Howdy hombres! Today is Saturday, Sept. 10 and it has been wonderful! Let me start with Friday.

After work, Hannah, Katie, Curtis, Whitney, and I went to the orchestra/symphony at the Kennedy Center. It was glorious! We arrived a little late because, hey stuff happens :O), so we missed the first set. No fret though, because we were ushered in right after they finished and we were able to enjoy the last two... and enjoy I did.

Normally music is a delight for the ears correct? Music is played for the ears, it is heard. However, this performance was also meant for the eyes. The strings danced. The horns glistened. Beautiful gowns were worn.

Have you ever watched a bumble bee collect honey from a flower. It extends its proboscis (thank you ENTO202) in a lighting fast manner. It lands, locates the nectar and inserts its thread-thin mouth part to get the good stuff. The string players movements were reminiscent of the bee's "mmm, me hungry, want nectar" dance. A smooth in and out, all choreographed with only milliseconds of downtime. They were beautiful.

The conductor wasn't left out of the dance either, ha, because he was directing it! Although lacking the smoothness provided by the movement of the strings, the conductor danced like a b-boppin' baby. Have you ever seen a baby dance? They bounce and wave about with no outward rhythm, but dance to the one given internally. A flick of the wrist (seriously, a simple flick of the wrist) brought to life music that had a life of its own. The musicians weren't playing their instruments. It was more like the instruments were playing them. Movement was allowed and welcome on the stage. They were free to feel the music and it was great.

I'm reading a book titled "Captivating," by the Eldridges and it talks about how the Lord woos us. Yes, yes I know. Using the word woo sounds really really weird when pairing in with our Savior, but it all makes sense. I'm going to try to explain it, but I'm not known to be the most clear of when it comes to communication. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" - Quick name that movie :O)

We were made for beauty. The Garden of Eden was a breathtaking beautiful place. That was our intended home on earth, but we screwed that one up. Have you ever wondered what it was about beauty that filled you up? Why beauty can lay a blanket over your stressed frazzled heart? I think it's because we were made for beauty! My mom swears that when she was sick with the flu and her gallbladder, sitting out at the farm is what made her well. Science proves that in retirement homes, providing any type of nature makes people have a better appetite and more social. The claim to fame of urban gardens is that by planting beautiful things, it weeds out the bad stuff. Gangs relocate because people are outside enjoying the beauty. There is less crime because people, once again, see the light of day.

The book says that beauty is the essence of God. Look at what he created? Yowza! And, get this, it was made for us! We, made on the sixth day, folks! The book describes how the Lord sends us love notes through beauty. Little pokes to remind us that He loves us. Little reminders that He isn't stale, but alive!

Anyway, I got a love note yesterday through the symphony. Signed.... Love, God.



Then to today, Hannah and I slept late and woke up around 9. She said, "hey, how do you feel about some pancakes." Quick quick, who knows the answer? See, look how smart you are! Off to the pancakes we went! We caught a cab and headed to the D.C. farmers' market. I started a blog especially for pictures, so you can go see a little of the place here, along with some other odds and ends.

When I say farmers' market, I mean farmers' market! There were tons of stands filled with fresh fruit, vegetables (my favorite was the different types of lettuce), flowers and meat. On down they started on the flea market, jewelry, paintings, purses stuff. I got a heavenly smelling bouquet of basil and a gorgeous flower bouquet. But that was after breakfast :O).

Inside, with the meat counter and pasta salad type dishes, was a open air cafe. From the outside, you'd say, mmm (read in a questioning tone, not a yum yum tone), it's like I'm eating at a livestock sale restaurant. There is just an open air kitchen, a long table with stools and a cash register manned by a fella that yells out the orders. The only thing that said, "yes, let's stay and eat" is the mondo line out the door :O). We were told about it's deliciousness by our intern coordinator, Cady.

There was a sign on a white board that read, "No saving seats. No reading the newspaper when it's busy. Seats for customers only. If you do, there's a $100 fine. We don't sell ice." Hehehe.

I got my bluebuck pancakes with pecans and maple syrup, paired with a cup of coffee, and took my seat... only to leave it seconds later as I floated 6 inches in the direction of up. OH MY GOODNESS! It was the best pancake I had ever had in my life! Wow wee. Man! I sat in silence for a little bit, and slowly finished my meal. I realize now that I'm sitting here at 3:00, that it was also my lunch. The serving sizes were quite large.

After that we walked around a bit and enjoyed the ambiance. Hannah and I both got a beautiful bouquet of flowers.... oh just beautiful. We taste tested the different fruits on display. She got some fresh strawberries and I got some basil (oh, okay, I'll admit it, I got some earrings too :O) ). I took a few pictures and then we went home. I will say, pancakes and a trip to the farmers' market is not a bad way to spend a lazy Saturday. In fact, I think I just might do it again :O).