Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 3 (Meetups with Friends, Justin Timberlake & DMB Concerts, Sleepovers, and Father’s Day)

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Before I get started on my recap, I just wanted to say Happy Juneteenth to all of my friends and readers in the Black community!  I’m thinking of all of you today, and I hope you know that you will always have an ally in me.  <3

Last week was BUSY.  I was hoping I wouldn’t have to say that sentence until August when the kids go back to school, but alas, here we are.  Thankfully, it was a good busy, but whew, was it busy!  I feel like I got behind on everything in life when we went to Disney World the first week of April, and I’ve just been flying by the seat of my pants ever since.  Maybe one of these weeks I’ll make a full recovery, but this was not that week.  Haha.

Monday, June 10

We got back from the beach Saturday, had a full day unpacking and doing laundry, then Sunday we had lunch with my in-laws, we attended my friend’s popup book shop, and then we had dinner with my family, so I rolled into Monday morning with a MILLION AND ONE things on my plate.

However, my favorite friar was in town, so I dropped everything like it was hot and I headed downtown bright and early to meet him, my momma, and another friend (my friend Jessica’s mom) – Hiiii, Trish!  I know you’re reading! – for breakfast. 

We ended up at a local coffee shop in an old bank downtown, and we hung out at our own little table in one of the vaults for a couple of hours chatting and catching up, and it was the best morning.  Father Manny is such a wonderful human, and I’m always so happy after spending time with him because his joy is infectious.  It was such a treat and the perfect way to start the week… he is such a blessing to all of us and we all miss him tremendously!  I’m grateful that we’re still able to see him once or twice a year since he left.

After our breakfast, I headed to a friend’s house to pick up a uniform shirt for Olivia that they no longer needed, and then I headed to Target to do some returns.  After that, I swung by the library to return all of my beach books and to pick up my book that was on hold, and I chatted with my friend, Jeannine, for a few minutes while I was there.

I wrapped up my errand-running with a trip to Walmart and Publix to grab groceries since our fridge and pantry were bare after being at the beach, and that ended up taking longer than usual because I saw my friend, Randi, at Walmart and we ended up chatting forever.  We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and it was so good to hug her neck!

By the time I got home, it was lunch time, so I got the groceries all put away, and the Brian and the kids and I all sat down to eat together.  Thankfully, B was working from home Monday, so I was able to do all of the errands without the kids.  They were jealous of my breakfast with Father Manny, but they would have hated running all of those errands.  Haha.

After lunch, I headed to work on the neglected blog for a while because I was soooo behind.  I only had about an hour to do that, and then it was time to get ready to leave because… we were headed to Atlanta to see Justin Timberlake!  EEK!

We dropped the kids off at my parents’ house for the night, and then we made the drive to The Steamhouse Lounge in Atlanta to meet my friend, Lauren, and her husband, Zack, for dinner.  Lauren and I have been close friends since 2001 (we met working at the movie theater), and she moved to Atlanta when I was pregnant with Olivia.  I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I’d like to, but it’s always so fun when we do get together!

We sat around with Lauren and Zack for a couple of hours, had a couple of rounds of beers, had a yummy dinner, and then it was time to head to the venue for Justin Timberlake.

He played at State Farm Arena and the show started at 7:30.  There was no opener, so we’d done a geriatric dinner at 5 PM to ensure that we made it to the venue on time, but it turned out that he had a DJ open, so there was no need to get there as early as we did.  It was nice to be there early, though, because we had plenty of time to park and walk and go to the bathroom and such before it started.

Our seats were AMAZING.  Third row of the section second on the floor on the aisle… and right by the tunnel for the bars and bathroom – a dream.  We had some friends there who were in the upper level, and she sent me this picture of Brian and me down on the floor.  They were able to spot us from their seats.  Haha.

The DJ fired up around 7:45 and he was SO good.  He played all of the club music from the 90s and early 2000s AKA Lindsay Jams, and he had the whole place on their feet dancing.  It was so much fun, and it was the perfect way to kick off the concert.

