last weekend we did our 14th drive to ohio this year alone. this time though, it was for something that brings many smiles, a baby shower! mr p has a great group of friends that have known each other since kindergarten. we visit with them when we can, but now that practically everyone lives at all corners of the country, it's tough to see each other all together. as one of them brought to our attention this weekend, this will be the last time for a long time that everyone will get to see each other as a group, so it was an especially sentimental occasion...
we had so much food, it was practically an early "friendsgiving" with just a few baby gifts thrown in! no complaining from this side though, we've got some pretty awesome cooks on our hands ;) mr p and i contributed by bringing a fresh salad with our favorite dill dressing, and mr p made a pork loin with tzatziki sauce.
![photo WP_20131102_14_14_35_Pro_zps8604775c.jpg](https://www.beyondthestoop.com/i1255/albums/hh625/beyondthestoop/2013-11-02/WP_20131102_14_14_35_Pro_zps8604775c.jpg)
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a few years ago, mr p and i bought a sesame street bedtime story book for my nephew that was a "record-a-story" book. it was so fun recording it, and made us feel good that he could hear our voices during his bedtime story (plus mr p does a pretty hilarious batty bat voice). i thought it would be a great idea to do the same for baby Gabbie, because everyone lives so far away and won't get to see the her as much as we would like to. i picked up the ugly duckling from barnes and noble, and we gathered together on the floor and read away!
we can't wait for Gabbie to make her debut in just a few weeks! congrats to the lucky parents :)
driving 8 hours for a baby shower might seem extreme to some people, but this weekend was just a nice weekend away, seeing friends and family and enjoying the beautiful pennsylvania autumn leaves on the way home.
![photo photo_zpsc280ef38.jpg](https://www.beyondthestoop.com/i1255/albums/hh625/beyondthestoop/2013-11-02/photo_zpsc280ef38.jpg)
cheers.
jenn