Heather, Brad and Me
I had a house full of “kids” this weekend. I love a house full of kids! It had been about two months since Brad’s last visit, so it was high time he came home for a while. He, Heather and Dacotah Dog arrived Thursday night and I was SO happy. Lucy was happy too. She thinks that Brad and Heather belong to her and she takes full possession of their attention every chance she gets. And she was ecstatic to have another dog to play with for a few days. Good thing Brad is a dog lover. When he’s home, he gets to sleep sandwiched between two dogs.
It was a great weekend. Saturday brought sunshine and blue skies and plenty of heat. And as luck would have it, our good friends, Bill and Tammy invited us out for a day on their boat on the St. Croix River. We packed a cooler and put on our suits and sunscreen. Bill took us up the river, north of Stillwater where there was less boat traffic. The day was calm and the scenery so peaceful and after we’d gone quite a ways, he turned off the engine and just drifted back downriver slowly. Brad and Bill took turns climbing on to the roof of the boat and jumping in the water. Afterwards, the rest of us took turns floating behind the boat, lounging in the sun and talking about everything and anything.
Mark and Captain Bill
Sara and Brad
Scenery
It was a perfect day and it felt so good to just kick back and relax with family and friends. We were home by mid-afternoon and the girls and I did some shopping. I scored the deal of the day – sixteen place settings of Rachel Ray dinnerware for 75% off! (Thank you, Gordman’s!) When I brought all the boxes of dinner plates, salad plates, cereal bowls and coffee mugs in, Mark looked at me and said, “What did you do? How much did all this cost?”
“Under seventy bucks,” I said.
“No way,” he said!
“Way!” I said.
Needless to say, he was proud of my bargain hunting skills and I was happy to have finally found a new set of stoneware for our kitchen.
Everyone was sleepy by late afternoon after all of that sun and water and shopping. We lounged in the living room watching movies and napping and then squeezed in a visit to Grandma and Grandpa before having a late dinner of grilled fish and steaks, grilled asparagus, and a colorful garden salad. Dinner was topped off with blonde brownies, fresh from the oven, courtesy of Kacey. Yum!
Sunday came too soon. Brad and Heather left before noon, planning to make a stop at Heather’s parents’ house before going back to Fargo. It always feels too quiet after they’re gone. It’s happy chaos when the house is full and I find I don’t mind the mess and clutter so much. I made them promise to try to come back at least once more before the summer is over. Just a few more months until Brad graduates and then hopefully they’ll be moving closer to home again!
And all the hard and emotional times you’ve had recently just make these moments easier to appreciate be thankful for.
That is so very true, my friend!
So good to see you happy again, Terri! I agree with de-I. The hardships you’ve been dealing with must have made your time with the family that much sweeter.
How’s Lucy Pie doing? Was she able to play with Dacotah easily?
Congratulations on scoring a great deal at Gordman’s! I’m guessing you put it to use right away with your late supper?
Thanks, SR! Yes, the difficulties that our friends are experiencing lately definitely help me see things in a new light. I’m finding myself grateful for a lot of things I would have taken for granted not long ago.
Lucy is feeling good, but her activity is still restricted. It didn’t take her long to learn that she wasn’t allowed to romp with Dacotah, but they figured out how to have fun without getting too wild. (Smart dogs!)
I actually didn’t put the new dishes to use immediately. I was too tired to unpack and wash it all Saturday night and waited until after the kids left again on Sunday instead.
I really thought this entry was going to take a different turn after reading the title……
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that…
So I went straight to the Urban Dictionary to see what you two were talking about… LOL! It’s not as bad as I thought it might be.
Wait, you had to look up what “motor boating” is?? C’mon Terri!!! Watch Wedding Crashers, there’s a reference there too!
Glad you got to share some water and sun time with the people you care about Terri. Also, nice to see your neck of the woods without snow and ice. Yea summer!
That was a nice day for sure.
It is nice to see that you got to enjoy the weekend after all the recent stress you’ve handled. Having the kids (and Dacotah) come home is great, but I bet it gets a bit hectic for a while (in a good way). I imagine that the house does get a lot quieter after the mob leaves.
I miss hearing these stoies firsthand.
What a great sounding (and looking) weekend! I think you needed this, and deserve it.
Pics of the stoneware?
What a lovely weekend, Terri — thanks for letting us share in it! I can almost feel the sun on my shoulders and the boat gliding beneath me!
Now that sounds like a PERFECT weekend Terri! I am so happy you got to enjoy time like this with your whole family! Most. Excellent.
So glad to hear you’ve had some fun, my friend. Happy 4th of July to you and your family!
Hugs,
Kathy
Sounds like good times with the family.
Looks like the perfect summer weekend.
I too am glad to hear that you had a fun weekend! I know what you mean – I always feel better when the kids are around:-)
I like Gordmans, although I feel like it’s hit or miss…but they have some good deals! I just got some new dress stuff from them for work. Sounds like you scored an awesome deal!
A house full of kids is the best….