Accomplishments of a Long Weekend

This four-day weekend marked the last of the 4-day workweeks I'd arranged for my final semester. As I'm done with all my coursework, it was an opportunity to recharge as well as get some chores done around the apartment. As I mentioned on Facebook, I have a stack of library books, a list of household chores, a watermelon, and the makings of chicken pot pie. This weekend is gonna be epic. (And I meant it, too. I must be a boring grownup now.)



Things that made my weekend great:

KITTENS

This visit with 3 litters (a total of seven very small kittens and two medium-sized ones) was arranged as a treat for graduation. 

I was covered in kittens. They were all sleepy after having eaten, and aside from a few pouncing antics were content to flop in my lap and curl around each other. 

The cuteness, it was extreme. (And -- having wisely doubled up on the antihistamines before arriving -- I did not suffer from allergic symptoms.)

Kimberly has been fostering orphaned kittens in her home for years and I know several people who have adopted cats from her. The kittens receive their shots and are spayed or neutered before they go to their forever homes. If you're in the Bay Area and thinking about getting a cat, contact Bitten by a Kitten Rescue!

An engagement photo was posted in the Advocate
The work of our wedding photographer, Sarah Deragon (her studio is now named Weddings to the People) was featured at advocate.com, and my sweetie and I are one of the couples! 

Watermelon
Also cherries and corn -- basically all the fresh produce coming into season! Our box this week will have kale, zucchini, oranges, snap peas, and mangoes, to name a few.

Special dinner from my sweetie
She made a version of chicken pot pie that I love -- this time leaving out the dill. We decided that next time, it will include peas and diced potatoes. 

A visit with my BFF
She and her partner of five years are newly engaged, so I got to admire the ring and catch up on their recent developments while he and my wife sampled his fresh batch of mead.

Catnaps
I don't usually get the chance to snuggle with my own cats. When I get home, they're very active and like to be petted, but aren't interested in settling down for a nap on my lap. (And until recently I went straight to the computer to study/write.) When they want to sleep in the mornings, I have to hop out of bed and rush off to work. But this weekend there was plenty of opportunity to snuggle with sleepy ones. I might have drifted off myself once or twice.

Progress on decluttering
I spent some of the free time sorting through boxes from storage, deciding what to trash and what to donate, and getting stuff out of the house. (Also did dishes, rearranged some shelves, went grocery shopping, etc.) We can see the kitchen floor again! One of these days there will be room for that table. I hope this is the first weekend on many where I get to work on the apartment instead of writing to deadline.

Nostalgia
One of the boxes was of childhood souvenirs my mother packed up at their old house. Some small frilly things I decided to keep for a future kid, and also the flower girl dress my aunt made for me when I was almost 5! It's a kid-styled dirndl, because she married a polka band leader, and all the wedding party wore traditional Bavarian gear. (Yes, even lederhosen.) Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Toddler time
I visited folks with an 8-month-old who not only stands and walks unaided already, but who has a charmingly creepy goblin-like gait -- I can't quite call it crawling -- when she wants to get somewhere on all... threes. Two hands and a knee, I think. She's like a spider monkey. And she loved playing with cookie cutters and having attention from a handful of doting adults in her immediate vicinity. Also, she demolished a board book and started eating its pieces (sadly, no pictures). So squirmy and interesting!

Chatty time
In the meantime (and after she drifted off) I caught up with one of her parents. Haven't seen her in several months because of school, but it was so nice to touch base and be social 1:1 (better for me than a talkative crowd -- which came next!).

Karaoke Party 
I got to spend a few hours with friends -- including my BFF and her new fiance, again! And my sweetie, who was gone most of the weekend. We busted out the home karaoke system and sang everything from country to hair bands to showtunes. First time I've sung anything solo in 6 months or more, and -- at least for the first ten minutes -- I had decent tone. Overdid it a liiiiiiitle, but am resting my voice now.

Books
I opened a book whenever I wanted to! Finished two and started three more. That's the best part about not being in library school -- being able to read again!