Mr. Patterson

My parents moved to Wewahitchka, Florida, when I was only one year old, and one of the first people they met was their neighbor from a few doors down, Fletcher Patterson. Mr. Patterson and his wife, Jo, quickly became a significant fixture in our lives. My childhood is full of memories with the Pattersons--eating meals at each other's houses, fishing off the end of their dock, visiting in each other's backyards.

I was in third grade when I started taking piano lessons, and Mr. Patterson, the organist at the church we attended, was one of my biggest encouragers. I don't think he ever missed any piano recital or program that I performed in from the time I first started playing until I left for college. He had a very distinctive way of clearing his throat (not in a gross way, but in a unique "Mr. Patterson way"), and even if I couldn't see his face in the crowd, I would hear him clear his throat and think, "Well, Mr. Patterson is here!" and it was always reassuring.

When the old organ at the Baptist church was on its last leg, he played an instrumental role (no pun intended, but I like it!) in raising funds for a new, "fancy" organ with lots of cool buttons and new sounds. I was only in elementary school at the time, but rather than dissuading me from touching the brand new, very expensive church organ, he urged me to play it as often as I wanted. But no one could play the organ quite like he could. Fun fact: When he would sit down to play the prelude before church each Sunday morning, he was known to make that opening chord a loud one...maybe to make sure we were all awake and sitting at attention. And at Christmas, he would always play, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" in the full-on chime setting, because of course.

Mr. Patterson was also a former English teacher (and, by the way, guidance counselor and principal at various points in his life), and when I could not, for the life of me, understand parts of speech in eighth grade (who knew that I was an English teacher in the making?), he tutored me at his kitchen table until it finally made sense, and gave me one of his old teaching textbooks as a souvenir that I still have to this day.

When Darryl and I got engaged, the Pattersons insisted on hosting a wedding shower for me in their home. They pulled out all the stops, complete with a decorated trellis over the front walkway to their house and a food spread like no other. I asked them to sit with the family at our wedding because the truth was that they were family.

Once Amelia entered our lives, she was quickly introduced to the Pattersons. History repeated itself as she, too, enjoyed the fun of fishing from the end of their dock and visiting them in their living room that overlooked the lake, with the same golden carpet that has been there since 1974. They adored her, and the feeling was mutual. Over the past few months, as Mr. Patterson's health declined, she mentioned that she wanted to take him a basket of healthy food so that he would get better. :-)

Mr. Patterson died this morning in his home at the age of 90. He lived a long, full life with an adoring wife, two devoted sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a community that loved him. When I told Amelia, she started crying. She really has never known anyone personally who has died before. I wanted her to feel the emotions she needed to feel, and I didn't want to gloss over his death, but I reminded her that Mr. Patterson is in heaven now and that he is healthy and happy because he is with God. She said, "Yes, but I'm still sad because I'm never going to see him here again." And then I started crying because I think she summed it up perfectly. As a Christian, I'm grateful for the confidence that he is in heaven, but it feels wrong that we are never going to see him in this life again.

Over the years, Mr. Patterson and I played several piano-organ duets together for the offertory at church. One of the first ones we performed together was the song "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere":

Somewhere the sun is shining,
Somewhere the songbirds dwell;
Hush, then, thy sad repining,
God lives, and all is well.

Somewhere the day is longer,
Somewhere the task is done;
Somewhere the heart is stronger,
Somewhere the prize is won.

Somewhere the load is lifted,
Close by an open gate;
Somewhere the clouds are rifted,
Somewhere the angels wait.

Somewhere, somewhere,
Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!
Land of the true, where we live anew,
Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!

I firmly believe that Mr. Patterson is in that "beautiful isle of somewhere," and that he is healthy and whole. He might even have his hair. And if I can be indulgent in my own fantasy of what heaven might be like...

I would like to think that there is this ginormous pipe organ, grander than those at the finest cathedrals in the world, and that he sits down and opens with a really loud chord that rattles the heavens, just to make sure the saints and angels are paying attention.

Summer 2015, you are my favorite.

I'm going to state this for the record: Summer 2015 is the best summer I have enjoyed in quite some time.

