Yay! It's mulberry time. I didn't know this until I went walking on the path in Dexter, and the telltale signs of a stained boardwalk signaled the season. I looked up, and sure enough, there were dark, purple berries on the "tree".
The next day, John and I headed out for a walk, and I brought the colander. I would pull the branches down low enough that John could pick with two hands (since we don't currently have a ladder). It didn't take us more than 20 minutes to pick enough for a pie (along with picking the freshly fallen berries off the ground).
The next day, we were supposed to take the missionaries to the temple, and I figured I would make them a pie. I have taken it on myself to expose the missionaries to all good things Michigan (having discovered that they basically live in a cocoon of missionary life and don't really get out and see anything that Michigan has to offer): Cherry Republic, MDen, Superman Ice Cream, Faygo, Vinsetta Garage, POP. So after I got home from Mutual, I found most of my pie making utensils (in my teeny tiny apartment kitchen) and got to work.
Like I said, I only had enough fruit for one pie, but John wanted some as well. So I mixed a few blueberries and blackberries into the mulberries and had enough to make him a mulberry empanada/pierogi/calzone :-) #ChooseYourCountry. Mmmmm, he dumped some vanilla ice cream over the hot empanada, and it was delicious!
The next morning, as we headed out the door to pick up the missionaries (an hour and a half away in Sterling Heights), I threw some foil over the pie and we were good to go!
Okay, I made a major mistake. When we got out of the car to get the missionaries, Elder Thomas surprised me by already being outside, and when I saw him, I threw my arms around him. I was seriously so happy to see him. I realized immediately that I wasn't supposed to do that, and John chastised me a few minutes later, so I had to apologize for that. But we gave them the pie to take into their apartment before our very long day began.
So during the 30 minute drive to the temple, we had been listening to the elders talk about the farewell advice their mission president, President Cleveland, had given them all at his last zone conference. It was mostly about dating and finding a wife. Knowing that Elder Thomas only has two transfers left, John jumped on that bandwagon. In fact, he brought #RealLife into the conversation.
Back when John was in residency (and yes, he shared this with not only Elder Thomas (who is basically family and "gets" us), but with his new companion who does not know us (it was for a BABY....)), he worked at the Teenage Pregnancy Clinic. He would see the prettiest teenage girls come in (some as young as 13), and their "men" would sometimes come in with them. In one instance, a very cute girl came in with this super ugly, old dude. John described him as a "mousey man". Yes, he was short, and old, and ugly, and he looked like a mouse. John couldn't understand why a pretty girl like that would allow herself to be impregnated (these are John's words, poor missionaries) by such an ugly dude.
But in John's wisdom, he said it was because HE ASKED THEM OUT. The nice looking, good guys think the girls are too pretty, and they are too chicken to ask them out. But not the ugly, old dude.
In fact, a few months later, John saw another girl in the clinic, and who was with her? Yep, Mousey Man. He had impregnated another girl. I mean, the nice guys can't even get a DATE with a girl, and this dude has managed to father children in just a few months with two different girls because he asks them out.
So John's wisdom to the elders was "Don't be a chicken, and remember Mousey Man." We were all laughing til our sides hurt in the car.
And Elder Thomas, without missing a beat, turned to Elder Zarbock and said, "Yep, this is the Kennedys!"
We arrived with plenty of time before the session. As it turned out, there were MANY other missionaries there as well, including Elder Thomas' two favorite companions. Funny how things work out like that.... I was sitting in the endowment room, waiting for the session to start, and I saw John walking in, talking to the friend from our youth, Brother Mauch. I knew immediately what was happening.
Probably 50% of the time, we are chosen as the witness couple, and I just really didn't want to be it yet again. I mean honestly, I just want to sit in a session and relax every once in a while. And as John walked up to me, I had a huge smile on my face, but I held my arm out and stopped him saying, "Get thee hence, Satan." But I took a deep breath, and headed up to the chosen seat.
Usually, I feel a great responsibility to set a spiritual example as the witness couple, but with the conversation we'd had in the car, all I could think about was Mousey Man, and Admiral Ackbar.
