This weekend just keeps going… there have been a lot of festivities already, which has been fun. There has definitely been more eating out than usual for me!
My husband and I went out to dinner on Friday the 13th to celebrate our anniversary of meeting (Feb 15 2003) and getting engaged (Feb 15 2004). I had made us reservations at Longwood Gardens’ 1906 restaurant, so we drove there and walked around the greenhouse for about 30 minutes before going to dinner. It’s always beautiful, and nice to see greenery with everything else so snowy. We had the Valentine’s Day truffle menu, which included lobster salad and beef wellington.
On Saturday the temperatures were in the upper 30s, so I ran outside for the first time in about a month. I only did about 30 minutes, but it was nice to not be on the treadmill for once.
I had given all the kids (who are home) Valentine’s Day baskets with candy and little gifts. The 6-year-old was very excited for his stuffed animals. The 11-year-old got some manga books. I gave the 14-year-old a heart bracelet that she really liked. The 16-year-old just got candy but he seemed OK with that! Some folks went skiing, and I took my daughter out to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We ate a lot of guacamole. I asked to sit by the fire place but they didn’t have it going — oh well.
Later that afternoon I took the 6-year-old to a birthday party at Arnold’s, an arcade/bouncy house/climbing structure place about 30 minutes from us. He took a little bit to get into it but then of course didn’t want to leave. We stayed playing for a while — I had originally been planning to get home to bring my daughter to a slumber party, but then my husband and the skiers got back in time to bring her so I had no reason to make him leave until all his friends were being pried out of there too.
Sunday featured all sorts of kid activities — a scout troop volunteer gig, tennis lessons, parkour, a playdate — but at 2:00 I welcomed some special visitors: Sarah and her oldest daughter. Her family is doing an east coast trip involving visiting family (and me) and skiing, going to NYC, etc. I loaded them and my daughter in the van and we drove to Doylestown to visit a shop called Dept. of Note. This is a stationery/paper store owned by the sister of a regular Best Laid Plans listener, so Sarah thought a pilgrimage was in order.
It was such a cute shop. Among our treasures: these tiny little pencils. I also bought a notebook, some note cards, etc. Then we all got Starbucks and drove to Sarah’s parents’ (to deliver her daughter there) and back home, where Sarah and I recorded several things.
Then we welcomed another special guest: Kathleen of The Reframe podcast! She took the train up from DC, then met us at my house. I made cosmos for her and SHU, and we recorded a Best of Both Worlds episode with a Kathleen cameo. Then I drove them to Amada, a tapas restaurant about 20 minutes away. We had lots of tasty little plates, including the potatoes, which are always a hit. When we came out, it was snowing pretty hard, which was kind of fun for our Florida visitor. Back at the house, we spent the next two hours chatting by the fireplace in my office, including eventually with Sarah’s husband Josh (who came to pick her up) and my husband, after he’d gotten the 6-year-old to bed. Kathleen stayed over and managed to leave so quietly this morning I didn’t even hear her!
The kids are still off school today (they have a 5-day weekend) — some of us will be headed to New Jersey to see my family. I hope your weekend is going well!
How fun! I 100% wish I had been there to hang out with such a fabulous crew of ladies!
@Elisabeth – it was such a good time!
Ok this is so fun!!!!
@Molly -hopefully Kathleen will come to BLP Live this year!
I’m so glad you found Department of Note! I work in Doylestown, and it’s one of my favorite shops. Looks like you have a fun time.
@Meg – yep, a good time! Though of course my stuff is sitting unopened because it is too pretty to use… (a common problem I have with stationery and notebooks…)