Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

 

Some one on one time with my dad today. I can't remember the last time it was just the two of us. It was really nice and we both said we will do it again soon. 

Long talks with my aunt in AZ and my uncle in MI last night, and plans to visit both of them this summer. Maybe fall for Arizona because I don't do Hades heat.

Mike is home. He's way under the weather, but I'm hoping a good night's sleep in his own bed and a relaxing weekend will be curative.

 

Local butcher shops. I stopped at one today and was reminded that buying local is always better.

 

My yard. I'm a novice gardener, but I'm not giving up. I have iris blooming in a not ideal spot, my ferns are taking over and sometimes I cannot differentiate between a weed and a plant, but I get so much joy taking care of it all.

 

Iris. They remind me of my first home. The front walk was flanked with them. I cued my dad into that memory today.

 

 

These cookies taste as good as they look.

 

This girl, one of the best people I know and love.

 

These two...young love...true love.

These two...old friends...good friends.

Just a Day

I just returned from a trip to the nursery. I thought it would be a good day because it's cool and windy. I was right...it was not overly crowded and still amply stocked. The baskets were all so lush and vibrant that I ended up with a trunkful. Every May I stop here to get the sweet violaceous Strepto Carpella plants that remind me of my mom. It's a ritual visit because they mean so much to me and they are hard to find. Today I was seduced by the rainbow of color and I went with it. It was a bit of a surprise that this family owned nursery managed to hold last year's prices. That makes me feel even better about supporting them. They have integrity and decency and boy do I appreciate that especially these days.

On the way home, I passed farm stand after farm stand. I am ready for fresh, local produce. I have a basket of ripening tomatoes that I've planned to use in a roasted tomato soup all week. Maybe tonight after I take a walk with the kids. They've been gone summering every night as they should be. Golf dates, beach bonfires, parties...the usual. I've been craving nothing but pbjs and tall glasses of milk as I'm convalescing.

It's a good week for a quiet week. I've been battling a bug. I'm returning to health, but still dog tired. I slept 10 hours last night and didn't even hear my alarm. Try as I might...I cannot make the transition to consistent beginning of day exercise. In full transparency, there's been no exercise this week save for a tennis game Saturday that left me feeling latent muscles before bed that night. A new sign of my age: feeling sore not the next day, but within hours. Yet, I'm looking forward to more matches this summer. This year's Windmill Beach Olympics will be held at Webb Lake and tennis is sure to be one of the events.

The kit kats have been missing Mike this week. He's traveling. He spoils them during the day when he's home. It's a good thing that the new bird feeder is full and it's open window/door weather. The critters in the yard make for good viewing.

I'm wrapping my head around the fact that this weekend is already Memorial Day. May has been a bit of a blur. I'm planning on savoring June, July and August...and then the rest of the year too.

Where to Begin

I woke up this morning feeling summer. It's not just the warming temps...it's my state of mind. It's been go go go for months now. This is the first time in a long time that I feel like I can just be. Casa Wags is bursting at the seams...full of kids and their stuff. Friends are coming and going. Dinner is after dark because the kids are taking advantage of sunset golf. This is my happy place.

The past week was about celebrating our recent grad. The ceremony was a week ago Saturday and we had a festive string of gatherings. Ted is a master procrastinator, which made planning a party at the 11th hour a bit of a challenge, but it really could not have been any better. There is a lesson for me in that I know. Don't let perfect ruin perfectly good.

We had a quaint and fabulous Friday night dinner at Kettle Black Kitchen. Securing reserves was a Hail Mary thanks to Aunt Ashley. Every restaurant and hotel in the area were 110 percent booked. It was not a second choice either. It's a standout spot in both cuisine and ambience. It was the perfect kick off gathering.

We woke Saturday to find that the weather was just right for graduation at Camp Randall. No rain and moderate temps were perfect for a day spent mostly outside. It felt like a gift.

