Week in review

Sorry about the delay in writing. The past week's been full of guests and happenings, and, in all honesty, requires more than one post with all my musings to keep a reader's attention.

So, here are the basics of what's been going on.

Monday, Anna and Melissa came into town. They got here with no problems, which I was secretly worried about after JuMo's and Brita's SB09 Alligator Alley Breakdown Adventure (they were towed 100 miles to North Miami Beach and rode in the cab with a very Germanic, very large tow truck driver we decided would be named Hans or something of the sort.) They got to settle in and Chris, Greg and Peter came over for some beach playtime and BBQ-ing. The water was nice and warm, and the burgers ended up being delicious.

Tuesday, we had a dive booked and got up early to scuba in Key Largo. Less than 20 minutes before our dive boat was supposed to leave, and when we were less than 5 miles away from the docks, we got a call saying it was too windy and visibility was poor. They cancelled our dive, and we were already down there. So, we made the best of it and showed Anna around and did some exploring. We went to the Rain Barrel, an artist gallery, where my mom and I always used to stop by when I was little, and then we had lunch at Snapper's. On the way home, I took them through Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, Downtown and South Beach to give them a real taste of where I grew up.

That night, I took them to Greg's, where a bunch of friends from high school were hanging out.Introducing them to everyone and explaining how I knew everyone, I realized just how far back into my childhood some of these kids go. It's crazy, and what made it more relevant was the night before, photo albums from middle school were pulled out. We've come a long, long way and we've gotten a lot older, but we've all managed to keep in touch and enjoy the times we have together. It's crazy, but crazy in a good way.

Wednesday, we beached it for a little before Melissa and Anna headed back up to Sarasota for the night. We apparently were out in the water a little too long, as my face turned a bright red on the way to work. Damn those deceiving overcast clouds. Thursday, I putzed around doing some errands and sale shopping, took the mom and her bf to the airport and then had Jorge over for dinner. I showed off just how (apparently, really surprisingly to everyone, as my sorority sisters kept commenting on it) domestic I was, and I cooked chicken parmesan. I was really excited to have a chance to use my new pink leopard print cupcake papers. Michael's apparently has a variety of different papers in cool designs, and they cost even less than the basic ones you get at Publix. I'll definitely be stocking up on all their patterns.

Friday was Me Day. Basically from Bonnaroo on, I had not had a day to myself, and boy, did I need it. I got stuff done around the condo, relaxed fully, picked up sushi for dinner and fell asleep watching movies. The next day, I woke up in a joyous mood from it. The rest of the day, I got in a good workout and did some swimming and reading. I went to the abuelos' for dinner, and I really enjoyed my time there. As I noted before, I have started to really value my relationship with them as I get older, and I learn more and more about what amazing people they are. Also, this is going to sound totally materialistic juxtaposed with that previous line, but my love for jewelry is not lost on them, especially stuff that my grandfather gave to my grandmother and has such sentimental, priceless value. Last night, I was given a ring that my grandmother was given by her sister. It's absolutely gorgeous and classic.

Like I said, I feel very plastic adding that little bit next to such heartfelt comments, but I feel like with whatever present I receive, I get exposed to their love for one another. They've been married for 52 years, and they're both full of wisdom and jokes still. While watching the news with Grandpa, a little clip on Prince Harry's visit came on. Of course, they made a comment about his looks. Grandpa looked over at me and asked, "Do you find him good-looking too?" "Not really. I don't like gingers." I then had to explain what a ginger was. Apparently, my grandpa had a ginger girlfriend at one point in college. She had green eyes, too. But apparently she didn't make that big of an impression. He couldn't remember her name. I ended up spending over 3 hours over there.

After leaving Kendale Lakes, I went to grab ice cream with Marisol in the Gables. It was so good to catch up with her and have some laughs. Today, I've been doing a lot of thinking, but I don't have much to show for it. I'm wondering where the day has gone but, in all honesty, I'm not really concerned about it. While I've been aiming big on productivity lately, it's been nice to have a weekend to just destress and enjoy some time for me and myself only.