Posting Catch-Up!

I’ve had a packed schedule lately, which has been refreshing and enjoyable.
 
Last Thursday
Last Thursday was First Thursday in Fayetteville.  There’s an art show in the Underground gallery the first Thursday of every month.  This month’s mostly featured paitings and photographs, though I’ve heard they’ve had more unusual exhibits in the past incorporating blacklight and televisions.  This month was my first month to attend, and it was enjoyable enough that I plan to attend again next month.
Before First Thursday, we grabbed some food at Hammontree’s.  This is a gourmet grilled cheese place I’ve been wanting to try for a long time.  Everything on their menu sounds pretty delicious, and they have options for both vegetarians and omnivores (though I don’t think they have any vegan cheeses).  I had the East of Edam sandwich, sans bacon.  Normally the sandwich has edam, bleu cheese, bacon, avocado, and organic baby spinach on sourdough.  I’m glad I got it without the bacon because the sandwich had a good balance, and I think the saltiness of bacon would have thrown that off for me.
 
Last Weekend
My parents came to visit for the weekend (Belinda was supposed to come, but was ultimately unable to do so).  We had a delicious lunch at Greenhouse Grill on Saturday, then went hiking in Devil’s Den.  Sunday we mostly did church stuff, and they headed out after lunch.  It was really nice to spend some time together that wasn’t overly scheduled and stressful.
click to enbiggen
 
Monday
I worked a little bit on Monday, then met Maggie, Marisa and Becca to go to the Clothesline Fair in Prairie Grove.  It was cool looking around at all the booths, and reminded me a little of the River Fest in Salina, but without the entertainment tents.  While cooler than it has been, it was still a bit warm and humid, so we bought some ice cream topped with strawberries from a boyscout troop that was there, and that was delicious! Maggie and Marisa were kind enough to share some fair lemonade and kettle corn with me.  Fair lemonade is probably my favorite beverage of all time.
In the evening, Maggie, Marisa, Brandon and I met up for a stitchy/crafty session.  On the Sundays opposite our reading aloud group, we’ll be meeting up to knit, crochet, embroider, etc.  Since people were busy with Labor Day weekend and family stuff on Sunday, we decided to meet Monday this time.
We had dinner at Maggie and Marisa’s place, which was pleasant and delicious.  Little Maggie cooked peanut noodles.  Every time I go over to their house, I’m distracted by their adorable new kitten, Levi.  I wish I could be the one to give him a home.
 
Tuesday
Tuesday evening Maggie, Marisa and I went to a Ramadan dinner hosted by the Institute of Interfaith Dialog and the Raindrop Turkish House.  It was absolutely lovely.  It’s refreshing to be around people who are not just tolerant of one another, but are respectful and interested.  There were quite a few people in attendance, and it seemed like they represented many groups and churches.  I feel very blessed that I was one of the people chosen from our church to attend.
They showed a preview for the documentary about the Jewish temple that was built in our area.  It’s premiering soon at the local library, so I’m planning to go see that.  It’s inspiring to see people wave aside cultural and religious barriers to work together to make something wonderful.
 
Wednesday
Another food club night Wednesday!  This food night theme was noodles from all nations, and was hosted by me at my house!  It was a bit stressful to set up because I always want things hosted by me to totally be the best!  I was able to calm down a bit though, and I think everyone had fun and was comfortable.  I didn’t remember to take pictures of any of the food but my own, but I do remember what people brought (correct me, anyone, if I’m representing any food incorrectly).  Maggie brought spaetzle, Marisa brough “boozey” macaroni and cheese (which I believe is essentially homemade macaroni and cheese, with some red wine cooked in), Max and Jenna brought super-cheesey linguini (with some chicken on the side for any omnivores), Brandon and Kris brought pesto zucchini “pasta,” and I made yakisoba.  All was delicious, as usual.
 
Whew!  Well, there’s a nice and condensed summary of what I’ve been up to/what’s been keeping me away from my computer and blogging.  Being busy is great, but I am trying to make sure the positive stress of always having activities doesn’t make me crash.

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