Mothers Day Weekend

What a weekend it was - what a weekend indeed! Look at these sweet pictures of my parents and my little sister; aren't they so precious? Well guess what? There is a lovely, slightly sneaky story behind them and I would love to tell you all about it! SO - shall we do a little recap of Mother's Day weekend?

 

My younger sister has been on a work trip - she's in the military, so we will just call it a work trip - ha! Once we knew when she'd be coming home, I somewhat offhand commented "wouldn't it be fun if you could come home for Mother's Day weekend and we could surprise Mom and Dad"... and from there, the idea took off! Once she was back in the US, she looked at flights and we discussed the logistics, determined it would work - and she bought tickets, and I took Friday and Monday off work. 

And then - we had to be very careful not to say anything suspicious! I lured my parents to my house on a Friday with the plan to work on getting our backyard prepped and ready for the paver patio we'd like to build. They thought they were coming to work in the backyard - so much so that my Dad wore his "bummy shoes" and brought a whole passel of tools in the back of his truck! So - we kept the secret just fine! 

On Friday morning, I headed to the airport around 6:15 to pick up Lindsey and on the way back to my house, I text my parents and asked that they come closer to 9:45 since I'd "overslept" a wee bit. They agreed - and so Lindsey and I arrived at my house, had a bit of coffee and awaited their arrival! When my parents arrived, I welcomed them in and then mentioned that one of my Mom's gifts had arrived early - so I wanted to run upstairs, grab it and go ahead and give it to her... and so I brought down my sister, there was much excitement, a few weepy tears shed and quite a bit of disbelief! It was amazing! 

We had a lovely today together in Ryan and I's neck of the woods - I introduced Lindsey to some of my favorite shops in the area, we got some Apple Annie's cookies and we had a late lunch at Toasted (seriously delicious grilled cheeses). After spending some time actually doing a little bit of outdoor work (thanks Dad) and letting Lindsey get a little nap in (she flew in on a red eye), we headed to my parents for dinner and Ryan was able to join us when he got off work. It was a great way to spend a Friday and we were so stoked we pulled off our surprise! 

Saturday was another exciting day because while Ryan and I had tickets to the Nationals game, we were also able to get tickets right next to ours for the game, for my parents and Lindsey! So around 10 AM on Saturday, we all headed into DC via the metro to grab a quick bite for lunch and then head to Nationals Park! We wanted to be sure to get there early because the giveaway on Saturday was a Nationals Harry Potter jersey - and they were only giving out 10,000! 

After a fairly uneventful metro ride, we popped into Shilling's Canning Company for our lunch and let me tell you - it did not disappoint! We all shared VA Ham Biscuits, Apple Fritters, Deviled Eggs, a breakfast burrito and some French Onion soup... and everything was divine! It was the perfect meal and left us plenty of room to pop across the street and get our dessert: Ice Cream Jubilee! We made a pretty leisurely walk to the park - and arrived with about thirty minutes before the gates opened - and we were still about twenty back in line! But guess what? We all five got our Nationals jerseys when the gates opened! Victory! 

The Nationals played the Cardinals and if I'm being honest - it wasn't the best game. Our bats stayed cold until the 8th inning and unfortunately, by that point the bed had been made and we just had to lie in it. I know baseball can go plenty of different ways and a rally is always possible at any point, but on this day the Nationals just didn't have it in them! 

While the game on the whole wasn't the best, we did get to see a home run from our Nationals and since it was Harry Potter day at the park, they had all sorts of Harry Potter themed things going on... a Golden Snitch was flitting around the park and if you could catch it and snap a picture, you'd end up on the scoreboard. The snitch was; in fact, a girl in a gold body suit with wings and we pondered what she might have been being paid to perform as the snitch all afternoon, ha-ha! 

We had some yummy baseball treats - in the form of Shake Shack fries and Dippin Dots, and my sister and I clapped and sang and danced along to all the chants and tunes and little ditties that the organist played! In short - even though the game wasn't the best, we still had a blast! But let me tell you what... by the time we stopped at Foster's for burgers in Haymarket, stopped at my parents to pick up our car and then finally got to our house around 10 PM - we were worn out, ha-ha! 

