A quiet evening at home reading, writing, drinking Barbara, and listening to jazz.

Another fine weekend to report to you.  Friday night I dressed up to cook Joel a lovely dinner, complete with cocktails and a kiss as he walked in the door.  I made him filet mignon topped with bearnaise sauce as planned, but also added a side dish of cacio e pepe (my newest pasta obsession!).  We supped in leisure, walked to get more wine when we had finished the one bottle, turned up my french cafe pandora station, and generally lived well for the evening (including beginning a new show, the BBC remake of Sherlock Holmes in modern days and it's REALLY good!).

Saturday brought my niece and sister-in-law to Washington for a visit.  Olive is such a personality.  She makes us all laugh so much!  

Although her Uncle Joel scares her a bit, she is getting quite used to him and his silly antics.

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Saturday night was spent at the pub celebrating Tice's 30th bday.  

It was quite a riot, complete with a surprise visit from Devon and Jason and new baby Ethan!  The girls may have been just a LITTLE excited to finally meet this guy.  It was a perfect summer evening...we drove home windows down, music up (way up), and spirits too lofty for this earth.  Epic, I tell you.

(Parenthetically speaking, the hangover was a bit less epic.)

Sunday we took our typical drive out to Joel's parents to celebrate Jenn's 30th bday with a day of sunshine, berry picking, eating, and laughing at Olive (also stealing the occasional kiss when she would let me).

This guy deserves a gold-metal for the amount of crazy he's put up with lately.  We are talking ridiculous bouts of sobs, irrationality, and multiple-personality insanity.  Joel, seriously...thank you for being man enough to be the best girlfriend I've ever had - deeply nurturing without requiring anything back (except a few kisses; he IS still man, afterall). 

I've certainly had my fill of solitude this week.  Joel had to work every night this week, and while I was originally really looking forward to it and used that time wisely and soulfully, by Wednesday night - I was going mad.  I realize several of my lovely friends are without their husbands this week, or even month, or even summer.  My hat goes off to you!

When he was home, we were both exhausted emotionally (me from my brain and he from other people's brains)  that there was little else to do but fall into bed.

You know how most people (correction: I assume this is how most people operate) would stop in a moment of madness and exclaim to themselves,  "I need to call a friend!"  Or perhaps,  "I need to get the hell out of here and do something with someone!"  I am really challenged in this area because I get so greedy with solitude so much so that even if it is plaguing and branding my soul, I remain stubbornly determined to be alone.  I needed anything but being alone, but it wasn't until late Wednesday night that I recognized it and promptly invited myself over to Jess's.  My self is being all kinds of weird to myself lately.