Tacos: a Guide

Compared to the rest of the more all-natural, holistic-living world, I was late to join the "#ohmygoodnesswholefoodsisthebestthingever" train. But when the granola gods saw fit to install one less than a mile from my office, I hopped on that train pretty quickly. Even if I was hopping on the caboose.

Almost everything about Whole Foods is good. The pros: tasty food. Close to work. Organic. Concerned about animal welfare. The cons: relatively expensive. The people who make tacos.

Let me elaborate a bit. The tacos are delicious, but I think the people on the line have never made tacos even once in their lives. I put forth this statement based on not one experience, but multiple, so you can be fully assured that it's an indisputable fact.

Note the lack of lettuce.

I hereby present you with the step by step guide that I presume WF team members use to instruct themselves on how to make tacos:

1. Ask the customer if she wants soft or crunchy tacos.
2. If crunchy tacos are desired, look puzzled, and then check for shells under counter.
3. Make sure that only one crunchy taco shell is present.
4. Go search every aisle in the store for 10 minutes to find a new box of taco shells. Make sure to only grab one box so that you'll be equally prepared for the next time a customer wants the same thing.
5. Attempt to open the taco shell box and interior plastic wrapping with food gloves on for a full minute before using your knife.
6. Ask how many tacos the customer desires.
7. Take another full minute to remove the shells from the recently opened plastic wrapping.
8. Ask the customer what kind of meat is desired.
9. Proceed to stuff the taco shell with as much meat as will fit to make sure that there is absolutely no room for other toppings.
10. Look extremely confused when the customer asks for more toppings.
11. Attempt to force cheese and salsa to stay on top of stuffed taco for at least two minutes.
12. Inform the customer that you don't have any lettuce in either the taco line or the sandwich line, and ask if she wants to substitute spinach or arugula.
13. Attempt to put the lid on the to-go box by tipping the tacos on their sides. Carefully spill as many of the toppings as possible.
14. Wish the customer a nice day, just to make her feel like the 20-minute wait for her three tacos was worth it while her husband stands by with his now-cold lunch.

So there you have it: how to make tacos according to Whole Foods in Lynnfield. Definitely pick some up next time you have a spare hour!

Topsfield Fair 2014

The Topsfield Fair has taken place every year (with a couple of exceptions during wars) since 1818. And every year since I arrived in the area in 2007, I have missed it. Year after year I've told myself that I'll go next year, and year after year I fail to uphold that promise to myself. So last week, I decided that THIS WAS THE YEAR. We would go on Saturday, and it would be great.

We woke up Saturday morning to the sound of raindrops. So much for that.

Fortunately, Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, so the plan wasn't dead.

This fall has been one of the most gorgeous in the past few years.

As it turned out, every single person in all of New England had the same idea, and it was jam packed with folks of all varieties. At one point Chaz remarked, "I've never seen so many strollers in my life!"

The last time I was at a fair was probably...oh, sometime in early high school. I've decided that over the years and even in different states, fairs are pretty much the same: rides, games, junk food, animals, and huge pumpkins. And that was true for this fair as well.

Don't YOU want a huge puffy animal to take home?

And while walking around, we discussed the fact that there was simultaneously a lot to do and nothing to do. Regardless, we had fun, ate some deliciously unhealthy food (dude, the whoopie pies?), and spent too many ride tickets to go on the swings. What's not to love?

Not being from around here originally, it's nice to check one of the major attractions off my list. Extra Massachusetts points for me, but who's counting? Plus, I had a handsome date, which just made the whole experience better.

So far this post really doesn't have much of a point except that it's recapping. Thus, here are three things to give it automatic purposefullness:

• Don't ever go to the fair on Columbus Day weekend the day before it closes, or you will be among thousands of other people.
• If a performer almost dies when doing aerial stunts, walk away before you have a heart attack/he actually falls from a 30-foot rotating circle while blindfolded.
• Make absolutely sure to get yourself a warm apple cider doughnut before you leave.

That's all, folks!

Homecoming

This weekend, Chaz and I headed up to Vermont to attend a friend's wedding. I think it's funny that no matter how long you've lived somewhere else, the place you grew up will always feel like home. I stepped out of the car when we pulled into the driveway, and the night air suddenly smelled crisp and clean. Massachusetts has its own set of fall-ish smells, but those don't compare with Vermont autumnal scents.

