Such a Good Day

Just a Tuesday but a Good Tuesday.  One of those days that just works from the time I wake up until I go to bed.  The weather has a lot to do with it, of course.  We're finally having REAL spring days where you can go out in short sleeves and not dread a little breeze.

I love mornings where I get up and don't have any place to be or anything that has to be done, and I can just drink my coffee and read or make lists and check them off or any of my little mundane pleasures.

Monday was a little busy and chaotic, so it was nice to get focused on packing.  Sometimes I think I would be better off waiting until the night before a trip to pack, because I make piles everywhere and forget what I've put in them.  You can't pack clothing until the night before, so they're hanging on the door knob of the closet.  I have faith it will all come together soon because it's just one more day.

So what did I do on this beautiful day?  I took no pictures, so it's just boring sentences.  I did have a few places to go but fun ones.  I have a friend Debbie who lives across the street from Emily and Ryan.  I have to admire her persistance in getting me out of the house.  The first year we just met briefly for front porch chats and got to know each other, but my time was so limited that I wasn't free to do grownup things.  She had me over for coffee and then bridge club, and I went over and kept her company for her garage sale one day.  I'm so selfish with my time that I don't want to give any up, but she's making me see that it's nice to get out and socialize with people other than my family.

Our outing yesterday was only two blocks for me - the Infusion Bar and Grill.  We were trying to think of a convenient place for lunch that wasn't crazy expensive.  I had been there with friends before, and then Millie and I went when they were here last.  So Debbie drove and I walked, and it was such a nice walk.  Snoqualmie Ridge is so peaceful during the mornings when people are at work or school and babies are napping.  You pretty much have the town to yourself.  Every day more and more trees are budding and bushes and flowers are coming into bloom.  Smells so nice, and the birds are happy and singing too, glad the winter is over.

I think there were only another couple of people there, and it was the perfect place to have an unhurried lunch.  Debbie and Steve are going to move when he retires, which is next year, but they're going to try to get their house ready to sell this year, so she's feeling pressured to get a painter and pick out paint colors and find a yard person to neaten up.  I remember those days, and it's kind of exciting and stressful at the same time.  I hope they stay in town after they sell the house, because I need someone to force me out in the world.

I can't think of half the things we talked about, but we have to catch each other up with many years of our lives, so we were hopping around from subject to subject, but it was a nice time.  She asked me to go with her to pick out paint colors in Issaquah, but I had school pickup so had to decline.  I think I would like to do that again.  It seems like half my life has been comparing paint chips and making those decisions.

I then went over to Emily's to take some things for her to exchange at Target and found her with a mound of clean clothes trying to decide what to take for the children.  The girls are already excited, but they are going to love having their backpacks to be responsible for.  Graysen got a wheeled suitcase for her birthday a few months ago, but I think they're going to check that since she will get tired of dragging it after a few minutes.  I left her in the midst of that and took a pair of her pants home to hem and then went to the library.  I saw this when I drove up, so I did take a few pictures yesterday.

I had one book on hold that I had requested several months ago.  I'm not sure how I knew about it.  It's Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott.  Since I didn't know if I would like it, I went to the paperback shelves and looked at those.  I don't usually find anything interesting there, but yesterday was different.  I came home with four in addition to my hardback!

I figured I should be able to find one interesting enough to take with me, but when I looked at them, I saw promise in every one of them.  So now I'll have to make a decision.  Because of weight, I'll probably only take 3 of the paperbacks.  Beach reading is the best!

My underseat bag is getting a little crowded.  I have a wheeled one that I'll gate check, but this is going to be our food and entertainment bag.

These are the surprises I got the girls for the trip, and they look so cute.  I didn't open them yet, but they picked them out on Amazon and got a peek at them yesterday.  Graysen saw this bag sitting out, looked into it, and brought it to me with big eyes.  Whats THIS, Mimi?

That and the pink iPad plus some animal crackers will be my contribution.  Emily and Ryan, I'm sure, will have more things to entertain them.  Katherine said she wanted to sit with me on the plane - in my lap.  I told her she would have her own seat (a very expensive seat), but she didn't look convinced.  I can think of worse things than holding her.  If she'll be fairly still.  Graysen is just wanting to look out the window.

I found some Airport Bingo cards for them.  I'm not sure how up-to-date or real-life they are, but I think we'll have fun looking for the things.

There are so many free prinatables online that I kind of got carried away.  They won't spend much time in the car, and who can see things from the back seat, but I found these also.

And a simpler version

Many years ago, our family plus my parents went to Disney World from Middle Georgia, and I made our own Bingo cards, one for all 7 of us.  Mama and Daddy talked about those Bingo cards for years, so I think they were a big hit.  Emily was not reading yet, so I drew pictures on hers, a simpler version of the one above.  I remember having McDonald's arches and road signs and animals but also people in certain colors or doing certain things.  Like laughing girl in a red shirt.  That was the one that got the most conversation, and I'm not sure anyone saw that.

I've got my notebook, and girls' journal and plenty of wet wipes and snacks.

The afternoon went well too.  Katherine came out not quite as covered with dirt today and said she mainly rode the "equipment" and showed me how neatly they had put them up on the playground when they finished.

Graysen was happy after school and wanted me to see the necklace Addison got for losing a tooth at school.  It was a plastic tooth with the real tooth inside rattling around inside it.  I'm afraid Graysen is not going to get one of those this year.  We walked home with the Jones family, and I noticed that one twin has both front teeth out and the other doesn't.  Their dad said it was because his brother accidentally kicked one tooth out, it got infected, and he lost it, and then the other tooth got infected and had to be pulled too.  Brothers!

We sat on the balcony with Layla, and the girls enjoyed a popsicle while I had another cup of coffee.  There are three little boys across the alley from us whom I think are home-schooled, and they were out playing.  Graysen and Katherine sat there like they were watching a movie and kept up a running commentary.  I love this age where they don't need me every second, and I can sit back and enjoy their conversations.  They went in later and pulled out the Candyland game all by themselves and started playing.  All went well until the end when they ended up fighting over it because no one likes to lose.

Emily called to say she was watering the garden and would pick them up soon, but I decided we would walk over and meet her.  Katherine surprised not one but two bunnies as she ran along ahead of us.  Graysen said the best thing in her whole life was cuddling a real bunny, Bluebell, at school.  Her whole life!

By the time I got home, I was pretty tried, but it was a busy and fun day.  Today is just getting to the grocery store and bringing in a few things to make sure Elise and Layla have enough food to keep them going for a week and find a few things for me to take on the plane.  We leave so early Friday that I'll have to have breakfast and lunch packed.