keep your chin up, darlin'...

I read this quote last night and loved it, so forgive the sarcastic image that accompanies it... but sometimes you just need a good laugh.

When your faith endures many conflicts and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great helper to others, you must pass through their trials. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are great benefits to come from your trials. -charles spurgeon

giving sushi a shot

the month of september really knocked the wind right out of me. my blog suffered just as much as my sanity did. it was my fifth (FIFTH! time flies...) festival of children so i was on-call for a month, aside from spending a few days in new york for a fundraiser we hosted in central park. add that to visits from granny, cousin myrna, the jewish high holy days and life... and it was time for some respite come the first weekend in october.

and that's precisely what i did.

this past weekend, todd and i paid a visit to his family's cabin in lake arrowhead. we stayed in our pajamas from morning til night, until we had to face civilization for sunday lunch in the village before heading home.

on saturday, after some pomegranete peach pancakes, and in between watching 2 movies, 6 episodes of super nanny and 25 repetitions of the same infomercial (shout out to bling string! the styling sensation that's sweeping the nation!) we made our first attempt at homemade sushi. it tasted delicious (crab rolls, shrimp rolls, and tuna oh my!) and was perfectly complemented by a bottle of nigori sake, our personal favorite.

a work in progress...

the finished product (gjmme a break, i was a sushi chef virgin!)

oktoberfest at the village (small towns have my heart):

a beautiful day on the lake (view from woody's family restaurant!)

goodbye lake arrowhead. you were so good to us. til november...