On July 14th we officially celebrated 9 years of marriage! Wow. We are so thankful be on this journey together, for all the experiences and growth we have had together (including lots of life that we never anticipated or planned) and that by God's grace we continue to grow stronger and closer every year. We weren't together on the actual day but we eventually had a date & overnight at the end of the month. One of the things on my "Must Do this Summer" list was to tour the Lilly estate and gardens of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The gardens, estate and museum are free, and the day we spent there was sunny but not too hot. Here is the view from the front lawn of the former Lilly country house, on the outskirts of Indianapolis. (Yes, this is the same Lilly family that founded a very successful pharmaceutical company, donated a rare books collection to IU (we visited there in May), and also has a huge endowment/philanthropic foundation.)
Our lunch picnic. Okay so we didn't wander the gardens too much since my feet were getting hot and my belly heavy... Ice water and roast beef sandwiches helped alleviate that.
That night we stayed at a nice hotel downtown (thanks to a good deal on Priceline!) and then wandered the streets a bit on Saturday morning. The downtown area is very walkable, and the highlight is Monument Circle with its impressive war monument and fountains.
A close-up of one side that commemorates the Civil War.
Jim's favorite aspect is the bison water fountain.
On our way out of town we drove by this neighborhood deli and cafeteria that looked intriguing. And oh goody, it's lunchtime! Of course we had to stop, and upon entering we were reassured that this is The Place in Indy for good deli sandwiches and big slices of cake - the Shapiro family started this business in 1905. The Reuben sandwich was very, very good. We'll be back. And next time we'll have baby Gies in tow, and we'll get a slice of cake (no more gestational diabetes!). 
Thanks for putting up with my reminiscing about South Africa. We returned to the States about one year ago and it's a natural time to celebrate some memories from our time there. We miss it very much - and not just the food, but the people, the culture, our friends, the natural beauty of the Western Cape.
The subject of this post: Out and about with friends, enjoying a good meal - or simply a bowlful of hand-picked strawberries!
Moyo Restaurant with our South African parents, Jack and Marianne van der Lecq, and their son/our good friend, Fritz. Moyo is one of the most amazing culinary experiences I've ever had. The atmosphere is totally unique: The tables are set outdoors under huge spreading trees and within large tents, live African music in the background, and an incredible array of food stretched out on a 50-foot long buffet.
A surprise birthday party for Julianna at Addis in Cape, an Ethiopian restaurant in downtown Cape Town. She knew I was taking her out - what she didn't know was that some of our friends would be meeting us there.
Yep, this is a real restaurant! Wimpy is a South African fast-food hamburger joint.
We joined good friends Anthony and Daphne Buratovich for a huge wine and cheese festival hosted annually at a large wine estate in the winelands. 
Strawberry picking with wonderful American friends, Heather and Randy Gauthier (Randy was studying for the DLitt in Septuagint Studies at the University of Stellenbosch, recently graduated). They lived next door to the strawberry fields, so these are FRESH!
We enjoyed our strawberry-picking with the Gauthiers so much that we later did the same thing with Mawethu and Lisa Ncaca, another one of our special couple-friends.
Homemade cupcakes for Jul's birthday, enough to share with friends (taking the picture).
Visiting a chocolate shop in Tulbagh, one of our favorite Western Cape mountain villages. This was a weekend jaunt with Margit, Robyn, and Duncan (obviously not pictured).
A relaxing Saturday lunch at Dornier, an estate restaurant in the winelands.
Randy and Heather lived on the grounds of an Indonesia restaurant. Yum!
We enjoyed this restaurant-in-a-wine-cellar-within-a-mountain in Franschoek when Mom and Dad Gieser visited in March, 2009.
On Saturday afternoon we walked around campus - actually it was a nice afternoon and still pretty quiet since most students have yet to arrive.
In front of the Showalter Fountain, "Birth of Venus". I am working on mentally & physically preparing myself for Naartjie's birth. How's my pose?
Random shot. Oops. Not sure how it gets that bad.
Sunday morning at the entrance to the Boys & Girls Club, where our church meets. 
Yay, Joanna! Thanks for coming! 
Our lunch picnic. Okay so we didn't wander the gardens too much since my feet were getting hot and my belly heavy... Ice water and roast beef sandwiches helped alleviate that.
That night we stayed at a nice hotel downtown (thanks to a good deal on Priceline!) and then wandered the streets a bit on Saturday morning. The downtown area is very walkable, and the highlight is Monument Circle with its impressive war monument and fountains.
A close-up of one side that commemorates the Civil War.
Jim's favorite aspect is the bison water fountain.
On our way out of town we drove by this neighborhood deli and cafeteria that looked intriguing. And oh goody, it's lunchtime! Of course we had to stop, and upon entering we were reassured that this is The Place in Indy for good deli sandwiches and big slices of cake - the Shapiro family started this business in 1905. The Reuben sandwich was very, very good. We'll be back. And next time we'll have baby Gies in tow, and we'll get a slice of cake (no more gestational diabetes!). 
Here's Dave and Susan looking particularly happy. So much hard work for this evening - thanks, guys!!
My favorite feature of the party were these delicious vanilla cupcakes. Isn't Susan creative?
And some shots of a few folk who were there. Here's Paul & Stephanie, friends from church:
Shimon (Jim's new boss in his new assistantship position), Fred and Cameron:
Michal and Malika:
Brian, Sydney and Teanna:
Jim with Alex, professor and amazing advisor (and also a supervisor for his new assistantship):
Now that it's August we really have been keeping busy trying to get everything ready for baby girl's arrival. For one, I've been doing a lot of laundry! And this week we put in the car seat (just in case...) and have been searching all the used furniture places for a dresser for her room. We're also taking a childbirth prep class together. We are really looking forward to meeting her soon!
Now that it is the height of the summer growing season, there were LOTS of amazing fruits and vegetables to choose from. And yes, we bought those cherry tomatoes and they were tasty. There is something more delicious and flavorful about produce that is grown nearby and picked close to consumption.
Our favorite peach stand...
...Back in our place for a healthy lunch spread with some of the morning's purchases. We also had a nice, crunchy baguette. If only I could make my own pickles. Mom H, what's your recipe??
