Staycation 2012 - Saturday #1
Believe it or not, I actually woke up Saturday morning around 6:45 AM. Intentionally. The lawns in my neighborhood look pretty darn spiffy, and I've been wanting to spread some Weed-n-Feed on my grass. I was told the best time to do so is when the grass is moist, like right after a rain or before a dew burns off.
I threw my hair into a ponytail and ran out to see if the grass was still dewy. Nope. No signs of moisture, which walking thru the grass in my sock feet definitely confirmed. I decided to make the best of my early morning insanity, so I cleared out a few overgrown perennials around my air conditioner unit. Then I went back to bed for a couple of hours.
Riveting stuff ... right?
Well, remember ... one of my primary goals was to do
Exactly. What. I. Wanted.
With no guilt.
I know, I know. The dew didn't exactly cooperate. Truth is, I was way more excited about returning to the comforts of my Tempur-Pedic than I was about doing yard work. In a sense, the dew (or lack of it) helped me do just that.
Nicole came over for lunch and I cooked us some yummy gourmet hamburgers. I enjoyed having her hang out with me for a couple hours, and then it was time for us to swap vehicles. She was heading to the Chicago area to visit with friends that weekend and wanted a more reliable (and cool) vehicle for the trip. I only needed to putz around town, so I agreed to trade my comfy, reliable, air-conditioned SUV for a dark, gimpy car without A/C. This, I might add, was a bit of a surprise to her. I decided to take it as a compliment when she said, "Wow, Mom! You're starting to relax a bit."
It was kinda hot and steamy that weekend, so I didn't even bother to style my hair. I just accepted the fact that it was going to look a bit windblown and wild-n-crazy. Oddly enough, people seemed to like this look on me. Plus, it seemed to suit the footloose and fancy free attitude of my Staycation.
Before heading out that night to join friends, I spent a little time on my back porch getting reacquainted with my guitar. I was trying to learn and practice a new song, "To Make You Feel My Love." I love this song, written by Bob Dylan and covered by many. I particularly enjoy how a gal on YouTube interprets the song. I tend to think of two things when I play it:
It just doesn't get much better than that.
That night, I joined a group of friends at a downtownish bar with an outdoor patio. We gathered there to watch and listen to a local band, one I had not heard before. They described their style as "American outlaw music." We had a fun time visiting and listening to the band, and I even met two new friends!
Later in the evening, another good friend of mine noticed my Facebook Check In and sent a text asking if I'd still be downtown later. He was working late (as he often does) and looking for a reason to take a break and have a beer. I encouraged him to join us. Being the thoughtful person that he is, he asked, "Are you with someone special?"
Indeed!
I told him I was with a group of friends, that we were ALL special, and that he was welcome to join.
The band was starting to get a bit too loud for visiting, so I decided to meet him at his new favorite hangout ... a hipster tavern that recently opened downtown. Glad I did, because it was a groovy place and a groovy new experience. However, because the night still seemed so young and pretty, I finally insisted we continue our visiting on a patio. We found a cozy spot outside of a nearby martini bar and continued chatting it up.
More good wine. Another lovely evening. In the company of good friends.
Life is good.
Cheri
P.S. Except for the ones I met this day, all of the friends mentioned in today's (and yesterday's) post were instrumental in supporting me through a very challenging year. Some are newer friends I met because of my struggles this past year. Others I've known longer, and one I've known for over 17 years. Special people, indeed!
I threw my hair into a ponytail and ran out to see if the grass was still dewy. Nope. No signs of moisture, which walking thru the grass in my sock feet definitely confirmed. I decided to make the best of my early morning insanity, so I cleared out a few overgrown perennials around my air conditioner unit. Then I went back to bed for a couple of hours.
Riveting stuff ... right?
Well, remember ... one of my primary goals was to do
Exactly. What. I. Wanted.
With no guilt.
I know, I know. The dew didn't exactly cooperate. Truth is, I was way more excited about returning to the comforts of my Tempur-Pedic than I was about doing yard work. In a sense, the dew (or lack of it) helped me do just that.
Nicole came over for lunch and I cooked us some yummy gourmet hamburgers. I enjoyed having her hang out with me for a couple hours, and then it was time for us to swap vehicles. She was heading to the Chicago area to visit with friends that weekend and wanted a more reliable (and cool) vehicle for the trip. I only needed to putz around town, so I agreed to trade my comfy, reliable, air-conditioned SUV for a dark, gimpy car without A/C. This, I might add, was a bit of a surprise to her. I decided to take it as a compliment when she said, "Wow, Mom! You're starting to relax a bit."
It was kinda hot and steamy that weekend, so I didn't even bother to style my hair. I just accepted the fact that it was going to look a bit windblown and wild-n-crazy. Oddly enough, people seemed to like this look on me. Plus, it seemed to suit the footloose and fancy free attitude of my Staycation.
Before heading out that night to join friends, I spent a little time on my back porch getting reacquainted with my guitar. I was trying to learn and practice a new song, "To Make You Feel My Love." I love this song, written by Bob Dylan and covered by many. I particularly enjoy how a gal on YouTube interprets the song. I tend to think of two things when I play it:
- how very much God loves me
- how very much I love my children
It just doesn't get much better than that.
That night, I joined a group of friends at a downtownish bar with an outdoor patio. We gathered there to watch and listen to a local band, one I had not heard before. They described their style as "American outlaw music." We had a fun time visiting and listening to the band, and I even met two new friends!
Later in the evening, another good friend of mine noticed my Facebook Check In and sent a text asking if I'd still be downtown later. He was working late (as he often does) and looking for a reason to take a break and have a beer. I encouraged him to join us. Being the thoughtful person that he is, he asked, "Are you with someone special?"
Indeed!
I told him I was with a group of friends, that we were ALL special, and that he was welcome to join.
The band was starting to get a bit too loud for visiting, so I decided to meet him at his new favorite hangout ... a hipster tavern that recently opened downtown. Glad I did, because it was a groovy place and a groovy new experience. However, because the night still seemed so young and pretty, I finally insisted we continue our visiting on a patio. We found a cozy spot outside of a nearby martini bar and continued chatting it up.
More good wine. Another lovely evening. In the company of good friends.
Life is good.
Cheri
P.S. Except for the ones I met this day, all of the friends mentioned in today's (and yesterday's) post were instrumental in supporting me through a very challenging year. Some are newer friends I met because of my struggles this past year. Others I've known longer, and one I've known for over 17 years. Special people, indeed!
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