Happy Birthday, Josh!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today, Josh turns the big 40! But forty is just a number with significance assigned by the individual. Youth is a state of mind, and Josh is 40 years YOUNG today. So there will be no black balloons, no over the hill jokes, none of that for this young dad. Instead, he is going to receive the gift of adventure to help celebrate the spirit of youthful zeal, energy and strength. In October, Josh will join the guys and Go Ape! for the day!

Happy Birthday, my love!

Henry Traditions

We were very excited to have Josh return home after two weeks in Ohio on business. It's amazing how much a baby changes in just two weeks. Nathan will be 3 months old this coming week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

With much sadness we have just said goodbye to Grandma Ann after three months of loving care she gave us all! I'm sure Anna and Shawna are happy to get her back on the West Coast; it might be a few weeks before Grandma is rested enough to babysit again. Sorry if we wore out Grandma! Papa Dan is still visiting for a few more weeks; we are glad we didn't lose both of them at the same time. Kate is already asking when she can go to Grandma's house.

Grandma Ann always brings with her special gifts. Kate has been given many books and creative activities this summer. One item that Grandma brought Nathan, was an outfit that Josh wore when he was a baby. It was in excellent condition considering it was nearly 40 years old (sorry Josh to spill the beans). So on Grandma's last day we dressed Nathan up in the same blue outfit and took some pictures with Daddy. We also took the chance to get a three generation picture of the Henry men.

Nathan at 12 weeks holding the picture of Josh about 9 months in the same outfit.

Today's Adventure with Daddy

Today, Josh's schedule suddenly cleared up unexpectedly. So he decided to spend some time with Kate and me. Josh took us to the Air Park Cafe for lunch so Kate could watch the planes. She saw some planes take off and land. And she even got to see a helicopter land as well. Although, Kate really wanted to go to the big airport where Papa recently went to get on a plane, she was tickled to go to this smaller airport nonetheless. However, I fear she's not going to give up asking to go the airport until she gets to climb on board the plane and fly herself.

A Little Sunday Service

Today, Josh went with a group of folks from our church to host a small worship service at a local nursing home. I love to see Josh playing his violin. Somewhere over the years it seems that Josh has put down his violin in order to repair other people's instruments. Every now and again he'll pick up the fiddle or mandolin in the evenings and our house fills with beautiful tunes. He's played a few times for the offertory at church, and today he went to the nursing home for the first time. It's good to see him play again. It's even better to see him serve others when he plays. I hope God will provide more opportunities for Josh to use his gifts to bless the church.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Today is my husband's 38th birthday! Whew...he's' getting old! (Just kidding, babe.) I'll let him post and tell you how he spent his special day, but feel free to leave a birthday wish in the comments for Josh to read!

Hurricane Hannah Spoils the Birthday Bash!

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've written a post. Sorry for letting the time slip by. Things have been so busy these past few weeks. We went from Kate's birthday to my birthday to the start of school and doctor's appointments...and lots of little things that just eat away the time.

But let me start by saying that Kate got some allergy testing done on Friday b/c of her eczema and diaper rashes. I am happy to say that she tested NEGATIVE to the five major food allergens and to rice. I am thrilled that we can move ahead with milk and dairy now. We may have to investigate some other allergens down the road if her skin doesn't clear up...but for now, we're hoping she'll outgrow it.

Okay...so Hurricane Hannah blew through our area and spoiled my wonderful birthday plans. I guess the story really begins a week ago. Josh announced that my birthday week would begin on Thursday (8/29). At 5 p.m. Josh gave me a pile of numbered envelopes that began our journey. We went out to a wonderful dinner in Bethesda, and walked around the city with Kate to work off our meal. We had a nice little drive that brought me back home where Josh surprisingly got out and proceeded to take Kate out of the car too. He told me to get back in the car and keep reading the clues. The rest of the clues brought me to BWI airport where my wonderful friend, Holly was waiting for me. She flew in from San Diego to surprise me! I was so happy to see her that I cried. It had been almost a year since her last visit, and I was particularly excited about seeing her pregnant belly and showing off Kate to her!

