So Much For Downtime

[TD & Rick Springer about to eat Mike Cressy's face]

On the plus side, it was a super fun weekend. Full of family and friends and good food and drink (and maybe a bit more drink... and did I mention there was drink?). On the downside, it was really exhausting.

Friday evening, the kids both went to overnights and Raechelle went to a bachelorette party, leaving me free to enjoy dinner, pints (and a shot) and some really good live music at the Celtic Swell. Mark got off work in the kitchen and came to sit and have drinks with us. We sang along with the acoustic set, and our jaws hit the floor when this kid came out of nowhere, borrowed the acoustic guitar and belted out some Chicago blues folk fusion.

Saturday, we finished prepping for the engagement/housewarming party. We went on a safari to the wilds of Burien to stock up at the Grocery Outlet, and alternately cleaned and napped (recovering from our respective booze-ups the previous night). Party time came, and with it more than 50 people, all crammed into our little craftsman home. Many worlds collided, and reality as we know it was not destroyed. In fact, everybody got along. [Photos here]

[Kayleigh & Raechelle]

We didn't get to bed until 2AM, and then it was up at 10AM to get ready for our drive up to Bellingham for family Christmas Redux, due to actual Christmas being called on account of snow. It was great to see my grandmother doing so well, and great to see my immediate family together. Food was VERY yummy - thanks, Bob! [Photos here]

[neice Zadra, grandmother Dorothy and daughter Kayleigh]

By the time we were on the road back home, I was seriously hitting a wall. Raechelle had to keep me engaged in conversation to help me stay focused. We arrived home safely and tired, and immediately hit the pajamas and curled up on the sofa for tea and a movie. Then it was crash-time.

The kids are home from school for end-of-semester, and Raechelle is down with a stomach issue (not to mention more car problems). We have something on the calendar every day this week, but I am committed to getting some real work done and having a bit of downtime each and every day.