JT came out at 9 on the dot, and the next two hours were spent jamming to all of my favorites, old and new.  Dude can SING, and we had the best time.

After the show, I found out that Jermaine Dupri and Monica were in the section right behind us, and JT also made an announcement during the show that Chris Kirkpatrick was somewhere in the audience as well.  I’d hoped Luda or TI would pop out on stage during the concert since they’ve collaborated with JT and they both live in ATL, but sadly, they didn’t. 

The show was awesome, though!  Unfortunately, my stupid dizziness and boat-rocking was VERY prominent Monday night, but I didn’t let it get me down.  I just danced and sang and held onto the chair in front of me as needed.  Haha.

He wrapped up around 11, and we hightailed it out of there for the long drive home.  We made it home sometime around 1-ish, and poor Brian had to be at work at 6 AM the next morning for a project he’s in the middle of at work.  Yeesh.  

Meanwhile, the kids had had a wonderful evening with my parents!

Tuesday, June 11

Tuesday morning, I slept in until about 7:45.  I wanted so badly to snooze for at least another hour, especially since I hadn’t been able to fall aleep until nearly 3, but I had things to do, so I dragged myself out of bed.

Brian was already at work, and the kids were still with my parents, so I grabbed breakfast, watered the plants, unloaded the dishwasher, and tidied the kitchen before spending a few minutes in my office catching up on some blog reading. 

Then it was time to get showered and ready so I could pick up the kids from my parents’ house.  They’d taken them to IHOP for dinner, and then to the park to play on the playground and take a long walk the night before, so they’d had a lot of fun.

When we got home, I worked foreverrrr on blog stuff because I was so dang behind, and then the kids and I had a light lunch together.  After lunch, it was more work for me, and then Jacob had a makeup piano lesson at 4 since we’d missed his lesson while we were at the beach.

While we were there, Mr. Steve, one of the other teachers, didn’t have a lesson, so he sat with Olivia and me and chatted while Jacob was in his lesson.  He’s friends with Jacob’s old piano teacher, and he told us that he’d had to have surgery on his shoulder, so he’s down for a couple of months and he can’t do much of anything.  Jacob wants to do something for him, so we’re going to put together a little something for him and send it with Steve the next time he sees him.

When we got home, I did my Bible study for the day, and then it was time to cook dinner.  On the menu Tuesday evening was turkey sausage with a heap of veggies.  We were all in need of veggies after eating so much crap at the beach the previous week.

After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen and then I got in a run.  I had one of my worst paces ever because I’ve been struggling with my asthma ever since we got back from the beach.  The grass pollen is bad this time of year, so I’m guessing that’s why?  I have no clue.  But I have been SO short of breath for the last week and a half and a bit fatigued and it’s killing me.  Between that and my dizziness being so bad again, I have been a MESS, y’all.

When I got home, I put Maui in her harness and leash and took her for a walk because I wanted to do something special for her since we’d been leaving her so much.  She’s been all out of sorts since we got back from the beach, probably because our schedule has been so erratic with all of the concerts and comings and goings.

After that, I showered and got ready for bed, and then we watched some of America’s Got Talent with the kids before getting them in the bed early.  They’d stayed up until 11:30 the night before with my parents so they were dragging.  And so were B and I.

B and I stayed up a little longer after that to watch some old episodes of Shark Tank that we hadn’t gotten around to watching, and then we called it a night.

 

Wednesday, June 12

Wednesday morning, I was up at 7:15 and feeling pretty refreshed after a good night of sleep.  I got showered, had breakfast, and got the kids up so they could get ready because Jacob had an appointment with the orthodontist.  Womp womp. 

His dentist has been telling us for about a year that it was time to consult with an orthodontist, so we finally got him lined up this summer.  At his appointment, they told us that he still has a lot of baby teeth hanging on (his adult teeth have grown in over the baby teeth and still haven’t pushed them out!), so the orthodontist said it would be better to wait until those teeth come out before we put the braces on, otherwise, he’ll likely have to wear braces much longer. 