So the entire long weekend was spent doing girlie things and catching up on too much lost time. Going to our favorite restaurants and doing a lot of errands and typical stuff. But when you have a good friend in the passenger seat, you can do anything and have fun. Thanks for coming, Holly!

On my actual birthday (9/1), Josh surprised me with an incredible weekend getaway (scheduled for this weekend). He bought me tickets to go see Les Miserable, my favorite Broadway musical. It has been playing at Wolf Trap (a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater in Virginia) and I had been wanting to go see it. He also reserved a hotel room so we could have a weekend without the baby. His real gift to me was a full night's sleep!

BUT Hurricane Hannah blew through here and was just strong enough to rain on my parade! Forecasters were predicting 2 to 3 inches of rain an hour and a lot of flash flooding. We needed to make a decision about the hotel before 24 hours of Hannah's arrival in order to cancel our reservation. So, not wanting to use money on a weekend that might go bust, we cancelled. Good decision, because on top of the storm, Josh got really sick. He's coughing and sneezing and achy and cold. He's been in bed most of the day today. So even though Wolf Trap didn't cancel the performance (I guess actors and musicians don't mind performing in a deluge), I couldn't very well ask Josh to go sit under a covered amphitheater in a cold, wet, damp downpour while sick. So needless to say, we missed the show.

My parents did keep Kate overnight for us. So I am hoping to still get my full night's sleep. However, I'll be sleeping on the couch while Josh contaminates our bedroom with his sneezes.

Our weekend didn't work out as planned, but I love Josh for trying. The night out in Bethesda on Thursday, the clues around town, the surprise visit with Holly, and all his planning to make a special weekend happen means more to me than the weekend itself. Thank you, Josh for all your effort. I love you more than you realize.

Now, just get better please. We're running out of tissues.

When Life gives you lemons--make lemonade (and limoncello)

Over the past week we have probably had 10 pounds of lemons sitting around our kitchen. We've actually learned a lot about lemons this week. For example did you know:

1. The ladies of Louis XIV's court used lemons to redden their lips
2. Sailor's used lemons to fight scurvy (along with some rum)
3. Cesare Borgia sent presents of lemons and oranges to his wife while she was in France, partly to impress Louis XII with his wealth.
4. Old wives tale states that sucking on a lemon will reduce car sickness
5. Lemons can be substituted for vinegar in a light vinaigrette
6. A chopped up lemon is a great way to freshen your garbage disposal
7. Lemons are high in Vitamin C but also contain 10% of the RDA for iron, 9% of the RDA for thiamine and 8% of the RDA for vitamin B6
8. Warming lemons in a bowl of warm water or the microwave for a few seconds will release more juice
9. Lemon juice prevents fruits like apples and pears from turning brown when they are cut and exposed to oxygen
10. Lemon juice aids digestion - so keep those lemons in your ice water at dinner time
11. Lemons really should be stored in the refrigerator

This last point I wish I had known earlier. Josh bought 5 lbs. of lemons early last week for a special project he had in mind. Instead of leaving them in a bag on my kitchen table as Josh did, I decided to make a beautiful display of lemons and limes on my kitchen buffet; however, to my dismay the lemons molded very quickly. I tried to redeem the remaining lemons and limes by cooking as many citrus centered recipes as I could. On Saturday, Josh bought another 5 lbs. of lemons, and although they really were beautiful, they also molded very quickly. So tonight we had to redeem the remaining lemons and put Project Limoncello into action.

