TGIF

It's Friday. Thank God that it is Friday.

We need this weekend like we need air. We have steaks marinating in the fridge. We have a feel-good movie that we rented last weekend and didn't get a chance to watch yet. We have no other plans tonight and are looking forward to a few good friends coming over tomorrow night for a relaxed, easy-going lasagna dinner. We haven't spent as much time with these friends this year as we are used to and are really looking forward to this overdue time with them. The kids will play and giggle and we will indulge in the opportunity to visit, to check in, to reconnect.

This has been a long week and Cliff and I are ready for some R & R. Gavin took a tumble Tuesday night that had us worried and up all night. He's absolutely fine, but we're tired and may have aged 10 years in those few seconds. Last night we attended a visitation for the father of a friend of ours and even when it's the right time for someone to go, it still wears on the heart. It has now been 5 days since I held my sister's new little baby boy and they live less than two miles from me. I think I need to fit in some baby-snuggling this weekend too! That will be good for my health! ...and wine. Wine is good for my health too.

Yup, this weekend I'm looking forward to whiskey-marinated steaks with grilled vegetables, wine, a feel-good movie, playing with my little boy, cheesy lasagna with garlic bread and crisp salad, good friends that I haven't seen in too long, and some snuggles with a new baby.

And next weekend... next weekend I am looking forward to my sister coming to town for a visit, and I'm looking forward to a day of scrapbooking with my sisters at my parents' house. Cliff is looking forward to his favorite day of the year - the annual 'Jennings Invitational' sporting clays event. It's a day made for boys like my husband. For Cliff, it's a day with his friends, a day with few responsibilities, a day to be a guy - to show off new firearms and share stories of big bucks and banded birds. A day to do a whole lot of shooting with a healthy dose of competition, and follow it up by blowing something up. After their day of play with firearms and explosives, they'll end with a poker game or two and a few drinks.

Sounds like a great day... for a group of boys.

Is it 5:00 yet?

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