Awesome Weekend!!!

I had the best weekend, sitting around watching movies, snuggling with the hubby and my cats. The need to take the time to recharge the batteries and just chill for a few days with no expectations, no timelines, no drives in the car is essential and something that I don't do nearly often enough. Being able to have the windows open was an unexpected surprise. I start class again this week...so it will be nice to dive back in with a clear head. I feel more centered than I have in a while and I am glad that I was able to take the time to just relax and do nothing for a change.

Open to the World

For the first time all summer, my windows are wide open. The breeze is cool, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. I hate having my windows closed, which comes from having them shut all winter long. The summer weather has been oppressive and we have not been able to have them open all summer. Today they are open to the world. I love the feel of the breeze in the house, the smell of the fresh air and the sunlight warming the floors. The cats have all chosen a window and are perched, enjoying the fresh air. It's gonna be a great day to curl up on the new deck with a nice book and sit and relax.

Absolutely, positively, nothing

I love the summer...I love the weather, the ability to be outside, the ability to actually travel places after being cooped up all winter by the snow and cold. I love that my extended family is only a four hour car ride away and they live on the water because that spot feeds my soul. My grandparent's house is the place where I go to center myself, balance myself and just be for a little while. My inlaws are only two hours away and there is always fun to be had with my sister in law and her kids. They make me laugh (most of the time) and they make me feel closer to family. I love visiting college friends and being part of their kids birthday parties or just having lunch. Although I sometimes forget what it feels like to sleep in my own bed and rarely have anything (besides gallons of pickles) in my fridge because grocery shopping is a weekend task and when your not home on the weekends you can't do it.
So I have declared this weekend a "I'm-not-doing-anything-after-I-run-my-errands-and-go-to-the-grocery-store-for-the-first-time-in-two-weeks". That means that I have been to the grocery store and cvs today, cleaned the house a bit and have put my comfy clothes on and am going to sit on my couch and do nothing for the entire weekend. I am not painting anything, hammering nails into anything, tiling anything, going to any store, nothing. I have warned my hubby that if he wants to stay home this weekend that he is not going to ask for anything to get done, not expect me to do anything, and he will sit on the couch and watch movies with me, maybe take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I love the summer for all of the wonderful excitement, but I also love those lazy summer weekends when nothing gets accomplished except recharging the battery.

Love...revisited...

This was a whirlwind of a weekend- my grandfather had a heart attack on thursday night so I was on my way to Connecticut after work on Friday. He is going to be okay and all in all it was a good wake up call. The one thing that struck me is the relationship that my grandparents have and how other people notice it. They have been married for 55 years this past Friday. Their movements are in conjunction with each other- they naturally shift in one direction to support each other. When my grandfather was allowed to get up and walk on Saturday, they gripped hands and did laps around the very small CCU. The nurses all noticed and commented on how cute they were. I walked behind them desperately wanting to break the rules and take a picture so that I could remember that is what I would like my marriage to be like in 40 years. Their committment to one another is an amazing thing and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to witness it.

Friends

This weekend was fantastic. Not only because I got to visit with family and friends that I have seen in a while but also because one of my oldest and bestest friends made the trip with her daughter to come down for the weekend. I haven't seen her in about 3 years and although we talk on the phone about once a week it was so nice to get that hug and be able to talk face to face. I consider myself very lucky to have friends still from when I was in middle school and although the distance means that we can't see each other as much as we would like we definitely can pick up where we leave off when we do see each other.
Her daughter is one of the most adorable kids I have ever seen. She played hard this weekend and is talking up a storm. Those are the things that I miss the most about not living closer. The milestones of having a baby, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. that you miss because you are not closer. She is almost 2 years old and this is the first time I met her. I am glad that I got to see her and although I think we are both still catching up from lack of sleep from the weekend, every minute was well spent catching up and just enjoying being in the same room with each other. As I think back to the friends I have had, who I have lost touch with, who there was a one sided attempt to maintain the friendship, I am truly blessed to have friends that I share a significant history with and who will be there no matter what.

Surprise!!

My sister's 30th birthday is tomorrow. We flew to Maryland for the weekend to surprise her and help my mom with the party that she was throwing. We got in Friday night and were up late getting things ready for the next day. Now anyone who has looked at the news lately knows that the temperatures in Maryland have been unbearable for the last few weeks and yesterday held the same promise. After spending almost two hours to get to the parks that we were holding the party because of traffic, we made it and were thankful for the breeze that was blowing. We decorated the pavilion in a Twilight theme, complete with a life size cut out of Edward, Jacob and Bella. Fun was had by all despite the heat. My sister was surprised by the party and everyone who came in from out of town. It was a great day, spent with family and friends. We are currently getting ready for the brunch that my mother is hosting this morning. My mother is amazingly gifted and very stressed out at the moment so I am going to go see what I can do to help. Awesome trip!

Acupuncture

My acupuncturist had me come for a late appointment today. The appointment wasn't until six pm so I was able to put in some extra time at work today. I am really trying to make sure that I am spending time away from my desk during the day. We get breaks throughout the day so I am trying to take them. My acupuncturist was a little concerned today because I am getting head aches again. He is working on them, I think he is a little frustrated because he is not able to isolate them and make them better. He is really trying to help. We discussed meditation tonight and I am reading up on it. I am trying to get the most I can out of the time that I am there. He told me that he thought I was sad today. I guess he is right, I just feel like everything is out of balance right now. There are a whole bunch of projects started and nothing is finished. It is amazing to me that he recognizes the symptoms and is asking questions to make me think about everything that is going on and bringing the subconscious feelings out in the open so that I know what is going on beneath the surface.