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur traditionally made in Southern Italy. Josh really enjoys a glass of limoncello, especially in the summer. He's really developed a taste for it over the last few years. I really enjoy it poured over a bowl of fresh strawberries, but it's a bit too strong for me to drink on its own. Josh thought it would be fun to make his own limoncello - thus the 10 lbs of lemons we've been housing in our kitchen. So tonight, Josh zested 18 of the remaining healthy lemons for the beginning stage of his limoncello infusion. (The entire process will take 90 days to complete!) It was quite a laborious task, but the kitchen smelled wonderful as the fresh citrus scent permeated the air. However, when we were done we were left with 18 lemons sans zest. So we decided to make fresh lemonade-- lots of fresh lemonade. I had never made homemade lemonade before; it gave me more respect for all those southern bells to whom homemade lemonade is a common kitchen item. Josh and I actually had a lot of fun working in the kitchen together.

Someday when we go back to Italy, I want to go to the Almafi Coast and to towns like Sorrento where lemons grow abundantly and limoncello is a local product. I remember staying with a family in Pasadena, California; they had a very mature lemon tree outside the guest bedroom window. It provided beautiful views of yellow fruit and deep green leaves. You could even detect whiffs of citrus in the air when the window was open. I sometimes think of that tree when I smell fresh lemons. Too bad lemon trees don't grow well in Maryland. I would love to have a few.

A Romantic Evening at the Mandarin Hotel

This arrangement is in the grand lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. It is a beautiful hotel with amazing oriental decor that is both simplistic and peaceful. The hotel boasts of a world class spa and a restaurant that just won the 2008 James Beard Award (City Zen). Josh and I weren't able to indulge in these two treats, but it was still the perfect atmosphere for my long awaited getaway.

Josh just returned from two and a half weeks of travel, which is challenging enough for any wife or mother, but we had a series of unbelievable events happen while he was gone. First, horrific thunderstorms came through the area and many people lost power (including Kate and me). So we moved to my parents house for a night. We lost phone and Internet service after another storm, the AC went out in my car, the SWAT team stormed my neighborhood after a random gunman went on a shooting spree (and we spent another night at Mom and Dad's place), a 48 in water main broke in the county and we were on a three day water boil alert, oh and Kate battled a five day fever...just to name a few of the unique challenges that occurred while Josh was gone. So upon his return my parents took Kate for an evening, and Josh and I went into the city for a little getaway.

Typically this hotel would be completely out of our price range. But thanks to Travelocity and the current economy, there are a lot of great deals in the city. I was really excited about finally being able to stay here. We arrived in the city mid-afternoon and had a few hours to rest. Josh took a nap, and I soaked in a wonderful, hot bath (one of my favorite past times). A little later we got all dressed up and ventured out to a Brazilian Churrascaria (Steakhouse). Josh and I had celebrated his last birthday there when his sister, Shawna, was in town. We loved the food, and they serve a special Brazilian drink, Caipirinha, which is by far my new favorite. (For all of those who love mojitos you'll need to research this drink...it's sweet and delicious for the summer. All you need is Brazilian Cachaca alcohol , mashed limes, sugar, and ice. Give it a try if you're looking for something new!) Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Because of the style of service it's the kind of place you can stay for hours and talk, eat, drink, rest, talk, and eat some more. We walked around the city a bit after dinner to work off the meal and ended up in the lobby of the Willard Hotel; this is where Josh and I began our honeymoon three years ago. It was nice to go back there and recall fond memories.

Sunday we slept in!!!! This was the first time in a LONG time that I have slept through the night. It was wonderful. The next day we were going to visit a museum or two but the city was packed because of a Folk Life Festival on the Mall...so we headed over to a neighboring town in Virginia where we enjoyed a nice lunch and did some shopping. In all honesty, it didn't matter what we did. It was just nice to have my husband to myself for a few hours.

Kate didn't miss us a bit. She was as happy as can be at Papa and Gigi's house. It's nice to know we can leave her without any guilt. :) Thanks Mom and Dad!! We needed the break.

