Saturday morning, after a feast of a breakfast made by my lovely mother-in-law, we all hopped into my in-laws' SUV and made the drive out to the Luray Caverns.
Yes, that was breakfast.
It was a lot of walking but well worth it. Magnificent, awe-inspiring nature.
Fried eggs, anyone?
It's a peculiar thing that when you get married, your family grows. I had a hard time conceptualizing it when I was engaged about to be married and even had a hard time understanding it fully even after I got married.
Three years in, I'm still learning but it's a pretty cool thing - more people to love and to be loved by.
This past weekend, my parents, my brother, the husband and I packed our Honda Accord and headed down to Northern Virginia for the weekend to get together with my in-laws.
The car ride down was full of traffic but nothing some Backstreet Boys Millenium couldn't cure.
On the way down, we stopped by Maryland for some crabs.
Preparing for warfare
Oysters on a halfshell.
My three favorite guys
Boys will be boys - what they do while waiting for crabs
Mamabear and I
Red looks good on you.
It's on!
Onion rings at sunset
This past week was filled with precious time with precious people: brunch with one of my FG girls, weekend with best girlfriend from college, reunited with my parents. I couldn't have thought up a better way to spend my first week off from work.
The other day, I even got to meet up with my best friend from middle school and we met up in our hometown. I hadn't been back in years and as I made the all-too-familiar drive approaching my hometown, I was unexpectedly flooded with memories. Some precious, some difficult. That's the funny thing about memories. They hit you at the most unexpected times.
Mean girls. Broken hearts. Immigrant life. Reunions and goodbyes. Regrets.
As a counselor, I have learned all too well the need to "seek healing". I often work to help others seek and find healing but little did I know it would hit me so suddenly that I myself need it as well. But there's beauty in the broken. And time, reflection, family, friends will do my soul good.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
The picture does not do justice but this crispy, wonderful goodness is a chicken quesadilla from one of our favorite spots in Boston: Anna's Taqueria.
Was introduced to herbal jelly milk tea last weekend in Boston
Delicious almond french toast at Patisserie Florentine, my new favorite brunch place
The world's cutest little madeleine served with my coffee also at Patisserie Florentine
Berries galore at local farmers market
This past weekend, Y and I drove down to Virginia to spend the weekend with his family. It was a weekend full of some of my most favorite things: family, food, flea market.
On Saturday morning, Y and I went on a walk with my in-laws and their dog, Coco. The weather was perfect: the sun warm but the breeze refreshing. We discovered a few turtles sunbathing (can't blame them).
i spy two little sunbathing turtles
And then we came across this.
i spy a rainbow
How magical. It was one of those moments I will cherish forever. Rainbow: a symbol of God's mercy and promises. It may just have been exactly the type of reminder I needed.
Another highlight of this trip was getting to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope"
MLK has always been my favorite historical figure. Being in Washington DC, our nation's capital and being able to visit the MLK memorial was the best way to spend MDW.
And with that, I leave you with one of my favorite MLK quotes:
