3 Saturdays in a row

It's fall break around here, and I have been enjoying some down time with my husband before we both go back to work on Monday! That's right, I got a job! I am now a chaplain at the college, and very excited about it because it I get to be very much a campus pastor in the role. It feels like the job really fits who I am. Getting to be in an extraverted work environment will also probably do wonders for my energy level. While there is a very small part of me that will miss the time I've had at home, I think I will truly enjoy it all the more working part time and having an excuse to get out of the house.

So to celebrate this weekend, we have been enjoying some things we like to do regularly, along with some new things. Yesterday, we had a nice day biking around town, shopping and doing a little reading. It felt like a nice, slow Saturday. Today, we went to the Lancaster Central Market, partly because I had a craving for Middle Eastern food and fresh vegetables. The people who run the place are from Jordan and Israel, and the food they make is incredible. I bought some homemade whole wheat pita bread, stuffed grape leaves (wonderfully spiced), falafel (also deliciously spiced), a vegetable pie and a spanakopita.

After that, we toured one of the downtown museums, and then took the long way home through some of the most beautiful farmland I have ever seen. I reflected on the awe I felt while looking out the car window. The fields still held on to their deep, nourished green color except for the corn fields, which contrasted with it's faint browns and pale yellows.

Tomorrow, I hope to pick some apples, visit Kevin's uncle in Maryland, and take my first tour through a Trader Joes, which is what every first year professor (aside from Kevin) seems to be missing most in this part of Pennsylvania. We hope to see what all the fuss is about (some of these folks are self-proclaimed addicts!).

That said, we have felt that every day since Thursday has felt very much like a Saturday. Whether at work or at play, we have been enjoying the slow pace of a relaxed extended weekend and more so, time in the company of one another.