What A Day

So J and I spent the better part of 2 hours discussing how we could squeeze in ALL THE THINGS this weekend, specifically today, last night.

In the midst of it I had to say "I bet nobody else spends hours dissecting lists and trying to fit things in like this, they just pick stuff and do it"

Riiight, not us. Planning, talking, listening, hearing, writing, listing, doing.

That's how we roll.

We got it figured out.

And boy did we have a great day!

We all slept in til 7:30 -- although I woke up promptly at 5:30 and although I craved my coffee and my book, I also craved the quiet of the morning in my bed, snuggled under the covers next to my love as we all rested.

LC sounded the alarm at 7:30 and we all got up, got the coffee brewing, the bananas chopped, the oatmeal warmed, and breakfast on the table together :)

Family breakfast -- my fave! Even when it's not fancy, in fact, it's the best when it's not fancy. Just us 3, our bowls of cereal and fruit, coffees, and milk, chattering away.

But we were on a deadline, showers had to be taken, clothes had to be put on, and diaper bags and lunches had to be packed for one wee toddler.

We were heading into the big city for the Southern Festival of Books!

Aka: my mecca :)

J dropped me off at the entrance to the festival where I stood and stared up in awe as I felt the electricity of the crowd, and frothed over all of the books on display (hoping for ARCS but all were for sale), and got to business with my agenda.

J and LC were going to get coffee at a local coffee shop he'd been wanting to try and then play at a nearby park while I went to a couple of sessions. However, as life is with a toddler, plans change, and we had to be flexible :)

Almost as soon as they dropped me off, LC fell asleep, detour to J's parents house where he napped for the better part of 3.5 hours(!!!!) while J chatted with his folks and I sat enamoured in a session with Gillian Flynn, author of the summer bestseller (on ALL THE CHARTS), GONE GIRL!

AND, she called on me in the q&a part of the session! ::jaw drops::

I attended one other session about dystopian fiction which I wasn't too impressed with - it wasn't what I was thinking it would be -- and meandered around the tents before J picked me up and we headed back to his folks house.

LC woke up shortly after I got there and we fed him some lunch, played for a bit, then hit the road. J and I hadn't eaten and it was nearing 4pm, so we figured and early dinner would be our best bet -- plus whenever we're in town we can NEVER pass up our fave ice cream shoppe! So we found a local mexican restaurant across the street from the ice cream where we dined on avocado fries, carnitas, soft tacos, rice, and refried beans.

LC dined on chips and salsa -- this kid LOVES dipping! Last weekend he squealed with excitement as he dipped each piece of his grilled cheese sandwich into a little container of ketchup :)

He also had some refried beans and bites of our food, getting his fill.

Ice cream, and then, since the boys missed their coffee, we stopped by on our way out of town, grabbed a couple of lattes, and stopped by the local park that they also missed this morning.

I wore LC as we watched the sunset over the river, strolled along a little path, checked out the playground, sipped on our coffees, and enjoyed the beautifully warm October evening we were so blessed with.

Did you just barf a little....yeah, sorry about that ... but honestly, there is no better way for me to explain it.

The little moments, the full days, the time, I get to spend with my boys is more precious than anything to me.

The days that I have to work on Saturday and Sunday, even though it's only 2 times a month, feel so excruciatingly long when I know that days like today can happen.

Now at 8:35am, I'm on the couch, cuddled up in my fleece pants, bathrobe, and warm socks, with the most recent issue of Parenting magazine on one side, and my book on the other. J listening to the football game in the other room (no cable = streaming on the internet), our sweet boy sleeping down the hall, the night folding in on us, sleep calling, waiting to greet a new day.

Another day together tomorrow - it may be filled with more mundane tasks like the Publix and the Target, but for today, it was worth every second :)