Summer vacation and I have a spotty history. While I have many happy memories of summers past, I also have quite a few sad or unpleasant ones...like the summer Darryl's dad passed away after fighting cancer, or the summer my mom battled a lingering, scary bout of meningitis. There was also the summer our house sale fell through and we had to unpack our stuff and put it back where it was. Or the summer that I had my wisdom teeth removed and had a stubborn "pocket" that refused to heal correctly. Or there was last summer, where I was trying to fight "the funk" every single day after leaving our life in Baton Rouge. Granted, a couple of those things are obviously more significant than others, and no one is at fault for any of those things...but I--pessimistically, I suppose--tend to remember those summers by those events.

But Summer 2015 was nothing short of amazing.

I enjoyed time with my family both at their home and at mine.

We had a great trip to San Francisco, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe, where we were able to visit with Darryl's extended family.

I read a lot of books, particularly in the first half of the summer.

I watched three seasons of The Good Wife. (So good!)

I went to movies, including a few that weren't animated!

I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen, my happy place.

I was able to take a girls' trip to San Diego / Temecula with my good friend Rebecca. (Who can argue with two trips to California in one summer?)

We welcomed our new (hyper but sweet) dachshund puppy, Billy!

I took some good naps.

We didn't have to move anywhere!

I was able to finish up a few house tasks, like organizing the pantry and kitchen, cleaning out "that room" that was full of boxes, and fixing up Amelia's room.

I spent lots of time at the pool with Amelia.

Basically, this summer was everything I wanted it to be -- fun, relaxing, and spent with the people I love. And you know what? I also feel more ready for school than I have in some time, and I think it has something to do with the fact that this summer was so satisfying. Often times, I have thoughts like, "I wish I had one more week so I could do such and such," but not this year.

So thank you, Summer 2015. You were awesome.

"Having a dog is hard work."

That was what Amelia said last night right before she went to bed.

Amen, sister.

Here's a little update on life with Billy...

First, I am excited (although I know from parenting a human child not to get TOO excited) that Billy slept until 6 a.m. this morning, which was a nice change from his typical 4:00 wake-up call.

(Those extra two hours of sleep made me ridiculously productive already, as I took advantage of some Nordstrom and Children's Place sales and purchased some needed school clothes for both me and Amelia before 7 a.m. Boom.)

(And now I'm writing a blog post. I'm every woman!!)

Back to Billy...

Let's just say that Billy has gotten quite comfortable in his new home, and his more demure personality of week one with us is a thing of the past. He pretty much runs on two speeds: wide open and fast asleep.

He now sleeps comfortably in his crate at night with little to no whining. (Apparently our egregious mistake of letting him sleep with us the first night did not set him on the wayward path for life, contrary to what the Internet had to say on that topic.)

Housebreaking him has had its ups and downs. Two days ago, I'm pretty sure I cleaned up four accidents in the house; yesterday, he had only one.  When we take him outside to go to the bathroom, he likes to do this:

Obviously, he cares nothing about the fact it is 90 degrees outside. What's the rush?

But he is cute. And sweet. And snuggly.

He is also a bit spoiled. Yesterday, my friend Blayne came over for breakfast and to see Billy, and Billy kept following me around, whining. You know what he wanted? He wanted me to pick him up and put him on the couch so he could take a nap.

He pretty much has us wrapped around his tiny paw. :-)

A Girls' Trip to Temecula

I've been a bit quiet on the blog front the past week or so because A) PUPPY, and B) I have been out of town.

(I might possibly have to compose a post about how having a puppy is not unlike having a newborn.)

ANYWAY, last week, I went on a girls' trip to Temecula, California, with my friend Rebecca.

Why Temecula? Well, why not Temecula?

(If you have never heard of Temecula...it is considered the "wine country" of Southern California, about 45 minutes from San Diego.)

First, I think you need to know a little bit of background. About a year and a half ago, the Seminoles were going to the Rose Bowl, and Darryl, being the diehard Seminole fan that he is, really wanted to go. He went back and forth on whether or not he should go, thinking how expensive of a trip that would be. Not really caring that much about the game itself, I told Darryl that to cut down on cost, he could invite a friend or a family member to go with him because I really had no desire to go.

