Well, more of a week wrap-up. We had a wonderful/busy/strange week, although at times overshadowed by the tragedies that seemed to keep occurring around the country – from the Boston bombings, to the explosion at the fertilizer plant in Texas. A hard week for America, and Americans – especially, of course, any person who was affected directly by the events that occurred throughout the week.

The main events of our lives over the past week include:
dog sitting
car breakdown/repair
Erin’s 34th birthday

Our friends Bri and Harsh were in Chicago for a conference, and we had the privilege of spending some time with their sweet dog Pi.

Then…

Thursday morning it was raining quite hard, so I was planning to drive Erin to the Metro and then head to the dentist. But, the car wouldn’t start. Nothing. Nothing at all. As the car is a hybrid, we were envisioning costly repairs to the electrical system. Erin suggested we first see if the problem was with the battery – and thankfully it was. And, Erin discovered she does have some car skills- and replaced the battery all by herself! 🙂 We were both quite pleased!

Saturday was Erin’s birthday! Her parents arrived in town a day earlier then planned to surprise her at dinner. Of course, I didn’t get a single picture while out at dinner, but I did take a few in the morning as I made Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and fresh squeezed orange juice for birthday breakfast.

10 oranges = 2 cups of fresh squeezed juice. And two very tired hands.

Not bad for a first time around!

I should have made him squeeze the juice!

Erin’s parents will be here all week: her dad is lobbying for his union, and her mom is mostly hanging out with us. After taking me to the dentist (again!) Erin and her mom have been out weeding in the garden most of the afternoon. It’s starting to look good – but still so, so much work to be done! Sigh.

Here is to a peaceful start to a busy week.