Weekend

How was your weekend? Can I tell you about mine? It was so fun. So. Much. Fun! And, to be truthful, I didn’t really expect it to be as fun as it was, which is always a lovely surprise. So, can I tell you what we did?

As you know, I am still on vacation (STILL) and so Friday, when Patrick got home from work, we ate a lovely meal and put Colin to bed and then I got to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes – rearranging the furniture. I know I talked about how I’ve been doing this recently in my last, somewhat vitriolic post, but this was some SERIOUS moving. It might sound ridiculous, but I love the Instant Makeover rush when you put everything in a new arrangement and you have a whole new room before you. So refreshing. So I moved stuff all over the place and hung new pictures and re-purposed space and it felt great. It always feels great to sweep out the cobwebs and start over with a shiny new (but old) room.

I did this in (sort of) honor of my father-in-law who came for an overnight visit on Saturday. Now, as you may remember, my F-i-L is a character in every sense of the word and can be rather unpredictable when it comes to reacting to things. It’s like he didn’t ever get the orientation session about how to bite your tongue and say something nice. That man, if nothing else, is honest. So there was a little bit of tension in the air when he came in and took a brisk walk about the house, hands clasped behind his back, looking at the symmetry of the pictures I’d hung only ten minutes before his arrival and examining the kitchen counter for crumbs. When he finally turned to me with a warm smile and said, “the place looks great!” we knew we were in for a good weekend.

Call me prejudiced, but I think that men sometimes have a more difficult time knowing what to do with children or babies than women might. My F-i-L is an example of this generalization and it took him a bit to warm up to Colin. He was very interested in what Colin’s been up to, what milestones he’s achieved (“He’s still not walking yet, huh?), and how he likes day care, and certainly took enough photos to prove his genetic investment in Colin, but didn’t actually touch him for probably two hours. Colin finally found his way over to his grandfather’s legs, threw himself across them, and gave his best pick-me-up-pleeeeease eyes. Game over.

I had made arrangements for my sister to babysit for the evening so we could go out for dinner. We went to a lovely place just down the street and drank plenty of rich, yummy, Spanish red wine. We had a Very Serious Conversation thanks to said wine, and came home feeling full and lovely.

Sunday was an action-packed day. We spent most of the morning at the world-class Indianapolis Children’s Museum, where we all found things to obsess over. For me, it was the water clock in the lobby. For Colin, it was the little boat pool. Patrick loved the Indy car on the third floor. And for my F-i-L, surprisingly, it was Colin. Colin was thrilled with everything, but I have never seen such delight than my F-i-L watching Colin’s reactions. It was really lovely to have three generations all together, loving life and each other.

To round out our unexpectedly wonderful weekend, we, along with the Baby Mama and crew, went to an old friend’s house for dinner. This old, lovely friend was mine from high school, who now has a husband and daughter as well as a lovely house out in the country. The six adults and the three kids all played so well together and we stayed late (for the kids) sitting out in their wooded yard around a fire, eating cake, telling stories, swinging on swings, drinking beer, and laughing. Oh, how we laughed and talked and connected on so many levels. There is something so profound about reconnecting with an old friend after losing touch for more than a decade. When you re-meet that person who knew you as a child, as a young adult, and introduce them to your new, grown up self and the family and life you made in the meantime, it offers a rare chance to go back and see who you were and, of course, to see how far you have come.

So, that was my weekend. Filled with family and friends and laughter and stories. A wonderful few days.

So now, tell me, what was meaningful about your weekend?