Fear of Missing Out: Family Edition

Our whirlwind weekend road trips are becoming our thing. Chuck and I just returned from a three day trip in Virginia. My sweetheart helps me optimize our time with my family by driving all night long to arrive early enough on a Friday to spend the whole day at our destination, and driving all night back home so we can squeeze every possible moment out of our Sunday. 

I drove about 10 hours on our way to Virginia, supplementing my non-stop snacking with coffee and Pepsi, just trying to stay awake while at the wheel. Whenever it was my time to rest, I would lie back momentarily, and then I would just sit up, and talk Chuck's ear off, because I was too excited to sleep. 

After fourteen hours in the car, Chuck and I met my brother Danny at the Waffle House in Waynesboro, Virginia at seven in the morning. That is Chuck's all-time favorite breakfast spot. Danny and I jokingly call it Awful House, but we both enjoyed our time together while we ate with Chuck. 

Then we got back in the car to drive to Mom and Richard's. Mom kept saying, "You need to take a nap; I can see it in your eyes." 

"No-ooo. I don't want to miss a thing while I'm here. I'll sleep when I get back to Illinois." 

FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out is a real thing when I visit my family. I force myself to stay awake as long as I can, just so I can take advantage of every moment we have together. 

Tuscatube, LLC, Waynesboro, VA

While Chuck caught up on sleep, Mom, Richard, and I went to Tuscatube to visit my brother Danny at his business. Wow. He is doing so well; I know Daddy would have been so very proud of his boy who is an international businessman. We toured Danny's shop, and saw his ovens that can burn off paint and debris off of large iron items. It was fun to meet his work crew, and see our niece Michaela while we were there. 

Mom treated us to a fun dinner at Golden Corral with my sister Kathy's family. There was so much good-natured teasing and laughter while we were together. Chuck was in heaven; two of his favorite restaurants in one day!

After dinner, we headed down Afton Mountain to visit Jackie and Natalie in Amherst for the rest of the weekend. Even though I'd only slept about three hours the night before, we girls stayed up until 11:30, talking and laughing until we had to admit we were too tired to keep going.

Jackie and I enjoyed the cool breeze on the screened-in porch, sipping our hot tea and coffee, while we talked quietly, until Chuck and Natalie joined us for breakfast. 

A caricature of Daddy.

Danny and Becky came to Amherst for supper. After we ate, we went through boxes of Daddy's mementos. We reminisced about some of our favorite memories, and we learned new things as we looked through the papers and photos Dad had saved during his lifetime. 

There may have been many yawns coming from my corner of the room, but I couldn't bear to leave the group's conversation and laughter, so I just hung in there as long as I could. 

Sunday, we went to Jackie's church in Clifford, and stayed afterwards to take photos for the congregation's reception during coffee hour. I love old churches with their stained glass windows, and it was nice to see some of Jackie's dearest friends. 

Bennett & Lynn

Having four brothers, four sisters, and two moms spreads me pretty thin when it comes to visiting my family, but no trip to Virginia is complete without a visit to my friends Lynn and Bennett. They have been two of my dearest friends most of my life, and it thrills me to see my friends so happily married. 

We sat on the front porch, enjoying a sweet breeze and ice-cold drinks. The conversation flowed easily, as we caught up on each other's lives, and reminisced together. The beagles and old Labrador enjoyed the extra attention from the visiting dog lovers. 

My favorite place to sit and visit.

When Chuck and I finally said our goodbyes, I offered to drive first. It's a good thing I did; I only made it a couple of hours, and then Chuck had to take over. I drove another couple of hours after midnight to give Chuck a break. Then I just crashed in the passenger seat for the rest of our trip home. Chuck was such a trouper, listening to his book on Audible, and cheerfully did the lion's share of driving last night. 

As soon as we got home, I started laundry, and then set myself at the computer to revisit the memories we made in Virginia. Scattered throughout this post are some of my favorite shots from the weekend. I'll treasure the memories of these smiles and the laughter for months to come. 

Smiling with Pride

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and Pride Parade participants

The Aurora Pride Parade in Illinois was today. My husband and I had the privilege of witnessing so much love and happiness as we photographed the beautiful people there. The positive energy was contagious, and even though it was very warm and muggy, I hardly noticed the weather. 

FREE MOM HUGS

There were so many mamas wearing their "Free Mom Hugs" t-shirts, and dads wearing corresponding "Dads Hug, Too" shirts. There were couples, families, politicians, churches, and businesses marching to show their love and support. 

This was my first Pride parade, and I completely underestimated how well-attended the event would be. We had to walk quite a distance from the place we finally parked our car. The sidewalks were packed with people, and the streets were full of parade participants. 

Chicago Pride Guard

Everyone we met was happy to pose for the camera. When Chuck asked the Chicago Pride Guard if they would perform for us while they were waiting their turn to march, they obliged us with an energetic, and well-executed routine!

By the time the parade was over, my cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much. I can't wait until next year. I'm going to have to get me one of those "Free Mom Hugs" shirts. If you know me, you know I'm a hugger. Right now, I'm still smiling, thinking about all of the smiles we captured with our cameras.  

Here are some of my favorite images from today. My husband and I will be posting all of our edited photos to our Facebook page soon. Look for Bennorth Images to see if your photo is there!

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Cut from the Same Cloth

Photo Credit: Chuck Bennorth

Bristol and I were cut from the same cloth. We would rather be home than anywhere else. Both of us enjoy watermelon and taking naps. We're a little stubborn, and we are happy when we get our own way. We like meeting new people, and probably overwhelm them at first with our outgoing personalities. I like to think we have a good connection.

