Slow Life with Real Food

Well, maybe a few of you folks are wondering what happened to the dashing duo, Guillermo and Amber. Did they arrive in Austin safely?  Have they made it back to California? Were they happy with their trip? Did they learn anything new from it? Has anything spectacular happened since then? The answers are...

yes, yes, yes, yes, and YES! We hightailed it on the motorcycle from Magdalena, New Mexico to Austin, Texas (with a stop in silly ol' Roswell, of course) all in one day, traveling a total of 900 miles in about 15 hours. After spending a day of resting our numb butts back to life, we hit the streets of Austin. Guillermo got a quick taste of my life back home (spending time with my family and grandma, going salsa dancing, eating good southern food, swimming in Barton Springs, boating with my dad, etc). Unknowingly, we also conceived a child. You got it! Right now I am 30 weeks pregnant! So, we have a little one on the way, due June 15, on Father's Day. Hooray!

The trip back to California was pretty uneventful. We spent most of it in the U-Haul (the motorcycle in the back, my car attached), with me driving Guillermo nuts by channel surfing on the radio the whole time (hey, there wasn't anything good on, so I had to keep searching!). There was a short stop in Tucson, visiting with my Aunt Linda and my Uncle Scott, and then we drove straight on to home, where our little doggie, Boris, happily awaited us. The next morning was spent drinking lots of coffee, taking a walk on the beach, and unpacking the U-Haul. Then came... what stays, what goes. 'My eggbeater is better than yours! My meat grinder is prettier!' You get the picture...

Were we happy with the trip? Exceptionally! Look at what came of it, a whole new little life! Did we learn anything new? Well, for my part, I learned what Guillermo already knew. I learned where my food comes from, and how important it is to support these good people. For as long as I can remember, I have always preferred local to any chain. In Austin, I shop at the local grocery store, I go to local restaurants, I buy from local bookstores, record stores, pet shops, etc. I've understood that what I can do as an individual can make a difference in this world. I try not to waste water, I try to reuse what I can. I thought that I did my part. But, lo and behold, I never bought a thing straight from a farmer. I had never met a person that personally grew the good food that I ate. Now, I am making a point to shop at the farmer's markets, to buy locally grown produce at the grocery store, and to buy from Localharvest. I give the good people in my life the eggs from our chickens and the honey from our bees, so I can feed and nourish my loved ones with the best I have to offer. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this movement, and to be married (that's right, yet another surprise!) to a man that does so much to help others. I am, we are, truly blessed.

And, of course, the most spectacular thing to come of it wasn't my new found appreciation for local food, but it is the little miracle that I carry inside of me. It is the culmination of two people's passionate and trusting love for one another. It is the ultimate expression of joy and happiness. And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, and again in the next life, too.