So Darryl invited his good friend Damian, but in the weeks leading up to the game, they started planning a side excursion to Temecula. And just like that, their trip turned into a BROmantic weekend that Rebecca (Damian's wife) and I would have been interested in.

Well, this past Spring Break, we stayed with Damian and Rebecca in Baton Rouge, and the guys' trip somehow came up in one of our conversations. (Obviously, Rebecca and I had completely let it go -- ha!) Anyway, Rebecca said something like, "Well, Amy and I might take our own trip to Temecula!" and get this--the guys pretty much said, "Go ahead!"

Twist our arms, why don't ya?

So last Monday, Rebecca and I met up at the San Diego airport. Rebecca's flight got there before mine, so she had our Jetta rental car waiting at the curb when I walked out with my luggage. And we were off!

Our first stop was Rebecca's great aunt and uncle's condo in San Diego because we were spending the night with them. Over the years, I've gotten to meet quite a few of Rebecca's extended family, and they are quick to welcome anyone with open arms.  Rebecca's Uncle Butch and Aunt Kay were awesome hosts. They took us for a picnic on a hill (a vista?) overlooking the ocean.

And while we were there, we saw a marriage proposal take place. (Forgive the terrible photo, but I didn't want to get all up in their business.)

Tuesday morning, we set off for Temecula, taking the longer scenic coastal route. We stopped at a really cool coffee shop in Solana Beach because PRIORITIES.

Once we arrived in Temecula, our first stop was to pick up a brie bowl that Rebecca had tried before that she claimed was amazing, and let me tell you, it was amazing-plus.

Essentially, that is a bowl of sourdough bread that has been buttered and seasoned with a wheel of brie melted inside.

Y'all.

Be still my heart. (Perhaps literally.)

I will tell you that food, specifically cheese, was a big priority on this trip. We prided ourselves on having really no agenda, and it was so nice just to relax, eat, chat, eat, and take in the scenery.

And here is just a random collection of photos.

Thursday morning, we headed back to San Diego, but first we had brunch outside by the sea at the Hotel del Coronado. (I mean, I did say that food was a priority, right?)

(And in case you are wondering, yes, my shorts are a bit snug this week, but I have no regrets.)

It was a successful girls' trip that was everything we wanted it to be. It should come as no surprise that we might need to make this an annual getaway...

Introducing Billy

Well, this happened.

Yep. That's our new puppy, a dapple mini-dachshund whom Amelia has named Billy.

(Listen, I'm just happy his name isn't BonBon or Cookie or some other baked good.)

(The name actually suits him.)

Darryl surprised Amelia and me both with him yesterday. Amelia declared it the "most amazing day ever." To say she is infatuated with him is a gross understatement.

Okay. Fine. We are all infatuated with him.

Truth be told, I have had a little "puppy fever" over the past year (and I love dachshunds), but Darryl didn't seem to be on the same page.

And then he showed up with a puppy. Go figure.

Anyway, right now the score is Billy - 1, his owners - 0 because does anyone want to guess where Billy slept last night after whining in his crate?

That's right. Our bed. We are already failing as dog parents. (I Googled "puppy whining in crate" this morning, and apparently we did the exact OPPOSITE of what we were supposed to do.)

But Billy is sweet and playful and already seems to be settling in. I think he likes us. And the feeling is mutual.

Welcome, Billy!

Ants, Organization, and Baking: One Thing Leads to Another

Well, nothing says vacation is over like ants swarming all over your pantry. And that is exactly what we had last week.

We tried everything. We double-checked to make sure we had everything closed up, and we did. Then I found some Jolly Rancher suckers of Amelia's that seemed to be their target, so I threw them out. Then they seemed to zone in on some balsamic vinegar, so I threw that out. We tried ant baits. Darryl read that all-purpose flour would smother them, so we tried that. Each time, I think the ants just laughed at us, shook their tiny ant-heads, and kept on doing what they do.

And then we called the exterminator, and he shut the ant-party down.

(Question to ponder: Have you ever noticed that exterminators are SO NICE? I mean, seriously...what's the deal?)

