weekending

Despite going to bed early last night, I'm dragging today. I didn't sleep well. My mind would not shut down. I just got up from an after work rest with Finn. Usually I'm taking a late afternoon nap with Hazel, but today Finn cuddled up and sleep was elusive. It's Ok though because often times rest is enough.

The weekend was long and lively. Friday we kicked it off with Eric Church and he didn't disappoint. Elle King was sassy and so much fun too. It was THE perfect night for an outdoor performance with my guy. As EC was singing Hell of a View, the sky erupted with fireworks and it was...indeed...a sight.

I felt my age as we sped through the festival to catch a bus home. In the old days, I would've stayed until closing time. Nowadays I just wanted to get home.

I was grateful for a quiet morning with my coffee and Hazel. I did a little work, took Lils and Meryl for pedicures, and then we made homemade pizzas and introduced Meryl to Wizard, which she picked up quicker than any newbie I've ever played with, and what's more is that she liked it and almost won.

Lily was busy going to Summerfest and the beach with her tribe. Her roomie was in town for the weekend so we saw little of her. Ted and Meryl invited me and Mike out for a surprise date on Saturday night, which was so very sweet and fun! First I thought we were going to Hooligans and then I thought our destination was the cat cafe, but we went down Black Cat Alley to the Shanghai. I had never heard of this clandestine speakeasy, but I'll definitely visit again. The drinks were so unique and delicious. We ended up at Hooligans for our favorite wings after cocktails. We ran into old neighbors and then Lily's erstwhile soft ball coach. We're known as Smallwaukee for good reason. Our last stop was Paddy's Pub for a night cap, and who was behind the bar, but Paddy herself. That was another blast from the past as she used to groom our dogs many years ago in our previous lives.

 

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Meryl left Sunday morning, Lily met friends for brunch, Mike and Ted played a few tennis matches, and I restocked the frig and filled the laundry baskets with clean clothes. At the end of the day, Mike made pork chops and I put together my favorite risotto, an easy oven version that is indistinguishable from the fussy stove top dish. I also heated the cabbage and garlic side that I'd gotten from Trader Joe recently, and I'll be going back for more.

This week is rolling right along onto the 4th holiday. It's a little surreal that we are at this point already. Instead of lamenting the steadfast passage of time, I'm going to soak in all of the allure of the next couple months of all four of us home together. It's busy and messy and I wouldn't have it any other way.