We haven't been going out to eat on Friday or Sunday nights and have putting the saved $$ away in an envelope for our family vacation in July {yay...more on that sometime}.
But tonight, my parents were the chaperones for a couple from the college. So my brother and I went out to have a little fun.
First of all, we went to a pizza place in Valpo. The son of the owner of the place we went tonight had a restaurant in our town but it closed a few months ago...bummer - it was our favorite pizza place! The pizza was as delicious as always. I love the town south of us. Love. it. !! The restaurant was downtown and the ceiling had old-fashioned tiles; it had great ambience! Plus there were a lot of people streaming in and out...proof that there's good pizza there!
Then, we went to visit my Granny. We watched a little bit of the Olympics and the Andy Griffith show. My Granny continues to amaze. She is almost always in bed at a very early hour and she was tonight. But she laid in bed talking to us. She couldn't see the tv but she kept making comments about the Andy Griffith show. It was hilarious. {Remember, she has dementia.} So I would ask her, "Granny do you remember the Andy Griffith show?" "I can't say that I can," but her commentary was dead-on. Hilario!
Then, we went to a coffee/tea/soda shop in a new apartment complex on an upgraded, busy street. I am not into hot tea. But I had a cup recently when my Mom and I went for her dr.'s appt in Chicago. I decided to try a cup. I can't say that I would take it over coffee in the morning but it is definitely better than coffee at night. Plus, I'm not a big hot chocolate fan. I ordered a variation of mint tea. {And I'm still sipping it!!}
Downtown Valpo is incredible! There are several coffee shops and some very interesting restaurants. After we get back from vacation and our hiatus of going out to eat is over, maybe we'll try a few of those restaurants.
Then, to end the evening, Geoff filled up the truck with gas. As he was doing that, I watched a kid ride into the gas station on an old, tandem bicycle. Very weird, especially in our town. It struck me as very odd. Plus, it is only 18 degrees outside. Which got a conversation going on the way home. I think this kid {of course, I couldn't tell how old he was} was coming from the Mexican restaurant across the street. It reminded me of when I visited my friend in Mexico several years ago. Of course on every street corner, there were beggars. It was incredibly heartbreaking. We would give out pesos here and there but we couldn't give them out to everybody. I remember this one guy in particular. He was at a very busy intersection by a very nice mall. I remember just looking at him and of course he saw us...two American, "rich" girls in a "nice" car. We didn't give him any money and I know Andrea gave him a tract because she is very diligent about that. We're not rich by American standards and her car was average by American standards. But there, in that moment in Mexico, I realized how rich we really are.
It was such an odd sight to see that person on an old, tandem bicycle in our town tonight. Our "rich" town. How truly blessed we are! How blessed I am!!
1 comment:
Valparaiso is a beautiful little rich town! I drive through it twice a week for nursing hom (I'm at Valpo Care). During the autumn, Amy and my sister and I went out to a concert and then we drove to some parks and took pictures. It was LOVELY! All to say. There is a cute little corner store called Pat's Icrecream Shop on the way from nursing home to Walmart and every week, I think to myself it would be lovely to go there someday. That's my plan for the spring. Get an icecream from Pat's, and then stroll down Lincoln Way. It's so quaint!
When my family and I were on furlough, we stayed in Culpeper, VA - one of America's top 10 Beautiful Small Towns. Valpo reminds me a lot of that place! =)
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