ANYWAY, because we had to dismantle the pantry somewhat, I decided to get all organized as I put things back in their place. I didn't take any "before" photos (just trust that it was bad), but behold the orderliness of my newly organized pantry:

The good news: My cupcake liner game is STRONG.

The bad news: I might want to invest in some canned goods because if we ever have a "weather event," my one can of diced tomatoes is going to get us only so far.

I also moved a few things around in my kitchen (no riveting photos of that, sorry), and all that cleaning and organizing made me want to cook and bake all the day long.

And this leads me to the fact that thanks to the American Girl (Doll) of the Year, Grace, who runs her own baking business and spends a summer baking with her uncle/pastry chef in Paris, Amelia has been all about wanting to learn to bake. Now, here's the thing: Do I think Amelia should learn her way around a kitchen? Absolutely. Does teaching her to bake require every ounce of patience I can muster? Absolutely.

So Saturday afternoon, we baked these chocolate chip cookies. And honestly, once we got going, Amelia did pretty well. After I showed her what to do, she pretty much handled scooping the dough on the sheets, putting them in the oven, taking them out, and taking them off the cookie sheets.

The earbuds crack me up because we were listening to music through the TV (the soundtrack to the American Girl movie Grace Stirs Up Success, of course), but Amelia wore the earbuds because Grace wears them to bake in the movie. Of course.

This week, we are supposed to make some 4th of July-themed sugar cookies.

Be near, Lord.

Trip #2, Part 2: Family and Food (a.k.a. Lake Tahoe and Napa...Again)

Okay, the slide projector is all warmed up...

So the whole reason we went to California is that some of Darryl's extended family were gathering at a condo/resort in Lake Tahoe. A few of his family members used their timeshare points to spring for condos for everyone who could come, and we so appreciate their generosity. It was such a fun time with family!

Several other family members did a better job of getting photos of the whole family, and I haven't seen those yet, but I thought I would share a few of the photos I have.

On Tuesday, we went to nearby Zephyr Cove and enjoyed a day at the lake, complete with kayaks and paddle boats. I probably enjoyed this time more than anything we did in Lake Tahoe. I mean, come on...how about that view?

You know the problem with getting in a 2-seater paddleboat with a kid who weighs about 60 pounds? Let's just say Darryl got quite the leg workout.

One day, we took the Heavenly Gondola up to the top of a mountain, where we thought there would be some activities for Amelia and some of the other kids to do. Apparently we did not read the fine print that those activities wouldn't be open for a few more days, but we still got to see some cool views of Lake Tahoe.

Darryl..finally at home where he belongs. (Can we get one of these for the backyard?) :-)

Another cool thing about this trip is that Amelia got to hang out with some of her younger cousins. She so enjoyed having other kids to play with.

We had an awesome time!

On Saturday, we needed to head back to San Francisco to catch our plane EARLY Sunday morning, but we were able to meet up with Darryl's cousin Malorie and her friend Ashley (and their Instagram-famous dog, "Frannie the Frenchie") in Yountville/Napa. Darryl really wanted to try Thomas Keller's Addendum, which is an offshoot of his restaurant Ad Hoc. Basically, Addendum offers takeout options of several dishes, and there is a gorgeous, mostly shaded picnic area where customers can eat their takeout meals. All of us opted for the fried chicken, and it did not disappoint.

And, of course, we walked over to Bouchon (yes, the second trip there in a week for Darryl, Amelia, and me) and had some dessert. I had to have the homemade HoHo again because, because, because.

Amelia enjoyed her time with Frannie although she kept calling him BonBon, since that is the name of the dog in the latest American Girl book she read. Of course.

She kept feeding him treats, so basically, Amelia was Frannie/BonBon's BFF that day.

We were so happy that Malorie and Ashley could meet us. It was a fun, delicious, leisurely afternoon...a perfect way to end a great week!

The next morning, we had to get up at 3:30 Pacific time (ugh! UGH!) to make our 6:00 a.m. flight. As much fun as we had, and even though we were sad our vacation was coming to an end, we were excited to be heading home.

This was Amelia, approximately 30 seconds after we walked in the door. I think this photo pretty much sums up how we ALL felt.