He advised that we have the four baby teeth extracted since they’re hanging on with no sign of letting go, and then he said we’ll need to wait about six months after that for the adult teeth to drop down a little more, so for now, Jacob is spared from having a metal mouth like his momma.

Olivia, on the other hand, was a different story.  While we were there, I had him take a quick peek at her mouth since her teeth are all coming in crooked, and he asked that we bring her in for an official consultation right away.  He said that because of her prominent overbite, he wants to go ahead and get her x-rayed to find out if it’s just her teeth placement or if it’s skeletal.  He said she likely won’t get braces right away, but he wants to go ahead and get ahead of things and put a treatment plan in place since her mouth has several different issues.

So now we’re trying to decide whether or not to proceed with the extractions for Jacob or just wait and let them fall out in their own time.  The orthodontist said it’s fine to take that route, too, but it could be that Jacob will end up being well into high school during his braces treatment, which some kids don’t like.  And Olivia will be going back in a couple of weeks for her consult!  That was definitely not the outcome that I thought we were going to have.  Ha!

After the orthodontist, the kids asked for cake pops, so we ran through the Starbucks line to get some, and then we headed home.  I squeezed in a little bit of work while the kids watched TV for a few minutes, and then we all had lunch.

After lunch, I squeezed in some more work and started on some long overdue housework, and then it was time to get ready for concert #2 for the week… Dave Matthews Band!

My MIL came to stay with the kids at our house, and B and I left mid-afternoon to make the drive to Atlanta again.  We ended up arriving with plenty of time to grab hot dogs and beers and hang out for a bit before the show started.

Unfortunately, my dizziness was in full swing yet again (SIGH), but again, I didn’t let it hold me down.  I enjoyed my beer and danced the night away, holding onto the seat in front of me when needed.  And sometimes alcohol actually improves my dizziness/boat rocking sensation a bit, and Wednesday evening was one of those times, so by the end of the concert I didn’t feel quite as bad.

We had some fun people in front of us, and the guy danced the night away, so that was fun to watch, and the people to our left were also really nice, and we chatted a bit throughout the show.

The very best part, though, was… I got to see one of my favorite songs performed live for the first time in TWENTY-TWO years!!!!  One of my all-time favorite DMB songs is Lover Lay Down, and I saw it at my very first concert back in 2002.  I’ve been to 26 DMB shows since then, and they haven’t played it.  But Wednesday night, they finally played it at my 28th show and I soaked up every single second of it.

Yes, I also cried.  It was so good.

After the show, we hit the road and drove back home, arriving sometime before 1 AM.  My MIL left to go home, and then Brian and I thought we were going to bed, but Maui had other plans.  Lol. 

She decided that she wanted to HOWL when we put her to bed, so we had to go back downstairs, turn on the lights, give her a treat, and pretend to watch TV for a few minutes to appease her before we could finally go back upstairs and get in bed.  She is a creature of habit, and apparently, she will not go to bed if we don’t do our usual routine first.  Lol.

So, by the time we got in the bed, it was nearing 2 AM I think?  And then, to top it all off, I couldn’t fall asleep.

 

Thursday, June 13

I woke up on the struggle bus at 7:45 Thursday morning with my 4-5 hours of sleep, and I felt miserable ALL DAY.  I got breakfast, watered my plants, read some blogs in my office for an hour or so, showered, spent some time with the kids, and then it was time to get them over to my father-in-law’s because I had an appointment with my therapist.

After my appointment, I swung by the gas station and the liquor store to grab some beer for B for Father’s Day, and then I picked up the kids.  We ran to Hobby Lobby to grab a gift card, and while we were there, we decided to eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A since it was getting late.  We pulled up at Chick-Fil-A and who did we spot?  My parents!  Ha!  They just happened to be eating lunch there the same time we were, so the kids got to get some Pop and Cokie hugs!

