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And now onto this past weekend...
I moved to the Boston area/Somerville a little more than three years ago (most of you know this, but it's important for perspective). In that time, my parents have come to visit exactly zero times. I wouldn't say I'm necessarily happy about this. I also haven't seen any of my other relatives in New England since I moved here.... until this past weekend! My mom's older brothers (my Uncle Nick and Uncle Tim) were in Rhode Island for a couple of weeks because Uncle Tim had a job out this way, and I finally was able to meet up with them in Newport, RI.
Newport was lovely. We ate lunch at 22 Bowens Wine Bar & Grill, where they import their beef from Chicago and get their seafood from local waters. Naturally we were there for the seafood (so that I could show my uncles what it tastes like out on the east coast), but it's nice to know they know good beef. ;-)
After lunch, we walked around, staying close to the water so that we could look at the boats. At first, my uncles said Newport was a little too ritzy for blue collar guys like them, but then they saw this:
and others like it, and they seemed to change their tune... apparently, they could get used to owning one of those. :-) I just enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and catching up, as well as being close to the water on a very steamy day. They might be back in the area for more work, and I hope then I can get them up to Boston where I'm in more familiar territory (yes, this probably does mean a little bit of time on the Freedom Trail).
Sunday, I went and did something... significant, but I'm not telling you what it is yet. Ha! If you're going to see me this weekend, you'll find out then; otherwise, it'll have to wait until next week. I don't mean to be a tease (okay, maybe I do)... it's just that the impact right now isn't quite what I want it to be. ;-)
Something I did on Sunday that I can tell you about is play poker. I miss poker so, so much. It was nice to see some faces I haven't seen in several months, and play a game I love. Every time I think about why I don't play every week anymore, I get angry/upset (depending on my mood). But I've told myself I can't go back to the old weekly game until I'm no longer angry/upset. Except then... will I even want to go anymore? This might not be the most logical way of handling things, but I'm at a loss for what else I could do. I lost $7 Sunday night, but it was $7 well spent, as far as I'm concerned.
Moving on... THIS WEEKEND should prove to be a fantastic time. I'm really looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen in awhile, and to relaxing on the annual Labor Day trip to the Poconos. I've even gone a little crazy with the food preparations, pre-making some parts of the dishes I plan on making (roasted vegetable baked ziti with marinated grilled chicken for dinner one night, and two different types of breakfast strata/casserole for, well, breakfast one morning). I love cooking during this trip, and eating lots of homemade meals, since we're in the middle of nowhere, but I don't want to spend my WHOLE WEEKEND in the kitchen. Hopefully this will be a good compromise. I can't wait!
- Lizzardie, at 5:40 PM
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