The Weekend

This past weekend involved a wide range of activities, and I enjoyed them all.  

Friday was a quiet night; I've been very busy and stressed lately, so any way of relaxing is good in my book.  After taking care of a few loads of laundry (when did I get so old that I find Friday nights to be a good time for laundry and house chores?!), Brian and I walked to the high school and took in a few quarters of high school football before coming home to watch some TV (cable TV, that is...oh yeah, it is back!).  

Saturday I was up early to get ready for a trip to Illinois.  My cousin Jenny was having her baby shower, and I definitely wanted to be there to celebrate Baby Malic, so I sent Brian to Madison for the Badger game and I headed to south.  I met Jenny and Melanie, who happen to be very adorable mommies-to-be, at Jenny's house and the three of us drove to South Barrington for Jenny's shower, which was held at the Lucky Monk.  If ever in the area, I totally recommend the restaurant; the food was very tasty (pretzel appetizers, giant hamburgers, cake and warm chocolate chip cookies).  It was really sweet to see my cousin unwrapping gifts for her little guy.  I can't believe we're grown up like this!!  Baby Malic sure got some nice goodies.  I kept thinking how my next trip to Madison will have to involve a stop at the pro-shop for Baby Malic's first Badger gear.  After the shower, we went back to Jenny's for a bit and then I headed back to Wisconsin, so I could squeeze in some work time before calling it a day.  Somehow I managed to forget my camera (I was still probably half asleep when I left the house), so I only had my phone to snap pictures with and neglected to get one of Jenny.  Suffice it to say that she looks absolutely amazing! 

Nautical theme 

the cake 

centerpieces - a 3-D Ultrasound picture of Baby Malic, who is super cute!




On Sunday, both Brian and I were up early again.  This time, we had to get our move on so we could make our way to Oconomowoc by 7:30am.  We were meeting our friends Dawn and Chris there.  Together, the four of us drove to Devil's Lake State Park and did some hiking and climbing.  Even though it was a bit warm on Sunday, especially for those of us who really prefer fall weather, the day turned out great.  We found a shady climbing area away from the main crowds and went the whole day without seeing anybody.  When we got back to Oconomowoc, we decided to go out to dinner and spend even more time laughing and talking.  Dawn and Chris are loads of fun, so we are very excited for our next Devil's Lake adventure with them! I wish I had picture of everyone climbing, but they are still on Brian's camera.  I will put together a Devil's Lake photo post soon.  I highly recommend a trip to the Lake.  There are plenty of great hikes and the colors will soon be changing, so it will be especially pretty up there. 

Per usual, the weekend just wasn't long enough.  I sure did pack a lot into it though, and I plan to do the same this coming weekend (though I think my allergies have turned into a cold -- boo). 

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