Peace. Harmony. And Dead Birds...

Neighbors!

Sometimes days pass so quickly, they seem to blend together. The last week or so has been that way. Charley and I have been keeping ourselves busy, running errands, playing with friends, and enjoying the beautiful weather. I haven't been coaching for the last couple of weeks, because the new gym is still in progress (although it looks GREAT and I can't wait to get started). Even though I miss coaching, it has been nice to have a few weeks to slow down a little bit. I've actually had a chance to reconnect with the world, and it's been wonderful.

Last week, one of my girlfriends texted me, saying, "We're going to the park! Want to meet us there?" It was a beautiful night, and I was thrilled for the invitation. So, Charley and I scarfed down our dinners and walked to the park. When Charley saw her friends, who happen to be named Charlie and Henry, she was excited. She was a bit on the crabby side, though, and decided she didn't want to share the ball she'd brought with us or do anything her friends wanted to do. At least for the first 15 minutes or so, she was just being a stinker. After awhile, though, the kids started playing hide-and-seek, and suddenly Charley came around. Thank goodness! My friend and I took the kids down to explore some cattails that had grown in the field next to the park. As we walked along, we noticed a dead bird. Now, Charley, being the girlie-girl that she is, looked at the bird somewhat interested, squealed  "Eeew!" and walked away. Now the boys? They were a totally different story. They stared at it for awhile, Charlie asked his mom a few questions about the bird, and we walked back toward the playground.

They look peaceful, right? Ha!

For a couple of minutes, my friend and I stood on the basketball court where we could see Charley and Charlie (that's not confusing at ALL...Ha!) playing tag on the playground, and Henry walking around by the cattails. My friend and I watched as he slowly got closer and closer to the area where we'd seen the dead bird. My friend started walking toward him slowly, when suddenly he crouched down, and she started running, knowing he'd picked it up. She let out a shriek, when she reached her two-year-old, who was holding a dead bird by the neck. It was so gross, but totally one of those moments where you can't help but laugh.  My poor friend raced her toddler to the bathroom to wash his hands thoroughly, before we went back out to play. I think she was traumatized, but her kiddo didn't seem to notice that there was any real issue. He went back to play, as though nothing had even happened. One of the funniest things about the night is the fact that I took a bunch of pictures. The kids looked happy and content amidst the cattails. You'd never know that 10 minutes prior, Charley was whining and refusing to play with the boys, and 10 minutes later we were all in the bathroom scrubbing dead bird off of Henry's hands. Oh well, at least I captured the moment!

On Saturday, my mom offered to take Charley overnight. I jumped at the opportunity, because the last time I had a full night off was several months ago. I got Charley all packed up, early Saturday morning, got some work done for the gym, and ran out the door so I could be at my mom's around 12:30. I had made it all the way to Minneapolis before I realized I'd left my wallet at home. Who does that?! In all fairness, I'd put my wallet in another bag the day before, because I had to run somewhere and didn't want to leave it behind. But of course, I forgot to put it back in my purse. Nice. Fortunately my step-dad spotted me a $20. Ha! Anyway, I dropped Charley off, and headed out to a friend's house. When I got there, I found two of my best girlfriends sitting on the patio, listening to music, and enjoying the weather. We sat outside for hours, chatting, laughing, and catching up. It was the PERFECT afternoon. Seriously. Perfect. On my drive home, I smiled to myself, happy that I'd taken advantage of the day. Now, Saturday night, I was kind of boring. I'd spent the whole day in the sun with my girlfriends, so by the time I headed home, I was pretty wiped out. Lots of people would go out drinking on a kid-free night. But not me. What did I do? I went to Dairy Queen and got a Peanut Buster Parfait, because Charley wasn't home and I could eat peanuts. Ha! That's kind of pathetic, I know, but hey...it was a treat! And just what I needed. I crashed fairly early Saturday night, and it felt amazing.

On Sunday, I went down to pick up Charley, and ended up going to brunch with my mom and step-dad. After brunch, we went shoe shopping, so Charley could get some new shoes. She was immediately drawn to the flashiest, most bedazzled shoes she could find. Of course she had a fit when we told her she couldn't put the shoes on until we got to the car. But she got over it, and by the time we headed home, she was in a great mood. We had a wonderful rest of the day!

I love that run!

Today, I began my countdown to the end of the school year. It's creeping up quickly! I have a feeling this month is going to fly by. With that, Charley and I went to the park tonight and I need to get her in bed. Have a great week!