Best Weekend Ever :-)

What a busy weekend it has been! I have barely been at home for more than a few hours at a time (during waking hours) all weekend! It has been great, though. It was a weekend to completely forget about work and everything that stresses me out, and just have fun in the moment. I will be sad to return to the daily grind tomorrow, but the fact that it is a four-day week is going to help!

Friday night I already wrote about the amazing Trans-Siberian orchestra concert. Again, it was amazing, and you should go! Okay, end of commercial! On Saturday, I headed out with my mom and our friend. First off, we hit up a home and garden show in the area. It wasn't too big, but there were lots of interesting things to look at and do!

My favorite parts were the amazing train set/little village...

And the Gia Russa booth!

I absolutely LOVE Gia Russa products. I tell luke that I could eat their spaghetti sauce out of the jar with a spoon (which he of course thinks is totally disgusting! lol). Anyway, they had lots of food to sample, and it was delicious! I tried some of their Bruschetta (sweet pepper, I think) and it was very tasty. I will have to look for it tomorrow at the grocery store!

In addition to all that goodness, there were lots of really artsy, home-decorating booths. It was fun looking at everything!
Next on the agenda Saturday was a lunch stop at Panera. I hadn't been there in a very long time, and I forgot how much I love it! Their Cuban Chicken Panini was great :-)
The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping. We spent a good hour or so at Hobby Lobby, where I bought this adorable mug...I love that it has my first initial on it. I guess Luke will not be stealing it (we decided it was a little too girly for him anway :-P)
Then we discovered a little furniture consignment shop, which I will have to return to! My mom bought the cutest pink pitcher-and-glasses set, and I told her I will have to borrow it for my Mary Kay party in a few weeks :-)

We ended the afternoon at TJ Maxx. We spent another good hour or so in there. I bought a few new tops and the softest robe ever! I've needed a light one for the spring and summer for a long time, and I found the perfect one for only $15!! I just love that store.

As if that wasn't a busy enough day on Saturday, an hour or so after I returned home, I got a message from a friend asking if I'd go see "Alice in Wonderland" with her. I had seen it before, but I was so tired the first time I missed some things! It was definitely better the second time. It is very dark and even violent in some parts, so I wouldn't really call it a good children's movie. But as an adult, I really enjoyed it! After the movie, we went over to my friends house where we ate pizza and chilled until after 11:00! (I feel so old...11:00 would have been an early night just a couple of years ago!) And did I mention that I'm still battling this nasty cold? It was a looong day since I was sick, but so much fun!

That brings me to today. Today I was expecting to spend the day entirely alone, because Luke went to the Cavs game. I was going to do some grocery shopping and get my house back in order. It was a complete wreck after me being sick for four days and not doing much of anything! However, at church, my mom invited me over, and I had the best day with her and my dad instead!

First of all, we all went to Hot Dog Shoppe for burgers and fries. After that, Mom and I headed to a friends' house for a Silpada jewelry party. We then headed back to my parents' house to cuddle up under some blankets and watch "Julie and Julia." I had already seen it, but it is one of my new favorite movies, so I was excited to watch it again! Today was a rainy, freezing, gloomy day, so turning out the lights, closing the blinds, and then wrapping up in a big blanket and watching that wonderful movie was just the coziest, most perfect way to spend the afternoon. I even fell asleep for a little bit.

After the movie, I was planning on heading home, but then my dad talked me in to staying for dinner, too! The only problem was I had to work on my story for my creative writing class...it was "due" today. So while my mom fixed dinner, I sat in my old (but newly redecorated) bedroom on the giant, comfortable bed with the rain hitting the windows, and typed up most of my story on my mom's laptop.

Then it was time for homemade pizza! Sausage, onions, and mushrooms. And I don't know if it was just the fact that the whole day had been so completely cozy and comfortable or what, but it tasted fabulous! Some of the best homemade pizza I've maybe ever had. During dinner, Dad turned on an instant Netflix movie, "Seems Like Old Times" with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. It was a really cute, funny movie! By the time that was over, Luke was home, so I headed home. But having a day with my parents at their house was so great. It still feels like home to me, so it was very comforting being there on a gloomy, rainy day.

This morning at church, I was having a really hard morning. I've been struggling in some relationships there lately, and this morning it all just came to a head emotionally for me. I sat in the service feeling lonely, and knowing that Luke would be gone all day. I didn't want to face the day alone, I guess. I was holding back tears all morning. After the service, when my mom came up and invited me to spend the day with her, It was like the answer to a prayer that I never even consciously prayed. God just knows what we need, even when we are too busy sulking to actually take it to Him in prayer, as I was this morning!

So overall, nothing overly spectacular really happened this weekend (aside from the TSO concert that is!) but it was just perfect. I loved every minute of it, and I am learning more and more the people who are always going to be there for me. I am so thankful for this weekend!!