Monday, September 21, 2020

A Social Weekend

 Happy Monday! We are going to have summer-like weather here this week and I'm not mad about it! Temps in the 70-80s is way more comfortable when the humidity is super low. So my goal is to soak up as much sunshine as I can this week! 

This was one of the most social weekends I've had in, well, years probably! Pre-Pablo, I would often have plans every day of the weekend but after Pablo was born, I was overwhelmed by working and parenting so I limited myself to one week night commitment and one weekend commitment. I would make exceptions at times but that was my rule of thumb. Flash forward to Covid times and I'm finding that I can handle more social plans - I think because I'm not commuting/rushing to catch a bus/rushing to get to daycare/etc. I also planned a lot this weekend in recognition of the fact that there are a limited number of nice days left in Minnesota. I'm envious of those who live in milder climates. Come November, it will be pretty tough to get together outdoors! Here's how I filled my weekend with some pictures sprinkled in!

On Friday, 2 former and 1 current coworker came over for lunch. We got take-out and sat on our patio. It was great to catch up! That evening, 2 college girlfriends came over to help me hang photos on our freshly painted walls (we had our interior walls painted while we were at the lake in August). We all wore masks while they hung pictures and then enjoyed some salad and take-out pizza on our patio. 

On Saturday morning, I met a coworker for coffee. We sat in the grass by a coffee shop and spent an hour catching up. I hadn't seen her since March so it was great to catch up in person! When I got home, Pablo and I made Blondies to bring to our Sunday evening get together. He was a good helped but kept wanting to eat the batter. It had eggs in it, so I wouldn't let him but he kept saying, "I want to put it in my mouth!" While the blondies were baking, he kept playing with the bowls. He loves to mix things up and pretend to eat them. In the picture on the right, he has a bunch of little people and bath toys - not sure it's good that they are the basis for a recipe! Ha!


After Pablo's nap, we met up with 2 daycare families at a new-to-us park close to his school. The kids played so well together and had a lot of fun!


On Sunday, we woke up to beautiful weather so I went for a long walk with Pablo and treated myself to a PSL since I had received a giftcard in the mail from our realtor! On the way back from our walk, we stopped at our neighborhood park. We were gone for about 2 hours so got lots of fresh air!


That afternoon, Phil took Pablo for a walk to the creek to throw rocks so I started Rodham - a book I've been looking forward to reading for months! It's by one of my favorite authors, Curtis Sittenfeld, who actually lives in Minneapolis now! I read 50 pages while they were gone and had a hard time putting it down last night!!

When they got back from their walk, we headed over to my coworker's house for a get together. They have a play set and lots of balls and other outdoor toys, so Paul was in heaven. We got Thai take-out and I spent most of the time catching up with my friend while Phil and her husband kept an eye on the kids.  

That was A LOT for one weekend, but it didn't feel like too much since I had downtime each day - and napped during Pablo's naps! I couldn't do that every weekend, but it worked out this past weekend. I'm glad that socially distanced outdoor gathering are safe because I definitely need the social contact since I'm not going into work. I didn't realize how much work was filling my 'social cup' but since working from home, I've found that I really need outdoor interaction with others, even though I'm a hardcore introvert! We don't have any plans this coming weekend, but I'm sure I'll keep filling up my calendar in October with coffees and walks and outdoor meals. I'm just hoping and praying for a long, mild fall!!

How was your weekend?

10 comments:

Jeanie said...

That WAS a lot -- but a GOOD lot. And you're right -- once we're tucked in for the winter it will be far more challenging to meet up.

I've been at the lake and it's been pretty brisk. I've read a lot -- finished two books and well into another -- made pasta sauce, spent time outside putting some things away, had a nice distanced meet up with some friends. I'll go home today but hopefully back soon.

Anonymous said...

Love Curtis Sittenfeld! I'm almost done with Rodham. I recommend all her books!

San said...

That sounds like a very social, but fun weekend indeed. I am glad you got to go to the park and catch up with some people.

katielookingforward said...

Sounds like a great weekend to me! Can't wait to hear what you think of the book, I also love her books, so I'm sure it will be great.

Grateful Kae said...

Wow! Busy, busy!! That sounds so overwhelming to me right now, LOL! I'm just a little out of sorts this week and feel more like curling up like a hermit. Probably not the best way to handle my funk though. :) I'm glad you had fun and what a nice variety! ENJOY THE WEATHER!!! Ours looks amazing, too. We'll see if I can actually get out and soak up some of it.

Marlys said...

Paul is sure picking up an interest in cooking and that is so great! I wouldn’t worry about him cooking people as I’m sure they just fit into his bowl. We may have to get him some toy food to play with!
I’m loving this weather even though it gets pretty warm during the day, but the cool night temps make it doable.
Your social calendar was a busy but fun one, it sounds! We haven’t done much socializing lately, so it’s good to visit people outside after church on Sundays. And chatting with our neighbors fills in the gaps, too. When I get back to Wyndmere, I visit at the office and at church after the weekday Masses, so I feel fulfilled.
I’m anxious to see your house now that it’s repainted! I bet it feels fresh and clean.

Abby said...

Looks like such a fun and well-balanced weekend! I'm glad you were able to get some social time in! Running has been filling my social cup through all this, because I, too, didn't realize how much work kind of filled that up. In fact, I used to come home Friday night and be so exhausted from constant meetings and people -- and want to hide from all people! It is so crazy how much life has changed since March.

I love that Paul is learning all this baking and cooking with you! Such a fun age to start teaching him. Does he seem to like eating the things he helps with? I know you've mentioned he is being that typical toddler these days with pickiness.

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

Wow, you are a social butterfly! That is good, as I am sure you will be hunkered down inside soon enough. Also it must be nice to spend baby-free time with your friends now, as later you will have a little attachment with you which will make it more difficult! Although we did pretty good with baby Pablo and having a meal out when we did it!

I have not been social. I am still not missing it too much, although I do go running from time to time with a friend, we still try to stay socially distanced etc. I have let a couple of people into my bubble, as when sleeping in a tent together, it is hard to distance, but other than that, I have been keeping away from all of my friends/family for now.

My weekend was more of the same, studying and reading and running and working in the yard. Luckily the air was more clear so I could spend some time outside, but I still mostly spent it indoors studying!

Stephany said...

What a lovely weekend! I'm glad you're able to fill up your social cup right now and that the weather is cooperating. We're having nice weather here, which is a startling change! It's 84 with a "feels like" 90 right now so, hellllllo fall. ;)

My weekend was spent building an IKEA dresser (ugh) and celebrating my nephew's birthday a little early. He turns 12 on Friday and I can't wrap my mind around that!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Yes, a long, mild Fall would be great (followed by a short, mild winter) :-) Those social plans sound fun. I need to start making some plans to see friends ... we didn't go camping with our group of friends this summer, and haven't really seen anyone other than family in a while. Reading this makes me realize how much I need a coffee date with a girlfriend.