Global Festing it Up

We had such a wonderful day today! We all three slept in a little bit, not getting up until 8:00 this morning--what a treat!--and the first thing we did was go to the Farmers Market for breakfast. We got some blueberry scones and Anja enjoyed eating the soft middle. We also got a loaf of bread from the Klein Brot Haus. No veggies though... Martin starts traveling this week so I'm not doing a lot of meal planning. Who wants to cook for just one person? It'll be back to Yummy Chicken and Minute Rice every night, just like in my single girl days. Anyway, I don't know what we did with our morning... played with Anja, I guess... and then she took a nap right at 11:00 and it was a good, solid nap. That was lucky because we had a busy afternoon ahead of us! As soon as she woke up I called my neighbor Tara and she and her oldest daughter Zoe (age 7,) and Anja and I walked down to McCord's and we bought a bunch of chocolates. Yum, yum, yum. The funny part of that is that it was a surprise for Martin while he was working out, so I told him Anja and I were leaving, I put her in her umbroller and left, and didn't call Tara until I was outside. She took a minute to be ready, so I walked up and down the sidewalk while I waited for her, and on my way by our house once, Martin came to the door (it'd been about 10 minutes since I'd left) and he was like, "What are you doing?" I must've looked kind of like a crazy person, telling him I was going out for a treat and then just walking up and down the sidewalk outside our house.

Well, anyway. I came home, we ate half the chocolates, and then we loaded Anja into her stroller and headed over the bridge to GLOBAL-FEST!!! I have no idea why I'm so in love with this festival. I think it's because I sold things at a booth one year for this person I didn't know, and I had a really fun time, and it was just before I started working at Latitude Zero and Chris Foster was in the next room and it was a really fun day. Anyway, I think it's a super fun festival, but this year has been my favorite so far. Mostly because of Anja.

We met up with Martin's family there--even AnnLaura and Aurelio came! We ate yummy food and listened to this really fun steel drum band, saw a bunch of people we know, etc., met up with the Aikens, then went in to the booths. First stop: The INTERNATIONAL PETTING ZOO!!!! They had lots of critters in tanks, and a pen of two really funny armadillos, but the best thing by far was the mostadorableintheworld SLOTH!!!!!!!!! HE WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! Anja was totally in love with him, too. I can't even describe how cute he was, and I should've taken a picture of Anja with him, but I didn't even think of it!! How lucky for Anja to have seen (AND PET!!) a sloth at only 10 months of age! I think this was my first close-up encounter with one, ever. Sloths are not soft, their fur is very straw-like. But he had the sweetest face of any animal I've ever seen.

Then Anja and I went through the international marketplace and looked at all the stuff that we used to sell at Latitude Zero. It's too bad they moved away. That was a really cool store and I would still shop there all the time if it were still around. I miss it a lot. Anyway, the thing that lured me in was, of all places, the Ecuadorian booth where I had an interesting conversation with the lady running it about ear infections in children. ....and then bought two hats!! They were just so adorable. They are wool hats with earflaps, and I'll definitely post pictures sooner or later, but Anja's is brown with a colorful middle stripe and three points on top with pom-poms hanging off of them, and a tie under her chin. Mine is... brown, I think... but different colors. Mine's a little big and I hope I don't look completely dopey in it, but Martin assured me before I bought it that I didn't, so I guess I have to trust him. Anyway, mine doesn't have three points, it just has a colorful braid coming out the top. VERY CUTE!! Anja looks absolutely adorable in hers. They are wool, but fleece-lined. VERY cozy for winter. I can't wait for snow now!!

We wandered around upstairs for awhile too, and I got lured in by the sale going on in the pottery room. I don't know who was selling, if it was students or teachers, or what, but everything was super cheap. I got myself an adorable little soap dish for $3, and because I felt bad for going on such a spending spree, I bought Martin a handsome mug, also for only $3.

The Ecuadorian booth is my very favorite. They also have these childrens sweaters that are absolutely adorable. When Anja is bigger I might get one for her... but I they are better suited for little girls who aren't growing as fast as 1-year olds. Also, the baby-sized ones are kind of ugly.

After GlobalFest (which takes place at the Morton Community Center, which is down the block from Vienna, our favorite coffee shop) we all went to Vienna (and took up half the room with our strollers and family members) and enjoyed drinks and chatter. Mrs. Schap (Anja's grandmama) brought little rubber animals for the kiddies... a daddy and baby cow for Aurelio, and a wonderful pig for Anja!! She LOVES pigs! But the best part was that by the time we got to Vienna she was getting near meltdown mode. I thought we'd have to leave before getting drinks, but as soon as Mrs. Schap gave her that pig, she was happy as a clam, for the rest of time... which was at least an hour, but I think it was a lot longer than that. She loved it!! I also got to run over to Von's with my sister-in-laws, and that's always a fun place to go. Anja clutched her pig the whole time.

Then we walked home and eventually Anja went to bed, but not without a pit-stop at Ooma and Oompa's house. She was wide awake at 7:30, so I thought she needed to exert some energy while Martin was out to coffee with our friend Matt. It did the trick! She fell asleep on the way home and is still sleeping.

And now I'd like to be asleep. We had such a fun day! I LOVE Saturdays that turn out like this. Also in the morning we thought the family might come over, so we cleaned up the house and that always feels good.