Nat Your Average Story: I Hate Carrying Boxes of Books...but Man, I Do Love the Books...

I've come to the realization this past week that books - namely boxes of books - weigh so very much. And I do hate lugging them up and down stairs and around corners...and I vow that no one should have this many books and I'll weed them out so I don't struggle like this ever again! But the problem really crops up when I open the boxes of books and pull them out one by one and realize that I love each one so and they smell amazing and each one has this different world that I can get sucked into by just opening it up...and yes...Houston we have a problem.

Watson tried & loved Kale. I then googled Kale + Dogs & apparently it = NO. Oops!

Monday mornings require a coffee mug as big as your head...

Every night this week I honestly tried to make some sort of stride toward getting things more "organized" and making sure things didn't look like they were just flung about at random. It's definitely a process and if there is one thing I got honest from my Mom (okay - I got a LOT of things honest from her...) it's that I can't really handle clutter. Everything needs to be in it's place and so that makes moving a perfect nightmare. However - organizing and placing all the things just so after the fact - that gives me a high that no drug could provide (that I'm aware of...having never been one to really try the drugs and such...) and it is is fantastic. Granted, all that ambition to get things in their place usually meant that by the end of the night I was sweaty and exhausted...which makes for good sleep...but I don't really love to sweat, ha-ha.

Trying to settle this little creature in...

Just wait...you'll see a pattern forming...

To die for cheese & sausage dip...and some pretty spectacular fried ice cream...YUM.

This past week was Restaurant Week in/near "our" town and so on Tuesday night my Mom and I scooted over to the Winchester Walking Mall to try out one of the multiple restaurants that were participating. We chose the Mexican restaurant on the Walking Mall; called El Centro, and we were not disappointed - the food was delicious! For $30 (plus tax and tip, of course...) we got a delicious cheese/bean/sausage dip for our appetizer, a sampler plate that had two tacos, two enchiladas and two burritos with rice and beans for our meal and a glorious serving of fried ice cream for dessert. It was all so delicious and we practically waddled back to the car! Of course, once we got home we took Watson for a stroll through the neighborhood but that was about all we could muster up the energy to do. So - Tuesday was sort of a bust when it came to the whole unboxing and organizing scheme. Oh well.

Although...I did manage to hook up my TV and DVD player...which was a huge accomplishment; at least in my book!

Tuesday night neighborhood vibes...

Post book hauling exhaustion & puppy dog moral support...

Of course I watched some Disney goodness while unpacking boxes...

I thought I'd be really industrious on Wednesday night and really just dig into the boxes in the garage and find those that belonged to me and lug some down the stairs. Well; I found boxes alright, boxes of books! I like to think I'm super strong and hardcore, so I snatched four boxes of books (yes - four... And that's only the tip of the iceberg) along with a couple containing dishes and mugs and started going up and down the stairs. On that last box of books, something felt a little "off" in my lower back and it was all I could do to make it down the stairs with the books. I ended up just laying in the floor while the dog sniffed and licked my face... I wasn't hurt, mind you...just worn out from all the book hauling. I managed to recover - shocking, I know - and got books out of the boxes and onto shelves. I also opened up my box of mugs and it was like seeing old friends after a long time... I LOVE a good mug and it's evident because I have quite the collection. I love them all and was so happy to see each and every mug again!

Mail madness...

Perhaps he's settling in?

Friday morning views - holy crane!

Friday (and Thursday for that matter) dawned gray and gloomy and stayed that way most of the day. The work day was shortened on Friday (yahoo!) and so I came home and spent some time wrapping the dog in blankets and taking pictures...because who doesn't love a cute dog wrapped in a snuggly blanket? Ha! Really though, my Mom and I ran some errands and then went back to the Winchester Walking Mall for supper on Friday night. Post dinner and pre dessert, we perused two new shops that have landed at the Walking Mall and both had so many cute things and I fell in love with the second shop - so many unique and wonderful gifts! We stopped in at the gelato shop to grab a cone of gelato for dessert and discovered that a group was playing/singing Frank Sinatra and Jazz music in the open air theater and so we took our gelato outside to enjoy both the music and the food! It actually started getting chilly while we were watching and it absolutely thrilled my soul - come on Fall - I'm ready!

Doing his best Jon Snow impression...hehehe...

It's really hard being a pup - as proven here.

Jazz and gelato - not a bad start to the weekend!

Did I mention I also managed to hook up the DVD player and TV in the living room? Because I did...I totally did! Honestly, I'm still not sure how I managed to do it...but it worked, because we were able to watch a movie on Friday night! If that's not winning, I don't know what is! Ha-ha!

Saturday = Spa? Yes please!

Gorgeous flowers!

Saturday was the long awaited Spa Day for my Mom and I - a treat that has been many years in the making for me. When I was around...I don't know, maybe fifteen, my Mom promised that one day she'd treat me to a Spa Day and Saturday was that day. And it was glorious! We both received an hour long facial, an hour long massage and a pedicure...and let me tell you, I felt like a noodle after it was all said and done. It was wonderful and I'll say over and over again: thank you so much Momma! Thank you! We ate a snack-like lunch at the house later in the day and I did something I certainly never thought I'd do: sat in the closet with my dog because he was absolutely terrified by the nail gun that was being used to put up the floor to ceiling bookshelves in the library. Bless him. I think the little guy has had quite the week....

I honestly think he's convinced he's human - hence the seated on his bottom, legs stretched out position...

Can you spy the frightened pup peering around the skirts?

No persuading this one to emerge.

My Mom and I met up with our long time friends Angie and her daughter Rachel to have supper and visit before picking up my Dad from the airport...at 11ish...blegh. We ate some delicious food at Chuy's (yahoo!) and then went to our friend's house to chat and have some coffee and tea - it was a really nice way to spend the Saturday night - even if it meant we didn't get home until almost 1 in the morning after finally getting my Dad from the airport and driving home! Yikes!

I dodged the 9 AM service at church and slept in a little longer...seeing as I didn't get to bed until; you know, after 1 in the morning on Sunday morning. However, I did suit up in my Saints t-shirt for the second service since my church is currently doing a sermon series on friends and this week was about who was on "your team". I can say with 99.9% certainty that I was the only person in that church wearing Saints colors; although given how the season has started for the boys in black and gold, a better name would be the "Aints" *sigh* I'm no fair weather fan though...so we trudge along and hope for a win next week!

Who Dat Nation - Represented in Northern VA by me, ha!

Sugar Rush - Party of One. Yes Please!

I got out of church in time to pick my Mom up from church and we went over to the IHOP for brunch. I got my very favorite Cinna Stacks pancakes and I'm fairly certain I've never gotten them before and seen this much icing on one stack of pancakes! I was buzzing off of this meal for hours...and it was delicious and divine and now I can't eat something like that for at least another month! HA! Sunday afternoon and evening was more of the process of getting things out of boxes and into their proper places...and yet again, by the time the night was over and I was sweaty and exhausted! However - my place is starting to come together more and more each day - so I suppose that's a success!

After a shower and some dessert, Watson and I both decided we were done for the evening and crawled into our respective beds (my dog does not sleep with me - sorry - nope) and the weekend came to a close!