After lunch, we headed straight to the car wash to finally get all of the salty, sandy goo off of the outside of the car from the beach trip, and we got the whole inside vacuumed out since there was sand in every single crack and crevice… not to mention just all over the place in general.  Literally.  Haha.  If you’ve ever been to the beach in the gulf then you KNOW.

When we got home, I worked for an hour while the kids played video games, and then we had music lessons.  After that, I got a Bible study done at home, and by then, I was super on the struggle bus.  My jaw and neck tension has been HIDEOUS for a couple of weeks, and between that, lack of sleep, and hormone shifts causing a plethora of other unfun side effects, I was DONE.

I made it through making breakfast for dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, and then I forced myself to do a workout thinking it might make me feel better.  Spoiler alert, it did not.  So, I cut my workout short and I grabbed my book and lay on the couch for the rest of the evening.  B and the kids joined me to watch AGT and I fell straight to sleep and slept through the entire thing, only waking to get the kids in the bed.  Then B and I finished the episode of Eric that we’d started a different night, and I went to bed early.

Friday, June 14

Friday morning, I awoke feeling a little better.  The morning was much of the same – breakfast, plant-watering, blog reading and hot tea in my office, and then a shower – and then I had to take Maui to the vet for yet another blood draw.

At her appointment, her white blood cells were finally well within the normal range, so the vet dismissed the whole cancer possibility (praise the Lord!) and she said that we didn’t have to come back!  So that was GREAT news.  Now we’re just back to managing her kidney disease which hasn’t progressed (good news) or improved from her special food (a bummer, but at least it didn’t get worse).

I headed home after that, and Brian, the kids, and I ate lunch together.  I did some work while the kids did their own thing.  Olivia was a bracelet-making machine all weekend.  She finally started watching the videos for how to do the intricate bracelets on the Rainbow Loom, and she made some really great ones.

I got in a Bible study after that, and then it was time to get Jacob to his friend, WJ’s, house to sleep over.  Brian and Olivia and I all headed to one of our favorite local pubs near church to meet Brian’s family to celebrate my father-in-law for Father’s Day after that, and then we went back to his house to hang out for the evening.  The cousins all played games together while the adults chatted and watched college baseball.

We got home around 8, and B and I decided to make some Old Fashioneds since it was National Bourbon Day.  We thought it would be nice to finally break in the cocktail smoker that I got for him for his birthday, too.  I whipped up some simple syrup and we got to work.  The only thing we didn’t have was fresh orange peels, but the drinks turned out good.  That cocktail smoker is really easy to use, and it is a gamechanger.  It really changes the entire scent and flavor of the cocktails for the better!

While we enjoyed our cocktails, Olivia continued her bracelet-making, and then we got her in the bed shortly after that.  After she went to bed, B and I finished the show Eric.  We both enjoyed it.  It’s a little odd, but it was definitely worth the watch, and it’s not a huge time commitment since it’s a miniseries with just six episodes.

 

Saturday, June 15

Saturday morning, we slept in, made homemade waffles for breakfast, and then I had my cup of cinnamon tea.  I tried to get in an hour-long mixed cardio workout, but I was just exhausted last week – so much dizziness, shortness of breath, lack of sleep, and fatigue – so I did 45 minutes and then quit.  That’s all I could muster. 

After my workout, I got a few loads of laundry done, and Olivia and I finally got her sunflowers planted.  B came out and got the soil ready for us, and we planted 22 per her request because – Taylor Swift – haha.  And please ignore all of the dirty bricks on the side of the house… I’m SO MAD at myself because I meant to pressure wash that off while we had the pressure washer we borrowed back in April, and I totally forgot.  Now we’re stuck with the dirty house for a bit longer.  We also really need to clear the grass off of the fence, too.

I received a text late in the morning from Olivia’s friend, Maren’s, mom asking if Olivia could spend the night, so Olivia was ecstatic.  She got all packed up and spent the rest of the afternoon making bracelets while I wrapped Father’s Day gifts and spent some time getting my planner organized.

