Wonderful Weekend


Just as there are fewer and fewer days of summer left to enjoy, so too are there fewer and fewer days of me free of crutches and a cast.  As such, Brian and I made the most of the weekend and the weather. 
Friday, I spent the day with Amanda shopping and preparing for her party.  We stopped at Trader Joe’s and also explored Bayshore - I had to get Brian’s last birthday presents.  I was happy to finally get to erehwon, the outdoor store there.  While I was checking out, I was asked if I know Brian.  I admitted that I am married to him, and the cashier was beyond excited.  Turns out, he met Brian when he was in Texas last November.  Brian will downplay it, but he’s really made a name for himself with his website, climbingnarc.com.  Lots of people know him and his site now, and I am so proud of him for that!
Friday evening was Amanda’s party.  Her cousin was on that night’s episode of “Chopped”, one of Brian’s favorite shows, so we ate pizza and snacks and cheered on her cousin - not that she knew we were cheering for her and not that it would matter since she was robbed of victory by one of the jerky competitors.  
Saturday was the day of two parties.  First, we visited Ryan and Todd’s party here in Oak Creek.  They are soon moving to Seattle, so it was likely the last time we’ll see them for a while.  It was also nice to see some of our climbing buddies.  Since we haven’t been at the gym much - long trips and resting wounded parts- we have missed them.  After that party, which featured a “garage sale” for the goods they won’t be taking with them (Brian scored an ab roller and a seed spreader), we headed to Waukesha for my cousin’s 30th birthday bash. 
Our family tends to put on some good parties, and this was no exception.  The Road Dawgs (the name given to my dad, Uncle Skip, Uncle Ed, and “Uncle” Zeke, who like to road trip to Packer, Badger, and Brewer games) were hilarious, and there was plenty of Miller available that evening.  It was also great to see so much of my extended family, who are amazing people.  
Sunday was home-improvement day at the Runnells house.  We have lots of plans for our place, including a fence in the back yard, a storage shed out back, and new floors inside, but we needed to tackle the deck project.  The previous owners seemed to have been a bit hard on the deck, and we wanted to refinish it.  We didn’t want to do any major work just yet (no replacing boards, etc.), so we decided to sand down some worn spots and re-stain/seal it.  Lucky for us, it went from overcast to 100% sunny while we worked, and we nearly melted during the whole process.  It is done now, and it looks fantastic.  Despite a few moments of not seeing eye-to-eye, Brian and I were a great team.  Still, I voted that we call in the professionals next time, as I want to strip the deck and take it back to it’s natural tone (we had to stain it using the same stain the previous owners used - I like it, but I also like the idea of a light, natural wood deck)…or we need to call in Dad and BPB :) 
Now, I’m mentally preparing for tomorrow’s big event.  I’ll keep everyone updated on the hilarity that is my life without Starbucks, Target or walking.  It should be entertaining. 

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