Life In The Fast Lane

It's been one of those weeks. Each morning for the last seven days, I've need to stop and think, "What day of the week is it? Where am I today?" It's been good things that kept me on the move, but thankfully this morning I'm back in "my" spot on the sofa. Coffee beside me in "my" cup. With nothing out of the ordinary on my calendar for at least a week. Remarkable. And most welcomed. Here's a quick recap of why I am behind on blogging.

I had the good fortune to spend a few days at the beach with long-time friends. It's an annual trip that we all look forward to each year. Fresh seafood twice a day. A little shopping. And this year, a marathon viewing of A Place To Call Home. That's an Australian TV show set in the 1950s. Such a good show that we watched it until late at night and on our last morning there, everyone was up early to watch a few more episodes until it was time to leave. The TV watching is not a typical activity for us, but the show is that good. FYI, it's available on Acorn TV and is broadcast on some PBS stations. I also found that you can purchase it by the season or episode on iTunes.

I got home Sunday night and left on Monday morning for the big city. The wedding is only six weeks away. This trip was for the wedding gown fitting. She's going to be a beautiful bride! While I was there, we visited Jessica's very good friend and her very new baby—less than a week old the day we stopped by. This is one of the babies who came home from the hospital wearing one of the little hats that I knitted.

We also took the sleep-deprived new mom a meal. Jessica made our favorite bourbon marinated pork tenderloin and packaged it ready to pop into the oven. The meal also included orzo spinach salad, sourdough bread, chicken salad with a bag of good crackers, and blueberry muffins. Jessica included printouts of all the recipes, too. I've never thought of doing that. But if they love the food, they will have the recipe and if they have any food issues, they can see the ingredients. What a good idea!

Then I took the long way around from one daughters' house to the other daughter's house so that I could meet a friend at Eat. Sleep. Knit. It's the biggest yarn shop I've ever been to. Worth battling the morning commuter traffic and the extra couple of hours of driving.

And I managed to get to the next stop in time to have a late lunch with Baby Girl. When she found out I was coming, she told her mommy that "Mimi makes my heart happy." Then as she tapped her chest she said, "My heart beats Mimi...Mimi...Mimi." The next morning I was there to get her breakfast and in her almost-four-years-old manner of speaking, she told me, "I'd like an apple for breakfast. But take the red off the back." She's growing so fast. I'm going to miss her preschooler way of phrasing things.

I left that house right after breakfast to get home in time for a big event here last night. The Spotlight On Agriculture banquet is the largest event of its kind in our state. At this 44th annual dinner, Daddy-O received two awards—Cattleman Of The Year and the M. L. Ouzts Memorial Outstanding Extension Supporter Of The Year. Other awards were presented in the areas of forestry, poultry, dairy, horticulture, 4H and FFA and the Farm Family Of The Year was recognized. The entire evening is a huge reminder that our food does not originate at Publix or Kroger. The nearly 400 people attending last night know that, but we were reminded that it's important to tell our story to others,

After driving nearly 1,000 miles (on seven different interstates) this week,  

I'm glad to be home.