Friends and Family ~ Adopted or Otherwise

With my BFF in town for the last couple of weeks, I've been ignoring my blogging responsibilities. I can't help it; we had so much to do and far too little time in which to do it...

The last week of Shelby's visit was by far the best. Of course, I've grown accustomed to having to share her when she is here on vacation but this year, I spent a huge amount of time with both "sides" of her family and didn't feel nearly as miserable about our too-little time together.  During her first week, we enjoyed Stauffeneker gatherings and outings and, last week, we spent time on Seneca Lake with John's families---the Davies and the Farleys. Having grown-up with Shelby's family, her family is like my own, slightly extended, family. I like spending time with her brothers and their families. It is terrific to see all of Shelby's nieces and nephews and I can never quite believe how much they've grown.
This year, I had the pleasure of meeting John's extended family--both the Davies and the Farleys. I feel as though I should capitalize PLEASURE or add some sort of animation to it because that is                 E-X-A-C-T-L-Y what it was to meet this terrific group of people.

Fun with a Friend, Fair Finds and The Ugly Chair Shop

I spent Saturday running around like crazy, a chicken with its head cut-off, if you will. While the early morning running was for "obligations," the afternoon was spent garage-saling with one of my very best friends, Victoria. As we headed out (around 1pm), we sort of wandered aimlessly. We didn't have a plan of action; figuring that we would "run into" a sale here and there, we just kind of meandered. Despite being aimless, I love garage-saling. I like the whole "recycle and reuse" concept and, well, you all know how I feel about shopping. I've never been picky about second-hand anything. My entire home is full of second-hand stuff from furniture to decorations. In fact, our "new" pool is even second-hand. I know some people who are appalled by garage sales and do not have the "one man's junk is another man's treasure" philosophy that I do. I figure it's their loss and a few less people I will need to compete against at sales and auctions...

Death of a Four-Day Weekend...

So, it's back to work today and I am here, mourning the death of a four-day weekend. My grief is not new, I've mourned this way before and I am all too familiar with the stages of grief I will experience today (thank you Elizabeth Kübler-Ross)...
1. Denial "It CANNOT be time to return to work."
2. Anger "Dammit, it is time to return to work."
3. Bargaining "If I go back today, I can call in sick tomorrow."
4. Depression "I am going to die here at work, what's the point of working on this stuff?"
5. Acceptance "I am here today, I may as well do some of this stuff."