A Simple Weekend

I had such a simple weekend.

My daughter had 2 little girlfriends for a sleepover on Friday. These 2 gals are sisters and are just too sweet. They're well behaved and the older one and my daughter have known one another since their early day care days.

They decorated t-shirts with fabric markers, watched movies, ate pizza (but not the crust) and then all four of us cuddled up on the couch like a litter of newborn puppies to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. On a side-note, the movie simply never gets old. When the Sorting Hat speaks for the first time, I always long for an admissions letter to Hogwarts; it doesn't matter that I'm no longer 11 and can't be accepted or that I'm 100% Muggle, I still want to go!

Anyway, on Saturday morning, we all walked the dog at 6am and then we all went to the library. The gals were noticeably upset when they were dropped off at home, but I promised we could do it again soon.

The day ran a muck with errands. We needed to get the car washed, we bought the dog a new collar, we had lunch in a restaurant that I started eating in when I was 6 years old and then we just took a nice drive with the windows rolled down.

Sunday dawned bright and we decided to head to the beach. I packed up some sunscreen, a few cold drinks, my beach chair and then wiggled my way into my new green tankini. I got what FRU and I call "rock star parking." That's when you find a fabulous parking spot mere steps from your destination. FRU frolicked around at the water's edge and quickly made friends with a little girl who was playing just a few feet away. The sky turned overcast just a hour or so later so we dashed to the car, just making it before the deluge hit.

We ate a late breakfast at McDonald's and I showed FRU the house where I grew up. We went home, showered and simply hung out all afternoon.

Sometimes a weekend doesn't have to be crammed full of activities in order to be deemed great. Sometimes just hanging out with a cool kid is enough (you get extra points is your are the parent of the aforementioned cool kid). Sometimes reminiscing about the old neighborhood and your childhood is enough. Sometimes it's knowing that the simplicities of life need to be recognized and enjoyed is enough.

There are times when I struggle to put one foot in front of the other, but these last few uncomplicated days were just what the doctor ordered. And as I was tucking FRU into bed last night, I asked what her favorite part of the weekend was and she replied, "The whole thing, because I was with you the whole time."

And that, my friends, is simplicity at its best.