Right now the weather over here is throwing me for a loop. I know that there are far more important things out there to obsess about, but I must say, I'm going a bit bonkers. Luckily, I'm not alone; my sons, hubby, and cat seem to be going a bit ga-ga, too. So, after walking around in circles the entire day yesterday wondering what to do with our crazy 'ol selves (it's summer vacation, mate), we decided to head out. The boys love a good fire, so we decided to whip up some Miracoli outdoors over H.'s treasured Coleman stove. I left the house grumpy and, honestly, not really in the mood to do anything at all, much less an adventure in the r-a-i-n. But an adventure and some fresh, albeit wet, air was better than ending up in a straight jacket. I love surprises, especially when they involve me sitting in the passenger seat, not knowing where I'm going. Hoping that my mood would improve with this little game, I sat back, closed my eyes, and triedtriedtried to turn my frown upside down. Fifteen minutes later, we got to where we were going. . .the chapel in Randersacker. I know, I know, a chapel sounds like an odd place to go with two boys who hadn't been out in days and were bursting with energy, but this is no ordinary place. This chapel is nestled in the vineyards above Randersacker, has a covered patio, benches, and a view that can turn any sourpuss into a purring kitty. So, we kicked the Coleman up a notch, set up our little table, opened our "apfelsaftschorle" (apple juice and fizzy water) and began wishing that we had remembered to bring a bottle of wine (sitting in a vineyard without wine is like being in a soccer stadium without beer). Now seems like a good time to mention that we had our coffee and cake on this very patio with our weddings guests in '97 because the next thing that happened truly was the icing on the cake. Would you believe that at that very moment a jolly group of wine-tasting-wanderers (hikers) began ascending the stairs in the pouring rain and out of nowhere, making their way up to the patio that we were miracoliing on; and would you believe, dear readers, that they asked us if we wanted to join in the festivities??! Heck yeah and halleluja! Two thumbs up and glass-clinking for divine intervention. In celebration of life's sweet surprises...

picture courtesy of Kraft