over the weekend

over the weekend

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this past weekend was our second annual parish retreat at camp mitchell, a gorgeous place in the middle of petit jean state park. we always have so much fun on these church trips. i love the people and the fellowship and the surroundings and the peacefulness at the camp. plus, we have a whole lot of fun. we are episcopalians, you know.

while the camp is owned by the diocese of arkansas, it does support the surrounding community. they have a CSA farm that is going on about 2 years where they grow tons of organic fruits and veggies as well as raise free-range chickens.

on saturday, we all walked to the lookout where it is believed that petit jean, a french girl who disguised herself as a boy to follow her love on a ship to the new world, died and was buried. legend has it that her spirit gives the place a mystical quality. i just think it’s really pretty.

we ended the weekend with eucharist in the open air chapel and we sang hymns to the sounds of the wind and birds. i’m always so refreshed and thankful for these quiet weekends. i can’t wait for next year.

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over the weekend

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this past weekend was busy and fun and sunny and warm and full of great things.

i spent a cozy friday night in my room with my book and gin while matt had some dudes over for tacos and tequila. it was so entertaining listening to the guys talk while playing games and sampling hot sauce. the din of male voices having a great time is a really sweet sound.

this weekend was also the 41st annual dogwood festival. it’s a small town ‘arts and crafts’ show with booths and food trucks littering our downtown parks. tons of people roll into siloam springs for this shindig every year. it’s crazy and kinda lame but sorta fun. this time it felt more exciting, maybe because for once the weather was super nice. i volunteered with a friend to be the handicap parking czar, making sure the festival’s disabled patrons had proper access to all the fun. well, at least in my two hour time slot on saturday afternoon. but as a family we walked around and bought tie-dye t-shirts and chocolate and a samurai sword.

saturday night i went to a birthday house party. i expected to only go for an hour or so but stayed late into the night dancing and laughing. that was good for my soul. i have some really beautiful friends, by the way.

sunday was a lovely church service then a visit from my dad. and we made burgers for dinner and realized that grilled pineapple is my new favorite thing.

this weekend was wonderful.

over the easter weekend

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this was such a lovely weekend. saturday was gloriously warm and sunny. i attempted to run for the first time since the hike, but my foot pain forced me to ease up and walk. it was annoying at first, but it did allow me to appreciate the budding trees and blossoming flowers around town. i love watching the world slowly awaken after a long winter. i had a tasty lunch, then i was able to lay out on the deck, soak up some rays, relish the quiet afternoon.

in the episcopal church, we celebrate the great vigil on the saturday night before easter sunday. it is my most favorite service of the year. we begin in darkness with lit candles outside, then file inside reverently to fill up the pews. the liturgy follows the full scope of Christ’s life and ministry, including even the prophetic passages in the old testament, and chronicles his death and celebrates his resurrection. after about two hours, we proclaim ‘he is risen indeed!’ and toast to new life. and eat yummy food and drink champagne. i love my church.

sunday, was slow and relaxed. because we are at church til about 11pm on saturday, we don’t really go to easter sunday service. but i did roast a most delicious leg of lamb, marinated in rosemary and garlic, with potatoes and lemons. sautéed some kale for the side. isaiah got a hollow chocolate bunny.

now it’s monday and cloudy and dreary and all i want is the sun to come out. but i’m thankful for the weekend i enjoyed.

life lately

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so i’ve totally dropped the ball on blogging here lately. but i won’t apologize for it. nope. because i’m just gonna be a jerk about it. also, i know none of my readers have been waiting with bated breath to see what i’ve been cooking lately or what i did over the last weekend. all except for matt. he kinda got on my case about not updating. so here we are.

these are just some of the things i’ve been up to over the last couple weeks. i have been playing this DMB album pretty much non-stop since it arrived. geeeeeeeeeze, i love me some dave. old school, 90s dave. as soon as ‘crash’ comes out on vinyl i’ll punch anyone in the face who stands between me and that purchase. best album OF ALL TIME.

i got to have a sushi date with my lover recently and it was the most delicious. i’m already jonesin’ for another sashimi/nigiri throw down at sushi house. i could eat raw fishes every day. every damn day.

also, my kitty is super cute and i’m still making yummy food and letting my friends feed me tasty coconut treats.

oh yeah, and i got to meet Rob Gronkowski (or Gronk, as he lets his BFFs call him) at a stupid early saturday morning meeting at the walmart home office where matt works. it was totally worth the 5 am wake up call. we side-fived, so yeah, we’re basically besties.

last weekend was so gorgeous and warm and lovely. i laid out, sipped tea, and went on a family adventure walk with my boys. i have decided to give up my turtlenecks for the season. i’m a little sad to see them go, but it’s only for a while. let’s face it, i’d way rather wear sleeveless dresses anyhow.

bring on the spring!!!!!

over the weekend

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on friday, i packed a bag for an overnighter at camp mitchell. it’s an episcopal retreat center in the heart of petit jean state park and it’s absolutely gorgeous out there. the sunrise can take your breath away.