Vacationing is hard work, y'all.

Trip #2, Part 1: Trolleys and Tall Trees (a.k.a. San Francisco and Yosemite)

The thing about vacation posts is that sometimes it feels akin to Grandpa pulling out the slide projector and insisting that his family and friends look at the 427 slides of the cruise he just took.

(And that example is based on real life, as I vividly recall my grandfather -- whom I called "Papa" -- hanging a sheet up in my parents' living room so that he could show us slides and movies from his Mexican cruise. This was circa 1977, of course.)

The point is...I'm not sure that anyone is all that interested, but for the sake of posterity, I will forge on.

SO...

We had an afternoon flight on a Saturday, and while I AM A FAN of the afternoon flight, it really encouraged my procrastination tendencies. An hour and a half before we left, I still had nothing in our suitcases. (My mother probably just fainted after reading that statement, as she is a fan of packing DAYS in advance.)

But we made it, and here we are, ready for our journey:

We were really too tired to do much Saturday, but Sunday, we took in some of the sights of San Francisco.

We walked along the Fisherman's Wharf, visited Ghirardelli Square, and rode a trolley. ALL Amelia wanted to do in San Francisco was ride a trolley, so we couldn't let her down, right?

A nice parting gift for our time in San Fran was a $60 parking ticket that Darryl received because he did not turn his wheels toward the curb on the hill where we parked. The San Francisco parking cops don't play, y'all.

Darryl was not amused.

Then we headed in the direction of Yosemite via Napa...really just so we could see Napa. We also made a stop at Thomas Keller's bakery, Bouchon. Darryl gave me the Bouchon cookbook about a year or so ago, and if there is one word I could use to describe Keller's technique it would be meticulous. ANYWAY, I had a homemade Ho-Ho that was nothing short of life changing.

Amelia enjoyed a chocolate macaron. She obviously has a refined dessert palate.

Then we made our way to Yosemite. We enjoyed a nice dinner outside at our hotel (y'all, that California weather is perfection), and woke up on Monday morning, ready to pack in as much of Yosemite as we could in one day.

Yosemite is pretty much amazing, and we wish we could have spent more time there. We plan to go back there in a couple of years, probably when Amelia is a tad older and can take on more of the hiking. (That's right. I said hiking. I mean, you have to work off those homemade Ho-Hos, right?)

We were pretty impressed by these giant Sequoias.

We stopped at one place with a spectacular view, and Amelia wanted to get out her notebook and sketch the scene. :-)

And here are a couple of other mountain photos, because YOSEMITE.

And Amelia dipped her toes in some cold water.

After a full day in Yosemite, we made our way to Lake Tahoe. I just need to switch over the slides in my slide carousel...

Trip #1: A Visit to Florida, Complete with Pirates

I think I mentioned that Amelia spent a fun week with my parents. The week before last, I went to Florida to pick up my girl and to visit with my parents for a few days.

My mom had been wanting to take Amelia on a pirate cruise that several people had recommended, and I was game, so on that Monday night, that's what we did.

(My mother would probably like me to add that I thought, until we were practically in the car and on our way, that this was also a dinner cruise. I'm not sure where I got that idea -- she said that she never told me that it was a dinner cruise -- but for the record, I'd like to point out that she never said it wasn't a dinner cruise, either.)

Anyway, it was a fun evening, and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the Panama City Beach / St. Andrews area. The adults have to do absolutely nothing other than enjoy the sunset cruise (but not a dinner cruise!), and the pirate crew entertains the kids the whole time. I was even impressed by the low cost of the concessions and souvenirs they had on board.

This is Amelia, after she had collected her treasure from the sunken treasure chest they found. She was a happy girl!!

Another highlight of the trip was having lunch with my Aunt Winifred; her daughter-in-law, Leigh; her granddaughter, Lily; and Aunt Winifred's mother, who is in her early 90s (but still cuts her own grass!). I hadn't seen any of them in ages, so it was fun to catch up over some fried chicken and other Southern delicacies. I could kick myself for not getting a photo of all of us. We enjoyed some good laughs, especially as we reminisced about a trip we all took to the Smoky Mountains and Dollywood about 8 years ago. We might need to do that again!

