To Blog a Davidson: Friday Facts and Photos

Last weekend was amazing, and I have been so excited to write about it. We spent the majority of the weekend in Louisville, enjoying various forms of beauty, in art, food, and nature. It was a very full, fantastic couple of days.

We had a delicious dinner with the Davidsons on Friday night, and relaxed for the rest of the evening, watching Connor play outside until it was too dark to see.

Saturday is a day Jason and look forward to each October, when we have a few hours to visit the St. James Court Art Fair in Old Louisville. Before attending, we shared a delicious breakfast with Nanny and Lyle, dropped Connor off with Veronica (Thanks!), and headed to St. James. We meandered through the hundreds of booths along the streets, ate some delicious food, and actually bought a couple of small pieces (see below). The doorknob photograph caught my eye as soon as we arrived, and I couldn't get it out of my mind for the rest of the afternoon. If it would have been in the budget, I would have gotten one of the gorgeous purses from The Bag Girl. Jason loves looking at the birdhouses...I'm sure we'll end up with one someday. Although the morning started off cold, it was the perfect day to stroll around Old Louisville with my sweetie, enjoying the God-given talented of so many artists.

loved this gate outside one of the Old Lousiville homes

gorgeous -- and a little eerie

in the midst of St. James Art Fair

in the center of St. James Court

grilled corn and baklava for lunch at St. James

Jason chose a pulled pork sandwich

our finds -- Joan Schulte's amazing art

We headed back home to play with our boy, and ended up taking a walk around Jason's childhood streets. He pointed out houses of former friends, spots where he played frisbee golf, basketball, and baseball, and reminisced while Connor ran around (on a leash, of course). With all of the busyness in our lives, it was refreshing to walk, talk, and just enjoy the outdoors. It was one of my favorite moments of the weekend. (I have lots of cute pictures of us walking that day...I need to post them separately. Soon.)

Jason parents graciously offered on Saturday night to watch Connor so Jason and I could have a date night, which is something we try to do once a month, but don't always succeed at implementing. I love the fact that Connor goes everywhere with us, and I don't want that to change, but it was a wonderful time of reconnecting with Jason, holding hands instead of diaper bags, not having to share my food with someone, and being able to enjoy a delicious meal in a beautiful setting for a good price (we had a gift card to this particular restaurant). Jason got an amazing hanger steak with a blue cheese spread and super-crispy shoestring fries. I had a penne pasta with chunks of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. We share a chocolate pot de creme for dessert. Overall, it was one of the best meals we've shared together in quite some time, and it didn't hurt our pocketbooks, which felt good, too.

Sunday was full of excitement, including a breakfast with Cassandra and her family at Lynn's, one of our favorite spots, where Jason and I shared the famous (and decadent) bourbon ball French toast.

After church, we ended our visit by meeting Randy, Veronica, and Jordan for a monumentous meal at Huber's, followed by a wagon ride and pumpkin picking. Connor was enamored by all the farm machinery, and cried when we made him get off the wagon. He loves the outdoors, and had a fantastic time picking out a pumpkin just his size to take home. Thanks, Grandma, Pacau, and Jordan!

I also have to say that something must have overcome Jason last weekend, because he was 100% agreeable to just about everything I said, asked, requested, etc.., and was extra-attentive and affectionate. I was reminded once again just how much I adore spending quality time with him.

My love for beauty of all sorts was rekindled as well this past weekend. I just feel more aware and appreciative of all the beauty around me than I did before this little visit.

Of course, all weekends come to an end, too quickly it seems, and it was back to the work week. While my sis was texting me about how much she was enjoying her first day of fall break (boo...hiss....), I was at school trying, without much success by looking at the stack of papers on my desk, to get caught up on grading (composition notebooks, "The Lady, or the Tiger?" story endings, and on-demand writings). Thankfully, Mom and Linds agreed to watch Connor so that Jason and I could grocery shop after school. While it is a chore I despise, we had used every single meat in our freezer, and as Jason is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, it was a necessity. Thankfully, my amazingly quick-witted and (sometimes) organized husband had three weeks worth of meals planned out, so we saved time and money by buying only the things (plus stuff for Connor, the kitties, and a few snakcs) that we would need for those meals. I'm hoping this will become the norm for us, as planning ahead will make us less wasteful, less likely to eat out, and healthier.

As usual, once I arrived to pick Connor up, he was having way too much fun with Mimi and Ninny (Linds) to want to leave (see below).

The rest of the week has flown by in a haze of school, kickboxing, playing "trucks" with Connor, watching "Dino Dan," Y-Club meetings, and looking forward to another weekend with my boy.

Random facts for the week:

- Connor had his two-year checkup on Tuesday evening. He is weighing in at 26 pounds, 4 ounces (up from the 10th percentile in his weight at 18 months to an astounding 25th percentile this time around), and is 34 3/4 inches tall.

- He did great with checking his weight and height, and he loved talking to Dr. Blackburn, but when he got near him with the stethoscope...he bawled. It took us several minutes to calm him down. As we left, though, the nurse gave him a sucker, and he was once again a happy boy. :)

- Mom, Linds, and I went to see The Help this week. While, of course, the book was immensely better, the movie was touching and wonderful, and I'm so glad we saw it. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it.

- This week at school has been hectic but successful. I am not caught up with grading (I don't think I'll ever be), but we read some great pieces this week, including an excerpt from Tuesdays with Morrie, one of the most touching nonfiction books I've ever read. The students were truly drawn in by Morrie's story, and especially his optimism in the face of such a terrible disease (ALS). It reminds me of my Aunt Susie who has been battling MS for many years. I cannot imagine all the emotions one would feel after such a diagnosis, and living day-to-day with such pain, but I am inspired by the stories of real people who makes their lives count, no matter how many days/weeks/months they have left on Earth.

- Although I personally have no connection with Steve Jobs, I was sad to hear of his passing this week. It made me wonder how many innovative ideas will never come to pass with his presence in our world erased. The older I get, the more I realize just how brief life is, and the more saddened I am to hear of the death's of others, even those I don't know.
- I would LOVE to find a great pair of brown boots...and I found a pair I absolutely love. They have the option of folding below the knee or flipping up to right above the knee, it it flat and very "riding boot" appropriate. It is exactly what I was looking for. The problem: cost. Leather boots are expensive, darn it! :(

Random photos for the week: