Basquing in a fun dining experience...

On the corner of F Street and Mariposa Street sits the Basque Hotel. A single swinging door beckons patrons in to a dark, old bar area with the main dining area to the right through another set of swing doors. I honestly don't think this establishment is used as hotel anymore, but the dining experience is definitely a unique one! I've seen some rather harsh reviews given to the Basque Hotel, but I beg to differ. I've only eaten there twice but both times came away with a happy, full belly. The ambiance leaves much to be desired, so if you're looking for a pristine, fancy joint, this is not your place. It's dingy and dark. It looks like it hasn't been updated for over 50 years. But the food is amazing and the atmosphere holds a certain rustic charm. The Basque Hotel definitely lacks any trace of the cookie cutter, perfectly polished corporate restaurant. And sometimes that is so refreshing.

Our bible study group met at the Basque for dinner this past week and enjoyed a hearty meal served family style at one of the long tables. After placing our orders for the main meat dish (I had the fried chicken) the waitress started to bring out a wide array of courses. Included in our meal were fresh bread, soup, green salad, potato salad to die for, rice and beef stew. These dishes were all served before we even received the main course! The food is plentiful and tastes wonderfully homemade. I swear it tastes like my grandma Babchuk is back in the kitchen cooking up a storm! Perhaps that is why I'm partial to giving the Basque Hotel a sparkling review...it's imperfections and tasty food are comforting, just like grandma's house.

Crepe Heaven

When I was young, my mom would occasionally make crepes for dessert. We ate them with vanilla ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce. Yum. Although my mom's crepes were delicious, I never truly knew the ecstasy of a "real" French crepe until I visited Paris in 2002. I remember the first time I sank my teeth into that warm thin crepe filled with the creamy hazelnut and chocolatey goodness of Nutella and sweet slices of banana. My girlfriends and I just came from seeing the Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Montmartre and ordered our crepes from a nearby street vendor. As we stood on a stone staircase with views of the city stretching below us, I savored every bite, thoroughly enjoying my first French crepe and that pristine Paris moment.

Paris ~ April 2002

Last Saturday I had a hankering for crepes. We packed up the baby and headed to Le Parisien, a french bakery located in the Park Place shopping center at Palm and Nees. The bakery, owned and operated by two couples from Paris, serves up a wonderful selection of sandwiches on crusty baguettes or buttery croissants, sweet and savory crepes, soups, French pastries, and coffee drinks. Although I do love their Dodu sandwich on a fresh croissant, I was craving something a little sweeter on the menu: the Nutella banana crepe. It was perfection. The bakery itself has many "American" influences with the Pepsi machine behind the counter and a local radio station playing in the background. But for some reason, perhaps it is knowing that the bakery is owner by Parisians or overhearing a conversation in French at a nearby table, Le Parisien causes me to reminisce about my fond travel memories and dream of new destinations. And, more importantly, it satisfies my craving for Nutella banana crepes!

Me and the babe :)

Little did I know...

Up until now, I've posted mainly about travel related topics or things we've done in Fresno or something new I've tried (like my unfinished 30 x 30 list!), but these past five weeks have taken me on a different kind of journey, a destination I've never seen the likes of nor could have fully imagined without having traveled it on my own. This journey began in the wee hours of the morning on December 30 when I first gazed at the sweet face of my son.

Parenthood: there is nothing in the world like it. It is a mixture of amazing and amazingly difficult. As much as I felt prepared through classes, reading parenting books and listening to countless stories from friends who already walked this same road, little did I know....

...that I could stare at his beautiful face for hours on end and kiss his soft cheeks a million times each day. I see him all the time and yet I seem to find something new and wonderful about him every time I look at him. His facial expressions crack us up and give endless amounts of amusement.

...that all those parents who told us to get as much sleep as we could before the baby came really knew what they were talking about! For the first few weeks I felt like we were surviving off of short cat naps in between feedings. It was exhausting. Now Wes is sleeping for about five hours between his night time feedings, which means I am getting a glorious four hours of uninterrupted sleep!

...how much my heart would break listening to his cries. That helpless newborn cry is so sad.

...how hard it would be to get out of the house with an infant. No joke, these little humans come with an insane amount of “stuff”. It’s a logistical challenge timing our outings between feedings in order to utilize that window of time where baby is content or sleeping. Not to mention the last minute diaper changes right when you’re about to head out the door!

...that witnessing my husband be a daddy would cause me to fall even more in love with him. I knew he had a tender heart before, but as I watch him love our boy and selflessly care for me during these postpartum days, I am beyond thankful.

...how unsure and worried I could feel about everything. My prayer life has grown exponentially as I learn to navigate the unpredictable waters of caring for a newborn.

...the joy a little babe would bring to so many people. It’s amazing how this little one, whose only job is to pooh, pee, eat and sleep, can cause the heart to soar.