Weekend Relaxation

I'm feeling mighty thankful right about now after having spent a refreshing yet busy weekend. I had a long day at the practicum on Friday, stopped to check out a housing option on the way back into Portland, and then drove out to where I was house-sitting for the weekend. One of my good friends from the program was camping with her husband and kids this weekend and needed someone to water the tomatoes and care for the two dogs and three cats. However, 4 loads of laundry, a good TV show, and a rinsed car later, I feel as if I benefited the most.

This weekend I also spent some wonderful quality time with the family. We had our annual tea party for Granny's 97th birthday on Saturday in which we dressed up, chatted, and sipped our teas while nibbling on our yummy goods. My aunt and cousins let me carpool with them to the party location, since my house sitting gig was in their vicinity in the suburbs. All of my immediate in-state family also happened to be at the tea location at one point or another, so I was able to get some quality time in with each of them.

My sister replenished my strawberry freezer jam stocks (THANKS SIS!) and my sis-in-law passed on the left overs of her scrumptious zucchini bread. My sister also has been jumping on the "green and organic" bandwagon as of late (YEA SIS!) and decided to share the fruits of her Burts Bees order. My father brought me two DVDs worth of one of my favorite TV shows and empty boxes and tape for packing (we have an entire stack of flattened packing boxes we store and reuse). My mother brought me a bottle of wine from her recent road trip to see family in Washington, and instructed me to take the left over organic bread home with me as well. I was allowed to graze the table for left-overs, and then back at my aunt's she stocked me up with finger fruits and veggies that I can include in my packed lunches for the week.

The aunt who lovingly drove me across town lives a couple blocks from another aunt, and I had been instructed to stop by on my way back to house sitting. (All three of dad's sisters live within the Portland area). This stop included great visiting with my cousins that were here from California for the birthday event, and playing "princess" with my little second cousin. I picked produce (zucchini, peas, and blueberries) from the garden, smelled the roses from the rose garden, and was fed a delicious dinner as well.

This morning I attended a wonderful church there locally, filled the car up with gas (while still expensive, the price has at least dropped!), and picked up a couple of items I still needed from the grocery store (peanut butter, soy milk). I chatted with my brother via the phone about using the free tickets I have for a soccer game this week. Then I sat outside in the backyard to do some reading and to enjoy the craziness of the dogs. I could hear the snapping of the bugs, feel the warmth from the sun, hear the swaying of the trees in the slight breeze, and smell the faint scent of the roses. Altogether it's been a very fulfilling weekend, and I am so thankful for the steadiness of my family and friends. Even though there are still uncertainties, I am aware that I have so much....

I hope all of you had a refreshing and fulfilling weekend as well!