Category: around here

I took a four-day weekend over the Easter holiday because my best friend Becca, her husband Micah, and their kids Eli (2 1/2 years old) and Chloe (16 months old) came into town just to visit us! Becca and I became close in high school playing soccer together, and our friendship was sealed when we both attended Tabor College in Kansas and were even successful roommates.

Although life has worked out well for both of us, I’m constantly sad that it hasn’t worked out for us to live near each other. She stayed in Kansas after college, and I moved back to Texas. We both eventually got married, were each other’s maid of honor, and our husbands get along so well that they actually planned activities for the weekend that didn’t include us, like fishing and visits to Bass Pro.

I can’t tell you what an incredible weekend I had with them.  We didn’t do anything particularly special, just enjoyed each other’s company. It helped that her kids are pretty much the cutest, and SO well-behaved.

We cooked and baked (Eli helped)…

We played in the neighborhood park…

The boys got in a few rounds of Wii Sports…

I practiced with a little girl…

…and based on this picture alone I am determined to give David a boy at some point.

Becca made me this adorable blanket for Meredith, which is just my style and makes me want to learn how to sew…

…and my mom had this sweet little basket waiting for us at church.

We decided to take some pictures while we were still dressed up:

Becca also took me to Babies R Us and we walked up and down every single aisle analyzing the products, and by the end of it the prospect of registering wasn’t so overwhelming anymore. I realized that I really don’t need many of the things on the “must-have” list, and I’m excited now to pick out the things I do want.

Overall we didn’t do anything particularly exciting, but for a full day after they left I kept saying to David over and over, “I’m so sad they’re gone!” We only get to see each other once a year at best. This was the first time we’ve hosted anyone at our house for an extended period of time and the first time we’ve had kids stay with us, and I loved it. It felt more like a home while they were there, and so empty afterward.

The weekend was rejuvenating. I can’t wait to start filling our house with kids starting in less than three months (!), but for now I’m trying to remember to enjoy the quiet, and the time when it’s just me and David.

This past weekend didn’t start out so great, but every day got better. Let’s just skip over Friday night when I came home to the evidence of my dog having completely lost any sense of what it means to be house trained, I had a mini breakdown, and spent the rest of the evening cleaning up his mess.

And we can go ahead and skip over Saturday morning too, where I woke up with a headache, went to a funeral, and came home having lost all motivation to conquer my to do list.

My remedy for this problem was to take Oliver on a walk in hopes that it would help boost my energy, then to take two Tylenol and park myself on the couch in front of Mad Men. In just a few hours I was feeling much better and went to see the Narnia movie with a friend. Afterward David and I went to his parents’ house to spend time with his grandparents before they returned home to Pennsylvania. They’ve been in town since before Christmas, and it’s been so lovely. All of my grandparents died almost ten years ago and I never got a chance to relate to them as an adult. Nowadays I feel like I have the soul of a grandparent so hanging out with them was just perfect for me.

Sunday was better. I woke up early and did some yoga – first time I’ve exercised in months – and even cleaned a little bit. After church I did some grocery shopping and then actually (gasp!) cooked dinner! I’m super embarrassed but this is also something I haven’t done in a couple of months. I have to say, it wasn’t too bad and it was extremely satisfying to have a home cooked meal with leftovers to take to lunch. I won’t be cooking every night or anything, but maybe I can handle twice a week?

While I was cooking I spent some time decluttering the junk drawers (for my happiness project) and then David and I settled down to watch The Social Network after dinner. I love having weekends off, and this one was a good mix of productive and relaxing.

With colder weather here and earlier sunsets I’ve gone into a kind of hibernation. I love my job, and it’s not that stressful, but with the commute I still have to leave the house at 6 a.m. and I don’t get back until 6 p.m. By that time it’s dark and I’m worn out and I’m in bed by 8. I’m still getting used to this whole work-five-days-a-week thing.

So you see that even though I have wanted to devote more time to writing here, I haven’t had much time for it. Instead I’ve opted to spend what little time I’m awake in the evenings with David, watching movies or doing puzzles.

But there’s an entire weekend coming up (what a concept!) and I’m going to try to put a little energy into planning posts so I can be more of a presence here. In the meantime you can find me curled up on the couch, shamelessly wearing my Snuggie.