Wow, what a long weekend. Chris and I left Thursday afternoon and just got back last night. It felt like we were gone for at least a week because everything was so jam packed. When we got in Thursday we had a quick bite at home from Harry Buffalo. I ate buffalo chili that was very sub-par. 1 thing I don’t like in my chili is when the meat is completely ground up into tiny little bits. If I have meat in the chili I want it to be chunks. When it’s broken up too small it just tastes mealy/gritty to me. I feel the same about meat sauce. It was also waaaay over salted. There is nothing worse! Oh well!
Friday morning I made some quaker quick oats. SUCH a huge difference to rolled oats. I used to eat the quick oats but switched to rolled a year ago. They seemed to taste so much more broken down [processed] and mushy. The texture of rolled oats is way better. My mom bought a box of the [organic] Wheetabix Crispy Flakes + Fiber cereal. I LOVE plain Wheetabix biscuits but was scared off by the photo on the flakes + fiber box. It just looked a little too twiggy for me ;)
However, it was SO so good! Extremely crunchy and a hint of sweetness. I love that the serving size is 1 1/4c so you can actually fill your bowl! It is packed with 11g fiber and 170 cals. Not too shabby.
Topped my oats with it, along with cranberries and pnut butter. I had a few bowls of the cereal by itself and it was deelish!
The last time I was home, my dad and I bought some really good herbed goat cheese, but forgot to eat it. It was wrapped well and still fresh. I decided to make a grilled cheese with tomato, turkey, and goat cheese on rye bread.
Oh was this good. Creamy from the cheese and crunchy from the bread! mmmm
That night we went out to eat and I had a portobello burger that was smothered in goat cheese. TOO much goat cheese…I even asked for a “light” amount. Oh well…
My aunt made pound cake, which was amazing. I love making pound cakes in bundt pans because the crust gets nice and crunchy and the inside stays soft + moist.
Time for a photo shoot :)
YUM.
We got up bright and early the next morning to head to Marshall, MI, my hometown. It was my dad’s father who passed away and most of that side of the family still lives in Michigan. My Uncle [mom’s brother], Aunt, AJ + Jenna were also coming along. It was so nice having them there with us. It was about a 4hr drive that I remember very well from when I was younger. We made a lot of trips back and forth from Marshall to Cleveland to visit my mom’s family.
Once we were there, we had visitation hours from 3-5 at the funeral home. There were tons of photos set up and a slideshow going with more photos as well. It was nice seeing the whole Sherman [my maiden name] side of my family. After that, we went to my Uncle Creighton’s [grandpa’s brother] house. He is an amazing, kind man, who loves to entertain. I love his house. It is very historical and filled with books, mementos, and photos in every nook and cranny. The house has a lot of different rooms, unlike wide open homes that we are used to today. Each room is decorated differently and it just gives the house so much character and a really warm feeling.
My Uncle Creighton telling stories.
Jenna, mom, dad, Aunt Sherie [Jenna’s mom, and the one who made the pound cake!]
I do not have much experience taking photos of anything other than food. The house was dimly lit as well…but I tried :)
We feasted at his house that night. It was an amazing dinner. We ate on some amazing china. It had gold leaf trim and was just so gorgeous.
Dad + Grandma
A really noisy photo of the cousins ;)
My dad took a bunch of us on a tour of Marshall. Even though I grew up there for 7 years there was a lot I didn’t know. It is a very small town and my family dates back there pretty far. I’m not sure how many generations but at least into the mid/late 1800’s. My grandfather [that passed away] built a decent amount of homes in the town and developed a lot of the land. My dad showed us where he grew up and where a lot of the family lived. Marshall is a very historical town. The old homes are amazing and so well maintained.
This is where my dad grew up. I have heard countless stories of things that happened here. I feel like our generation doesn’t have as many memorable childhood stories…and I blame a lot of this on TV and video games! Not that I don’t partake in those to this day ;)
They had a creek and a lake to play in too.
My bro and I took some photos on the bridge. Senior photo? hehe
The Marshall fountain. During the non-winter months it is much prettier. Check out this night shot!
The weather was beautiful the day of the funeral. We got dressed and ready and grabbed a quick bite.
Chris took this one. A little bit of downtown Marhsall.
You will see what this bakery is famous for a little later on in the post.
Chris + Dad
This drugstore has been there for, for-ever! I love the old signage.
Chris, me, dad, mom, Josh
Fast eating.
The burial service was first. The cemetery was a little ways out in the country. It was small and beautiful. It seemed like our family took up about 1/4 of the cemetery. Again, it was crazy to see the history of our family. My dad’s grandparents and great grandparents were buried there and many others.
After that, we had the church service. I spoke towards the end and read what my dad wrote first. I was a bit nervous but calmed quickly. Then I got to my tribute and was a tad choked up in the first paragraph. All in all it went well and I was so glad that I spoke :)
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Back in Cleveland…
DONUTS are what Louie’s bakery is known for. Actually, they have way more than donuts, but their donuts are ridiculously amazing. I don’t eat donuts. They just don’t do anything for me and I have never found one that quite compares to Louie’s. What a treat these were!!! My favorite are the donut holes actually. There is such an awesome crusty layer on the outside and the inside is like a heavy, thick buttermilk cake. My fav's are: powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar + glazed
All for now…
~Ashley
November 24, 2009 