That's right--Admiral Ackbar of Star Wars fame. I knew I was going to mess up Elder Zarbock's name more than once, so I asked him if I could call him "Elder Z". He told me that was fine, and it wasn't the funniest nickname he'd been given. In one of his past areas, one of his investigators had told him that when he heard Elder Zarbock's last name, all he could think about was Admiral Ackbar.
John then took this further and made a huge joke about the fact that it hopefully wasn't based on how Elder Zarbock looked. You know, he could have been Elder Han Solo, or Elder Luke Skywalker, or even Elder Darth Vader, but instead Admiral Ackbar was chosen. And Elder Zarbock didn't miss a beat, describing Admiral Ackbar to a tee, hoping that it wasn't based on his looks.
So there I am, sitting as part of the witness couple, and all I can think about was this most hilarious conversation with the elders. Every time I could feel the laughter coming out, I would just look down and try and compose myself again. I'm hoping that my great-great aunt, Elizabeth Clarke, has a sense of humor as well.
Afterwards, we headed across the parking lot because one of Elder Thomas' former companions wanted to record Elder Thomas playing The Spirit of God on the fabulous pipe organ in the Bloomfield Hills stake building one last time (I think it has something to do with Kirtland, Ohio, or something). I was amazed to find out that Elder Thomas can only play church music--I'm not sure what his piano teachers were thinking, considering he has some serious piano-playing skills--but golly, he sure can play the organ. In other words, he's an organist (and not just somebody who plays the organ like me...) :-)
Elder Z had chosen Vinsetta Garage for lunch, although I don't think he was particularly impressed with the ambiance, but Elder Thomas remembered that Mark had had his wedding luncheon there and noticed the "reserved room" :-)
Ugh, it was difficult to drive them back to their apartment, knowing that we won't see Elder Thomas until after his mission, but thankfully it's not too far away (end of August). Meanwhile, they've got another piece of Michigan waiting for them in their apartment--a good ol' mulberry pie <3
The next day, John and I headed out for a walk, and I brought the colander. I would pull the branches down low enough that John could pick with two hands (since we don't currently have a ladder). It didn't take us more than 20 minutes to pick enough for a pie (along with picking the freshly fallen berries off the ground).
The next day, we were supposed to take the missionaries to the temple, and I figured I would make them a pie. I have taken it on myself to expose the missionaries to all good things Michigan (having discovered that they basically live in a cocoon of missionary life and don't really get out and see anything that Michigan has to offer): Cherry Republic, MDen, Superman Ice Cream, Faygo, Vinsetta Garage, POP. So after I got home from Mutual, I found most of my pie making utensils (in my teeny tiny apartment kitchen) and got to work.
Like I said, I only had enough fruit for one pie, but John wanted some as well. So I mixed a few blueberries and blackberries into the mulberries and had enough to make him a mulberry empanada/pierogi/calzone :-) #ChooseYourCountry. Mmmmm, he dumped some vanilla ice cream over the hot empanada, and it was delicious!
The next morning, as we headed out the door to pick up the missionaries (an hour and a half away in Sterling Heights), I threw some foil over the pie and we were good to go!
Okay, I made a major mistake. When we got out of the car to get the missionaries, Elder Thomas surprised me by already being outside, and when I saw him, I threw my arms around him. I was seriously so happy to see him. I realized immediately that I wasn't supposed to do that, and John chastised me a few minutes later, so I had to apologize for that. But we gave them the pie to take into their apartment before our very long day began.
So during the 30 minute drive to the temple, we had been listening to the elders talk about the farewell advice their mission president, President Cleveland, had given them all at his last zone conference. It was mostly about dating and finding a wife. Knowing that Elder Thomas only has two transfers left, John jumped on that bandwagon. In fact, he brought #RealLife into the conversation.
