I am about to leave my mom’s condo in Kalamazoo, when she opens up Megagood just to check for updates and reminds me I am behind. Well, yes, but I had clearly been visiting the family all weekend and there are no magical blog elves that posted in my absence. Elves are also notoriously bad at cropping photos.
Friday night began with wine at happy hour and then running to the Metra again. Why? This is an important lesson that needs learning. The happy hour had a cast of characters that was a mix of old-world and new-world, and I think I may have missed the majority of the good time from what facebook is telling me. And there is some kind of inside joke about 4-h camp that I am totally clueless about. Anyway, duty called and laundry and packing was to be done.
Justin and I rode the Amtrak to Kalamazoo and it arrived…early? This never ever happens. Amtrak shares tracks with freight lines, and that is just an awful system, so we generally anticipate some delay. We arrived in Kalamazoo with plenty of daylight left and time to grocery shop for the Sunday birthday dinner. I planned to make the Italian Sausage(fake for vegetarians) and Tortellini soup of course.
Saturday night, we headed over to my brother’s fabulous apt, which is the finest in Kalamazoo. Guaranteed. Better/more photos would have been captured if I’d known that rushing to dinner at the restaurant Mangia Mangia was totally pointless. We were starving upon arrival and then RAVENOUS upon being seated. The wait was grossly underestimated and the hostesses narrowly avoided being eaten. Yes, I’ve been reading a lot of vampire books. Yes, it seemed like a perfectly logical solution to the hunger.
“Mangia Mangia” is excellent fun to say, and slightly less fun as a restaurant. But besides the wait, it was a pretty good meal. The bottle of Malbec was possibly the highlight, and did wonders to calm our mood and boost the blood sugar. We were also introduced to the incredible Strandbeests at dinner via the ever amazing iPhone that Jordan proudly owns. No, I don’t have one yet. I am practicing patience.
Sunday was the birthday dinner for Jordan(23), Justin(28), and Grandpa Jim(87!). My uncle, Craig(28?), also has a birthday in February, but sadly, he is a plane ride away and couldn’t make it. It is clearly the popular month for male birthdays in my family. The meal was delicious, but spicy according to certain Hoosier taste buds. Sorry about that. I tried to tone it down. However, no one took any issue with the layered raspberry Boonzaaijer Bakery cake.
After dinner Grandma and Grandpa were trained on their first cell phone. Hopefully, at 87-years-old I will also be able to embrace new technology that might make my life better. I am a little worried about this, as I cannot properly use the remote to my TV. Let me please have patient grandchildren. Or a patient 85-year-old little brother who will still be hip. It is likely.
The view of Woods Lake from my Mom's place
Jordan's baby and my niece, Lula. She has fine lynx ears.
Weird pillow at Jordan's house.
The instructions were to decorate it with "man colors." Really? Pastels? Delicious regardless.
Don't be afraid!
Fake Spring.
Did you click the Strandbeest link yet? Watch the videos.
