Happy Weekend

 On Friday morning I found myself stuck at the mall for quite a few hours and if you know me in real life, well...I hate to shop.  I mean, I like it sometimes but overall...ick.  

But here I was at the mall while waiting for that guy that I like so much's car.  My car had been dropped off first at the dealer for a recall, Alex's truck was at a different dealer having a problem fixed that only the dealer could fix and then I found myself at the mall waiting for tires.

By then I had already been working for close to 4 hours so I was hungry and grumpy...huevos rancheros, thankfully, came to the rescue.

Yum.

The mall was PACKED and it didn't take long to figure out that iPhone mania was going on.  Not for me since my money was all being dropped into the rather deep pockets of the auto repair professionals...but look at all those excited people.

I'm probably the only person in the world that dreads things like new phones because it means I have to learn how to use it...I mean, come on.  Can't things just all stay the same???

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And while day dreaming, the calls started coming.  Here's the low down:

Car #1: 729.00.  Tires.  Alignment.  Got a free car wash.

Car #2: $968.00.  Recalls on the ignition and the seatbelt and the airbags.  All covered under warranty. Needed a new idle something or other and brakes and something else.  Got a free car wash.

Car (or truck) #3: $175.00 to reprogram the computer which only the dealer can do. Got a free car wash.

So all together?

I could've gone to Hawaii, but I did score 3 free car washes.

And then, in the back of the wine closet, that guy that I like so much found an old bottle of wine.  And because we are stupid or smart (I'm not sure which) we decided to celebrate the fact that all our cars are now clean (for FREE!) and we headed to Maggiano's.

Dinner was lovely and in true Michael Busch form, our server was like a member of our family by the end of the evening and we were happy and relaxed and ready for a weekend.  Those car bills?  Well, I had saved just enough for some pretty new furniture but it's just not meant to be right now.

And that's ok.

This grown up real life stuff?

Not always fun but not always bad, either.  

Saturday morning I was cleaning out the outside freezer and planned out a completely wacky smorgasbord of a dinner, texted the neighbors to come over and we had an impromptu garden party.

The menfolk talked cars and bourbon, the women talked love and wine and a houseful of boys (and a girl or two) took over the family room and watched movies.

It was one of those really great evenings that was thrown together last minute but turned out to be so fun and relaxing and full of laughter.

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And the next morning, when downloading photos, I came across these:

I love my people.

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Monday morning is a back to work day.  The weather has changed and so a hike will definitely be on the agenda, as well as laundry, catching up on my bible study homework and a good scrubbing of the floors.  I have an old dresser that is begging to be painted...so that, too.

A few more mystery meals will be created from whatever is in the outside freezer...I'm craving soups and stews and comfort food, basically anything that is cooked long and slow on the stove.  I'm almost there.  Almost.

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