Oh yea - should I mention that we did actually make the scoreboard? Even if you can barely see us... ha-ha! In the 8th inning, we noted the cameraman was nearby and that's how the bottom of Ryan's face, the side of my head/sunglasses and the side of Lindsey's head ended up on the scoreboard! First time for everything, I suppose! 

Sunday was a gorgeous day - sunny, with beautiful blue skies! Ryan and I headed to our church for the 8:30 service before jetting down to Stephens City to join my parents for the 10:00 service at their church. It was Mother's Day, after all! Then we all scooted back up the interstate to Martinsburg for our brunch reservations at The Venue by Brix 27 - and I cannot recommend this location enough! 

I am a huge fan of Brix 27 and I think most of the time Ryan enjoys it... I just never know with that boy sometimes! However, across from their main restaurant on Queen Street, they now have something called The Venue that they use for events. They hold brunch every Sunday and this Mother's Day Brunch was excellent! The variety of food for the price - could not be beat! We had wonderful service and the food was great; I'd truly recommend giving this location a try - you won't regret it!

We all headed back to our house stuffed to the gills with things like Prime Rib, shrimp, bacon, breakfast potatoes, pasta salad, fresh fruits, yogurt, chicken salad, waffles... the list goes on and on and on! My Dad and Ryan finally got to do the work that I'd lured my parents to the house for on Friday, while my Mom, my sister and I relaxed and took it easy! It was a really lovely afternoon!

I was also off work on Monday and so I spent the morning at my parent's house, visiting with my sister before she had to head back to her home across the continent! My Mom, sister and I went to look at some boutiques in town and then had lunch together on the Walking Mall in Olde Town Winchester. It was a delicious lunch and it was so nice to be able to have some additional time to spend with my sister since I don't know when I'll see her again this year... only time will tell. 

May - Lately

The alternate name for this post could be - The Things the Cats have done Lately - but I refrained from giving it such a long title. However, this is definitely mostly pictures of my cats doing silly and cute things because they it's too hard to resist snapping pictures of them and then even harder to resist showing everyone the funny things they do.

For instance - the way Maverick wildly attacks the ribbon marker in my devotional, so that while I'm trying to be calm and read about Jesus, Maverick is flipping around with the ribbon, acting a fool...

Or perhaps the way that Spook reaches for the scratcher... but doesn't actually want to have to get up, so he just stretches his little paws until they can barely touch the scratcher. Such a strange little guy, ha-ha!

I am not someone who toots my own horn - but I was completely taken aback earlier this month when I was given the Super Star award for the Admin Team. The award is given out each quarter and I didn't see myself as the person that would be winning it... so I was pretty surprised when my name was called out. Since I won, I get to keep the Super Star Award trophy for the next quarter and will always have my lovely piece of paper that certifies my awesomeness, ha! 

As I said - my cats do funny things and I take pictures - so this is the progression of Spook climbing the bookshelf to attempt to catch a fly. While he did knock the A in the floor and also send a Bible and a workbook floating into the floor, he also did catch the fly... so I guess that's a win? Nothing was harmed, so to speak except for the fly and he was pesky anyway. 

The cats (and the humans) have really been enjoying the wonderful Spring weather; the cats especially love laying in the warm sunshine, watching the numerous birds that play in our backyard and they have now been given the chance to venture into our backyard under careful supervision. Our neighbors have a huge dog and they are supposed to be getting a fence soon, so hopefully the cats will have a little more freedom in our backyard once that fence is in place! 

As I said - they love to watch the world outside the windows - sometimes Spook likes to do this while sitting directly on top of Maverick. It must not have been too uncomfortable because they stayed that way for a few minutes! If you come to visit and wonder where the cats may be, just look for an open window and you'll probably find them watching the world go by outside! 

