Just what we needed...

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Monday is almost here, but the weekend was wonderful...

* We received news that friends of ours are expecting a baby and we're so happy for them. They are fantastic parents.

* We had a nice, relaxing, and delicious dinner with some other friends and their two kids at our house Friday night. The company was delightful and the night was truly enjoyable. ...and I love my dishwasher (the kitchen was cleaned up again and ready for our company on Saturday night in no time!)

* We had some friends over Saturday night who we originally met through motorcycling and the friendships have lasted and developed over the years into those that no longer need a common interest or activity. We had a good, hearty dinner and hours of conversation. It was lovely to just sit back and reconnect with these friends who we haven't seen so much of in the last couple of years. (Again, I love my dishwasher. It took no more than 15 minutes to load up the dishwasher, take out the recycling and the garbage, and wipe down the table and countertops. The kitchen was clean and we were in bed watching a movie by 10pm. Cliff humored me by sitting through "Julie & Julia", a cute, feel-good movie that turned out to be good, although not as great as I had hoped.

* Cliff made steak & cheese omelets for breakfast Sunday morning and we enjoyed a nice, quiet morning at home, a noon-time nap for all three of us, and fun playing with Gavin and doing just a little bit of housework.

* In the afternoon Gavin and I spent some time at my sister's house, snuggling her new baby boy and visiting with her and my other nephew Nathan. My brother and another nephew were also over there visiting, so my visit was doubly rewarding.

* We returned home just in time to pull leftover lasagna & garlic toast from the fridge and bring it up to Cliff's parents' house for dinner and the Vikings vs. Saints game. Okay, I'll change the subject. We don't need to talk about the game. Nope, we'll just move on now...

What a nice weekend. Busy, but nice.
...Lots of quality time at home, good times with good friends, a bit of comfort food, and just the right combination of fun and rest.

Now... going into Monday, we have a fridge stocked with yummy leftovers, laundry finished, folded, and put away, dinner planned for Monday night, grocery shopping done and cupboards restocked, house relatively clean (have I told you I love having a dishwasher?), and spirits renewed.

Happy Monday!
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