In light of recent events, I think it would have been totally understandable if I had sat on the couch all weekend and felt sorry for myself.
And while that sounds like something I might actually DO, I decided… not to.
I kept percocet’s with me to handle the pain, and a purse full of pads. I took it easy, and did lots of sitting. But I did not stay in my house.
Saturday, I went out with Amanda, Dana and Cindy. They were shopping for dresses for Dana’s upcoming wedding. I met them at a bridal boutique in Huntersville, and when I walked in, they were all so happy to see me. Cindy came over and gave me the biggest hug, and I started crying immediately, but I kept a smile on my face. Then Amanda hugged me. Then Dana, clad in a beautiful but not-the-one-I-want dress. I felt lighter just by being with them. We’d missed going to Mark’s birthday party on Friday night, and I had regretted it so badly. Seeing my girls quickly made up for it.
We watched Dana try on a few dresses and chatted a little, but none of the dresses were quite ‘perfect’. They told me about one that she had tried on earlier, at a different store. She wanted to go back and try it on again, and I wanted to get to see it. So we drove back up to Mooresville, and went into the cutest bridal boutique I’ve ever seen. It was entirely consignment run, with gorgeous gowns at reasonable prices. They also have a custom jewelry designer that will work with you on what you’d like, and her prices are fantastic. Every single person that worked in that store was friendly, excited, and professional.
Dana tried on the gown that she had liked, and it was PERFECT. She also picked out a pair of earrings that went beautifully, and I honestly got tears in my eyes. Here she was, standing in a dimly lit boutique with almost no make-up, no shoes, post-run hair and the silliest grin you’ve ever seen, and she was already the perfect bride. I am so happy for her. She also asked me to be in her wedding, which pushed me right ove
r the edge into crying. I was a bit of a leaky faucet on Saturday.
Later that night, Brock asked his parents to sit for us so we could go out and have a ‘date night’. We haven’t had one in a while, and the value of a babysitter that doesn’t cost 10 dollars an hour is unspeakable. I got all dolled up, put on some super fancy clothes and a bit of make-up. I let myself feel really good about myself. Ronan slept the whole time, and we went to a movie – Ha! “Date Night” with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. It was really funny, and sweet. We both enjoyed it quite a bit.
Afterwards, we wanted to stop at the Fox and Hound for a drink, since… well, you know. But there was a cover charge for fight night, so we came home instead. We thanked Jane for watching Ronan, and poured each a glass of wine, and settled in on the couch. All in all, it was really a wonderful night.
Sunday was beautiful, and we decided to pack up early and go to the park. Ronan skipped his morning nap again, so getting out of the house was the best idea. I packed a small picnic lunch and we brought a blanket. I sat in the sun most of the day while Brock chased Ronan around the park.
Nearly an hour later, we brought Ronan home and put him down for a nap. Brock and I watched some TV, and when Ronan woke again only 50 minutes later, we went to the mall. Brock wanted to pick up some medicine balls for working out, and I wanted to get my eyebrows done. We were really only there for about 20 minutes, but it felt good to get things done.
At home, we bathed Ronan and put him to bed, noticing that he was getting a runny nose and quite fussy. We put him down early because of his lack of naps, and spent just a little time tidying up the house together. When we sat down, we had cleaned the kitchen, the living room, my closet, and did two loads of laundry. It felt like so little effort, and we got SO much done. Brock and I both had such a fantastic weekend together, and spent a lot of great time with Ronan. It felt amazing to really be together as a family. I hope for more of that in the future.
Despite all of the bad that happened this week, I have to admit that it ended up being a pretty perfect weekend.
Here are a few pictures from the park.
