Doughnuts, doughnuts everywhere

I've got to make this somewhat quick, as I have a date with Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, but I have to share these great photos of our weekend in Maine visiting Chris and Chris.

Whenever we go to Portland we have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we haven't been there as much as we would like to be there, but we do try to go as often as we can. On Saturday, Doug and I stopped at Congdon's Doughnuts in Wells, ME, on a tip from my co-worker, and picked up a baker's dozen to share with Chris and Chris. After all, nothing says friendship like everyone gaining 5 pounds by eating doughnuts together. Saturday was a nice day (The sun! The sun!) but we decided to spend a good portion of the afternoon in the HART shelter, where Lulu found Chris and Chris and decided to have them take her home with them. It's a pretty cool shelter - the cats have a lot of space to roam around, and they all have adequate bedding, plenty of food, and lots of people to take care of them. I could have taken at least three home with me, but Doug and I really are reluctant to make that plunge into owning four cats. That just seems extreme.

I have a lot of photos of Chris and Chris from this weekend. Unfortunately, none of them showcase girl Chris's growing baby bump - but trust me, it's there! It's so funny - the last time we saw Chris and Chris we did not know of the bun in the oven, even though it was there. And now when we see Chris and Chris we know of the bun, we see evidence of the bun, and there is a whole new part to the equation. It's a good thing, for sure, and let me share the photos of the soon-to-be parents. This one was taken at dinner on Saturday night (good choice of restaurants, guys - very tasty) and this one at the Lobster Shack, home of greater Portland's best lobster roll (and what a view... I'll get to that) and this last one at the Portland Head Light If they look wet it's because they are - it rained all day on Sunday. Not a hard, driving rain, but enough to make walking around in the outdoors a little unpleasant.

We persevered despite the rain, though. The Lobster Shack is where we headed for lunch. There were great views from this place, which is situated right on the edge of Cape Elizabeth. We could have dined at one of these picnic tables if the day were nicer, right up near the water, but we ate inside, in where the lobsters are waiting to meet their death in a pot of boiling water and in a buttery hot dog roll.I was momentarily struck with a desire to free one of them, to grab one and throw it into the nearby sea, but I didn't and instead stepped up to the register and ordered my cheeseburger. The food was good - put Doug in a stupor but he quickly recovered and we went about the rest of our day.

The rest of our day included a trip out to Portland Head Light. It seems that Chris and Chris always go here when they have visitors, but this is the first time that they visited in the rain. Here is the requisite shot of the visiting couple in front of the lighthouse I don't know if we were sure we wanted to head out to the lighthouse, given the weather, but I sort-of thought that it would be the perfect weather for a lighthouse - just the kind of weather they were made for. And look this dark sky against the crisp white paint of the lighthouse - makes for quite the nice contrast. I'm glad we went, despite feeling a bit like drowned rats before we left.Three drowned rats, see how they... eat doughnuts?

Doug and I took some of the remaining doughnuts home with us after we left the lighthouse and left the guitar store (yes, there was a guitar store in our weekend. Two, actually, now that I think about it), and we're still eating them. Here's the one I had tonight: Congdon's indeed makes a tasty doughnut, but tonight my doughnut was a little hard. There's one left. I think I might leave this one for Wyatt.

I went to church this weekend and ate the wafer.

My niece and goddaughter, Maddy, received her first communion this past Saturday. This is the blessed event when one is deemed old and wise enough to eat the body and drink the blood of Christ. I've noticed that at all the churches I've been to (granted not that many) I've never seen anyone but the priest drink the blood of Christ. Must be for sanitary reasons, but my nephew says that one of the boys in the fourth grade of his school can only drink the blood of Christ and can't eat his body. Perhaps this boy has a gluten allergy; will Christ become gluten-free? But I digress.

Maddy was beautiful that day. Maddy is always beautiful, but today she was practically radiant. She was very excited to be making her first communion; it's a very community event. She goes to catholic school, so her whole class was receiving communion that day. I can see how cults can be formed. Not that Catholicism is a cult, but it has that group-think mentality. Maddy and her friends are all being taught the same ideas, and are not yet wondering to themselves if what they are learning is true, if they believe it, or if they should believe it. They go to school together each day, go to church together, receive communion together... they are the picture of good Catholics, and the priest said as much. It's when this group grows up and starts to splinter and develop individual personalities that the sense of community will be lost. That is, if they grow up to develop individual personalities. But, again, I digress.

Here are some photos of the little lady. These are post-ceremony, as the photos of the ceremony are all blurry. You'll note that Maddy is wearing a dress. She picked out this dress herself, and I think she was the most charming of all the girls that day. The others were all wearing fancy wedding-like dresses, with long veils and elaborate up-dos. Maddy was very natural and looked very nice in her dress (though couldn't wait to get it off, and shed the little coat that went with it during the post-ceremony reception as it was "itchy").

Doug and I were eager for the post-church festivities, as these always involve donuts and apple juice. This time was no exception, so Doug and I stuffed ourselves with Munchkins (I ate the body of Christ, but I hate to say it was not very filling), as did everyone else. Frankie at one point at four or five Munchkins in his mouth at once. Here is the beginning of this feat: What a ham.

Back at my sister's house, we ate and ate and ate and ate and ate some more. In between the eating Maddy opened her gifts (several rosaries, a necklace of miraculous Mary, a crucifix, and some other holy-like gifts. Doug & I gave her a gift card to Toys-R-Us...); Maddy was thrilled with the religious swag. A couple of photos of her and her loot: Here's another photo of my dear, sweet Mads looking at her cake, which had yet another rosary on it (and then there's one of me mixing up some whipped cream with my mother looking on... we like desserts in this family):

Finally, here's a photo of me and my mother, in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday. My mother is such a trooper. She loves her grandchildren and does so much for them. She does so much for everyone. I was so happy to see her wearing to the first communion a nice new shirt that she had just bought for herself. She never gets herself anything but always gets for her family. She's very selfless, my mom. We love her! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!