Back when John was in residency (and yes, he shared this with not only Elder Thomas (who is basically family and "gets" us), but with his new companion who does not know us (it was for a BABY....)), he worked at the Teenage Pregnancy Clinic. He would see the prettiest teenage girls come in (some as young as 13), and their "men" would sometimes come in with them. In one instance, a very cute girl came in with this super ugly, old dude. John described him as a "mousey man". Yes, he was short, and old, and ugly, and he looked like a mouse. John couldn't understand why a pretty girl like that would allow herself to be impregnated (these are John's words, poor missionaries) by such an ugly dude.
But in John's wisdom, he said it was because HE ASKED THEM OUT. The nice looking, good guys think the girls are too pretty, and they are too chicken to ask them out. But not the ugly, old dude.
In fact, a few months later, John saw another girl in the clinic, and who was with her? Yep, Mousey Man. He had impregnated another girl. I mean, the nice guys can't even get a DATE with a girl, and this dude has managed to father children in just a few months with two different girls because he asks them out.
So John's wisdom to the elders was "Don't be a chicken, and remember Mousey Man." We were all laughing til our sides hurt in the car.
And Elder Thomas, without missing a beat, turned to Elder Zarbock and said, "Yep, this is the Kennedys!"
We arrived with plenty of time before the session. As it turned out, there were MANY other missionaries there as well, including Elder Thomas' two favorite companions. Funny how things work out like that.... I was sitting in the endowment room, waiting for the session to start, and I saw John walking in, talking to the friend from our youth, Brother Mauch. I knew immediately what was happening.
Probably 50% of the time, we are chosen as the witness couple, and I just really didn't want to be it yet again. I mean honestly, I just want to sit in a session and relax every once in a while. And as John walked up to me, I had a huge smile on my face, but I held my arm out and stopped him saying, "Get thee hence, Satan." But I took a deep breath, and headed up to the chosen seat.
Usually, I feel a great responsibility to set a spiritual example as the witness couple, but with the conversation we'd had in the car, all I could think about was Mousey Man, and Admiral Ackbar.
That's right--Admiral Ackbar of Star Wars fame. I knew I was going to mess up Elder Zarbock's name more than once, so I asked him if I could call him "Elder Z". He told me that was fine, and it wasn't the funniest nickname he'd been given. In one of his past areas, one of his investigators had told him that when he heard Elder Zarbock's last name, all he could think about was Admiral Ackbar.
John then took this further and made a huge joke about the fact that it hopefully wasn't based on how Elder Zarbock looked. You know, he could have been Elder Han Solo, or Elder Luke Skywalker, or even Elder Darth Vader, but instead Admiral Ackbar was chosen. And Elder Zarbock didn't miss a beat, describing Admiral Ackbar to a tee, hoping that it wasn't based on his looks.So there I am, sitting as part of the witness couple, and all I can think about was this most hilarious conversation with the elders. Every time I could feel the laughter coming out, I would just look down and try and compose myself again. I'm hoping that my great-great aunt, Elizabeth Clarke, has a sense of humor as well.
Afterwards, we headed across the parking lot because one of Elder Thomas' former companions wanted to record Elder Thomas playing The Spirit of God on the fabulous pipe organ in the Bloomfield Hills stake building one last time (I think it has something to do with Kirtland, Ohio, or something). I was amazed to find out that Elder Thomas can only play church music--I'm not sure what his piano teachers were thinking, considering he has some serious piano-playing skills--but golly, he sure can play the organ. In other words, he's an organist (and not just somebody who plays the organ like me...) :-)
Elder Z had chosen Vinsetta Garage for lunch, although I don't think he was particularly impressed with the ambiance, but Elder Thomas remembered that Mark had had his wedding luncheon there and noticed the "reserved room" :-)
Ugh, it was difficult to drive them back to their apartment, knowing that we won't see Elder Thomas until after his mission, but thankfully it's not too far away (end of August). Meanwhile, they've got another piece of Michigan waiting for them in their apartment--a good ol' mulberry pie <3
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| And M is for My Missionary Girl whom I miss and who Motivated Me to get out and pick some Mulberries in her honor <3 |
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