It Was the Best of Times and It Was the Worst of Times . . .

My week, it started off badly . . . Paul left on high adventure and I wouldn’t see or hear from him for days.
But then (shortly after he left) . . .
Allie called from the airport.  Since Paul wasn’t home, I didn’t have to share any of the time with anyone.  Oh, it was wonderful to hear her voice!
That day, I took myself to the movies. . . .

we don’t go to the movies very often.
The next day, I went to check out some places I had never been to that Paul had no interest in going to . . .

My timing was great for the restaurant supply store.  . I didn’t know they had a once a year sale with really good prices!

And I made lemonade from scratch.  My arms ached after squeezing all those lemons!

The next day, I got to play some tennis with some better-than-me players.  I don’t know what go into me, but I chose NOT to move out of the way of an overhead and it hit me in the face.  *sob sob*  There was no one at home to console me.

But I felt good enough to try my hand at homemade spaghetti.  It’s always scared me to try but I did it!

I had an unsuccessful visit to a podiatrist for my toenail fungus.  I got a lecture on how “stupid” doctors are that think there is a cure for it.  That was a waste of time and money.

I finished my solo week with some more tennis (with no injuries this time) . . .

and new dishes!

While Paul might have been off having some “fun”, I think I had more fun. . . . I wonder what I will do next year for my “high” adventure!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We decided to have an anniversary adventure this year so we headed to Cali.

Our destination was Sacramento where we had some planned activities.
First up was the Crocker Museum.

We saw lots of great art but wasted too much time at the beginning looking at the more modern pieces.  It turns out they are my favorite.  I didn’t know that before we went.
Looking at art makes one hungry . . . where else would we go?

It was a great lunch, giving us enough energy to go shopping . . .

which wouldn’t have been as exciting if we had one closer to where we live.
And we drove home. . .

We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area and not too far away from things we don’t have.
What better way to spend one’s anniversary . . . than with each other!

What to do . . .

It was MY birthday so I got to pick.  All the things I wanted to do wouldn’t work because when it’s Mardi Gras time in Louisiana, it is assumed that everyone wants to do Mardi Gras-ish stuff.  So most things were closed (including LSU!)
So this gal who hates shopping picked going to an outlet mall.  Really?  What was I thinking?  Age must have addled my brain.

We hurried back to town to dine at an Italian restaurant I had picked out.  But it was closed.  I guess they were too busy Mardi Gras-ing too.

So we decided to go to the mall. . .  (I still hate shopping) . . and wander around. 
This store had popcorn in every imaginable flavor.

The kids loved the train that chugged around.

and we had a lovely food court lunch.
Later, we met up with the Kellars to get Leah’s picture taken.  It was POURING rain.  I can’t remember the last time I saw it rain so hard.  Good thing they had an umbrella!
While we were waiting for our turn to view the pictures, Samuel took Leah outside. . . without the umbrella!
Jennifer wanted to eat at Golden Corral so we went there and enjoyed a lovely meal with tons of other people. . . most of which let their kids get their own food.  It wasn’t pretty.
No one seemed to remember it was MY birthday and left me sitting at the table while they got their food.  And then, one-armed me had my turn.  It is really hard to slop food on your plate when there is no place to put it down.
At least Leah was cute!

I was extraordinarily grateful for all the texts and facebook wishes I got because all I got here was a last minute “oh yeah, it’s your birthday” at the end of the night.  No bueno.

The BEST Part

All my preparations for the Christmas holiday were pretty much done.  I really wanted to be in this position so I could enjoy myself.
And the fun began with picking Allie up from the airport!  We stopped to hunt down some dressy winter shoes for her. . .


Fun as they were for her to try one, we didn’t pick those ones out.  We left with a more understated pair.
We met up with Paul at Texas Roadhouse.  (Allie had never been there before.)

How I’ve missed having her around.
I tried to get her to decorate the tree. . .

with no luck.  It’s okay. . . I’ve still missed her.
We went shopping. . .
and she tried on clothes. . .

we went shopping for baby clothes, but she got distracted. . .

She played games. . .


and shared YouTube finds. .

and she even helped me grocery shop. . . it’s been a long time since I’ve had company.

As much *fun* as Allie may have been having, I’m sure she was tired of being the only “child” at home.  But for me, it was the beginning of the BEST part.  I absolutely love and adore my family.  I miss my children but I know they are where they need to be.