the dress I wore for this date night :)

Ah well. I love that man so much I want to marry him. Good thing I did :)

Other Week 22 newness:

• Discovery of the most beautiful running trail ever, which I got to run sans jogging stroller while Ted and Henry went for a hike on a nearby nature trail (the one I ran was paved). From what I could tell, it was pretty non-creeper, but I would still carry mace just because I will mace your face! :) Thanks to my Lover, who showed me where this was. 

• T-Rex Cafe in Kansas City. We sat under Pachycephalosaurus and had a view of Parasaurolophous and the jelly fish forest. AND we sat by the aquarium. Overstimulating just a teensy. Good food! Best timing ever for a 2.5-year old obsessed with dinosaurs, but still a bit scary because they do a simulated meteor shower every 30 minutes and all of the animals roar, tweet, or buzz all at once. A solid 5/5 stars for us!!

• Ted and I tried 2 new beers from Boulevard: Long Strange Tripel and The Sixth Glass. Ted is a harder sell on new beer than I am, but he said he liked them both. I loved The Sixth Glass for the light molasses aftertaste and cannot wait to have it again. It has all of the flavor of a good, dark beer but with a light body. I think these Belgian dark ale finds are slowly but surely becoming my little beer treasures in life. Not the easiest to find, but I always like them. Long Strange was meh. It was good. Nothing to write home about, but then, you are reading beer notes from a gal who still likes Budweiser with her barbeque. What do I know? :)

• I finally perfected one of my favorite comfort foods of all time and one of 3 things that my Dad knows how to make: Cocoa Quickies. This is more like a candy than a cookie, which means it requires precision, patience, and exact ingredients. I had to finally just call my Dad because of course I kept screwing it up so badly. The key ingredient? Nestle Quick Cocoa. Yes. It has to be the one with the bunny :) And the key technique? Cook 3-4 minutes AFTER you bring it to a boil, otherwise it will be gummy!   

Here is the recipe for my Dad's Cocoa Quickies: 2C white sugar, 1/2C butter, 1/2C Nestle Quick, 1/2C milk, 3C oats, 1 tsp vanilla. Mix all in saucepan. Quickly bring to a full, rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes. Take off heat and add oats. Drop onto waxed paper until they harden. "You will know immediately if you did it right or not." (my dad)

Week 20: I Wish to Live Deliberately

What's new?

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion." 

- Henry David Thoreau

I'll admit, in Week 20, we did not try many new things! However, I was one busy momma, and I started off the week by taking a 4-hour reading and writing test for the State of Virginia Department of Education. Blech! I have not taken a test like that since the SAT/ACTs in high school, and my DayQuil-infused brain was in sprint mode, trying to take this test. Thankfully, I passed with flying colors. Though I am a nervous test-taker, I can squeak out essays and edit technical excerpts pretty well, when it matters. As much as I poo-pooed this test, my Husband was really sweet and supportive about it, pointing out that it was necessary to celebrate small wins. I know he tells that to his crew probably daily. You'd think that would work on his Wife :) The take-home lesson for me from this test is that I need to focus on relaxation and on getting better sleep for "the big test" in July. It is hard for me to relax and stay on task, concurrently. I am usually more productive if under a wee bit of stress. Thus, I am usually always a wee bit stressed :) haha

I think it is nice knowing that God gave me the tools to be able to move forward with my goals and not be stunted by failure or even just fear of failure. I feel blessed that my parents raised me to "live deliberately" and expect to have to work hard for things in life. There are a lot of people out there who just expect everything to be handed to them or to live without failure, and they never MOVE forward. If writing fiction has taught me anything, it is not to be afraid of failure or of what people think of you. And the great scientific minds whose creativity and curiosity drove them to fail and discover the basic truths which I am hopefully going to be teaching to our young people? Their failures are just as big of an inspiration to me than their successes. 

Week 20 newness:

• Ted and I "celebrated" our 4th wedding anniversary. He celebrated by being Underway with 85 sailors, and I celebrated by studying for my Praxis exam while Henry napped and having sushi with a friend. We plan on for-real celebrating when he comes home for a week at the end of this month! 

• The only real new thing I tried this week was Bean Blossom Blueberry Hard Cider, and that is because Meghan gave it to me, not because I took the initiative to actually try something new on my own. I was not a huge fan of this, but I think I was expecting something more like a Hornsbys. It was more like a sparkling wine infused with blueberry flavor. After a few sips, I poured it over ice, which helped a lot. Well, then I read the can label, and it says right on the can "apple wine". So, maybe I just don't know what real cider tastes like? :) In any case, it's my "something new".