(blurry group photo that my boots are trying to monopolize)
I hope the weather was as beautiful where you all were as it was here this weekend. I spent two hours reading on our tiny deck in the warm sunshine yesterday and wore a light knit shirt and linen scarf to an Oyster Roast in the late afternoon. It feels so much like the most perfect mid-spring weather-- I'm just waiting for the next cold front to sweep in and remind me that it's February.
My brother and (we hope) future sister-in-law visited this weekend. And I'm proud to report, my Gluten-Free studies were fruitful! We had a tasty meal when they arrived, and I got the stamp-of-approval for having done accurate research :) It was something I needed to learn more about anyway, as many of my students have been on Gluten-Free diets to help their focus and OCD tendencies. I was also impressed with the Bisquick Gluten-Free mix. We made peach pancakes with Chai Tea syrup in honor of the beautiful weather, and while the batter was a bit gritty, I could hardly tell the difference once they were cooked.
As for Bethany, she had to deal with me setting the smoke alarm off more than once, nearly chopping my finger off (and I'm still not positive the zucchini didn't have a piece of my finger in it), playing show-and-tell with my favorite picture books, Husband and I either meeting them late or making them late everywhere we went, Khan's overwhelming energy, and my brother's shenanigans, which I suppose she's used to by now.
She is the most pleasantly tolerant person I've met, not to mention one of the most interesting. She's opinionated yet gracious; intelligent yet down-to-earth. She has taught English in China for 7 years and is currently in Tibet for the majority of the year. Hearing about the culture and politics from her angle was fascinating. I'm not very sophisticated (though I'm trying) and didn't even know until Friday night that Mandarin Chinese is communicated mainly through intonations of the voice. The same word has very different meanings, depending on how you say it. It makes me think of a story we were told recently about a woman who could convey thousands of messages simply through the way she said the word, Well. Apparently, all of the Chinese are that adept at communicating through voice control.
Did I mention we really like Bethany? Jack better act quickly. As it goes, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick :)
The weekend was perfect in my opinion-- with the ideal balance of together time with personal time, silliness with seriousness, and antics that were questionably unsafe though not fatally dangerous. If I could change anything, I would have turned the smoke alarm off and let Husband chop the vegetables.
Thank you for visiting us, Bethany and Jack!
We enjoyed you both thoroughly and appreciate the time tremendously.