I have taken up a new hobby - cross stitching! I grew up watching my Mom do this and was always fascinated by the finished product. Well, I decided I wanted to get into it and so this last week, I picked up my needles and thread and got right down to it! I am currently working on making a little whale and once that is finished, I'll work on making a little hoot owl... and then, I guess the skies the limit! 

I leave you with the teeny ceramic mushrooms that I added to my office plants. They add a little pop of color that I really am enjoying! I cannot believe May is already at the halfway point... If you need me, I'll be reading in my hammock in the backyard, watching the cats do silly things or cross stitching all sorts of things. 

May Flowers - Apple Blossom; to be Precise

It was a blooming three-day weekend! Pun completely intended because this weekend the final three days of the 98th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester. Most businesses were closed on Friday the 2nd for Apple Blossom Friday and that is absolutely one of the perks of working for the city! 

After a slow start to my day, the day felt like it sped by! I had a doctor's appointment at 11:15 but didn't get seen until 11:45 and was finally out the door at 12:10... and was supposed to meet my parents at 12:30 to go the the coronation of Queen Shenandoah. Let's just say, I came into their driveway on two wheels and jumped from my car to theirs, ha-ha! 

Ryan and I's flower girl, Amelia (one of our flower girls - the other was around too, ha-ha) was a part of the Queen's court and since I was off work, I was happy to be able to attend this event and experience the coronation of Queen Shenandoah. It was a unique experience, to be sure! Amelia's portion of the show was adorable and I also enjoyed seeing Washington Nationals player, Ryan Zimmerman, get knighted as part of the ceremony! Hehehe...

Ryan and I had dinner with my parents on Friday night and then after some visiting, we came home and got there in time for a storm to roll in. It was so lovely to sit in our back sitting area with the sliding glass doors open, listening to the rain and watching the storm roll through - while the cats marveled at the raindrops! 

Saturday was another slow morning - I always love days like those. After having breakfast and coffee, Ryan and I met my parents at Costco to ride together into Winchester for the Apple Blossom Grand Feature Parade. This parade has a TON of entries and thankfully we had great seats courtesy of our friends, Doug and Jen - the parents of that sweet little maid! 

The parade began at 1:30 but didn't get to our location until around 2:00 - and from then, the flow of cars and motorcycles and floats and bands and more... just rolled on by! There were celebrities from the sports world and from Hollywood, floats from all over the city and bands from as far away as Alabama! The sun came out right before the parade started, which was a blessing and a curse, ha-ha! The forecasted rain held off until later, thank goodness but I am still sporting some bright red skin from the unexpected rays of sunshine! 

A part of any home town festival are food trucks and Ryan and I paid one a visit for an afternoon treat while watching the parade! Ryan got an ice cream sandwich made with a chocolate chip cookie and cookies and cream ice cream, and I got a donut sundae! It was incredible and I so kindly shared bites with people! They were the perfect little treats to eat while watching the parade roll by our seats!

We left before the parade was completely done - but apparently that was the right choice, because I heard from some other parade attenders that people ended up getting soaked when the forecasted storm finally rolled on through around 4 PM! We were already almost home by 4 PM, and apparently the storm that was bashing Winchester had already come through our area, since we passed down trees and branches in the road on the way home! 

Maverick helped me with the dishes (let's all crack up together) and we had a chill Saturday evening, We had a really delicious Cajun Sausage Alfredo for dinner and watched the movie Conclave... spoiler alert - the last ten minutes kind of crapped on the whole movie, in my humble opinion. 

Sunday proved to be a little more difficult day for me - for personal reasons - but the weather was gorgeous for most of the day! After an excellent church service and a quick trip back to Costco to pick up a shed for our back yard, I spent most of my afternoon lying in my hammock in the sunshine. I was able to read, watch the birds in our backyard and just enjoy the peace of the afternoon. 

It was a really nice three-day weekend - I'm always glad when a three-day weekend comes along. And lucky me, I've worked it out so I have another three-day weekend on the horizon!