Food GlorioUS Food #3

We were up at 5:30am this morning to hit a bustling LA freeway by 6:15am. Dearly-me... Not surprisingly, breakfast was looow on our list of priorities. (as was communicating & general in-car-smiles, but that's for another time!).

So by 10:15am I was STAR-ving, my stomach was literally composing it's own tune. A good plate of real diner food was a must!

Here is what we found, & loved, & want to pass-on...

Food: Greasy spoon breakfast plates!
Vendor: Rae's Resaturant
Place: Santa Monica, CA

As promised, Rae's serves fresh, quick & cheap breakfast plates all day.

With a homely & charming original 50's interior to perfectly compliment the stomach-filling food.

So there you have it! Rae's... Is there anything better when in a hunger-predicament?

x

You're My Home

This day 5 years ago...
Oh, so young & in love.

Today - still in love. And young. Young-ish. Yes?

5 years seems momentous to me*. It's only a small number in counting, but in sharing life & work & travel & living space it feels like a significant amount of time!

I'm amazed at what we've crammed in to 5 years, & perhaps a little terrified of what we'll cram into the next 5! What should I be prepared for? What should my suitcase be prepared for? Do I have appropriate walking shoes?

It's been quite a journey... Some days it's left us feeling homeless & not entirely sure where we belong. Is home here, Australia or somewhere else?

Quite perfectly, with his God-given insight & wisdom, the exact message Reesy gave us on the day we got married has rung very true every day since - we are each others home. With Christ at the center, we have all we need in one another.

I pray the grace of God will take us through many more years to come & keep our home strong.

And thank you beloved rockstar of mine! Your patience & kindness is undeserved.

x

*After reading Nathan's card for our anniversary, complete with sentiments of love & future plans....

Me: aw, thanks babe. Wow, 50 years seems like a looooong time.
Nate: I can't believe that's the only thing you got out of my card.

Winner Winner, Turkey Dinner

This year's Thanksgiving adventures took us to Round Top, Texas - a town small in population (77!) but huge in Texan culture, food & hospitality.

Earlier in the year we dropped enough "lonely-Australian" hints with Keely & Gabe that they couldn't really leave us behind! So after a quick stop in Austin, to redeem the Austin Downer of '08, we found ourselves at a picnic table in the warm November sunshine of Texas with the Orr family.

Nate with our lovely & gracious hosts - Tommy, Kelsey, Kathy & Keely
(Gabe is there too! Flying below the radar)

And that was just the beginning... In 3.5 days we were immersed in a land of new traditions, foods, accents & football cheers.

From wandering antique stores, to navigating crowded college football stadiums...

From the making of two pies, to playing washers...


From some lazy porch hangs to some lazy long-horn bulls...

It was like being with family but in a foreign land where we didn't quite speak the language - we loved every second of it & are wondering who we call to book ourselves in for next year!

As is becoming my habit, here are some extra pictures in the oh-so-modern slideshow format.

(Click here for the full screen version)

C x

Till I have a second more...

... here is 1 picture chosen from 300+ taken during our Thanksgiving celebrations in Texas.

Gabe, Keely & Nate

I flicked through hundreds of snaps, taken since we arrived here on Wednesday, and I picked this one because....??

I was a little overwhelmed at the quantity of pictures... I have an unshakable love for scenery and objects, which are of little value here... I'm sleepy & need to go to bed... And most importantly, it captures the heart of this holiday trip - three of my favorite people outside at lovely Round Top enjoying a Thanksgiving feast!

I will expand upon this post soon. But first I must sing, sleep & Tetris my way through a 13.5 hr drive home to Nashville.

C x

Lego

This past week we were in Nth Carolina! Things of note in an otherwise pretty normal week...

- we were spoiled with warm hospitality from Lisa & Dustin's parents & learned all sorts of insider facts about these two lovely friends, including pictures that span the decades. My favorite kind!

- there was some poorly prescribed cold tablets from Nate at 11AM that made our legs feel like lead-weights & our brains all fuzzy. Not advised.
- and a lego store. LOVE the lego store. It was a highlight.

I lingered for longer than was polite, loudly exclaiming that there were SO many things to pick for the nephews, all the while trying to figure out how I would explain my planned Porter Rd lego-land to Nate. This guy would stand at the city gate, that was a definite...

So many little lego heads waiting for me to pick them a body & hat & tool.

Tell me this - why are the good people of lego-land so industrious? Directing traffic, putting-out fires, tractoring things. There is a definite lack of lego people taking a nap or reading a book.

They had a whole wall of buckets filled with spare parts.

And these little do-it-yourself lego-people makers.

I'm thinking his scowl is on account of his claws-for-hands & nubby head & lack of pants.

And of course the usual fancy displays, putting my own lego efforts to shame.

Oh, the ENDLESS hours spent building lego-lands & matching the box with the parts & trying to get it all to fit. I was seriously close to buying myself the RV / Holiday set for ages 6-12.

I was left feeling a little homesick. And just a touch geeky. But not empty handed! Thank you CJ for an excuse to purchase.

Am I alone in my grown-up love for lego?