the strawberry patch

Have you ever been strawberry picking? I have memories from when I was little, probably 5 or 6, going strawberry picking with my mom and some friends, and coming home with crates of strawberries. We made jars and jars of jam with all of those strawberries, and I'm sure we made other things, although I don't remember. I haven't picked a strawberry since that day, but the picture in my head is still vivid. Whether those berries were any better than those you can grab at the store I couldn't tell you, but I do know that you don't make memories that last twenty years from going in and grabbing a quart of strawberries from Kroger.

That's why I was excited when my mom told me there was a strawberry patch about 25 minutes away that we could visit, and even though I don't think the berries were quite up to par with what my mom remembered from those picked in my childhood, I'm hoping the experience is what will live on in the girls' minds, and not the green tinge of the berries. We really couldn't have asked for a nicer day, and even though those berries weren't exactly ruby red, Marianna and Breanna seemed to eat it up (figuratively, that is. Sure I may have snuck a berry or two on the way home, but I did refrain from offering any unwashed, pesticide covered morsels to the girls).

Here are a few shots from the day.






This is the second time in a week I've mentioned my little sister, Breanna, and since at least one person expressed a little curiosity, I'll give you the run down on my family tree.

I am the oldest of four, born when my mom was 20 years old. My sister, Rachel, is 22 and she and her husband Eric are expecting their first baby, Allie Grace, in May. My brother, Andrew, is 13 years old and in the 7th grade. He is a fantastic little brother, as well as a superb uncle to his two little nieces. And last but not least, is Breanna, who is a whopping 19 years younger than me. She was 4 when Marianna was born, obviously making her much closer in age to my daughter than to me, and she and Marianna have been great play mates ever since Marianna could toddle along after her.

Those are the facts, but you'd probably like a little explanation to go with them. My parents divorced when I was 6 years old, and my mom remarried her high school sweetheart, Bryan, two years later. It is a story that needs a whole post all it's own because I am certainly not doing it justice, but suffice it to say, it's a good one! My dad adopted my sister and me after he and my mom married, but they waited several years before having Andrew and Breanna. So in many ways, they have two sets of children, the grown-and-married-with-children set, and the elementary-and-middle-aged-school set. It's unique, but we certainly love the dynamics it brings to our family.

So there you go. Some strawberry picking and a little bio thrown in for free =)