Mid-afternoon, my friend Jen Facetimed us all the way from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert in Liverpool so Olivia could watch Taylor sing Enchanted live.  It was the absolute best surprise, and my girl was so excited about it!  Side note, look how amazing Jen’s seats were!!  That is the real live Taylor in the middle of the screen in that first picture… it’s just super blurry since the connection wasn’t clear. 

 

Jacob got home a little after 3 and he’d had a great sleepover at WJ’s house.  They’d stayed up until 3 AM, though, LOL, so he looked positively exhausted.

We all got ready for church shortly after that, and then we dropped Olivia at Maren’s house on the way there.

Got one kid back home and sent another one off!  Must be summertime!

We had a major heatwave last week, and temps were in the upper 90’s… we even hit 100 one day.  When we arrived at church, it was blazing hot in the sanctuary, so we were all wondering what was going on.  Every now and then, it’ll be warm in there starting out, but it always cools off quickly and it’s typically FREEZING. 

Well, Mass started, and it was still blazing hot.  Our priest said that they were working on getting the A/C going, but the whole hour of Mass went by and it was miserable the whole time.  At one point Jacob looked like he was going to faint, so he went to get some water, and I told him to stay in the commons area since it was cooler out there, but he came back in the church anyway.  The heat reeeeally messed with my dizziness and boat-rocking, and I felt yucky the whole time, too.  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough when it was over.

After Mass, we went to eat at our favorite Mexican place with my mom and dad, Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg, and Mama Cass.  We had such a small group Saturday evening, that we ended up finishing up by 7:30 and we were home before 8.

Since we got home so early, I took Maui for a quick walk around the block.  By then, the sun was no longer beating down, but it was still 93 degrees.  Ugh.  So gross.  Side note, these wedges I've been talking about forever are so comfy that I didn't even have to change into something else before walking Maui!  They are the BEST!

When I got home, the boys had started Jurassic Park 2, so I headed upstairs to get ready for bed and do a couple of Bible studies since I’d gotten behind. 

They only watched half of the movie since Jacob was exhausted from being up so late the night before, and then after Jacob went to bed, B and I started season two of The Chosen.

 

Sunday, June 16

Sunday morning was Father’s Day, so I got up a little earlier than usual and went out to get donuts from B’s favorite place.  The three of us had breakfast together, and then Brian and Jacob finished Jurassic Park 2 while I did my yoga and watched my sermon for the week.

After that, we all got ready for the day, and then we headed to Maren’s house to pick up Olivia.  They’d had the best time swimming, jumping on the trampoline, and making bracelets all night, but it was good to have both of my babies back.

We headed straight to lunch after that.  My MIL and step-FIL didn’t cook lunch Sunday, so B wanted to go to our favorite local brewpub for lunch.  They had a grilled cheese and tomato soup on the special menu, so of course, I had to get that! 

It would have been nice to walk around downtown afterward, but again, it was going to hit 100 degrees, so we headed back home after that to give Brian his gifts.  Then, we had three hours to be lazy before we had to be at my parents’ house for dinner. 

Brian watched a show he’s in the middle of, I worked in my office, Jacob played video games, and Olivia watched 5-minute craft videos on YouTube.  I went to check on her about an hour into it, and she was passed out.  She had only stayed up until about midnight at her sleepover, but she was so exhausted she couldn’t hang.  She ended up sleeping until we left to go to my parents’ house, and then she slept almost the whole time over there, too.  Bless.

We celebrated my dad with spaghetti, salad, bread, and cookies, and gave him his gifts, and it was a good day celebrating my two favorite dads!

When we got home, we got the kids in the bed early since they’d both had late nights this weekend, and then Brian watched House of the Dragon while I worked and scrolled on my phone.  That show bores me to tears.  Ha!

And that was our crazy, busy week!  Thankfully, this one is a bit less crazy and less busy!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!