Memorial Day

After spending Spring Break spring cleaning I was jonesing for a vacay.

Brian took off the Friday before Memorial Day to spend with moi--shopping and going to lunch. (I think my craving for seared scallops has turned into a visceral need).
But no dice.

My plants that I ordered May 1 finally arrived on Thurs. So while delighted they were finally here, we spent the whole of Friday planting. Some of them still look pretty sad, and a few are definitely dying, but on the whole I'm hopeful that by this fall, my front flowerbed will look like a flowerbed, instead of dirt with random smudges that are supposed to be flowers.
Sat. was spent at Costco and the grocery store although we did leave the kids behind and treated ourselves to Costco hot dogs (still, nowhere close to being scallops).

Still, Friday night the whole family went out for Chinese and then we stopped in at Barnes and Nobles. Everyone got a book to kick start summer (although school limps along for another 23 days). Brian urged me to pick something, but I feel too overwhelmed at a bookstore--too many titles, all so delicious, where to start?? Besides, he picked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Tritan picked a The House of the Scorpion--so there's two books I can't wait to read. Athena picked a book about stenciling--because she would rather learn how to do something than sit and read about other people doing things. And we coerced Apollo into buying a Ready to Read book. What I am really chomping at the bit to read, though, is Paris' pick: Rick Riordan's new book The Red Pyramid. Listen to the first line: "We only have a few hours, so listen carefully." Brilliant.

Luckily, my sister Alyssa decided at the last minute to come up from Richmond and visit her friend Missy and stay with us for a couple of days. Missy dropped Alyssa off on Sunday and stayed for one of Brian's BBQs. Then on Monday, we went to Grounds for Sculpture, which I've wanted to see, and Alyssa was the perfect beard.






Thanks for coming Alyssa! We had so much fun. Vacation itch scratched. Still on the prowl for those scallops....