Chocolate Fest

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I won an Interscholastic League writing contest.  My topic was

"Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder".
 I don't have a clue what I wrote about, because I certainly didn't know much about absence OR fondness.  Then I thought it referred to romance.  Now I know it can be applied to any number of things.  Lately, for me - it is all about my family, my home, my home town and my home state.  Being away from them has made them all the more dear to me.

This past weekend I went to a fund raiser for the Scurry County Museum in my home town. 

The event was the Chocolate Fest

where chocolate is supposedly paired with the perfect wine. 

 Now that I think about it, I didn't hear one person comment on

 which wine was best with which chocolate.

I'm not a wine drinker for a lot of reasons

(mostly because I don't like it),

but once in the grocery store I was handed a sample of

Woodbridge Moscato

and bought a bottle.

It was so sweet and fruity, I could have downed it like kool-aid.

But I can't and don't because it might start to look like this picture:

a little fuzzy.

My friend, Pat, once watched me eat chocolate and said,

"it's a good thing you don't drink,

because you would probably be a

slush."

A Slush?

So for this event I kept one hand on the camera

and the other in the chocolate plate,

which is also not good.

The event was held at the Manhattan Coffee House

on Snyder's historic town square.

Marianne owns the place and is the perfect hostess

She left Snyder decades ago for a life of adventure.

She has been everywhere and done everything, but came back home

to develop some of her property into something

that would enhance our community.

She has been inspiring us to be better

for about 10 years.

The Windmill Ranch Preserve

is a bed and breakfast and great meeting place.

The Big Apple Deli is next to the Manhattan and its proprietor is

Bill, Marianne's son.

Our mayor, the honorable Terry Martin, was a server at the event

His beautiful first lady, Martha,  has been my friend for a long time.

  She is on the museum board and,

I just learned,

a Sister on the Fly.

 

And speaking of flying,
John is also a board member and also served as bartender.

He is retired from an oil company

and is a respected pilot.

Mrs. Tune

(Isn't that just the perfect name for a piano teacher?)

provided  the music for the evening.

Nathalie, my good friend and talented artist,

 painted the evening away

 and donated the finished canvas to the fundraiser.

That's a wine glass on a weathered cedar fence post.

Kathy and I laughed about the junior high cheerleader outfit

 she passed on to me

and how we were both the worst cheerleaders ever.

 

 

She has recently opened a restaurant,

The Happy Texan,

and is living her dream.

Amy was one of Heather's friends.

She still looks the way they both looked

15 years ago.

She is now a wife, mother and teacher.

 

 

 

DeVelva, a sweet cousin,

is a hairdresser and always beautiful.

It was so good to see her.

I guess that was the best part of the

Chocolate Fest -

reconnecting.

And speaking of cousins,

Lisa was there too.

I have loved her since she was such a little thing.

How can she be a mom to three teens with another surprise on the way?

For my blood relatives that may be reading this blog in confusion,

Both of these gals are cousins by marriage

but they both introduce me as

their cousins.

They make me proud!

 

 

 

It was just a lovely, lovely evening back in my home town.

 Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder.