Wow - a week has gone by since my last post. I guess I have been rather busy now that I think about it. On Sunday I drove my mom up to Connecticut for a little casino action. It was her birthday and one of her favorite things to do when she lived there was to head up to the
Foxwoods Resort casino and play bingo. I know, I know, a long drive to play a little bingo. So true but it was not just the game but the whole 'reliving the experience' that she was looking for. She feels she doesn't have too many trips left in her and wanted to go for a few days. I was more than happy to accompany her.
After a day at the casino, she shared with me the sentiment 'you can never go home again' and I think she was right. The full quote from James Agee is: "How far we all come. How far we all come away from ourselves. You can never go home again." I think that is sometimes true when you revisit places that you have such fond memories of. Sometimes the place changes or you've changed or both things have happened and it's just not the same anymore. It can be a little bittersweet. We did have a good time though with lots of laughs. We were also able to meet up with my sister and niece and my niece's 2 year old little girl for a great seafood lunch down on the shore. That was wonderful since we don't get to see each other too often and I know my mom misses them. We also did a little boutique shopping that you can only get in Connecticut. And the highlight for me was being able to sit at the beach for a bit and take in a gorgeous New England summer day. Ahhhh....totally refreshes my soul. I so miss living close to the ocean now. I took it for granted all those years when it was right in my backyard and now I miss it more and more with each passing year. The drive down I95 was long and congested and I was beyond happy to pull into my driveway around 12:30 am on Wednesday morning.
The rest of the week was busy with the girls, filling orders and weeding. Those weeds are way out of control this year but the flowers are looking fabulous, so it is worth my sore back and dirty fingers. I refuse to treat the weeds with chemicals because of all the wildlife we have in the back yard so stooping, squatting and ripping them out is the only plan. It's definitely a love / hate relationship.
Last night Ellie transitioned from a Daisy into a Brownie at a big Girl Scout ceremony. Steve and I were very proud of her. I find myself welling up with tears over every accomplishment she has. So happy that she is here to experience it all. Cancer has definitely turned me into a big bawling baby.
Tonight Steve and I leave Emma in charge and we are off for date night. Tomorrow I have to work a bit but I think I will take Ellie to the pool and catch up on some DVR'd shows and finish my book...oh and probably weed some more. I hope to find myself relaxing with a margarita on the screened porch toward the end of the day. So love summertime! We have a graduation party we were invited to but I am thinking we will stay in. I have personally been going out for dinner and drinks a lot over the last few weeks so I am looking to slow down my social calendar to a slow crawl this weekend.
The girls have one more week of school and then SUMMER VACATION! We will be off to Hilton Head Island in SC for our first Summer getaway toward the end of the month. So needing some R&R. The other cool thing that happened this week involves my beloved Imogen Heap. I was notified by her people that they selected a photo I took at the recent concert Emma and I attended to use for her cover artwork of the charity improv that she did that night. On this tour, at each show, she asks the audience to select a key and tempo and Immi then creates a piece of music right on the spot. It's unique and was so cool to watch her do. Anyhoo- She holds up a banner afterward to tell us what local charity will benefit from the sales of that one improv track and asks everyone to take a photo and submit it. She then will pick a photo to be used as the artwork for the release of that single. I was absolutely thrilled when I learned my photo was selected. My name is in the credits and everything. Can I get a Woo Hoo!
http://charity.imogenheap.com/album/norfolk-live-improv-full-and-edit is the link to the Norfolk VA improv and you can see my photo and listen to this really cool 'on the spot' totally improvised track.