Grand Ole Opry - Upclose and Personal

Josh and I just celebrated our third anniversary in Nashville, TN. Josh was there on business, and we headed there a few days early to have some vacation without the baby. Josh's parent's stayed with Kate - and although I cried as we drove away - the rest and sleep and time with my husband was wonderful!! We both needed to reconnect and rest. We had a wonderful romantic dinner one night, ordered room service, slept in, watched a movie, shopped and just relaxed. But the highlight of the trip was definetely our time at the Grand Ole Opry. Here's what happened:

We pulled into town on Monday, and were informed that a member of the family band Cherryholmes was waiting for Josh to arrive. Within two hours Josh had sold the youngest daughter, Molly Kate, a bow! Then to top it off, the father, Jere, offered us backstage passes to the Grand Ole Opry performance they were playing in the following night. Not only did we hang out in their dressing room and meet some of the other performers, but our seats were actually ON STAGE! There were four pews in the back of the set reserved for guests of the performers. We watched some of the show from the pews and some from the stage wings. It was an incredible opportunity. After the show we hung around the green room with the Cherryholmes family.

Here are some photos from the Opry:

Photo A: Josh and Kim in their seats On Stage.

Photo B: Cherryholmes in the wings before they go on stage to perform.

Photo C: The Cherryholmes family (plus back up singer) after the show.

Photo D: Josh with Molly Kate.

Photo D (Below): Josh with Jere Cherryholmes

Let Levi Ride!! (in the 2008 Tour de France)

I know this is a long post -but please stick with me.

There are some important links at the bottom!

Josh has been a cycling fan for years; he even competed for a while when he was younger. But since being married I have surprised myself with an avid interest in cycling as well. The Tour de France is a huge event in our house every July, and we even follow the smaller races as well.

Many of you may be aware of all the controversy over doping in cycling; it seems like there's not a sport around that hasn't been marred by the use of steroids. To give you a little more history, the Tour de France has been dealt some big blows over the past few years. In 2006 to the shock and amazement of race watchers some of the Tour's top riders were pulled out of the race before the start because of associations with a 'doping' doctor. In 2007 doping controls were at a new height and teams were rigorously being checked; however, one team in particular -Astana- flew under the radar. Their top contender tested positive along with some other members of the Astana team. The entire team was removed from the race the following day.

Okay... fast forward to today. One of the race's leading team managers, Johan Bruyneel (formerly of team Discovery fame), has lead men like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer to victory over the past several years. Since Discovery is no longer a team sponsor, Bruyneel decided to revamp team Astana. He "cleaned house" as teammate Levi Leipheimer stated, bringing on many new riders including Leipheimer, thrid place winner of the 2007 Tour de France, and defending 1st place champion Alberto Contador. Bruyneel also implemented some of the Tour's toughest anti-doping controls on the new Astana team. The new 2008 Astana has been completely remade - from manager to riders.


That's why it's disturbing that the ASO (the organization that owns the Tour de France and several other major races) recently announced the ban of the new 2008 Astana team from the race based solely on last year's controversy. Riders Leipheimer and Contador cannot defend their titles. Bruyneel is leading the way in anti-doping initiatives, but the ASO is banning him based on a past team's behavior of which he had nothing to do with. It is an extreme and discriminatory action by the ASO.


Petitions are being sent to the ASO on behalf of Leipheimer and Contador. Please consider signing them by visiting the links below:

Let Levi Ride and Contador al Tour

(Hit the English tab at the top of Contador's page.)

Levi even gives you directions on how to write an e-mail to the president of the ASO -

should you feel inclined.

Natalie MacMaster Live and in Person

On Wednesday evening, March 5th, Kim and I got to go see Nova Scotia fiddler, Natalie MacMaster at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda. Natalie is the fiddler that for many people has defined the traditional music of Nova Scotia. I've loved her music for more than 10 years, and on rare occasion, I've even attempted to try to play it. When I heard that she was coming to town with her band, I immediately bought tickets to see her. I made arrangements ahead of time to meet with her to show her some of my hand made bows.
Kim and I were let in to meet with her two hours before she performed, and this meeting turned out to be the highlight of the evening for me. In the back room at the Strathmore, we got to meet Natalie, Donnell Leahy (her husband), Mary Frances (their 2-year old daughter), Nat Smith (amazing 14-year old cellist), several of the band members, and a number of her support staff. When we walked in to show her my bows, I was thinking that it would be a fairly quick visit (because she was taking the stage in less than 2 hours), but she was so generous with her time. She played three of my bows, and then handed her fiddle to her husband, Donnell, and he played through the bows. They both preferred the same bow, although for slightly different reasons.

