Fun Friday Nights and Family Time

Last weekend, I somehow managed to stay up well past my bedtime on more than one occasion.  Friday night's concert at the Pabst was occasion enough to see the other side of 11pm.  Being in the second row certainly helped, too.  It felt an awful lot like a private show -- if you ignored the weird cat-calling/painful howling that came from somewhere in the lower balcony -- and was amazing from start to finish.

It seems that this has become the year of music in our household: between at-home concerts courtesy of Brian and mostly out-of-town trips to see the likes of Tedeschi Trucks Band,  Of Monsters and Men, John Mayer, and now David Gray, there has no shortage of good music in our lives, and Friday's show made me all the more excited for our summer trip to Red Rocks (we have tickets for two evenings with TTB thanks to an 'accidental' purchase, or so Brian says).  I was so inspired, in fact, that I attempted to play a few chords on the guitar - that lasted all of 12 seconds, though, as my child-sized hands didn't quite do what they were supposed to or reach the right places - there goes my second career...



On Saturday, Brian and I headed to Delavan to visit with my dad's family.  Most of his cousins from his mom's side of the family, many of whom I have not seen for a very, very long time (or ever??), were in town, and so too were all of my Unti aunts and uncles.  It was a really great time to catch up with everyone and to see a few of my own cousins, too.  As is the case any time I get to spend time with my dad's family, I heard my fair share of stories, some of which make me wonder how my uncles ever survived their teenage years (or moreover, why my grandparents kept them around!).  I am beyond blessed to have such a great family and to be so close to so many of my cousins, and it was clear that the value I find in those connections is something I have learned from my own parents' relationships with their siblings and cousins.  I had all sorts of warm feels Saturday - I'm blessed!




Somehow Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, which means we will be spending more time with both friends and family, and I cannot wait.  Also, there will only be eight
days of school after Memorial Day, so that's a pretty good thing :) I'm looking forward to summer - more time for more guitar lessons - hah!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AJ Runs Several Ks...and Writes About It

Image
On Saturday, May 6, I returned to half marathon racing. It had been quite a hiatus, and my previous half marathon, was completed with a blown out IT band, so I did have to balance high hopes and realistic expectations. After all, a lot has changed since that last race. They say that age is just a number, and by that logic, a half marathon is just miles. 13.1 long and hilly miles in this case, and now officially in the next decade of my life. Yeah, yeah, just a number. Last year, still in my 30s, I toyed with the idea of returning to racing and with running the Door County Half Marathon. We were in Peninsula State Park for our annual Mother’s Day weekend, and the race was taking place. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back to some really good training. Our plan - always - is to be in Door County for our Mother’s Day celebration, so why not sign up?! Well, back to numbers. Two children, one partner, too many hours at work each week, one bike ride/race to each weekend, an
Read more

My Dad, OUR Hero

Image
This past weekend, we celebrated my dad’s 30 years of service to and retirement from the Mukwonago Fire Department. As both a volunteer fire fighter and EMT, he has spent several decades in service of others. During what surely was one of their most trying times, it was my dad who was with people he’d never met and likely wouldn’t see again. To do that on top investing in full-time work, his family, and his other interests is simply remarkable. And that’s my dad: a driven, generous, passionate man. The Mukwonago Fire Department was a part of my youth. The men and women he served with became my dad’s second family, and thus they were there for many of my milestones. My weekends were were filled with various events hosted by MFD, including community events and that one family picnics that ended with Dad getting stitches. Sometimes my weekends - and weeknights - were also filled with quick goodbyes as another call pulled Dad away from our family plans. The sound of his pager and the
Read more

Milestone

Image
I mentioned, not too long ago, interest in a birthday trip to ATL. Michelle Obama would be there for her book tour, the weather is fall-like this time of year and perfect for a long run, and it’s a city I haven’t explored much of. My partner heard me. He showed up, like really showed up!   Just about a week ago, Harper brought me a birthday card and gift she and B had been working on. It was my own copy of  The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times , and a Happy Birthday picture of a plane, a peach, and a pink and purple suitcase (my favorite colors).     I had otherwise been planning a jaunt from home along the Glacial Drumlin Trail and snack day at H’s school. That would have been great. But Brian has been helping me work on prioritizing myself to maintain balance; time away was earned, needed, permissable. To say I was excited for the weekend was an understatement. B attended to all the details (also needed AND appreciated): flights, hotel accommodations, transportation,
Read more