Funday Monday

It's not every Monday you get to leave all responsibilities behind and play all day in Chicago . . . but that is exactly what Forest and I did this week.

First stop: The United Center, to pick up some concert tickets
Second stop: Berghoff for lunch with Scott
Then we enjoyed a leisurely lakeside stroll, pausing in front of Buckingham Fountain . . .


. . . and wandering into Millenium Park


Next stop: Caffe Gelato (best gelato shop we've found on this side of the pond) and a quick chat with Brendan

mixed berry, lemon, peach, and blood orange

Back to downtown for a trip up the Sears Tower--which some people claim is now called "Willis Tower."
It's hard to see because it's so high up, but below is a shot of the new Skydeck's glass ledge poking out from the 103rd floor.

The view from the Skydeck:

Inside the Ledge:

Our feet hovering over Wacker Drive--1,353 feet below

Last stop: Back to the United Center for the Pearl Jam concert






All-play and no-work Mondays don't come around very often . . . when they do, it is advisable to squeeze in as much fun as possible.

Roly Poly Ramona

Ramona now weighs 14 lbs, 12 oz.--exactly double her weight at birth. It didn't seem to take long for her to pack on the pounds.
She also rolled over for the first time two days ago and hasn't stopped rolling since.

Aunt B

Brittany spent some time in Illinois last week.
She asked to be known as "Aunt B" to Ramona. I think the name fits, don't you?


Part of her Illinois trip was spent in Nauvoo, and we got to meet up with her there in that historic town on the Mississippi River.
Forest and I had not been there since our wedding. The temple was just as beautiful as I remembered it, and the sky was just as blue of a backdrop. Being back there made me feel like we had just gotten married . . . except there was no sweltering August heat on our special day in May '07.
She's definitely a North Carolina girl now, but I think a certain part of her will always feel at home in cornfields, just like me.

Miss you already, Britt. Come back soon.

Extended

One of the beautiful things about babies is that their birth can create so many new relationships--not only between them and their parents, but between them and other extended family members: grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Forest's sister Crissy was in Illinois for a couple of weeks this month. Ramona got to meet her and her family for the first time. Cousin Aubrey was perhaps the most eager to hold her and give her kisses . . .

. . . but she let other people have a turn, too.

A Tribute to Rainier Cherries

Although it may sound made-up, today is National Rainier Cherry Day. I actually think Rainier cherries are good enough to deserve their own holiday, and plan to celebrate accordingly.

Last summer, while we were in the Great Northwest, Forest and I got a taste of Rainier cherries in the best possible way . . . right off the tree.


Note how many more Rainier cherries we picked compared to the red ones:
We used David Lebovitz's recipe for cherry sorbet from his book The Perfect Scoop (of course just adding a pinch of guar gum). I've never been able to churn up the Rainiers into ice-cream-form, though . . . they are just too good the way they are.

Apricot Sorbet

The texture of this sorbet is incredibly smooth, making it stand out from most other fruit sorbets. We used David Lebovitz's recipe from The Perfect Scoop, and just added a pinch of guar gum with the sugar.

Blessed

Yesterday Ramona received her baby blessing at church and got all dressed up for the occasion.
Babies are blessings in and of themselves.