Tag Archives: pregnant

Day 316: An Amazing Gift

16 Feb


Chocolate Cream Pie

A few weeks ago one of my fellow Rotarians approached me and told me that he wanted to recommend someone for one of my pies.  When I asked who it was he wanted me to bring a pie to he said it was the gal who worked as a barista at his favorite Starbucks.  Then I asked, “Why does she deserve a pie?” and he answered because she is expecting a baby.  And the best part? She is a surrogate mom… the baby that she is carrying will go home to live with someone else.

Since that conversation took place, I have been fairly busy – if you can call a vacation to Mexico busy that is – but I never forgot about that barista.  I wanted to acknowledge the gift that she was giving but also wondered how to approach her.  After all, she was pregnant, and I thought she might be reluctant to take food from someone she did not know.  How would I explain this project?  What would you do?

Today I thought I would just call that Starbucks and talk to a manager and tell my story.  When I called this morning and asked to speak to a manager, the person who answered the phone said she was a supervisor and could help me.  I explained my story and asked if she thought that I could give a pie to the most generous barista on the planet.  She told me that she was that barista’s best friend, and she thought her friend would love a pie.  That is why tonight I brought a Chocolate Cream Pie to Starbucks, and though I did not meet the barista, I was assured that she would receive it.  This was my gift to her to acknowledge the tremendous gift that she has given.  The world is a wonderful place because of people like her.

The only gift is a portion of thyself.

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Day 281: Mark and Betty

12 Jan

Marionberry Cream Cheese Tart

Many years ago my husband and I worked together at Geppetto’s restaurant to help pay our way through Southern Oregon University.   Emile was an experienced line cook and I worked a variety of positions including host, prep cook and baker.  One of the people that we worked with there was Mark.  He was a line cook but he also waited tables occasionally.

One of my fondest memories from that time occurred during the period when I was pregnant with my daughter.  During my second trimester I always seemed to be hungry.  But not for just anything – I craved protein.  At school each day I ate a tuna salad sandwich and drank a quart of milk for lunch.  After school I would walk to Geppetto’s (on the days that I worked) and by the time I got there I was ravenous. When Mark was cooking on the line, he would make me a breakfast sandwich almost as soon as he saw me come in. I really appreciated that. It was amazing how much food I consumed!

Yet even though Mark helped to keep me fed, he also teased me mercilessly about my expanding belly.  Finally one day I brought in a tape measure to compare our waist sizes.  Lo and behold, when we put the tape around our waists, they measured within an inch of each other… and Mark was not expecting.  He quit teasing me after that.

I knew that surprising Mark would be difficult and so I called him to tell him that I wanted to bring him a pie.  It was then that he told me that his Mom, Betty, might be a better pie recipient because she would enjoy sharing it with her friends.  And so today I brought a Cream Cheese Tart topped with Marionberries for Betty… but once Mark saw it, he said that he just might want to taste it before she took it home.    And that my dear is a compliment…  from my good friend Mark (aka Badger).

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you’ve had.  ~Author Unknown

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Day 158: A Circle of Friends

11 Sep

When we were living in Portland about 20 years ago, we met Julie and her husband because we lived in the same apartment building as them. They had recently moved from Oklahoma. They were both funny, smart and told interesting stories and we loved spending time with them. It wasn’t long before they began to introduce us to their friends and we became a part of that circle. Randy and Deirdre, also from Oklahoma, were among that group of friends who welcomed us.

We’ve shared a lot over the last two decades. Julie was there when my husband and I went to the hospital to deliver my son. She (and my husband) spent many hours walking with me, rubbing my back and helping me make it through the night. She says I was a bit melodramatic near the end – and she is probably right. As I look back, I don’t know if I ever really thanked her for being there with us – Julie, I hope you know that I was honored to have your company.

A month or so later, Randy and Deirdre attended a wedding I agreed to cater when I was still pregnant. I guess I didn’t think things through very well because when the wedding date arrived, I had a plan for everything except what to do with my new baby during the event. Luckily, Randy and Deirdre offered to hold him and keep him for me while I prepared and served the meal. Thanks to both of them my son and I both made it through the reception okay.

Over the years, we’ve shared some challenging times as we have each had to deal with a variety of life’s crisis but we have shared wonderfully joyous times as well. One extra special moment was when Julie married Mike a few years ago. How they met is a long and fascinating story that includes a hurricane, a flood, a bunch of cats and several cross country drives. We are all thrilled that they found each other!

After not seeing each other for a long while, tonight we gathered at Randy and Deirdre’s and shared a feast. We toasted new jobs, an outstanding graduate, grants sent in and papers published, a new non profit, a grand opening, (working towards) a year of pies, and Randy, a man who can smoke olive oil and make chocolate covered bacon ice cream. AMAZING! I thank my lucky stars that we found that apartment in Portland, which lead to meeting this wonderful circle of friends.

Tags: , , , , , , ,