Thursday, April 16, 2009

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 =)

10 comments:

leslianne said...

i love your story:)

Christy said...

Great story of your family. I will say growing up, where we always had a garden (strawberries part of that), in a couple of months is when strawberries are normally ready. May/June time line. Also you should ask if they even spray their strawberries, many don't spray,so it's safe to just pop a few in the mouth...they're simply better when you sneak a few in at the patch!

Karen said...

Thanks, Angie!

asplashofsunshine said...

Family is family, no matter how old, how young, or better yet, if they are even blood related. The love in your family is blissfully obvious!

Such adorable pics!!!!

Cathy said...

Was the cost expensive? We have been thinking about taking our granddaughter there, but I wasn't sure what the price was. You look like you had such fun. What great memories!

cookfam said...

Great story! Thanks for sharing your family with us!

Stacey said...

can you tell us where this is? would love to go there...we live in Lakeland so I know it won't be too far away...

Unknown said...

The cost was very reasonable. We picked two quarts for $5.00. And the location was on Walnut Grove Road about 1/2 a mile past the Agricenter. The owner told me peak season was May 1-10, so if anyone is interested, I would try and go sometime in there!

Emily said...

I love to hear other people's stories...thanks for sharing yours. Your sister (and daughters) are adorable. The strawberry pickin' looks like fun...it's something I've been wanting to take my kids to do, but haven't found a place close by.

Radar's Mom said...

My childhood "picking" memories are of blueberries in Maine when we went to visit my grandparents. What a great idea to sift through some of your own wonderful childhood memories and pass them along to your own kids. And Hurray for your wonderful and unconventional family! Mine is far more "unconventional" with a dad who's married three times under not so wonderful circumstances... but the end results are 5 siblings spread apart by 25 years and all very, very close! I think the world would be boring if we weren't each of us so very different.