A few months ago, Dr. Kelly told Bristol he had to lose some weight. She thought 77 pounds was a little too much for his frame; he's shorter than you might suspect. We were to cut back on his meal portions, and snacks, too. She encouraged me to walk him more.

Since my knee injury in November, I haven't done much walking, and have exercised at the pool mostly. My knee has not gotten better despite cortisone and gel injections, so I'm waiting to get two new knees in September. My knee surgeon informed me a couple weeks ago that yes, my knees will hurt, but, yes, I need to walk anyway. I have a few pounds of my own to lose before my surgery. (Thirty, to be exact.)

These last three months have been hard for Bristol. He has whined even more than he did before, usually sitting in front  the tote where we store the dog food. 

Bristol's kibble portions were cut back, and peanut butter in his Kong toy became a thing of the past. When I fed him snacks, I gave him watermelon and green beans. 

Just this week, I looked at Bristol's wide, wide back, and told Chuck, "I don't think Bristol has lost much weight, but his harness seems looser, so I'm hoping that's a good sign!"

This morning while my sweet husband was sleeping in, I decided it would be a good time to weigh Bristol at the vet. Since the dogs have yet to master jumping into the back of the Highlander, and I was not up to the task of hoisting the two of them into the car, I decided to walk them. 

When I finally got Bristol on the doctor's scale, I stared in disbelief. "That can't be right!" I told the technician. I dragged Bristol back to the scale to see if I could get a different number. 

No, there was no denying it. My big galoot had gained 10 pounds. My heart fell.

Buddy, you and I are more alike than I care to admit. 

We won't give up, though. We're stubborn like that.

Out of Towners

In our marriage, there are times when one of us is out of town without the other. Typically, I'm the one traveling because my kids all live in Utah, and the rest of our kids live in Illinois.

Days before I leave, Chuck starts making his plans. "I'm going to watch <insert gory/war/action movie title here>. I'm going to get Lou Malnati's sausage pizza. And I'm going to run the dishwasher every day, if I feel like it." 

Give that man a little freedom, and he goes crazy! 

We don't watch a lot of TV or movies; most of our time together is spent TAKING pictures, and EDITING pictures. When I watch a movie, I want to feel good, and if possible, I want to laugh out loud. I don't share Chuck's enthusiasm for the classic American action film. 

We could eat pizza every night, and it wouldn't be too often for Chuck. For the first couple of years we were married, I was the one ordering pineapple or veggies on my half of the pizza. I'm slowly converting to eating sausage; it's a  preferred Bennorth topping, and it's just easier to not be the odd girl out every time the family orders pizza. 

Poor Chuck; he hates that I would rather wash a couple of things by hand than run a nearly empty dishwasher when his favorite spoons are dirty. I pack the dishwasher until it is at fully capacity before I run it. Yes, we both believe our own way it is the right way. 

Tonight, the tables are turned; Chuck is the out of towner, and I'm staying home with the dogs. All afternoon, I have pondered how I want to spend our time apart. You can bet I'm not running the dishwasher, and probably won't until Chuck gets back home! 

The TV remote is mine alone, so I can watch anything I want; a romantic comedy, or Queer Eye, or Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Who am I kidding? I'll probably just watch Gilmore Girls again. 

What about dinner, though? Should I get a Portillo's Chicago-style dog? Oh, I do like those, and Chuck is not a fan at all. I also considered picking up a cauliflower pizza from the next town over, but they're pretty pricey. 

Hah! I just found a recipe for CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST on the iFOODreal website. I love to bake, and I'm trying to find other ways to entertain myself that don't include flour, sugar, and chocolate. 

My evening is coming together nicely. I'll find something to watch on TV while the pizza is baking. Then my crazy night of pizza and TV will be spent with Bristol and Sami. We Bennorths know how to party.

Come home soon, Honey. I'll try not to go too crazy. 

More than a Makeover

Photo Credit: Netflix

Thanks to the Netflix series Queer Eye, I am stepping up my game. Now, if you know me, I love to score a deal shopping; yeah, I'm cheap. So I take mental notes while watching Queer Eye, and try to figure out how I can copy what they're doing without breaking the bank.

Jonathan Van Ness, with his long-flowing mane, has me using moisturizer regularly. My poor face seemed to go from oily T-zone to scaly and dry overnight. (Anyone have a suggestion for the best way to exfoliate, that's frugal, too?) While Jonathan's moisturizer is $48, mine was only $4.00 at Aldi's, and I'm pretty happy with my results.

In one episode, Tan France put a woman in a pair of Madewell jeans, and she just gushed over how comfortable they were. I haven't been in a comfortable pair of jeans for a couple of years. I've been wearing bootcut (Tan says that's a big no) yoga pants for the last couple of years. I love my yoga pants; they are so forgiving, and have been kind enough to grow with me. (Yikes; I know.) So I looked up Madewell's skinny jeans online. At $100 a pair, I just can't justify the expense.

Luckily, I was able to score a pair of Kut from the Kloth skinny jeans at the thrift shop yesterday for $4.99 ($89 retail from Amazon). They have some stretch to them, and feel great! Bonus; they're not so tight around my swollen knees that they cut off my circulation!

Antoni Porowsk has great ideas for recipes, potlucks, and comfort food. Karamo Brown helps people find their niche in their communities. Bobby Berk has a wonderful knack for helping others discover their decorating style.

Even more important than the physical makeovers the Fab Five do so beautifully are the emotional and spiritual makeovers. Each episode is full of hope, inspiration, and unconditional love. These guys have gone from hoping for tolerance to earning acceptance in the most unusual places.

If you haven't watched Queer Eye (More than a Makeover) lately, you might want to try it out. I'm so glad they're not just helping straight guys. We could all benefit from their expertise and loving inclusion.