I needed a weekend like this with days that weren't overfilled, but not so open that I simply drifted through the hours, finding myself on the other side with nothing whatsoever done.
The weather the past few days has been perfect, just what I hope to find in heaven - blue skies ... temperatures warm enough for shorts but not for sweat, and dropping enough to need a light jacket once the sun goes down.
Daniel came home this weekend; it was time to do laundry, but I think he also just likes being home for a change ... playing with the puppies, reading in the hammock. I picked him up Friday afternoon and on the way home, we made a quick run into Target to get the "Crazy Heart" DVD. So you know what we did when we got home ... (I love that movie ... it was just as good the second time.)
This past week I started getting up at 4 AM again to work on my book; I gave up trying to squeeze more time out of the day anywhere else. Consequently, I slept later Saturday morning than I have in months. I cannot describe how wonderful that felt. The only thing on my agenda was taking the Girl shopping - almost always a fun way to spend the day if I'm not rushed for time and we manage to find what we need on clearance racks. I'm blessed with frugal kids who know how to sniff out the bargains and sales and know their way around a discount store.
We had time to stop for an early Mexican food dinner and later she introduced me to Yo-Yo's frozen yogurt: first you get a taste of everything in these teensy sample cups, then fill a large cup with the cheesecake- and strawberry-flavored yogurt (we agree they're the best), topped with chunks of real cheesecake and mini-chocolate and caramel candies. Decadent, but so good!
Six hours later, both of us exhausted, I dropped her back off at her dorm. She had found what she needed, more or less, and I had found what I didn't really need but couldn't pass up because it was so cheap!
Back home, I settled down to watch the last half of Avatar with Daniel and Tom, but started snoozing before it was even over. I guess I hadn't quite caught up on my sleep.
Sunday was late Mass and the grocery store and planting color - calla lilies not far from the pond ... a deep pink blooming miniature rose bush, pink periwinkles and geraniums in the bed at the top of the walkway. (I'm a lazy gardener - I dig a hole and plop them in with a prayer and a can of water - but I hope these live. Periwinkles and roses remind me of my grandmothers; geraniums remind me of my mother. I even went back to the calla lilies today with the watering can.)
Sunday was also a little dose of "Flight of the Conchords" with Daniel - one of those shows you need to share with someone who enjoys it as much as you do. I only watch it when Daniel's home. Tom just doesn't appreciate how funny it is!
This morning, the alarm went off again at 4 AM - another Monday so soon? I rolled out of bed, trying not to disturb Tom, and stepped out of the bedroom. Moonlight splashed across the living room floor, rewarding my determination and dedication. It was almost as if the moon was cheering me on, encouraging me, giving me a pat on the back for sticking to it. Not a bad way to start a Monday after all. Even if it's starting at 4 AM.
