Slumber Parties, wedding showers, and upcoming birthdays...

First, look how cute my grandparents were when they got married!

The kid is with Grandma and the boy is in Japan so I am left to my own devices this weekend. I don't recall being home without anyone around for a whole weekend anytime in the last couple of years. It's kind of frightening how quiet it is. I find myself talking to my cats a lot. The cats just sort of look at me with what I think might be pity? Maybe I am just being paranoid.

Anyhow, I am going to remedy this whole "alone" situation by having a sleepover at my friend's house this eve. In fact there will be a few girls there, it will be a full fledged pajama party. There will be fruity drinks consumed, a blender involved, PJ's, guitars and a lot of old movies that make girls cry.

Tomorrow I go to a bridal shower for my future sister in law who's wedding is just around the corner (The day after my birthday in fact.)

Speaking of Birthdays, it seems one of my favorite local bands is playing on my birthday! What good timing!
If you know me well enough to know
A: who my favorite local bands are
and
B: when my birthday is,
you should totally be there!

I just won't tell you how old I am going to be this year, so don't even ask.

Not Going Home

The apartment is quiet other than the random conversations people are having outside as they stroll past the window. It's hot today so there are more people outside and the windows are open. It is much louder here than it was in Alaska. I am more aware of the noise here after being away from it for a week.

My baby stayed with grandma for a chunk of her summer vacation. That is hard. I keep expecting her to come out of her room and ask me something or show me her new artwork like she does.

Being away from her is like missing a limb, you can feel it but it isn’t there. I know she enjoys her summers away, and I get used to it, but the first days are always the hardest. Jon worries about how hard it will be for me when she reaches adulthood and moves away. I can only pray that following her dreams doesn’t take her too far away from me. I still have another 6 or so years before she graduates, so I have a little time to wrap my mind around that one.

The much needed rest was exactly that; restful. No chaos, no noise, no drama, just peace and quiet and a few (a lot) of wild animals. I was seriously considering not coming home up until the moment the plane lifted off the ground. Even now, I don't feel like I am completely here.

In Alaska I caught fish. I got seasick, rained on and wind/sun burned. I saw orcas, moose with baby, bears with babies, otters, sea lions, puffins and many other animals wandering around free and happy. (With that list you would think I went to a zoo, but that isn’t the case at all)

I visited some of my oldest friends, got to spend some time with my daughter’s older sister (They are starting to look so much alike) and spend some QT with my family, my mommy and my WSF.

This morning we had breakfast with Jon’s father for his 60th birthday and now I am sitting at home with a tall stack of DVD’s watching them one at a time. (Well sort of, part of me is watching DVD's the other part of me is daydreaming and plotting my future.)

I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, but at least I have Tuesday off. Thank God for small mercies.


Not Going Home
By: The Elected

The tree in the front of the yard
is starting to grow
now that we've trimmed away the leaves
now look at it go
and that's just how I feel
now that we've started to reveal
all the things I thought I lost
and the hard time I concealed
and that's just how I know
how I felt the solid glow
how I felt the bitter cold
and no, I'm not going home
sometimes you just wouldn't dare
sometimes you can't go home
sometimes you're already there
when I look at you, i'm there...