Weekend Wrap-Up

I was all set for a quiet, calm weekend. I had very little planned and was looking forward to relaxing, catching up on sleep, getting some laundry done, tackling the mountain of dishes which threatens to topple over every time the cat gets close, and even doing a little crafting in all my spare time. Spare time? Ha. My weekend had other plans.
Friday night I headed over to have dinner with my dad and stepmom. They are about to start remodeling their kitchen, and I got to see all their new appliances (which are beyond gorgeous -- I'm so jealous!) and samples of the flooring, countertops, and backsplash. I think it's all going to look great once everything is in... I'm such a sucker for gorgeous kitchens, so now I'm counting the days years until I get to design one of my very own. My stepmom and I watched Black Swan after dinner, which we'd both been wanting to see (my poor father was less than interested but turned over the remote... he knew he had been outvoted) It was definitely intense, but to be honest I don't think it lived up to all the reviews I heard while it was in theaters. I liked it, but I think I was expecting to love it more than I did.
I had planned all week to go for a long run on Saturday, and when I finally got my butt out the door it seemed that the weather was actually going to cooperate: it was cloudy and cool but had finally stopped storming. I headed over to our local university campus, which is about the only place I know to run more than 5 miles without covering the same ground several times over. I was aiming for 8 miles (my longest to date -- baby steps, boys and girls) and was feeling fantastic by mile 5... which is right about the time it started to rain again. At first I assumed I'd have to pack it in and was pretty annoyed that I hadn't gotten in the mileage I wanted, especially since I was sure that I could make it three more miles with no problem. As I headed back to my car, though, I realized that I was kind of enjoying the little shower -- it cooled me off and chased everyone else inside, so the sidewalks were blissfully clear. I approached an intersection and had a decision to make: turn right and go straight to my car, about half a mile away, or go straight and take the long way back, which would get me up to at least 7 miles. I was just about to cross the road, going straight, when the sky absolutely lit up with lightning. I took a sharp right and headed for home -- fast -- and not 10 seconds later the little sprinkle turned into full-on downpour. By the time I made it to the cover of my car, I was absolutely drenched, my shoes were completely waterlogged, and I was sure my poor phone was a goner. Thankfully I had a towel stowed away in my trunk, so I was able to dry my phone (which amazingly survived the ordeal) and bundle up in an attempt to stave off pneumonia. I was really disappointed to only make 6 miles, but under the circumstances I had to give myself a little bit of a break. There's always next weekend!
I had a baby shower for one of Dan's cousins to attend Sunday afternoon, and in true form I had halfway planned the gift but hadn't made it out to do the actual purchasing. It's just so dang fun to shop for babies that I wanted to buy just about everything in the store, but I ended up settling on this classic:

This was my absolute favorite as a kid, and I hope that it will inspire a love of reading in this little one like it (and all the other great books my parents read to me over and over) did for me. I also snuck in a Starbucks gift card for her mama, because I know that she'll need the caffeine in the coming months!
Last night I went over to Dan's parents for dinner and to spend time with my lovely sister-in-law, who is in town with her kids for a few weeks. I got to meet my new nephew C, who has to be the cutest thing in the entire world. There is truly nothing I love more than holding a happy baby, and C and I spend the evening just grinning at each other. Adorable! His older brother and sister have both grown up so much, and it's really fun to see their little personalities start to emerge. I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with them while they're here!
So my quiet, calm weekend became a little loud, a little stressful, and lot... wet. But luckily I was able to get lots of sleep last night, which came in handy when I was slammed with work right as I walked in the door this morning. Thankfully, I have plans with a friend tonight for pasta, wine, and some much needed girl time!

   Love,

    Meg