Pizza, Pizza!

I like pizza! Yummy, that hot,cheesy goodness. Those Italians really knew what they were doing huh? I can't eat pizza a lot though, so when we have

pizza I want it to be good. Ben and I differ about our pizza likes and dislikes. He likes thin crust, I really dislike thin crust. The thicker the crust the better, I say. I don't go for cheese in the crust either, it just doesn't seem right. The first time we ordered pizza after we got married scarred me for life. I can't even remember the name of the place. It was very close to our apt. building and it later went out of business. I let Ben order since we were still in honeymoon bliss and he ordered something thin crust with jalapenos on it. I can't even remember the other toppings because of those disgusting jalapenos. I could not even pick them off because they were put on under the cheese. Well needless to say, I do the pizza ordering now. I'm a pretty traditional pizza person. I like a gourmet fancy pizza at times too, but give me pepperoni and black olives and I'm happy. My friends have expressed their feelings of my choice of the best pizza, but I don't care. I love Round Table Pizza!

Maybe it's just nostalgia, maybe it's the sauce. I don't know what it is, but I do know I think it's the BEST! The last time I had it was four years ago. I was pregnant with Levi and visiting my mom in Santa Rosa. Ohhh..I got terrible heart burn, but it was sooooo worth it. So why doesn't Round Table have restaurants anywhere but the West Coast, Asia, and Middle East. That seems strange doesn't it? Do they ship? Can someone overnight me a lovely pepperoni and black olive pizza? Now you are asking yourself why, why would someone choose Round Table Pizza when their are so many other places to choose from. Let's go back to my first experience with pizza. My parents were health food freaks. We ate things then, that I would never be able to choke down now. We used to go out for pizza, yeah it seems like a nice thing to do huh? Well my parents brought their own pizza toppings with them in little baggies. Pineapple, sunflower seeds, garden tomatoes and mushrooms, who knows what else flax seed and wheat germ probably. How embarrassing, and Yuck for kids. Later on, once I reached my high school years we started getting pizza from Round Table. This must be where the nostalgic feeling comes from. I moved away and stayed loyal to Round Table. I ordered their sandwiches too. They are also yummy good. I've tried gourmet, square pizzas, wood fired, calzones, homemade, take-n-bake, frozen, Chicago style, etc...and they are all fine and good but will never take the place of a pepperoni and black olive from Round Table Pizza.

Whatsoever State I'm In

We have had the opportunity to live in 4 different states in the last 6 years. Seems like a lot huh? Yeah, I think so too. People are always asking me which state I liked the best. Well that's easy but, I'm not going to tell you just yet. There are positives and negatives to every place. Lets start with my native California. California is a wonderful state, topographically speaking. You can enjoy sun and sand, mountains and snow, desert heat, coastal fog, hot beaches, cold beaches, it has everything. California also has most of my family and a lot of my friends. Lets see..the downside of living in California would be the cost, the earthquakes, traffic, and the liberal craziness. Next is Louisiana. La is rich in history. I love the Antebellum homes and battle sites. The people are warm and welcoming. You've heard of southern hospitality? It's absolutely true. It is always green there and the beaches were very close. And of course the cuisine. Who can go to La and not have cafe au lait and beignets. If you are into fried food, then look no further. I also love the conservative nature of the South. I worked in the public schools there, and always heard teachers talking about GOD in school, especially after the hurricanes. Ben would say LSU football and chicken and sausage gumbo are greatly missed. We miss all our friends there as well. The downside of La would be the weather (hotter than..and humid), the uhhh..HURRICANES!!, mosquitoes and fire ants, and alligators (though tasty..they are menacing up close). Now onto Kansas. Kansas is also very historically significant. The Laura Ingalls Wilder museum, several battlefields and museums, and Dodge City (Gunsmoke). We lived in Overland Park which is just outside Kansas City. I loved how it was spread out. All the shopping and everything was close by. It was a very family friendly place and Ben worked at the Sprint campus just 5 minutes from the house. We had the most wonderful neighbors too, always looking out for each other. I miss all our friends in KS and Missouri too. The downside? Tornadoes (never saw one), arctic temperatures in the winter, flat land as far as the eye can see. Last, but not least Virginia. Talk about history. I can hardly wait to go to Mt. Vernon. D.C. is about 20 miles from us and full of things to see and do. The beaches are nice and close by. There really is a lot to do in and around Ashburn. Ben would say, Rugby and Cricket with the other Sri Lankans. But, I find myself singing this Veggie Tales song a lot. "I'm busy, busy, dreadfully busy, I'm much too busy for you". Do you see where I'm going with this? This is an extremely fast paced place. I can almost catch a glimpse of my neighbors as they speed into their garages and close the door. Haahahaa. It's not particularly family friendly here, but we keep our family friendly to everyone and we have made many wonderful friends here as well. To sum it all up we have learned and experienced so much in every state we have lived in. The culture has been drastically different in every state and we have grown because of our experiences. Not to mention the AWESOME churches and relationships formed. We have learned that in whatsoever state we are in, to be content. My favorite state? The state of contentment.

Long Time, No Post

I was playing with the idea of deleting this and saying forget it, but I decided to just let it go. I just want to keep my family and friends up to date on the Fernando family happenings. Levi turned 4 years old..Yikes. Luke is now 5 months old. We have been enjoying the summer, except for the heat and humidity. We spent Levi's birthday at Solomons Island and truly enjoyed the sun and sand. I was not ready to do a big birthday party this year. I am too tired.

Levi graduated from his 3 year old Preschool class and will be starting his 4 year old Pre-K class in September. He goes to Open Arms Preschool and seems to really like it. He better like it...his daddy waited hours in the cold to get him in. I can't believe the competitiveness of some parents. Ben said there was parents outside at 3 in the morning to get in line. WHAT?!?! I mean c'mon, I just need Levi out of the house for a few days a week.

More on Levi..I know, I know but, Luke is not doing much to write about right now. He started eating some solids..mostly spitting it out but, we are working on it. He is a really good baby. He's an easy baby...compared to my first. Back to my first. Levi was so proud to get a medal at the end of soccer. Of course everyone got one (because they were just 3 years old) but he didn't know that. He thinks he's a sports star..hehee so precious.

Now for Luke. To update you all on his visit to the surgeon, he needs to go back when he turns a year old. The doctor said there is nothing to worry about right now. As long as it does not get infected or anything, there should be no problems. We thank God for that. It is so stressful when something is wrong with one of your babies. Luke is just a wonderful little chunky boy. I could just kiss his chubby cheeks all day.

As for me and Ben, we stay pretty busy. We love our church and try to stay involved. I'm part of the hospitality team for MOPS at our church, and really love it. This summer has kept us busy with play dates and birthday parties. I turned 34..YOWSA!! Ben is about to turn 34 and we will celebrate our 6 year anniversary at the end of the month. That's about it. That should bring you up to speed. Moving around a lot leaves a trail of friends. We have left a trail from the west coast to the east coast and I miss everyone! I wish I could see everyone again. I've missed weddings, birthdays, and births of babies, but I think about you all. Everyone has made an impact on my life in some way. I love and miss all my family and friends!!