I’d rank it in one of the top 3 best weekends. Ever. Somewhere in that lineup holds a place for my wedding and probably some other birthday or event that doesn’t readily come to mind, and now the weekend of my 30th joins the ranks. Amazingness on so many levels. I probably won’t do it justice to explain.
First was the getaway. Husband took me to a wine bar near Grandview and we tried a few that I probably would not have pulled from the shelf at Meijer because a) they didn’t have a catchy name and b) they’re a bit too classy for Meijer (though I think Meijer has the best wine selection of any grocery at great prices). But they were fabulous. Then we headed to the Tip Top for dinner. I love local eateries. Sure, Macaroni Grill has a place in my heart thanks to Chicken Milano, but I love the uniquness that you get at a local eatery. We drove by several options in the Short North that we’d love to try, but the valet parking reminded us that we likely would feel out of place. Though, I was rocking my “going out shirt” that JWE convinced me to buy last summer, so it wasn’t for lack of appearances.
THEN we used up a Marriott gift card, thanks to credit card points. Guess what we heard at 2am? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And at 6, during normal feeding time? Yup. Just husband snoring. We slept in to a glorious 9am. Mid-day we remarked how tired we were – all the sleeping had us plumb tuckered out.
After a cup of coffee from a local coffeeshop (another fettish), we headed to Polaris for some Old Navy $10 off shopping and Target browsing. We watched a bit of the game over lunch and went to the mall. I perused PaperThread, a store full of stationary and books and gifts. It’s like the Target office supply aisle, only better! After husband drug me out we wondered aimlessly through Barnes & Noble.  I could touch all the books… feel the paper… read a paragraph mid-book. And there were no toddlers pulling all the other books off the shelf. Glory, glory hallelujah.
Of course, such opportunity requires some give and take… there was lots of formula feeding M, packing up kids, and letting go of the fear of price tag regret. We didn’t purchase much while shopping, but just the cost of eating and being away can add up, something we have to work really hard in our budget to allow. But it’s totally worth the price of the sanity. I wore a cute outfit, drank good coffee and better beer (Great Lake’s Octoberfest is the best fall brew. Ever. ), and did not adhere to any sort of schedule. Well, of which I was aware.
Husband, parents & sister capped off the weekend with nothing short of a Me-Fest. They cleaned out the barn and simmered a few cauldrons of chili & stew and invited 200 of our closest family and friends. I may be exaggerating the number or I may not, I have no idea. But if I’ve ever held a good conversation with someone or can tell a good story involving them, it seems they received an invite.  Husband said he tried to keep the guest list slightly under that of our wedding. And though I had a slight suspicion that something was brewing, nothing could have prepared me for the obscenity that commenced. Did I mention a bounce house was involved? And hayrides? And the pie. Oh. The. Glorious. Pie. My momma knows me well- I’d take a piece of pie over cake ANY day.
I stayed up late. I laughed with my friends and chatted with my cousins. I entrusted a few teenage babysitters to listen for my kids after they went to bed (another great think-ahead by Marj!). I even served as the target to a few karaoke serenades. I felt very loved.
Chalk another one into Reasons I’m Grateful for my Life column. I’m nothing short of blessed to have a husband who could concoct such a memorable way to enter my 30s and parents and family and friends who help make it all happen. Blessed.