Holidays and Happy Hearts

Every weekend should be a three-day weekend! 

Our little family packed a lot int our extra time together, which was just what I needed - a glimpse of what's to come -  to get through the last stretch of school days when everyone is counting the minutes until summer.

We started the long weekend with takeout and a 'dinner party' with my parents - nothing says wild Friday night like tacos and Stage 20 of the Gira d'Italia.  Also...guacamole! Saturday included a trip to my parents' house while BR hit the bike trails, and then a meet-up at his parents' house for a Runnells family gathering (good thing I arrived with provisions - his real people clothes - before too many guests arrived). HQ was a big fan of the toys her cousin Addie shared with her and of Great-Grandpa's beard.



The next day was our typical gym day, so we headed to Milwaukee to get some climbing in before a climbing crew party.  When Dawn and Chris host a gathering at 'the prop', we know we are going to have a blast and an amazing feast.  Both were certainly true! Also...more guacamole! My parents were on HQ duty (Thanks, guys. You're the best!), so I willfully joined in what was aptly - and lovingly, I'm sure - named The Battle of the Lightweights.  I don't know who is the undisputed champion of said title, but I remained upright after my drink and a few sips of the famous - at least in our group - Lancrita (Lance Armstrong may no longer be at Tour de France winner, but he sure does win when it comes to finding uses for our favorite mineral water, Topo Chico), so I am calling it a victory.



Monday morning was recovery day for part of the household, the tiniest part of it.  While Brain joined a good portion of the gym crew for a bike ride and I took care of a few of my favorite things (vacuuming and organizing), HQ decided to take advantage of a no-alarm Monday and slept in an extra hour. Our afternoon involved a trek back to Muktown to see Grandma and Nonno and then to Brian's parents' for a Moe family gathering.  And though HQ wasn't a big fan of her auntie's dogs, she was a big fan of extra time with her auntie, new reading material her grandma bought her (we learned that baby rabbits are called kittens), and of her cousins.



And what better way to follow up a long weekend than with a date night?!  We reminisced about our Spring Break BeNeLux trip last year via Cafe Benelux and then headed to the Riverside Theatre for an evening with our favorites, Tedeschi Trucks Band, where we sat front and center - literally! Nice surprise, BR, very nice surprise. If not for the weird behaviors of the people next to us, it was practically our own private show. It was totally worth the sleep deprivation I only somewhat successfully conquered Wednesday (tell me why I thought getting up to go to the gym was a wise idea?!). 
front row fun

TTB 



All the best these past several days, ahhh, all the very best! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Just a Little Evening Adventure

Image
Sometimes you have those days that turn out to be so very different than you expected them to be.  Wednesday was one of those days.  We welcomed houseguest Tuesday evening, and I thought I might do a bit of climbing with them in the morning, but then I expected to return to my typical routine - take a hike/go for a run, do some work and head to the gym for some evening climbing with Brian.  Instead, we decided to solo the Second Flatiron, a six-hundred or so foot climb up one of Boulder's most notable landmarks.     To the best of my recollection, I have not soloed anything before (read: climb without a rope or protection/gear).  The only part that unnerved me, however, was the 'jump.'  This was a point where, along the climb, you are required to leap across a divide in the rocks. I decided the benefits outweighed the cost/risk/fear, and I joined Brian, Alex and Cait, our houseguest, and Josh, another Sconnie native and AdRock climber living the d...
Read more

Stylin' in My New Ride!

Image
Last Friday was an exciting day for me.  Though the new school year was rapidly approaching and my nerves were out of control in anticipation of starting a new school year in a new school with a relatively unfamiliar staff, I happily headed to the car dealership to pick up my new ride, a beautiful white Ford Fusion with all sorts of bells and whistles!   We haven't had a new car in the Runnells family in a few years...and that car quickly became Brian's.  This car, however, is all mine and I LOVE IT!!  A big THANK YOU goes out to my hubbers, who dealt with all the less-than-enjoyable stuff that went along with getting this car  (suffice it to say, our initial car salesman was less than professional and almost drove us to another  dealership).  I think about it each time I get into the car. Doesn't my ALUMNI plate holder look good?!  Want to listen to a little SIRIUS radio?  I'm lovin' making calls via my car Drivi...
Read more

Helping Chelsea and Kyle

Image
Brace yourselves... this is a long one...and I'm asking for your help. As some of you may know, someone very close to me, Chelsea Bullis, experienced a life-changing event on Sunday, June 10, 2012.  She and her boyfriend, Kyle, were in a terrible motorcycle accident that left them both seriously injured.   Chelsea and her family have always been a part of my life. Chelsea's Aunt Anita was my first babysitter, and eventually her grandma, Maureen, and  her mom, Lynn,  took turns taking care of my brother and me.  Chelsea's Aunt Lainey is my mom's very best friend.  Chelsea, her brother Chad, her cousins Sam and Rachael and I all grew up together.  We took summer trips together, and when I was old enough, I began taking care of Chelsea, her brother and her cousins.  Chelsea and her family were so close to me that we began referring to each other as cousins...and 20+ years later, it is still how we refer to one another.   So ...
Read more