i’m on vestry, which in the episcopal church is kinda like the governing body, and this was our yearly meeting to get to know each other better and do some hard core planning and organizing. and while this was really a business trip, there were still a few opportunities to get out, walk around the camp, take in the views.

it was pretty peaceful.

over the snowy weekend

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it started snowing friday afternoon. by early evening, there was a light dusting on the ground. i roasted up a bunch of root veggies because that’s my comfort food and settled under my blanket. my kinda night.

matt and i went on a beautiful yet cold run the next morning. there is something magical about running while the snow is still falling. everything is hushed. even our footfalls are muffled. the park was just gorgeous with snow cover and cloudy skies. matt’s beard was epically coated in white.

unlike most people, i didn’t go to the store before the storm hit. we basically had no food in the house. so we went to 28 springs for lunch and shared a bottle of rose, because why the hell not. it was fun and cozy. and the snow was still coming down.

sunday we watched a ton of documentaries on netflix and dreamed and schemed about going on a weekend hike in the spring. and about moving somewhere it’s always warm. i took a bubble bath with my gin and tina fey. only 30 pages into ‘bossypants’ and i already absolutely love it. and i realized this weekend that even though i hate winter so hard, i secretly get giddy inside when it snows. makes me feel like a kid. today it’s ugly and gross and i’m back to hating winter, but in the midst of the snowfall, i am peaceful and happy. and i’m in awe of the beauty of it.

over the weekend

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this weekend was a kinda busy one. i feel like i did a lot of eating and hanging out on the couch. really just matt was busy and i stayed mostly at home.

friday night, while matt was at a social engagement, i made myself some tasty roasted parsnips and purple carrots and piled them on top of sautéed kale and leftover chicken. then heard the fire trucks rumble down the street. see about once a quarter, the fire alarms needlessly go off in the building the next block over from our place. it lasts about half an hour, and everyone has to evacuate and the trucks block all the traffic. so i figured i’d take a picture of it. the excitement in small town living is hard to come by so i take what i can get.

saturday i had some gal pal time with some of my very favorite ladies. we had sushi and talked and shopped and laughed and cried and spoke amazing truth. i’m so lucky to have them in my life. seriously, i don’t know what i’d do without them. but as soon as i got home from galavanting around town, matt headed out for another social engagement. it was just me and the little man again. i made myself another tasty dinner and hung out with kiddo and we talked and talked. it was so great. these are precious moments for me.

sunday the weather turned bitter cold and i wore my sweater of many colors and made isaiah take my photo just because i liked my outfit. after church, i put on my leggings and didn’t leave the comfort of my blanket the whole rest of the day. i watched the oscars and live tweeted to pretty much nobody and was sad that ‘boyhood’ didn’t win best picture.

and now it’s monday and it’s still dreary and cold and spring feels so far away.

over the weekend

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this past weekend the weather was glorious. sunny and warm. saturday, we started the day with a run in the sun before matt headed over to ash & ember, a gentleman’s shop that sells pipes, cigars, beard and mustache paraphernalia and vintage toys and comics. it’s super awesome. such a great hangout. but it was the inaugural beard and mustache competition and matt was the celebrity judge (his beard deemed too wonderful to be a contestant). but dudes from far and wide came to have their facial hair scrutinized and criticized. 18 guys entered and many left with cool prizes consisting of t-shirts and and combs and oils and fresh lotions. snacks were available as well as live entertainment. it was such a fun atmosphere and a really great turn out.

i also had some much needed girl time over drinks with my bestest. it had been too long. seriously, i don’t know how i’d get through this life without her.

then sunday was even more lovely than the day before. after church we went on a wee family run around downtown. the kiddo is starting to take an interest in fitness and we are all about encouraging him towards healthier habits. i’ve always thought he’d love running as a sport, but it works so much better if he thinks it’s his idea. when we got done with our exercise, we headed out to the deck to enjoy the 70 degree february afternoon. my chocolate melted a bit outside. that’s how you know it was a great day.

ps sorry for all you north easterners. i hear the weather is a bitch right now.

over the weekend

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this was a pretty chill weekend. i listened to lots of music and ate lots of food. sunday was beer brewing day, so matt spent most of the afternoon hunched over boiling hop water. while he simmered, i spun some sweet tunes on the turn table and read ‘slaughterhouse five.’ yesterday was kinda cold and grey and windy so it was a perfect day to lay low and be cozy. then later in the night, while i was watching the pro-bowl and not the SAG awards, i got tweeted by the fug girls. so yeah, it was a great day.

over the weekend

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so besides watching the greatest football game ever last weekend, we also went to arcadia retrocade. it’s a total throwback to 80s entertainment. they had frogger, foosball, pacman, super mario bros, and street fighter. and i was horrible at all of them. the place was packed though with a wide range of people of all ages. it’s the kind of place that bridges the generational gap, introducing the old school games to a new set of gamers. and even better, it smelled like gym socks and body odor. this place is absolutely legit, right down to the mary lou retton and beauty and the beast posters.