Yay, it's sunny! Yes, we have actual sun on Memorial Day weekend, we Minnesotans are thrilled. We are so by the pool today, first with Andrew, Rishia, and Noah for brunch, then just us, and then later still John and I plan to take (drag) the kids to a county park reserve for a family bike ride. Then back home for turkey/ciabatta sandwiches on the deck. At least that's the plan, who knows how it will actually play out...

Tomorrow, Stace, Coop, Dad, and Susanna are coming over, hopefully to play some croquet and get Cooper Cuteness in the water - and more important, into a teeny tiny swimsuit! - for the first time in '07. I was mighty challenged in trying to come up with something to grill that 1) everyone likes, 2) is relatively healthful, and 3) tastes damn good! I settled on...shrimp tacos. I'll thaw/brine the shrimp first (water seasoned with plenty of salt, crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, and oregano) for a couple of hours. Then skewer them and either brush them with olive oil or give them a spritz of olive oil nonstick spray (good product, use it often for grilling). I'll also do my usual veggie skewers of cherry tomatoes, peppers, and sweet onion (ditto the brush of oil or spritz of nonstick spray) sprinkled with a bit of coarse salt. Soft tortillas wrapped in foil and warmed on the grill. Big, BIG bowl of guacamole. Chopped cabbage. Side of spicy roasted potatoes. So there - not your typical Memorial Day barbecue, but it'll work. Fresh berries with whipped cream, coconut macaroons, and of course s'mores for dessert - rinse the marshmallow off your face by diving into the pool. Ahhh...