....sometimes we have phases in our lives where our individual path is a straight shot......an easy saunter from point A to point B......other times, our path weaves and bends with the unexpected.......we are forced to take detours, navigate through tricky terrain or find a different route that will ultimately lead us to the end destination......either way, both paths have benefits and opportunities to for us to discover, explore and grow.....
....I took a walk in Central Park earlier this week with a dear friend and couldn't help but think of the many paths I have taken and will take in years to come.....it's amazing how my perspective of the park was different on a walk sans kids.....I noticed new things about our backyard scenery.....it was the same walk that I take with my babies all of the time, but it revealed itself to me in a new way.....
....my old friend Amanda made the trip to NYC for the week, leaving her two girls behind in California so she could accompany her husband on a business trip.....both of our sets of girls are the exact same ages and we spent the first several months as new mothers encouraging, supporting, listening and praying for one another.....it has been three and a half years since we have embraced and the reunion was oh, so good.....
....she is an encouragement to me.....one who is constantly looking at her own reflection and molding herself to be the woman, wife, friend, mother and daughter that the Lord wants her to be.....
....she sees good in all things and finds contentment whether she has plenty or has want....spending time with her was not only a blessing of tightly knit friendship, but it allowed me to think about my on own path......I need be more thankful and have a less anxious heart during my own trek.....
....work in progress, but all is well with a sprinkle of prayer.....
.....we have one last week of school ahead of us and I think the two graduation ceremonies we have mid week for the girls are going to be a bit weepy.....it will be the last hurrah at our beloved nursery school in NYC....we have spent the last three years soaking in the vibe that this house of little people has provided and we will miss it very much......
....although, I must admit that I am craving, anticipating and needing some unscheduled days ahead.....I am excited to forego the rat race for a few months and focus on having fun with my kids and savoring our last hot season in the city that never sleeps.....and if this past Monday was any indication of the summer ahead, we are in good shape.....
....for those of you who aren't local, Donald Trump turns his Central Park ice skating rink into an amusement wonderland for kids during the summer....we have had many good times at this hidden gem over the years and we certainly weren't going to miss opening weekend.....
....we even bring the newborns to check it out so they know what's in store for their future summers when they are old enough to keep up with the big kids.....Callie spent a few of her first summer days hanging out and being nursed in the shade as a tiny baby....
....times haven't changed......
.....summer also always inspires me to try new recipes in the kitchen.....Elsie and I made a chicken casserole dish for a friend of ours who just had a baby last week and after making our own stock out of the chicken bones, I whipped up my first batch of chicken soup.....we are more of an orzo family than a noodle family, so we made that substitution; but used the chicken noodle soup recipe found here.....we also added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, which gave our soup a bit of a pasta appearance.....
......I have actually had requests for left overs from the girls.....and I saw Stefan sneaking extra bites as he was cleaning up the kitchen......
.....who says soup is a winter meal?.....
....this week we also took some left over asparagus, a few garlic cloves and some mini peppers and got rid of the rest of the orzo.....I added a bit of olive oil, some chicken stock and a splash of wine.....
....and there is no reason to let a good bottle of pinot grigio sit all alone in the fridge, so it became the perfect accompaniment to our light risotto dish......
....yes, many good times wait ahead as we approach our last summer in the city.....looking forward to easy and breezy and slow and simple....
.....and running my little man outside before he tears up our tiny abode....
....signing off.....
....I hear our three pictures on the wall swinging like pendulums.....