Happy Father's Day

We've had a fun weekend. Not even severe thunderstorms could keep us from making our annual Father's Day weekend trip to Edom for, yes, you guessed it, MORE blueberry picking. We checked the weather several times Saturday morning to see if there would be any breaks in the storm, but it was hard to tell; in the end we decided we'd just pack some extra clothes and shoes and take our chances.

Once in Edom, when saw that the rain was not letting up, we decided to stop and eat an early lunch at The Shed (a good spot if you're in the mood for some good old Texas cooking: beef brisket, chicken-fried steak, delicious pies...just around the corner from the blueberry farm in downtown Edom). It was still raining when we left the restaurant, though not as hard. We felt better once we pulled up to the farm and saw several other cars--at least we weren't the only crazy ones!

Up until Saturday, I'd only experienced picking in the hot sun. Usually we slab on the sunscreen, relish the little bit of shade provided by the blueberry bushes, and sweat for an hour or so until we can't stand the heat any longer. What a different experience in the rain--I didn't have anything to complain about other than being a little wet. My "blueberry picking hat" (as RVC calls it) served more as an umbrella than for shielding me from the sun. The kids were good sport. Even SCC, who managed to stay dry until the stroller awning started to soak through, was a trooper.

We paid for our berries (and two big cups of blueberry lemonade--yum!) and headed back home. We got cleaned up and and ate some dinner. Then it was down to the church for a baptismal service for which I was asked to play the piano. It was a neat service. Poor RVC had been looking forward to it all week (she was very interested by the idea of a grownup getting baptized), only to miss the actual baptism because she had to go to the bathroom--she was pretty upset, but did feel better after eating a few of the cookies they served for refreshments.

After putting the kids to bed, TEC and I played a game of Settlers of Catan instead of our usual (lately) Scrabble. It's not quite as fun as a two-player game, but did satisfy to a small degree TEC's need for a "Settlers fix." There was a time where we would get together with friends a couple of times a month to play games--it's been a while...life has been crazy lately, I guess.

Today was Father's Day. I guess you'd have to ask TEC, but I'd say it was a nice day. We had a pancake breakfast with homemade BLUEBERY syrup (I think I'll have to post some favorite recipes here soon) and gave Dad some cards and gifts. I think his favorite gift was probably a new Pirates baseball cap, but then again, it may have been the Sunday newspaper that the kids decided to "wrap" with kitchen towels.

I talked to my own dad tonight. It's been a while since I've been able to wish him a happy Father's Day (or birthday, which this year fell on Father's Day Eve) in person. I think about how long we've lived away from our family--in a lot of ways, I'm used to being out of the loop. I wonder if I'd spend as much time blogging as I do if I lived closer to family. There are good things about having your own space and being able to paint a picture of your life for others to view from a distance. At the same time, I felt a little jealous talking to my sister tonight, who was over at mom and dad's for a cookout (is that the Utah term?)...those little things I miss. Next year I look forward to hand-delivering many birthday and other family special occasion cards.