Weekend round-up

This weekend round-up is belated due to exhaustion. I was too tired from the very weekend I was attempting to write about. After 2 rambling, incoherent attempts (I know, I know...how is that different from every other post? it was, somehow), I gave up and decided to wait until I had an ounce of energy. So, here we go.

Friday I eagerly anticipated the arrival of family. Unfortunately, their 12 hour drive had snowstorms, car accidents (not theirs) and traffic, so I did not get to see them. However, I spent the evening grocery shopping, cleaning out bookshelves...I got rid of over 40(!) and worrying about the impending holiday...the one where I had decided to have 9 people to my tiny apartment for Easter supper.

Saturday was re-no day. My mom and I painted my bedroom (2 coats) and arranged furniture. This took all. day. Carrie and her mom stopped by for the mom's to meet. My mom cried when she saw Carrie and thanked her for taking good care of me after Scott's death. It was a touching moment. An unexpected trip to the paint shop (no-VOC paint is wonderful, I used Harmony by Sherwin Williams and there no fumes at all...however, it takes a bit more paint than the normal, chemical filled kind. Just so you know )and a lunch at O'Carrs, and then just 1 more hour of painting and we were done! Then I relaxed by going to V.I.P night at the new restaurant in town, Fire and Ice. It was lovely. Complete with free food, not free beer, flirting waiters, delish meals and way too much laughter. We spoke of the thermostat as though it were a person! And we weren't even intoxicated! We were also shushed by a bitter fellow outside. I may or may not have said something along the lines of 'if his wife were half as loud as we were, he would probably be a happier man'...or something like that. Went home, where more family came into town and we finished up the apartment prep for...
EASTER! Woke up early and went and had coffee with my little sis, Ashley. It is so nice to see her. She moved to Wisconsin in Dec., and this is the farthest we have ever lived apart. She is one of my best friends and it is nice to have her staying with me for most of the week. Lots of sitting on the bed late at night talking about life. ANYWAY, then the madness began. We straightened, mopped, did food prep...the works. Mom came over and real work began. I did not have foil for the ham (who knew you needed foil?), nor did I have enough potatoes...thank God for the Western's Easter hours. Everything was scheduled for 2...so at 1:45 they all started rolling in. We had been counting on those last 15 minutes to get a lot done, so the moment the cars pulled up was a flurry of last minute activity ("Quick, grab my handbag, hide this mirror we never got around to hanging, move the coffee table, Ashley, go stall...er, help them out of their cars!").
The next 4 hours passed in a haze of cooking, talking, playing baseball in the backyard with my 5 year old brother and good memories of Scott. Oh, didn't I mention? To honor Scott and do something that I knew he would love, I invited his paternal Aunt and Uncle and Grandmother. They got along just swimmingly with everyone, and I think everyone fell in love with everyone else. Lots of laughing and politics talk (what is it with people over 65 talking loudly about politics?) and remembering holidays past. Stories were told, glasses were lifted, friends were made. It was a very redemptive meal for me. Here in my apartment, inviting everyone to my table and preparing food. Breaking bread with one another, knowing the sadness that had past and feeling the new life that Easter and Spring bring with them.
The house emptied at 6:45 and I sat down exhausted. Shed some tears over the sadness of doing this by alone and missing Scott. He would have loved it. Every second of it. He would have been in the kitchen, cooking and out back, playing baseball, pouring wine for the older folks and telling stories with Sue Ellen.
At 8:30 I was in bed, asleep by 9:30. Whew.

Easter had new meaning for me this year. Life after death. Celebration after Mourning. Feasting after fasting. Yes.

*pictures to come soon*

Weekend round-up

This weekend was more social than most. It felt like my 'coming back into the real world' weekend, which was nice though daunting. Here is the run down:
Friday: work 1/2 day, in jeans. Pissed off at the impending weather doom. After work, made some killer guac. and headed to Susan's house with CJ for some catching up. Laughed so hard that I cried. We joked, mourned, celebrated, ate good food, drank good drinks. It was so refreshing. That is the way I would describe Su...refreshing. I could tell dirty jokes about ex boyfriends and politicians and we would just laugh, laugh, laugh. Loved it.

Saturday: Brunch with friends that was a bit of a friend set up. Walked around Naked Art, admiring the great local art and reminiscing about when it was Zoeys, and VRichards was too small to seat everyone (I miss it). Then I went and illegally printed some Screenplays from a library. I am not going to say much, except that we got busted and I still got the print-outs and saved the day. I am such a bad ass! Like Uma Thurman, without the killing and the Quentin Tarantino dialogue.
Speaking of dialogue, next month starts Script Frenzy, the month long insanity of writing a full length screenplay in 30 days. I participated last year with friends and this year am the leader of the Birmingham Region. It was such a fun event and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is just 30 days of free flowing ideas and typing any bad idea that comes to mind. No editing, just writing. It is a rush and I rediscovered my love of writing from it. I actually went on to enter a contest, which I placed 4th in (a big deal for a beginner). If you are interested, check out the link and get in touch with me. You won't regret it. More posts to come on it. ANYWAY, I also read some scripts this weekend.

Saturday night I went with CJ to the Magic City Art Connection benefit soiree. What a scene. The Birmingham paparazzi was out in full force, as were everyone who wanted to see and be seen. We mingled, had our pictures taken, drank some free beer and hit the road...to the Speakeasy to see Vulture Whale. What a fun band of nice guys who make kick ass music. Check em out. Always enjoy their shows. Also played some rousing games of Foosball, which created a bit of a crowd (people seem to love dressed up girls drinking beer and yelling at the table,not to mention talking complete smack to each other!). Stayed and saw a few songs by Tiger Piss...an, um, interesting band. Got home late, smelling like smoke.
this was a crowd of people that I had not seen in about 2 months, and I was very nervous. It was great. I went with a safe friend, and eased into the social scene. I don't think that I will be back in full force, but occasionally it is nice.

Sunday, I did what is becoming routine. Sleep late, then bike to Starbucks to read and hang out. Got a call that I am getting an antique dresser, chest and new Queen sized bed this week...as a gift! Yea! I am trying to make my apt homey, especially my bedroom...this is going to do wonders for that. Am so very, very excited. A nice end to a nice weekend.
Well, I have another script to read and some dishes to do. This time change thing is messing me up, but I love it! Daylight at 6:35!!
Have a good week.

Little Miss Sunshine

That is what I feel like today. Sun is shining, I am wearing a spring dress (ok, I have a long sleeved T underneath and tights, but still...), loud music, sunroof open. I would give anything to be able to take the rest of the day off, get on my bike and just go. Water bottle on board, book in the basket, me and my thoughts and the wind and the sun. Glorious.

Days like today and I am all "What problems? My life is wonderful, perfect, sunny! who wants to plant something and then make pesto and drink mojitos and talk too loudly and laugh too hard and too long?"

ME, that's who.

it even makes me not care that I have 2 huge holes in the toes of my tights.

on a related note, a friend just told me that the State Motto for South Carolina is dum spiro spero, which apparently means "while I breathe, I hope." Isn't that lovely? Can someone steal a State's motto for their own? Well, I just did. Thanks, Trip for the info.