Memorial Day Weekend!

We spent Memorial Day Weekend relaxing in the yard. The hammock is lovely in the sun! I got some reading done for school, and Nate got some reading done for fun. Riesling got to romp about the yard for hours - and every one of her friends stopped by at some point to say "Hi!" Riesling was a very happy puppy with all this attention.

We were supposed to head to Charlottesville, VA, for a BBQ with friends. Alas, I wasn't feeling too hot, and just couldn't imagine a 4-hour car ride each way. With regrets to our friends, we missed the BBQ. I am sure it was lovely, and I'm sad to have missed it! On the other hand, it was quite nice to spend a long weekend at home with no plans.

Our next few weekends are filling up quickly. I'm looking forward to our upcoming adventures!

My New Oven!

(and other weekend fantasticness)

Before:During:After:

I love my new kitchen!!! More thanks than I can ever give are due to my awesome big brother. He did all the work, and it looks fantastic. I can't wait to bake him some cookies in thanks!

The whole weekend was exciting. Not only were my brother and sister-in-law down for a visit, we got to celebrate our good friend's 10th anniversary of his 21st birthday with a surprise party. Everyone pulled off the surprise, our friend was shocked to see everyone! It was a lot of fun.

To continue the fun, Nate and I drove up to Philly with my brother and sister-in-law to watch my younger brother graduate from college! I can't believe he is already done. It feels like just yesterday that I was driving up to deliver the family heirloom (a really cool beer coat of arms) and help him move into the dorm. The graduation was... a graduation. But I am so glad that I could be there with the rest of the family to see it! Even my grandmother was there.

After the ceremony, we all drove back to my house for cocktails. We met up with my Aunt and Uncle near the house for some good Maryland eating - blue crabs! (I ate a burger). My cousin also graduated on Sunday, so we were celebrating both our grads. Everyone left first thing Monday morning to head back to life, but it was great getting everyone to my house, if even for a few hours. I even got the chance to show my grammy my cute little house. And she loved it! Her compliments make me feel so proud :-)

Ramblin' (wo)man

I drove nearly 1,000 miles this weekend! Nate stayed home and cleaned the basement while I had some fun.

On Saturday, I drove up to CT for my Godson's 1st Communion. I have always tried to be involved in my little guy's life. And what better occasion for a visit than his 1st Communion? I am his Godmother afterall! The ceremony was great. His church has a fantastic priest, who delivered a highly entertaining sermon for the children. My cousin had a lovely dinner back at her house after the ceremony, where I got to catch up with some family that I don't see as often.

After dinner, I continued North to visit my mom on Mother's Day. We had such a nice visit! We had ice cream for lunch, went shopping (hello, new outfit!), and had a fantastic dinner made by Dad.

On Monday, I hopped in the car once again. This time South, as far as CT (again). My mom and her cousins had been planning a surprise birthday party for my Godson's mother - a luncheon! Boy did we surprise her! She was completely taken aback by the party. She does so much for all of us - she's the most thoughtful person I know - so it was wonderful to be able to do something for her in return. I finally headed back to MD after the party, after a long weekend of driving.

I will say though, I could not have asked for better driving conditions. The sun was shining, and I was the only car on the road!

But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart.

Thank you, Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

With that, sometimes it is nice to be able to see without a myopic blur. Until Friday, both Nate and I were heavily dependent on corrective lenses. But now, lucky Nate has had his vision restored! Thank you, Lasik! He was pretty sore for the first few hours, but is feeling fine now. His eyesight has been getting better daily. And I'm still sticking little plastic disks into my eyes every morning!

Nate and I also got to see a bunch of friends this weekend. One couple had a fun BBQ (the first of the year!) which also meant we got to see their great new house. A bunch of our others friends were able to make it too. It's been forever since we've hung out, so it was a great way to spend Saturday night. I hope we get to see all our friends again soon!