The stadium was packed with over 7000 graduates and their peeps. Ted had a well represented cheer squad. The best parts of the ceremony were when Bucky came on stage and lead the crowd in Jump Around and at the end when we sang Varsity. The rest of the ceremony was very political and impersonal. My husband, brother and I struggled to remember the details of our own UW graduations so it appears not much has changed. I think what remains is the good stuff...the important stuff like the beginning of an exciting new chapter and the people who showed up to honor it all.

Showed up, supported, and celebrated Ted.

 

We headed back to Brooks Street for champagne toasts and good food. A local restaurant catered our spread and I much preferred the casual mingling to a stuffy restaurant. Eventually all the roommates trickled in and we had quite a Badger party. The kids headed out to the bars as day turned to night and the rest of us went out for pizza and STAT to bed.

All I wanted for Mother's Day was a nap with my kittens. Saturday's promised showers thankfully waited until Sunday. Ted surprised me with flowers and Lils put together a thoughtful basket of my favorite things. She got them all. My girl also made dinner. Yep, Caesar salad with a side of aglio olio. It was the perfect end to one perfect weekend.

Ted and Meryl came to town for the week and we were happy that the good times continued.

And now I am ready to retreat and revive.

Grateful Friday

Pinch me! I have so much to be grateful for this past week, but I'm still busy celebrating our recent graduate. It's been a stretch of days that has me continuously counting my blessings, but I'll be back soon.

 

 My post graduation toast...more or less.

 It’s a bit mind blowing that we’re here today celebrating your college graduation.

Already here.

You’ve probably heard me say, years are minutes.

It’s especially true when I look back at the first time Dad and I brought you to Madison…

You were 6 months old.

We bought you your first UW cap not really expecting that one day you would become a Badger.

It really doesn’t seem that long ago, but it was almost exactly 22 years ago.

I’m proud of the young man you are.

You’ve always been passionate, driven, dedicated.

Albeit, the focus of your attention has changed throughout the years: Little Bear, Thomas the Train, Harry Potter, baseball…always baseball and all the sports, your squad, your future.

You dream, plan, set goals and make connections.

You don’t always see things through..Ahem Cloudy Cakes and 4 x 4 x48 come to mind, but don’t stop dreaming.

Yours is a bright future and that makes me happy and proud.

I know you’ve also heard me say, be here now.

Today is about today. Not the past and not the future.

It’s about the 4 years of hard work and determination that has brought us all here today.

We who have supported, championed, loved and lived vicariously through you along the way.

I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for that.

Let’s raise a glass in celebration and all say:

Congratulation Teddy!

On WI!

You’ve won this game.

Lily's toast brought on the tears! Not a dry eye in the house!

 Papa Wags killed his toast too.

 

Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

A beautiful day today and  the rest of the weekend will be windows open weather. Spring cleaning is on the agenda. I'm Marie Kondoing my life. The only other musts are a dinner date with my guy Saturday and Hadestown with Jess Sunday so both wants tbh.

This week we finally got graduation plans squared away. I was trying to play it cool, but it was making me crazy. Getting 22 year old boys to commit to plans is like herding cats. I managed to secure post ceremony catering by the hair of my chinny chin chin and my cookie lady came through. My sister-in-law arranged Friday night dinner plans and now I can breath.

Miss Bit is coming home next week. I have missed her even though I frequently get adorable selfies.

Our kit kats for keeping us company whilst the kids are away.

We said goodbye to this view. The next time I visit Chicago, I'll be taking the train and staying in a hotel.

This view during my walk the other day.

Picturesque evening skies.

The good eggs. So very worth it.

A new kelly green shirt and a pretty yellow sweater. Not together. My son actually complimented me when we were FaceTiming the other night. It's fun to explore some new colors.

Hannah is on the road to recovery. It truly is a blessing and a miracle.

Mike and I are talking about becoming expats when we retire. We've always thought we would go north along lake Michigan, but it's becoming more of a possibility that we'll be on an entirely different body of water as this country continues to disintegrate.