minnesota diners.

Visiting Dad means wherever we are, we have to find the closest Greek diners, and go to all of them.  And hopefully the owner will be there so they can bond about how Greek they are to each other.  And also what does their last name mean? and what part of Greece are they from?  This is the way that it goes.  Luckily, when I visited Dad in Minnesota this weekend, the owners weren't there and it was just Dad and I eating delicious diner food.  

It was good to see him too.  It's strange seeing someone everyday for the majority of your life, to suddenly only seeing them twice or three times a year.  You really begin to appreciate having someone around who's known you for so long.

Also, I'll be arriving in Montpelier today!!!!!!!!

carolina

A family member's wedding in Carolina is the perfect excuse for making a flower crown, I thought.  Even if it is a pretty traditional southern congregation and you look like a hippie child running around in your folk printed summer dress with a flower crown bouncing on your head.

I was shipped of to this wedding in my old home territory a couple of weekends ago, and despite that this side of the family is quite different from myself, it was still a beautiful time - the comfort of family in the warm North Carolina sun, with all my childhood southern go-to foods nearby.

  

 

I was going to try to do a how-to on making a flower crown, but this one was really fashioned pretty shabbily. I found one big stalk - tied it around my head with a knot at the end, then attached assorted flowers to the stalk band using the stems of the flowers.  It held together, but just for the length of the wedding.  Anyway, ever since Melissa and I made flower crowns in Washington  I'm looking for every excuse to make one, so hopefully I'll be able to make a sturdy one soon and do a proper how-to.

surprise.

For the past few months my cousins and I have been planning a surprise party for my Gramma's 80th birthday.  We've been sneaking around taking cupcake tins from her house, stealing recipes from her book, getting family members to make the journey to Vermont without her knowing - and it worked! My grandmother walked in thinking she was about to be taken out to lunch with her grandaughter and there we all were with gifts and cupcakes and lei to put on her for the tacky beach theme.  It made it all worth it watching her smiling and teary-eyed as she hugged all of us.  She's always so kind to us on our birthdays, and all the time really, that it was nice to go out of our ways to return the favor a bit.

minnesota.

Minnesota time has been filled with lake-swimming, flower-picking, the friendliest people, family time, and 5 cats.

trails.

Dad and I took the day to explore the biking trails around the tiny mining town he lives in.  It was the most father-daughter-ish thing we've done in a long time.  We saw lakes and abandoned mines and scarecrows dressed in wedding dresses.  The town is small, but the air is so clean and crisp and the people are all so friendly.  Plus, it was nice to hang out with my dad for the day - I haven't biked around with him since I was a kid. I never really thought much about Minnesota, but I really like it up here, what the heck?

family weekend.

This weekend my dad came to visit.  Parents coming means so much being taken out to dinner and breakfast (no complaints).  My dad is a pretty silly person, so seeing him is always a funny time and now that I'm finally able to drink we had our first night of drinking fancy drinks and laughing over all the ridiculous things he's done (some of them are so ridiculous).  We also took a trip over to Connecticut to take my grandfather to the beach!

pizza & campfire.

Our first stop on the trip was in rural Pennsylvania at Melissa's family's home.  Spending time with family and food and warmth is a comforting thing, especially on a long road trip.  We ordered a 30'' pizza, which was ridiculous.  Her dad and brother built a bonfire in the backyard and we all sat around and enjoyed the spring night air... and sang bad country songs.  The most important thing is how much crying laughter happened over silly stories - there's nothing better.

Plus, soon to come are really beautiful hilly nc bluegrass festival pictures, what?

In Vermont...

...there are miniature coffee shops, maple butter (whipped pure maple syrup?!), lovely handmade craft stores, all the rustic things, my grandmother, my grandmother's gnomes,  and plenty of time for me to lounge about knitting or playing piano in old churches. 

a brother comes to providence!

He didn't get to see much but, there was a nighttime city overlook and pizza. What else do you need?

Καλά Χριστούγεννα!

This year the whole crazy greek side of the family all met up right near me, in connecticut!

This meant there was the best food and mainly all the best greek pastries -baklava, kourabiedes, and koularakia. I'm pretty thankful to have had such a warm, delicious, and generous christmas in such a lovely little home.  It's always nice to see family, especially since they're always there to remind you exactly why you turned out the way you did.