This is what happens after hanging out and staying up late for a few days. Exhaustion. On our final day together, we walked to a Thai restaurant for lunch (in the 90 degrees) and played games. Emma left early to drive back home, and Brianna took a quick nap before they dropped me off at the airport. Thankfully, my flight was uneventful as was Emma’s ride home. Once again, I’m grateful for my fun weekend. I miss my kids already.

Another fun day in Virginia! We had a picnic in a park just a few minutes walk from Noah and Brianna’s house. The woods were so lush and pretty.

Then we went to a cute cake and wine shop where we each got a different, delicious slice of cake served on vintage china.

And after we spent a little time checking out the quaint downtown shops, we went to Brianna and Noah’s church for an evening service.

I’m grateful for the beautiful day and our new memories.

Today we had brunch, did some shopping, had ice cream and pizza. Then hung out and watched tv. I’m thankful to hang with my kids and do daily stuff together again.

My youngest, Emma, told me she was planning on driving to her sister’s for the long weekend. I thought it would be fun to surprise them and fly down, but I was a little put off by the high price of flights right now. When I mentioned it to Patrick, he offered to pay for it. How sweet is that? I don’t even care if he was just angling for a weekend alone.

So I booked a flight and then made sure Emma was still planning the drive. She and I decided it would be fun to surprise Brianna and Noah. I flew into Virginia and waited for Emma at my hotel. Then we went over to Brianna’s. The look on her face when she opened the door was priceless. And worth it.

I’m so thankful to be able to see my kids for the weekend. It’s been a year since I’ve seen Emma and 7 months since I’ve seen Brianna and Noah.

This guy. I’m not always good at expressing how grateful I am for him. But I am. Every day. In all the best ways, he’s there for me. He cooks good food and makes good coffee. He’s a gardener and whiskey collector and hat enthusiast. He drives me crazy but also drives me around to all my junk shops, so it’s a good trade off. He’s smart, sarcastic, funny and strong. And I’m thankful for him today on his birthday.

It got cold and blah again today. Patrick had all the doors and windows open when I got home, so the house was freezing.

So I’m thankful for puppy snuggles and the warm sweater I didn’t pack away yet.

We played hooky from our house today. There was mowing and laundry to be done and a still-messy craft room to finish, but we woke up and decided that none of that sounded fun. Instead we went to a couple of antique shops in a neighboring town and had lunch at a restaurant we kept saying we should try one day. The food was good and the Bloody Mary was even better. Once again, I’m thankful for our little jaunts out of town.

We hit up another flea market today. It was drizzling almost the entire time but I still found a couple of good items. Another vintage jewelry hand for my collection. And some pieces of old wood trim that was just what I needed on top of my inspiration board in my craft room.

I’m regretting not getting a couple of weathered green shutters. As usual, once we got home, I found the perfect spot for them. Sigh.

I’m thankful for some fun despite the weather. And I’m thankful that I’m getting my craft room organized.