It was very touching to see Natalie with her daughter. At one point, she picked up Mary Frances and was holding her in her lap. For Kim and I, it just made the whole experience very real to see one of my favorite players with a bit of baby spit-up on her sweater. These days, Kim and I often have a little evidence of our 6 month old on our clothes. Just before the concert started, Donnell walked through the performance hall with Mary Frances in his arms heading for a seat. At intermission, I saw him heading up the aisle with her totally asleep on his shoulder. These are things that make these performers very real to me, and I will remember them whenever I listen to Natalie's music.

I'm not sure if Natalie played my bow in the concert (our seats weren't close enough to the stage), but she played with her usual flair and gusto. Between the sets of tunes, Natalie addressed the house with commentary, jokes, and even dedicated her performance that evening of Josephene's Waltz to Kim and I.

Here is a YouTube video clip of Natalie MacMaster at a performance in Boston. Well worth the 8 minutes it takes to watch it!


Check out Natalie's website: http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/index.htm to read more about her and to purchase her CDs.

I Married a Spaceman

Photo credit: Travis Earles

Okay, truth be told - how many of you stayed up last night to see the lunar eclipse? We did. Josh wouldn't miss it.

From about 10:30 until 11:00 Josh, Shayla, and I sat in the dark kitchen straining our necks to peer out our back door. (We decided to let Kate sleep through this one, but she'll join us in 2010 for the next one.) Up in the clear night sky right above our townhouse perfectly positioned between the tall wall of pine trees and the rooftops' of neighbors was the orange glow of the lunar eclipse. I had seen one years ago, but experiencing astronomical events with Josh is like being a kid again. He gets so excited and it's as if I am seeing the world from a fresh perspective. Watching the brightness of the moon collect in smaller and smaller segments until the entire view was an orange hue reminded me of the magnitude of our Creator and just how small I am in the universe. The planets really do move and orbit just like we learned in science class; unfortunately we forget that sometimes in the business of life orbiting around ourselves. It's good to stop and be reminded.

As Josh and I sat in the dark laughing at our enthusiasm at the moon we remembered a time about 6 1/2 months ago when I was not so excited to participate in one of Josh's adventures. I was 9 months pregnant when the Perseid Meteor Shower was due to unveil its glory. This particular meteor shower was suppose to be the brightest and best in 30 years. All predictions pointed to midnight as the peak time frame to view this display of nature when up to 60 to 80 meteors per hour should have flown through the sky. So, it's early August - hot and humid as D.C. summers usually are. Josh, Shayla, and I are sitting on the ground in a dark parking lot somewhere far enough away from the city lights as to not obscure the view. We wait. And wait. And wait. I ask Josh, "Wasn't there suppose to be one visible per minute?" "Yes," he says, "But it's cloudy tonight". We wait. And wait. And wait until my pregnant body couldn't stand the humidity and the concrete any longer and insisted on going back to bed (that is once Josh helped me to my feet). It was about 1:30 a.m. when we got home. I think we each saw one meteor the entire time - or at least I told myself the flash in the sky was meteor so I'd feel better about the evening. The adventure sounded like a good idea when Josh mentioned it earlier that evening. We can laugh now, but I'm so glad I didn't go into labor in the middle of the parking lot that night.

Josh's mom tells many stories about this childlike wonder my husband frequently exhibits. Whether its his fascination with turtles, or the excitement over meteors, or his boyish grin when he gets a brilliant idea - his mom and I agree that this trait must stay with him forever. Yet interestingly, as we sat in the darkness watching the lunar eclipse in our kitchen, we knew that his mom was doing the same thing 3500 miles away. After all, she passed on her wonder and excitement to Josh. And Josh is itching for Kate to join us on the next adventure.