XXIII

I just found out yesterday that my best girl friend in the world is pregnant! She and her husband are moving away from Portland in a few days and setting up a new camp in Santa Cruz, California. I have so many feelings right now.

Joy that she and Jason get to have this experience and knowing that they are going to make really good, really weird parents. Excitement that I basically get to be an aunt to someone. Relief that I can put my maternal energy into her and her baby and put off having mine for a while longer.

And the timing could not be more perfect. In September I plan to drive my car with Clay from Texas back to Portland, making a stop in Santa Cruz to visit Alice, of course. At this time she will be in her 8th month and I will get to take lots of pretty preg pictures of her. I guess she would be due sometime in October, and being that she won't be incredibly far from me I may even get to be around when the baby comes.

Today it is very cold and snowing, but all I can think about are babies and little lacey gowns and baby wraps.

\25 days

XXII

I just keep getting better and tastier. This is a simple cream soup that I have made in the past, but this time it was greatly overshadowed by the smoked bacon and comté cheese toasts. They stole the scene and are going to be making more appearances in my belly!

You can start thinking about what to send me for my birthday HINT HINT! Shipping durations have proven to be anything but expected; they are either surprisingly speedy or torturously slow. Even cards are nice I like cards. My birthday falls right before all my final tests so I will not really get to enjoy it until everything is over anyway! Speaking of which, I need to do some more Hausaufgaben before I get comfortable and settle into Bett.

XXI

I am over here counting down the days now; 35. Five weeks from today Clay will be arriving at the Frankfurt airport, getting on a train and meeting me at the Stuttgart Hbf.

After we get the face-touching over with I am taking him to a very cozy English pub I once went to in Stuttgart. The Olde Ascot is dark, smokey and nearly every interior surface is a deep and comforting shade of wood. It is very much our taste of atmosphere, I feel.

I am up to my ears in anticipation, ya'll.

XX

My friend online, Debbie Carlos, maintains a blog in which she posts recipes and very appetizing photographs of the food she makes. This photo is taken from her blog called Bunny Pie, and you can find here the post with this potato pie recipe.

I made this last week, added bacon, and it was incredibly delicious. I had plenty of puff pastry left so I made a variation of it a few nights ago with my friends. This time I filled it with potatoes, spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese! It was heaven in a pie. When I try a new recipe and successfully end up with something really tasty it encourages me to cook even more.

Lately I have been on a sweet potato kick. I have been oven-frying them in olive oil, nutmeg and brown sugar. How many ways can you cook them? I need more ideas!