Another day we took Amelia to see Tomorrowland, which, frankly, was BORING. I had been warned, but Amelia was still insistent on seeing it, so I went with very low expectations. And those expectations were met. (And while George Clooney was not enough to keep that movie from being a songfest -- dadgum, I swear he gets more attractive as he ages.)

And before we knew it, it was time for Amelia and me to head home so we could get ready for our next adventure: California.

Just a quick break

I know I have a tendency to drop off the face of the "blog earth," but I'm just taking a quick break this time around. (Many of you might not really care, but I wanted to assure my mom and my Aunt Winifred that my blog absence is brief.)

More posts next week. Surely it will be riveting!

Food and Friends

Amelia is having a blast with my parents this week.

Exhibit A:

Meanwhile, my summer so far has consisted of friends and food.  Our friend Rebecca was in town for a conference for the weekend, and she was able to add an extra day so she could visit us. I picked her up from the Marta station Sunday afternoon, and we immediately went to Nordstrom to scout out their shoes. Because that's what we do. Then we came home and feasted like kings (queens?) because again, that's what we do.

And I'm not sure what it says about me as a friend, but I took absolutely zero photos of Rebecca and me, but I took a couple of the food we ate. And here is where I want to present to you the DELICIOUS brie baked in a pastry crust that I prepared. I was so proud of myself.

This is the recipe I used. I opted for raspberry preserves top of the brie, and I also did an egg wash over the top of the crust. SO. GOOD.

I also made one of Rebecca's favorite desserts, an old school cherry-cream cheese pie.

And in between that, we had steaks, grilled vegetables, and Ina Garten's easy risotto.

(And I was aghast -- AGHAST -- and the number on the scale Tuesday morning. Denial, anyone?)

(However, I feel the need to add that Monday morning, Rebecca and I did go to the gym. Maybe that made a tiny 300-calorie dent in the thousands of calories we consumed the night before.)

Before Rebecca left Monday afternoon, we went to see Pitch Perfect 2, which was just as fun as the first one, in my opinion. (Also, it made me a teensy bit homesick for LSU, as that was where much of the movie was filmed.)

Last night, I met up with my friend Tim at Shorty's Pizza. I've been wanting to go back there ever since I returned to Georgia, and it was just as good as I remembered. And of course, we had their freshly baked cookies (with homemade whipped cream!) for dessert.

Good friends, good food...not a bad way to begin the summer, eh?

Postplanning: That's a Wrap!

I'm now officially REALLY done. Post-planning is over; let summer begin!

(Now that I think about it, the term "post-planning" is a bit of an oxymoron, right?)

I was worried Tuesday that my week was getting off to a bad start when I went to the English Department fridge to help myself to some blueberry dessert, and this happened:

I texted this photo to my friend Jeff, who responded with, "That is the saddest photo I have ever seen." Indeed. INDEED.

(In retrospect, that might have been the universe telling me that the last thing I needed was a fattening dessert.)

Anyway, aside from dessert catastrophe, meetings, paperwork, and classroom cleanup, the week did include a couple of fun moments. Wednesday night, I went with a few friends from work to see the musical Hands on a Hardbody at Aurora Theatre. It's about a group of people who are trying to win a new truck by placing their hands on the truck; the one who can stand there the longest wins. It was entertaining and fun, but I don't know that it is one I need to see again. (Related note: This is the third production I have seen at Aurora, and all three have been top-notch.)

(See how clever we are, with our hands on the truck in the poster?)

And Thursday, I joined some friends for a "last lunch of the year." I've gotten to know Bethany, Shannon, and Jeff really well over the past six months, and I'm so grateful for their friendship. (Perhaps we even got into the habit of going to a local bakery for cupcakes on Fridays. And maybe we also called it our "cupcake club." Again, another reason why I didn't need that blueberry dessert.)

(Fun Fact: Bethany, sort of next to me/behind me in the photo, was in my advisement group when she was in high school. I feel old.)

Now, as I sit here in my PJ pants, drinking coffee and watching Good Morning America (ah, summer, how sweet you are!), I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the gym because that's the price you pay when you have been a charter member of a cupcake club.