On Saturday, we had a few hours before the wedding started in the afternoon. So we got dressed, grabbed my youngest brother, and headed out on a mission to find Starbucks. Considering the nearest one is a good 30 minutes from my family's house, that's no small feat. Nevertheless, we made the trek, and Chris turned into a happy camper in the back seat with his chocolate chocolatey chip frappacino. He also insisted on wearing Chaz's sister's mislaid pink sunglasses that we've had in our possession since our wedding in July.

Sorry, Kara!

After Bucks, we hightailed it back home to get ready, and we somehow managed to all arrive at the wedding 10 minutes early. Considering my track record for getting places on time...be impressed.

The wedding was lovely. It took place in our small country church, and the sanctuary was filled with all the people Sara and David knew and loved. For awhile I worried about people passing out, since that happens at weddings sometimes (I mean...it happened at ours!), but everyone stayed upright the whole time. And the service itself was lovely.

The reception was in a beautiful barn in the next town. The food was great and the atmosphere was fantastic, but the best part was being able to catch up a bit with some long lost friends from high school!

Lane, Brianna, and two people you already know.

Elizabeth and Kayla looking lovely.

Ben and Greg, enjoying being photographed.

But above all, probably the most impressive part about the reception was that Sara made all the cupcakes herself. Three days before her wedding. Having done a wedding recently myself, I can safely say that baking and frosting that many cupcakes while figuring out all the last minute details is quite an accomplishment. And they were delicious to boot! I ate two...back to back.

There were even two different flavor options!

Long story short, it was a highly enjoyable wedding.

Table 14...that was the place to be, I tell ya!

When it was all done, we headed home happy and tired out. But we sat down and watched a movie (Red! So good!) with popcorn (Kettlecorn! Can't be beat!), so we clearly weren't too tired to continue a fun evening at home.

So there you have weekend part 1. Weekend part 2 involved church in Vermont, followed by a very scenic drive to Connecticut. If it hadn't been quite so scenic, we probably would have ended up a lot grumpier. Thankfully, the loveliness of our surroundings eased all botheration at driving an extra 30 miles. 

Come back later for the next installment of Tales of the Woodstock Road Trip.

The Beauty of Slow

Since...oh, probably before the wedding, Chaz and I have had a total of about two weekends where we didn't have something going on. Whether that "something" was a business trip, church events, celebrations, or running tons of errands, we've been both consciously and subconsciously longing for rest. This weekend changed that, and with the beginning of the turning of the seasons, it felt like finally turning a page.

Saturday only half-counted. We got up late, headed to Starbucks, and worked on various projects for a few hours. After a run to Target to pick up some general supplies (no one wants to run out of toilet paper!), we headed back home, ate some lunch, and then got ready to make a voyage to Worcester to see my brother in a production of Les Miserables. I took exactly no pictures of him on stage, but I did get this nice shot, complete with my blurry finger. High quality.

We got home at midnight, so I can't say that was relaxing. But it was fun to see the family and to see Jonathan up there singing and playing an excellent drunk. Good job, kid!

On Sunday, we woke up and headed to church. And for the first time in months, I felt like my soul was quiet enough to listen, and I needed that. We didn't have anything planned for the afternoon, so I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up the materials to make a pot roast. Any day with enough time to incorporate a pot roast means a lazy day to be sure.

Chaz suggested a walk to the beach while the pot roast was in the oven. Since the oven has so far proved itself to be reliable, I figured it was safe enough to leave for a short while and we headed the half a mile down the road.

If nothing else, what should tell you the most about this summer is that we live literally five minutes away from the beach, and neither of us had been there even once this year. I'm not a huge beach person, but I've never had a summer where it's been avoided entirely. As a result I'm glad we made it there once before the end of the season. Even if we were wearing jackets.

It isn't often that we get the opportunity to savor the beauty of being home and having time. Our lives certainly won't be that way forever. We'll have children someday and they'll fill our slower hours with all of the things that come along with children. The beauty there will be present, but it will be a different sort. Even before that, there are so many distractions to fill our lives up with noise. So I like to have days like this recorded, so I can remember that these days are necessary, they are refreshing, and they are good.