LoveFeast Table

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship.  Growing up, I moved often…like, I had been to 8 schools by the 8th grade.  I never had a problem making friends.  I was outgoing and comfortable with myself.  Once I hit high school, I begged my parents to let me start and finish all four years at the same school.  I quickly made friends.  But, I wasn’t really good at keeping friends long term.  I realize now that I sabotaged good friendships at around the two year mark.  I didn’t do it intentionally and didn’t even realize the pattern until adulthood. I think I was just so conditioned to move on.

Friendship to me is a treasure.  Especially the kind of friendships that stand the test of time, that allow me to change, move, stumble, stretch and wander.  Because my life has conditioned me to change and move (we tell our kids our ancestors were nomadic) and I’m not afraid to take risks and leap, I’m not the kind of friend who will always live in the same house, work the same job…be “life pattern” consistent.  (Not to mention, life with 5 kids is one of constant flux.)  Those friends in my life that allow me to be me, are invaluable.

I’m so grateful for all the different types of friends in my life.  There are a few who are consistent and will probably live in the same neighborhood when they are grandparents.  I love knowing they are there.  There is a stability I envy.  I may not talk to them often, but when I do, the conversations pick up right where they left off.  These friends are reliable and true.  There are the friendships that are my day to day nourishment.  These are the friends who help with my kids, are a part of my daily routine and who can tell you what’s on my calendar tomorrow.  Without these girls, I wouldn’t make it through the week, let alone a day.  Then there are my besties.  There are just a couple of them.  These girls tend to be just like me.  Risk takers, passion pursuers, dreamers and…first borns.  These ladies understand the core of what makes me tick.  Their approach to life, their values and perspectives are very close to mine.  These are the friends I never have to explain myself to.  There is grace for my off days and unspoken understanding when I’m not myself.

Friendship.  No matter what form it takes, it’s precious and worth far more than gold.

Just wanted those girls in my life to know I’m grateful for them.

How about you?  What friendships ground you and help make you who you are?

The night after all the good eats with the boys and girls, the entire wedding party descended on our home for a “Rehearsal Dinner” (there really was no rehearsal, but it sounded like an appropriate name) cooked up by Devon.

I made oven roasted cherry tomatoes earlier in the week as preparation for the special evening.  Devon had it in his mind to prepare an oven roasted tomato, artichoke and exotic mushroom risotto served on a bed of baby arugula.  Oh my goodness!  Really, I don’t know if words can begin to describe what happened in my mouth when I took a bite of this dish!  And, I’m sorry to say, my non recipe using, non measuring and forget about writing it down husband…well, I don’t know that it could be entirely recreated and shared.  It was one of those food moments, where the stars are aligned and the flavors combined to make a symphony of deliciousness!

We had a number of Italians at the table who had never had creamy risotto touch their lips.  I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time!  We heard stories of Marc’s first impression of his soon to be in laws, and their impression of him!  We shared yummy bread from Bonaparte’s Bakery in Fells Point, Baltimore.  We kept the wine glasses full…and wrapped up the evening with fresh strawberries, pineapple, and homemade whipped cream.

Thayna’ showed us her photography portfolio (all photos used in this post were taken by Thanya Alves)…Ryan and Corey strummed a few tunes…Corban entertained the masses with his cute antics…beautiful pregnant Becca cracked us up with her witty comments…Nicole piped in and shared her culinary passions…Ryan proudly showed us Brittany’s t-shirt design…Marc and Brielle were beaming with fresh love and Terrill and Mike savored every moment.

I’m sitting here sipping my steamy hot Americano and nibbling (against my better judgment) on a Baked brownie.  It is the first time in over a week I’ve had a chance to blog.  I have to tell you, my mind is so full!  There is so much to share and so many stories to write about.  You see, this past week, my husband and I decided to let our lives be interrupted by an entire wedding party!

For three years, we had a young man named Marc live in our home and he became a big brother to our kids.  He was the boyfriend of (now try and follow) Brielle, who is the daughter of very good friends of ours, Mike and Terrill.  About a year ago, our friends and Brielle, moved to Georgia and Marc, trailed on down there with them.  Well, after nine years of dating, Marc and Brielle decided to tie the knot!  They decided that since most of their friends and some family were up here, they’d have a small ceremony in Baltimore.  The plan was to keep it small and intimate…and do it on a budget.  So, they picked a gorgeous spot, at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore.  Brielle found bridesmaids dresses for $10 each and her gown for $30.  You would never know it!  They were all beautiful!!

Last week, the wedding party descended on our home and the party began!  We bunked the bride’s parents and most of the boys.  There were lots of late nights with bachelor and bachelorette parties, a rehearsal dinner and a wedding!  It was a whirlwind of activity as our home quickly became central station.  But, this is what we live for!  This week really is a good example of how Chris Ann and I have chosen to live our lives.  We believe every moment should be celebrated in LoveFeast fashion.  As much as I want to write all the details on a daily basis and try and capture the moments, real time, for you to read…I’d rather stop what I’m doing, and enjoy the LoveFeast taking place around me.  The people that stayed in our home were not blood related.  Some of our other friends weren’t sure why we would go out on such a limb for Marc and Brielle…letting our schedules be changed, our wallets stretched and our time go to someone else, but we do.  Our lives are on a LoveFeast journey.

(I’m gonna get a little deep for a moment.) You see, our lives are busy.  We have schedules to keep (play rehearsals, baseball games, gymnastic practices, driving to and from school at all hours of the day) and chores to do (gardening, potty training, dinner to make, laundry to fold, elbows to band aid) and people to tend to (I have 5 kids, Chris Ann has 4)…plus, two hard working husbands to keep happy!  I’m sure it sounds like many of your lives as well.  How do we take time to pursue our dreams without taking from the other important areas in our lives?  Do we sit and enjoy a coffee and write a blog, or do we finish decluttering our closets?  Do we keep with routine and schedules or stop and share a meal, or a wedding with friends?  Do we cut corners and watch our pennies, or do we splurge once and a while, knowing the time spent (and money) is worth the investment in a relationship?   Chris Ann and I are desperately trying to find that balance and at the same time enjoy the choices we make! (Thank goodness there are two of us to pick up each other’s slack!)

Back to this week…I decided to let it all go…including laundry…in order to help Marc and Brielle create a wonderful Love Feast memory!  We had eggs and pumpkin seed toast for breakfast with Mike, Terrill and Corey.  I went to Sei for Brielle’s bachelorette party and had a wonderful ginger vodka cocktail called Mischief as well as a killer sushi roll.  Devon made a wonderful oven roasted tomato, mushroom and artichoke risotto served on a bed of arugula and we shared it around our table with the entire wedding party.  I whipped up a sour cream pound cake with cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries for the wedding cake and we enjoyed that under a tree, with the wedding guests.  We celebrated their union with dinner at Marrakesh in Washington DC and enjoyed great conversation with many different people.  I will get to the details of all those wonderful events in days to come.

For now, I wanted to unload some of the thoughts in my head and a bit of the passion in my heart.  I believe we should enjoy every moment with the people around us.  Yes, most of the times we have to stick with our responsibilities and routines, but we have to, take advantage of the LoveFeasts that present themselves to us!  Enjoy the moment…now to catch up on the laundry!