Trains, Old Churches, Friends, And Family Roots

 Happy May!  This is for sure my favorite month, with my birthday and Mother's Day all in one swoop. 💚 ~emerald is my birthstone~  Long post today, so just to prepare you for the many pictures I took on my recent trip to my hometown.  We left early in the morning, and the first thing I needed was a cup of coffee, so down the mountain we went straight to Starbuck's.  They have a new strawberry matcha loaf that I tried.  It was good, but I prefer the original raspberry loaf.

I drove the whole time, so we made stops along the way, and treated myself to fast foods that I never get to eat.  I can't remember the last time I had the Burger King chicken sandwich, and oh, I loved every bite.  We got to my hometown and rested a bit, and that night I met my girlfriends at a popular restaurant in town, and I was glad to see many other friends at the fundraiser dinner also.  I've known these friends since high school, and some of them since grade school.  They.know.me.  They are respectful, loyal, funny, and make me laugh.

The next morning, Jess met me at Starbuck's, and it was nice to catch up on the happenings of Francesca's life.  I love to hear the stories she tells - they are interesting and funny.  She loved the nail stickers I got her, and started putting them on right away.  After, we went to Brian's mom's house.  Now, I've mentioned this before, but she is the most gracious hostess.  She served us coffee as soon as we got there, and always makes sure we are comfortable and welcome.

For lunch, we headed over to our favorite taqueria, and my brother joined us.  I'm always so happy to see him.  This is where Mia lost her tooth.  She was very uncomfortable, and after chomping on something, it finally came out.  I was telling them how we used to have our teeth pulled back then - my mom would take a piece of thread, wrap it around my tooth, and yank it out!  Nel gave her brother and me some thoughtful gifts.  Mine was the cutest cloth doll, and she's wearing pearl earrings, just like I did for the dinner.

For the fundraiser dinner, I always like to wear a different color than the year before, and this year I went with white.  It was a pretty white blouse, which went well with my pearl earrings.  Nel does my hair every year, and I told her I wanted the top part poofed up.  So, she brushed it, teased it, twisted it, poofed it, and after a few "ouches," my hair was done.😬  But honestly, she does an excellent job with hair styles, and used to do Jess' hair all the time for proms and events.  This is the blouse I wore; simple and lightweight with flared sleeves.

Sisters ready to party! ✨✨✨

We can't forget about the photo booth.  I'm so glad they added this feature at the dinner because it's a fun and festive time with props like hats, feather boas, sunglasses, fans, and more.

And a mother can't ask for better sons-in-law.  Along with my son, they seem to go with the flow, which isn't easy in an all-girl family.

The next morning, we all met at our favorite cafe'.  There is a train that runs alongside the restaurant, and you can sometimes hear it while you're eating.  I get sentimental, as trains are special to me for many reasons, one being that my grandfather worked for the railroad. 🚂  I always order the same thing, scrambled eggs with onions and cheese, sausage, and a cinnamon roll.  Friends, their sausage is amazing, and they get it from the meat market in town, which has been in business for over 70 years.  Charlotte loved to watch the toy train that runs along the upper part of the rooms.

Sunday we had a little nostalgic time..... drove pass the house I grew up at, stopped at the church I went to as a child, and visited my favorite park in town.  Mia went down the longest slide ever!  And her and Nel and uncle B. walked over to the bridge at the park and played 'billy goats gruff'.....the same game Nel used to play as a kid.  Mia was the Troll.  When we got to the church, we all went inside and had a quiet and peaceful moment together.  This is the church with the beautiful stained glass windows.  I told Mia that her mama was Baptized in this very church, and she just listened.  I can't explain how very special it was to see Mia kneel before the alter....... the same alter that so many sacred ceremonies were held through the years for my family.  And I mentioned to her that in back of the church was the spot where her mama was Baptized.

That night we went to a sushi restaurant for dinner.  Nel and her brother love sushi. 🍣 Me not so much, so I ordered the teriyaki chicken with rice. 🍚

We all had a fantastic time....seeing glimpses of the past, and appreciating our time together in the present.  This is the town that my kids grew up, I grew up, and my dad grew up - three generations.

The next morning we got up very early and headed back home. Close to home and still in the city, my son found a pizza place to try out - MOD Pizza (made on demand).  One of the best pizzas I've had, and will definitely go back again.  We stopped at Sprouts and picked up some goodies to take home, and I really wanted to go inside Home Goods and browse because I love the uniqueness of their items.  I bought this white marble paper towel holder with a cute flower design.

As I was starting to drive back up the mountain, I noticed the most lovely clouds, and I had to pull over for a minute to get some pictures.

And for me, there's just no place like home.  The Robins have been on my lawn all week welcoming me home.