My Family Visit- Part One

I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this post. However, the kids are asleep and I can not so...
We had family come up this weekend to visit us. My brother and his wife and my cousin and his wife (who has also been my best friend since the first grade). It was a great weekend and we crammed a lot in!
They arrived on Saturday and after taking them the tour of our home we took off to show them my favorite market. This trendy market is part open air and part indoors. I discovered this market about 7 years ago and used to go at least a couple of times a week. So much that the vendors started calling me by name and saving me "the good stuff" when they knew I was coming! There isn't too much you can't find here and the atmosphere is so fun it was a place I really wanted to take my family. They really enjoyed it! There are two huge halls of produce. The halls are covered with a ceiling but the rest is open. It's fun because you can go up and down the isles and barter with people for the best deal- especially close to closing time.


For the most part all of the vendors are super friendly and you can pick pieces to sample before buying.......

Even if you pay what they are asking you still get a much better bargain- and fresher products than buying from the grocery store.

The inside part of the market is located in a historic building in this beautiful downtown area.

Aww....... isn't that a cute site??

The ceilings in this building are incredible.

Rows and rows of anything you can think of and even things you wouldn't think of. There is even a fish department where the guys do the song and fish toss. It is very cool to watch but, unfortunately, we didn't make it in there. Which is fine because I don't really like the smell!

This was the first time my husband had ever been here too. I'm not sure who was more fascinated- the kids or the adults!

The meat selection is beautiful but- seriously, that poor piggy!

And the cheese............... the glorious cheese............ my biggest addiction. The selection is almost too overwhelming. I have a hard time not jumping up and down when I see this beautiful site! Smoked Gouda please!!!

One of the best booths in the entire market (for me anyway) is the spice and sauce booth. They have every spice imaginable and at very good prices! I bought some Cilantro, some Chervil and........... my bargain of the day............. the spice that I have pawned over and dreamt of adding to my collection................ the "gold" of all spices.............. the world's most precious spice................. (DRUM ROLL PLEASE).........

Pure Spanish Saffron! Oh I wanted to sing!!!!!!! And I did! I did my happy jig singing "It's my birthday, uh huh!" I picked up 3 grams of the saffron for $30!!!!! I was so thrilled with my purchase and guarded this stuff with my life all the way back to the car. Silly? Perhaps. But if you know anything about Saffron- this was truly a bargain! I was a happy girl. And if it weren't for my husband asking the lady if she had some hidden behind the counter I would have never thought of it. Bless his heart!

After we left the market we hit a cute little deli that served deli sandwiches and Mediterranean foods. After filling up on Reuben's and Humus we headed home.

We hung out for awhile and just chatted and had a big storm hit. We love storms and my family was overjoyed with the nickle size hail that was falling from the sky. Apparently it doesn't take much to thrill us!

As it got late the four of them took off to a horse race that my brother's boss had horses in. His boss had given us loge seating and unfortunately we were unable to go due to a last minute babysitter cancellation. But it was okay as we were beat!

Not ten minutes after they left Kyle started yelling "A rainbow! A rainbow! Come look!" I ran to the door of our balcony and there in the sky was the most beautiful site! Not one but two rainbows!!!!!!!!! A double! And you could see the full arch of both of them stretching across the grey blue sky!!!!!! What a gorgeous and rare treat! We stood out on the balcony and stared at the rainbow until it disappeared into the darkening sky. Of course I snapped over a hundred pictures in the meantime!

The kids were fascinated. Kyle said "Mommy- what a special treat this is!" Even at his young age he realizes the beauty a rainbow beholds....................



While my husband bathed the kids I ran to the store and picked up 2 bottles of champagne. I took the champagne and some cards to the hotel and had the desk clerk help me chill them in beautiful silver ice buckets and place them in the rooms where my family was staying. My brother and his wife just celebrated a wedding anniversary at the end of May and my cousin and his wife will be celebrating their one year anniversary next week. I wanted to surprise them when they got back from the races. The desk clerk was more than happy to assist!

We received a call around midnight that they were safe in their hotel rooms and tickled with the surprise!!

Day two of the visit is in the next post. So as they say:

TO BE CONTINUED......................... (suspenseful, isn't it?) he he he