Week 36 - Hanging with Connie

What a busy and fun week! And a long one at that since Labor Day felt like it belonged to last week.

Connie was due to arrive chez moi on Thursday evening, which meant I had to have the spare bedroom, which is normally a dumping ground for lots of crap, cleared out and ready for a guest before I left for work Thursday. What it really amounted to was clearing off the bed, which may sound like no biggie but with Monday and Wednesday nights taken up with knitting (can’t not knit!) and doctors’ appointments on Tuesday and Thursday, my time was tight. I actually got most of it done on Tuesday because my appointment was at 4:00 so I ran some errands afterwards, didn’t go to the pool and so was home early. Thursday was the eye doctor’s at 5:00 so Connie would be waiting for me when I got home. Luckily it was a HyVee steak fry day so I picked up 2 steak dinners and headed home for Connie time. It was great to catch up in person.

Friday morning, I was off to work and Connie to Lincoln, where she would be staying for the next 2 nights with her friend Betty. I was scheduled to meet Connie at the farmer’s market on Sunday so had Saturday at home to get all my chores done. Despite knowing it was my only chance at productivity all weekend, I still had trouble motivating myself and got only the bare minimum done opting instead to watch more Nip/Tuck and knit. It felt wonderful and decadent and I redeemed myself late in the day by mowing the lawn. I decided not to beat myself up for taking the day off (mostly). I deserve it!

I was on the road early Sunday and met up with Connie, her friend and her daughter at 10:00. We did the market (I scored a whole wheat baguette, some wax beans and a jalapeno) and then headed to Noodles for an early lunch. We had discussed going to the movies but it was a gorgeous day and there was nothing good playing so we decided to head to South Pointe to enjoy the weather while shopping. I don’t know whose bright idea it was to build an outdoor mall in Nebraska but we hit it on one of the few days of the year it’s actually pleasant. I bought some tea lights with a Yankee Candle coupon and some hand cream for my desk. We were done shopping at 2:00 and looking for something else to do.

Since it was a Connie weekend, I shouldn’t have been surprised by our next stop – pedicures! Luckily my feet were as smooth as they ever get having been to the podiatrist on Tuesday. Unfortunately I hadn’t anticipated the pedi and so had not shaved my legs. I figured I’d give her a big tip and put it out of my mind. They sat me across from Connie and Rachael so I ran to the car for my knitting and happily waited for the tech to get to me. I picked hot pink polish for some reason. A last homage to summer maybe? We parted ways with Rachael, heading back to Wahoo for a movie night. Connie would be staying at my house and would leave from there on Monday. We watched Star Trek and ate cottage cheese dip, popcorn and candy for supper. We disappointed the nutrition gods but had a fun time, even watching the gag reel and extras on the dvd.

The plan for Monday was that Rachael would drive to Wahoo and we’d all go to Omaha in 2 cars so Connie could jump on the interstate and head home from there. Somehow the wires got crossed (this happens a lot when Connie’s involved) so Rachael arrived at 9:00 instead of 11:00. We hung out for awhile and then headed to the Cheesecake Factory for an early lunch. We got lots of appetizers and then split a single piece of lemoncella cake. Yum! We then went into Westroads Mall (I’m surprised my body didn’t freak at 2 malls in 24 hours!) where I scored a cute sweater on sale plus I used a coupon, thereby helping to justify buying more clothes when I clearly have enough! Anyway, from the mall we went across the street to Whole Foods. Just as a storm was beginning (the above pic was taken just as it was starting to rain), Connie headed home to the wilds of western North Dakota and Rachael and I headed to Wahoo. Luckily she didn’t stay because I had 3 hours to prepare for knitting.

When we saw that the library would be closed for Labor Day, I not only invited everyone to knit at my house but also said I’d make dinner. There’s no one to blame for this but me. I offered, without prompting. Sheesh! It wasn’t bad though. The house was in decent shape (the cleaning lady had been on Tuesday) and I’d cooked the salsa pork on Saturday so all I needed to do was put on a pot of brown rice and put out the munchies I’d bought at Whole Foods. Andrea was bring Pea Pickin’ Cake (something from her childhood.) I actually found time to enjoy a cup of tea before getting set for my guests. It was a lot of fun and we got to linger longer than the hour we get at the library. The last people left at 9:00 so I cleaned up the leftovers , watched another episode of Nip/Tuck (I knew starting a 6 season show was going to be a problem!) and went to bed.

It was a fun weekend to end summer on. Luckily the weather cooperated and the heat is gone. Now it’s time to start making my to do list for next week. This 4 day work week will fly and I’ll be on vacation next week. 9 days without an alarm and with minimal commitments. I can’t wait! I’m going to have to be a grown up though and seriously limit my Nip/Tuck viewing and knitting. I must be productive! Wish me luck.