Happy Trails to Me

Tomorrow Aurora and I are leaving on our first (of hopefully very few) non-Blake trips. This regrettably means I'm literally flying solo with Rory on an airplane, not her first flight, but I anticipate them getting tougher as she gets older. I really don't want her to be one of THOSE babies on the plane, and I don't want to be one of THOSE moms!! We're meeting up with my mom in Seattle, then driving six hours across the state to rural northeastern WA to visit my dear grandparents. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and to spending Mother's Day with my mom, grammie, and daughter, but I'm sad to be leaving my hubbycakes for a week. I know Blake will enjoy some time in manly pursuits that he graciously neglects in order to spend time with his affectionate family, and time apart always makes for a strengthened marriage, but I still feel forlorn.

I thoughtfully made Blake a calendar, suggested "to-do list," and list of meal options for my absence. Then I had a brilliant idea: since Blake enjoys video games, it would be so awesome if in order to unlock the food list, he has to complete items on the to-do list! When he crosses off the first three items, the next day's breakfast would appear- genius! Since like many men, he's conquest-driven, I thought for sure he'd enjoy this little game. Let's just say he wasn't amused.

Yesterday, we celebrated an early Mother's Day with Blake's parents and sister, which was enjoyable. We've enjoyed Auntie Bethany's eager babysitting this week to run baby-free errands, always a treat!

In the realm of the kitchen, my only particular feat of late was the eggplant paremsean I made Monday. We're not huge eggplant fans (other than the fact that they are hands down the world's most GORGEOUS vegetable), but when we got one in our Bountiful Basket, I was resolved to use it. My own eggplant parm recipe is as follows:
1. Thinly slice the eggplant into lovely circles (leave the skin on)
2. Dip the slices in a mixture of egg and Italian salad dressing
3. Coat the slices in Italian breadcrumbs (buy some ready-made or add appropriate Italian seasonings and some shredded parmesean cheese to some plain ones)
4. Place on a broiler pan and broil on low heat until toasty, then flip them over and do the same
5. Layer a few slices on a dinner plate, top with marinara sauce and a bit of provolone or mozzarella
6. Enjoy a surprising amount

Finally, it seems our health insurance is all settled, with the whole family remaining covered. I was pretty stressed about what we'd do insurance wise (a big deal, since we're expecting), but God worked it all out, and I get to keep my wonderful OB and family practitioners, which is a huge blessing!

Okay, off to con one more meal off the inlaws, than home to finish packing and get some sleep. Happy Mother's Day to the awesome moms (especially my own!!!) out there!

My mom with her first grandbaby!