Finally home. Today took me through the wringer. Sleep eluded me last night, then I faced a busy day today. This morning consisted of the usual class leading and worship service. After church, my mom & I headed to my friend’s recipe bridal shower for the afternoon. I loved the decorations, the food, and the cucumber water.

The shower was surprisingly very nice and I loved spending time with my friend. If you’ve been reading my blog the past couple months you likely remember that there has been some strain between the two of us. Today felt much more natural and like the old days. I loved it! I’m really trying to take the positive view – that she is tired and stressed from wedding planning – and that things will get better after the wedding. I will just have to be open to whatever path this friendship takes. I have so many other wonderful relationships in my life that I don’t depend on it, but having an old friend in your life always feels special. And it would hurt to lose her.

This coming weekend, my turn to throw a shower arrives. I am hosting the lingerie shower that coincides with her bachelorette party. I will only be serving appetizers and desserts since it is a later shower (8 pm) and need items that are 1) easy to prepare with my busy schedule and 2) transportable since the shower is at a condo over an hour away from me. I have a few ideas I already plan on doing, but need one more dessert and one more appetizer/dip idea. And that’s where you come in…

• Share a link to a favorite app/dessert recipe! I know you all have great ideas up those sleeves.
• What was the best part of your weekend? Mine was lunch with Em and also not hating today like I thought I would.
• Check out these ladies – Susan – The Great Balancing Act, Jolene – To Be Determined, Ela – Ulterior Harmony and Lauren – Life Is Better Than Fiction. Thanks so much for your support!!!!

This weekend proved itself successful already. Project “get dessert” last night went off without a hitch. I then followed it with project “have fun” today. Church potlucks and lunches with great friends always seem to bear the sign Satisfaction Guaranteed. I needed a little satisfaction after a busy week and tiring day.

Last night, we had a potluck dinner sponsored by the members of the Walk to Emmaus community in our church. Walk to Emmaus is a three day retreat meant to bring attendees closer in their relationships with God. Peter & I plan on going in November as it is highly recommended for church leaders and sounds like an experience worth having.

We began the night with a prayer and then food. Good food. I got a plate full of veggies with a small BBQ sandwich. Carrots, grape tomatoes, a bean/bell pepper/jalapeno/cilantro relish, veggie casserole, and salad dominated my dish.

I opted for mostly veggies to save room for the desserts. Not only did they have sweets, but they had THE sweet I crave.

Lemon pie. I ate mostly the filling and nibbled a small brownie and apple crumb bar. I think the sugar even gave me extra energy for the praise songs.

We also spent much of the night talking to friends and enjoying the sense of community in our church. I love these people!!

I also love Em! Today, after a Power workout at the gym, I met up with Em for lunch. We went to a new to us restaurant called The Tin Drum. They have various curries, noodle bowls, spring rolls, soups, and more. We had such a hard time deciding so we figured sharing a few top contenders would work best.

We got Thai Basil rolls with tamarind sauce..

…a veggie tempura plate with spicy thai chili sauce…

…and a masala curry dish that had chicken, cashews, carrots, potatoes, rice, and curry.

A perfect lunch. Neither of us could believe how good it was! And amidst our almost three hours of chatting we declared so numerous times. I always have the best time with Em and our lunch certainly satisfied my craving for a nice, relaxing, pleasant time today. We can talk for hours and hours. It seems like we’ve known each other forever and not just met through the blogging world a few short months ago. I just realized I don’t have a picture of the two of us from today. Next time we need to remember! Especially since we both have the baby bump going on. 😉

• What’s your favorite type of cuisine? Mine would be Mexican followed by any Asian/Thai.
• Do you like potlucks?
• Special thanks to Penny Lane – New Adventure into Eating & Life for putting up the button on her site!