The Same but Different.

This year’s trip to Crane’s was just a bit different from last year’s trip.  :)

It was fun to go poking through the apple orchard with three people who had never been picking before.  Dan and Teresa, and Leila, along with JP and I, all had a marvelous time.  The temperature was mild and there was just a slight cloud cover, which made for good picking.  After we took advantage of the sliver-sized samples at the barn, we rumbled off toward the Honeycrisps, our apple of choice this Saturday.  Leila was perched happily in Dad’s backpack, and was more than delighted to receive her own little apple from Teresa Auntie.

Leila held on carefully to her apple for the rest of the picking expedition, which may have been the cutest part of the whole day.  Oddly, she never tried to eat her little apple, but immediately took a chomp out of my prize Cortland.  As you saw at the top, Leila enjoyed grazing on the apples as much as we did.

a Tiny apple for a Tiny hand

The Picking (and eating) Crew!

We probably all came home we several pounds too many apples, but we’re choosing to live into the adage, An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as we head into a big trip  to Iowa at the end of the week.  We’ll pack a sack of apples in the car to keep any sickness at bay, especially since Leila has just recovered from her first ear infection, and JP and I are getting over our first (and hopefully only!!) colds for the season.  Good thing we like apples.  (And what about apple pie, does anyone know if that counts too?)

My pookie pie

Last year this time…

JP, Katy (and Leila)!

Weekend Crazy-ness

Life can be sometimes so very hectic.   Jobs can become demanding, school work may pile up, while your social obligations spiral out of control.   To grant respite from that syndrome, we celebrate Labor Day.  A day in which we stop working so we can spend time doing other, more pleasurable things that will re-charge your batteries and celebrate the lives we lead.   It was exactly that sort of weekend for us.   Fortunately for Katy and me, life doesn’t change too much.  We constantly live into this chaos and love it (most of the time).  This weekend was no exception.

On Friday night, Katy and I went out on a date.   It was a double-date with our friends Dan and Teresa.   We got Leila a babysitter (the lovely aunt Betsy) and we drove out to Grand Rapids to have dinner at this new restaurant called, “The Electric Cheetah.”  As strange as that name might sound, it was one of the best restaurants we had been to in quite some time.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere…well… electric, but most of all, it was good to just head out and celebrate the weekend with people we love.   Leila did well that night!:)

Saturday opened up quietly.   Beula and her friend Becca stopped by to say hi and meet Leila.   Beula is getting married in January and has requested that Leila be her flower girl (even if she can’t walk by then!).   I (JP) will also be involved in the wedding as the emcee.   It was good to see the bride and her flower girl getting to know each other.  They got along splendidly.   Later that afternoon, Katy and I were joined by our dear friends Chris and Lindsay Zeller.  Our destination this time was the zoo!   This was Leila’s first excursion into the zoo.   She has lately preferred to ride on daddy’s backpack (versus the stroller) as she can get an unobstructed 360 degree view of everything.  And for those of you who have gotten to know Leila, you know that she is VERY curious about EVERYTHING!

Sunday came along.   We were still not ready to breathe normally.  We took Leila to the nursery in church.  Handed her over to the lovely people at the nursery, slapped on a name tag on Leila, picked up our pager and made our way to the sanctuary.  We were able to sit through the whole service for the first time since October of 2008, without a baby that was ornery!   I must admit, Katy and I kept looking at each other and wondering when that pager would go off!  It did not.  Jayme Aalberts took wonderful care of Leila that morning.   In the afternoon, we headed back up to Grand Rapids to have a barbeque with our dear friend Lori.   The food was spectacular.  Katy and Lori can cook up a storm together.   I benefited greatly from that partnership.

Monday…yeah… we are not done yet.   Monday, the Wings had a family get-together at a park here in Holland.  The menu was chicken, both grilled and fried, from KFC!  Leila’s cousin Eleanor was there to join in the festivities with her parents.   We had, again, GREAT food, relaxing walks, and just good ol’ fashioned family time which was good for the heart.   Monday night, my friend Miki joined us for a couple of days.  Miki and I went to college together over 10 years ago.  She is from Japan but currently just finished up some grad work at the University of Washington.  Before heading back to Osaka, she decided to make a quick jaunt over to the mid-west to meet up with us.  It was truly special to have her with us.  I enjoy introducing Katy (and Leila) to people in my life who were such an integral part of my college experience.  Miki was an important section of that chapter.

Miki left this morning.   We have a “quiet” week to negotiate now.  Sunday begins the first of many Sundays when I will be speaking in places all over the U.S.  It was truly the perfect way for us to celebrate with friends and family.  We trust that regardless of where you are, you have weekends like that (even if it is not that busy or full).   Here are a sampling of pictures… enjoy!

Lori Aunty and Leila

Space Monkey?

The Other Monkeys

Beula and Becca with Leila

Katy and Leila

My beautiful women

Learning to walk with Ava

The Gang

Pico!

(For Tom.)

Pico, good for friends!

While I was in seminary, my friend, Tom, used to throw some delicious parties at his home. The much anticipated centerpiece of Tom’s food spread was always Pico de Gallo. Since Tom was often running behind in his party preparations, I typically went over early to help with the last minute details. More times than not, this meant I helped make the Pico. This was a brilliant way to learn the recipe by heart, so thank you, Tom.

fresh and ready to stir

I try to make at least one batch of Pico per year, and since the tomatoes have finally begun to ripen up around here, I got to make my first Pico just yesterday. My suggestion is to make a large batch to bring to a party, or to work, which is what I usually do, but yesterday I decided to parcel it out in jars as gifts for friends who like spicy foods. We like ours nice and hot, but Tom trained me well… this “recipe” is very adaptable according to personal preference. Every ingredient is “to taste.”  So if you like the fresh taste of summer, I would highly recommend you chop up a batch for yourself.

fresh and ready to EAT

Here is the “Recipe”… and remember… eyeball it, adjust as you go… and Eat Well.

PICO de GALLO

* TOMATOES… as many ripe, juicy ones as you’ve got… diced by hand using a nice sharp knife. [I used 1 large and 3 small-med. beefsteaks and 1 medium brandywine. I think colored heirloom tomatoes would make this a gorgeous dish!!]
* ONIONS… any kind you like, as much as you like… diced by hand. [I used 3 small yellow and a bit of leftover chopped red.]
* JALAPENO PEPPERS, minced… the darker the color, and with striations, the hotter the pepper. [I used one large and one small, very hot. Note:the ribs, followed by the seeds, are the hottest part of the pepper, so depending on how hot you like it, you can use as much (or little) of these as you prefer. Be careful cutting. The oils will stay on your skin for awhile. Do not rub your eyes, nose, and lips, and do not let your pets or kids get a lick.]
* GARLIC cloves, minced. [Being that this IS a variable recipe, I managed to forget the garlic at first, and so I ended up adding it only to the remaining two jars. I used one large clove. I think two would have been better.]
* CILANTRO, nicely washed, tough stems removed, chopped. [I used two handfuls of leaves.]
* Fresh LIME, squeezed. [I used one whole lime.]
* SALT. [Be as generous as necessary with your salt. It really enhances the fresh taste of the tomatoes!!]

STIR and EAT with tortilla chips, on tacos, or by the spoonful!!
Of course, the longer you let the Pico sit, the more the flavors meld, but it doesn’t usually last that long at our house.  In case of leftovers, you must refrigerate!!

remember to tell your friends to refrigerate the Pico

Enjoy the feast!