Intermission or Vacation

So, working full time is a new experience for me. I mean, I have always worked...but never the full 40. I love my job. I think I may have said that before. But I look forward to the weekends very much. However, I found I wasn't enjoying them as much as I anticipated. And I realized it was because I was looking at my weekends as an intermission between work weeks instead of a mini vacation from work.

So I changed my focus.I determined that if I lived a little more in the moments in front of me, I'd enjoy life more overall.

So here is a report of my moments.

Labor Day weekend...

Rob and Tamra were here, and so Lisa and Steve invited all of...seriously everyone (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins)... up American Fork Canyon for dinner and games where they were camping. I invited my fabulous friend Brian and his kids to join us. It was a lot of fun. There were games and dinner and s'mores. And laughter. It was cold, but it was great.  Saturday, my longtime friend Brenda Smith (and by long time I mean 23 years) and her husband and kids joined us for dinner (taco salad!) and a game of Settlers of Catan. While we were playing, it started raining...and then it started hailing. The pieces of ice were the size of a quarter. There was lightning and thunder, and it felt like I was in Ohio. Who knew bad weather could make you so happy? Sunday morning, my cousin Mandi had her baby daughter blessed, so we joined family for that special occasion. At her house after sacrament meeting, her husband's mom thought Paul was my husband. Which was kind of awkward. That night, Paul and Maryn went back up the canyon with Bearnsons. Maryn ended up back home at midnight after she started throwing up. Poor thing. Monday I ran over to Grandma Thackers and mowed the lawn.

The next weekend ( the one after Labor Day)...

Friday, Paul headed out with some of the other Young Men from our stake for a campout at the dunes in Moab. It was fun, but they got back later than anticipated. Which made him late for his double date with a nice young lady he met the weekend before, her friend and my cousin Collin. Maryn had a babysitting job, so I took the two younger kids to Grandma Thacker's. I made stroganoff for supper, and then Ashlyn, Grandma and I played Rummikib. Sunday, I invited our neighbors, the Carpenter's, over for dinner. Their daughter Ava Kate loves Maryn and Ashlyn. It was a lovely opportunity to visit with them. That Monday, Bryant brought pizza and soda and breadsticks and s'more pizza from Papa Johns and Mandy Thacker joined us. We had a nice dinner and played Apples to Apples all together before Bry headed off to a softball game.

This last weekend...

Was a BLAST despite the fact I felt kind of lousy. So Brian and I have been friends since February-ish, but we've never really dragged our families into doing things together. That weekend up the canyon was the first time his 4 and my 4 had met each other at all. We were both glad to find out that they also liked being around each other, and the older boys immediately started making plans to do stuff together. And that's how last weekend evolved.

Brian's oldest, Zach,  and his 10 year old daughter Savannah, came down and spent the night with us. I picked them up Friday after work at Bridal Veil, where we stayed and hung out for a little bit. We headed home and made a stop at McDonald's for dinner. After, the girls settled in for a movie and the boys headed off to the theater for Men In Black III. Everyone went to bed way too late.Which is the purpose of sleepovers, right? I woke up very early in a bit of pain and unable to sleep, so I made a 6 am trip to Walmart in my polar bear jammies and a sweatshirt and my hair up and frizzy. An outfit truly worthy of a humiliating "People of Walmart" montage.

Anyway, pain meds in, pain mostly gone...cinnamon rolls in the oven. The girls and I go to Discovery Park and play for a while. Where I almost make Savannah puke from spinning her too fast on the tire swing. Brian, Kyle and BJ join us for lunch and then we all head over (in 2 cars because neither of us own a car that can hold 10 people) to Lisa's for an afternoon of swimming and other nonsense. So much fun. And so many kids. Which is quite possibly what made it fun. We wrapped it up in time to grab some pizza for dinner and let the older boys have a little PS3 time before the Thomas family headed home.

Sunday was regional conference. And then the afternoon was just kind of lazy and nothing.Which I am, of course, a fan of. Although my cute cousin Sage (who is actually a year younger than Maryn) came over for a bit. Nothing like laying around on a couch with people you love. That's quality time indeed.

Loving those mini vacations :) So much better than work intermissions!