206 to 244

Well, it was Saturday morning this morning. That means you'll find Makenna and I - if you were alooking - at the Mount Dora Coffee Shop, either playing cards, or if this morning is any indicator, playing Scrabble. Jordan has a great travel Scrabble game, and it does as the name implies, and travels, well. Little tiles that snap in, little trays for the tiles, it's all very cute.

Last night I asked Makenna if she'd care to join me at the coffee shop for some cards and coffee (or iced tea in her case), a muffin or a bagle and cream cheese and some time together. this would be completely open time, no watch watching, no beginning or end except of our making. She hearily agreed. Last Friday we did this, but we played Garbage, a card game that Daphne taught us. We played round after round, until one of us won, which we had never done before. Neither one of us had ever played long enough to get to a win. Coffee shops are great for this kind of free time.

this is Daphne, Hi Daphne!

Well anyay, last week we did, twice. Friday I won. Saturday we did it all over again, and Makenna won.

You can tell it's summer. I'm feeling that summer feeling of let's just hang out, spend time together, and play much more the last couple of weeks than I remember doing in such a long time. It's very nice.

And, Makenna beat me at Scrabble today...206 to 244. Go Makenna!

Slice of Joy

Last night Torin was here. He worked close by and drove over on his motorcycle to stay with us and be able to go to work this morning from here. For those of you who don't know, Torin is Jordan's boyfriend. He lives in Winter Park, so being here is not a daily occurrence.

Torin is a teenage boy, and Torin can eat. So...no wimpy dinners when he's here. This can be a good thing because sometimes when it's just the girls and I wimpy dinners happen, maybe more than they should. Last night it was Alaskan Wild Salmon, grilled asparagus and a great tossed salad. Bread and butter got added spontaneously at the end because, well, Torin was here, why not?

The slice of joy part for me was on a few levels. I had gone to the market while Makenna was doing karate so by the time we got home everyone was hungry. I knew that it was going to take multiple hands to make this quicker so we could all eat. I set Jordan to work on cutting carrots and apples for the salad, and Torin was given the job of culling out the good grapes from the sad, tired throwaway grapes. I did the fish with fresh lemon, lemon zest, fresh parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. I did the asparagus pretty much the same way. And then cooked it all on the grill, as a thunderstorm approached. Life in FL, take heat, add thunderstorm, lather, rinse, repeat. Emphasis on the repeat.

While we were all working together, there was Pandora on the computer, so music....and talking, goofing around, teasing Jordan, Torin catching grapes in his mouth, and cooking together. My home was filled with joy, friends, love, life, laughter and it was what my heart has been craving. Really craving. Life has been challenging lately, sometimes wonderful, sometimes dark. Through it there's been a sense of finding myself, what makes my heart sing, who I am, and where I'm going, and not just getting lost in the pain.

My children, and their friends, my friends - new and old - and my own self, this is what my heart needs, this is what my home needs. In deep gratitude for a night of simple pleasure.

Princess for a moment

So, Makenna and I found ourselves at Luigi's Italian restaurant the other night. They sent me a coupon for a free dinner for my birthday to be used before the new month started. We decided to go and check it out, on the last day of the month. Procrastination, who saw that coming?

We arrived at the restaurant and were getting situated when Makenna pulled a tiara out of her jacket she had all bundled up. "What's this?" I ask. She says "It's your birthday, you have to wear it!" Oh my. So, in the spirit of celebration and overall fun I plunked the tiara on my head. Not long after that the waitress came over to take our order. I announced "It's my birthday, I'm wearing a tiara." or something like that. She took our order and when she repeated it to us, for clarity mind you (or fast thinking in the spirit of playing along), she said "Kids cheese ravioli with marinara for you and Chicken Picata for the princess!"

Yeah brother, Chicken for the Princess.

I wore that tiara all through dinner, paid the check and walked out of the restaurant, head held high, tiara balanced perfectly. Not only did I do that, I stopped for gasoline on the way home and left it on then, too.

Your birthday only comes once a year, you know....and when your girl asks you to wear a tiara, well...you do it.