MIA

Dearest blog-friends... I've been a bad communicator the last few weeks. It is poor form & I truly have no good or valid excuse [not that I didn't trial a few.... "a family of squirrels stole my laptop*"... "I temporarily lost all feeling in my fingers & couldn't type"... "the scrubbing of our shower required my undivided, devoted housewifey attention**"...]

Things have been fairly quiet & uneventful at Porter Rd. I've been searching the deep recesses of my brain to come-up with something to share, but alas, it turns-out the recesses are empty [or my brain is not that deep!]

ANYWAY, to keep things here simmering along, I will pop-up a few pics & mini-stories from the last week, care-of my iphone.

LAST MONDAY: We road-tripped to Atlanta for the day to visit with a precious friend, Laurel. She's an American, married to an Australian, living in Australia, who was visiting America. You still with me?

She & her husband Justin are near & dear to us, so the 4hr trek there & back was no sweat. We cherished the chance to catch-up on all of life from the last 6 months, hear about our cheeky godson & indulge in some laughs.

 

THIS PAST WKEND: we were off to Oklahoma - where the wind really-truly does comes sweeping down the plain. I don't how it knows to live-up to it's name so completely.

This time it was an 11hr+ road-trip, which again was no sweat thanks to Nate's demon-like driving focus & the bottomless store of optimism radiating from the backseat. Todd & Peter (drums & bass) joined the Tasker circus for the weekend, & apart from musical talent they bought a joyful road-tripping enthusiasm that shamed Nate & I.  Can't you tell from this picture...

Perhaps the 11+ hr drive wasn't such a chore because waiting at the other end, like a little sugar-filled beacon, was Cuppies & Joe. Truly a place of raindbows & buttercups & the most adorable store owners, making the most delectable cupcakes known to man. E-ver.

Elizabeth & her family have been running C&J for 3 years & we landed on their doorstep fairly early-on, thanks to Kelsey. It was love at first bite. I could wax-lyrical about their perfect little house-shop, the friendly staff, great coffee & PERFECT cakes. But instead I'll just give you a close-up of the Boom Boom Pow....

 

Vanilla bean cuppie w/chocolate buttercream, caramel, and sea salt. Yes please.

That was Oklahoma. [Oh, Nate & the guys did play a youth convention too. They did splendid!]

And so we find ourselves at Thanksgiving week, rushing head-long into Christmas. The leaves here are just about all gone, the sky is covered-over with gray clouds & I'm starting to get very familiar with my ugg boots. 

xx

[*this one is really quite valid. Seriously. They are organized, scheming, industrious little fellows. I do believe if they sense any weakness they will stage a coup & take over the house.]

[**this one should be valid, but my delicate lady-hands prevent such an endeavor]