Can you believe we have just ended the 42nd week of the year. Now we are in the final countdown of 2021. T minus 10 begins today. Wow, this has been a short year!
As usual I keep up with things each day that bring me joy. There is something about recording them daily that always reminds me how many good things are in each day.
I love Corrine Bailey Rae's voice. It is joy deliverered! .
Friday: Even though we went out to a real restaurant for TheHub's birthday on Thursday, we had our regular "date night" Friday. This was the weekend of the annual Greek Food Festival downtown where we go every year. They have a well organized drive through lane where you can order than pick up all without ever leaving your car. To be honest the food was not as good as it has been in the past, but it was still tasty, plus we got to watch some kids doing Greek dances while we waited.
Saturday: This is going to sound horrible because the day started out with a funeral for one of my favorite cousins. I knew he was sick but the end came unexpectedly and quickly. It took us about an hour and a half to get there so we left right before noon so we could get there in time for the visitation prior to the service.
TheHub drove and my beloved sister went with us. She is known affectionately as "One Way Jane" (though her name is not Jane) because she knows only one way to get anywhere and would never use anything as treacherous as GPS to help her find her way. Since she had never been to this particular town before she did not even have "one way" etched in her brain. on the way up we had a pretty somber ride, because it was a funeral ride.
After the service we hooked up with another cousin and her significant other and all went out to eat and talk. And laugh. We laughed a lot, and nothing feels better than laughing following tears.
We got home just in time to watch the Alabama/Mississippi State game. Alabama won, Roll Tide!
Sunday: What a wonderful day. We streamed our church's 8:30 service before doing a few chores then it was time to get ready for the kick off of our local Broadway series. This was the last play for the 2020 season. It had been rescheduled a couple of times, but now it was full steam ahead. I will admit I was a little apprehensive about going. They are not requiring masks and are not spacing seating. So we wore ours, tried not touching anything, and used sanitizer like it was going out of style. "Waitress" was a very enjoyable play, but I am thrilled there will not be another until January. Hopefully I will fill more comfortable going then
Later that night we celebrated TheHubs birthday with DIL2 and Son2.
Tuesday: The day was gorgeous and work is still going on at the WM behind me, so I had a nice show outside my kitchen table window.
I had long phone calls with 2 of my cousins. I always love talking with them.
And it is finally cool enough to have soup for dinner. I love it and can eat it year round, but TheHub only likes it when the weather is cooler.
Wednesday: I finally went back to the class I was going to pre-Covid. I was not thrilled to be going but I know I have to return to life as safely as I can. Another gorgeous day was just the icing on the cake, Afterward I ran a couple of errands then came home to do some research for our upcoming cross country trip. I am so excited to be thinking of seeing Pip live and in person instead of on FaceTime!
There was a very poignant moment Wednesday when I read a blog that moved me to tears. I do not cry often or easily but this post touched every part of me.
Thursday: My Beloved Sister and I had planned on going to look for some new duds to brighten our very dreary and ancient wardrobes. Mother Nature seemed to have other ideas since it started storming at about 5 am. There was no way we were going shopping in the rain.(The rain quit by mid morning and we could have gone anyway) I guess the biggest joy of the day was firming up travel plans for the Portland trip. TheHub had a great idea to rent a car and drive to Chicago, then take the train to Portland. Instead of driving 10 hours a day then stopping overnight to repeat the process for 4 days, we will leave here Friday afternoon and drive more than halfway. The next day we will hoof it to Union Station then spend the next 48 hours rocking and reeling on the train.
So these are the highlights of my week. Some days the joys might seem bigger than others but joy is joy and can you actually measure the validity of anything that brings you joy? Have a great week finding your joys!
I think laughing is a kind of valve mechanism during a funeral. I think people are often so tense and sad that when someone cracks a joke or something dark humour-ish everyone feels relieved. But I like that you call your sister One Way Jane - she sounds like what I've heard is a realy thing - people being unable to turn left when they drive so they have to plan out meticulous routes in order to avoid it!
ReplyDeleteMy Beloved Sister and I went shopping this morning and I exited the shopping center a different way than she does. By her reaction you would have thought we turned directly into Hades instead of a small access road by Lowes.
DeleteThe Greek Food Festival sounds like fun, Anne. Too bad the food was not as good as in years past. It's nice of them to bring it to the car for you. I do like that about the pandemic, that more things are being brought to your car nowadays.
ReplyDeleteIt rained here on Thursday too. Ugh. LOL
I will still go back to the Greek Festival next year. We have been going forever and on less than delicious meal will not alter that!
Delete😃👍🏻
ReplyDeleteThanks Regine!
DeleteWe have tickets for two plays that we purchased just before the shutdowns. The theater is open again, but I'm not quite ready to use them yet. But as you said, we can carefully and slowly try to return to normal.
ReplyDeleteWe wore masks, carried a small bottle of hand sanitizer and stayed away from as many people as possible.
DeleteI am very, very glad that you could meet up with family after the funeral and laugh. And am sure that your cousin would be too.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you - and apologies.
Your Pip time is getting closer which will be a HUGE joy.
Please never apologize for something so important!
DeleteI can't wait to see Pip!
I have ridden the train from Greenwood, Mississippi to Chicago, then from Chicago to Salt Lake (California Zephr) both ways in 2012 and 2013. I had a sleeper car (actually the little trainette sleeper or whatever they call it.) Loved it! Great food, although I think the New Orleans route had better food. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteThat's nice to hear. We got the full bedroom, which is tiny but will work for the two of us. We could have taken the train directly from Birmingham but it would be 3 train changes and add at least another full day. If we could have left a day earlier it would have been doable, but we have tickets for the Van Gogh immersive event Friday at 11. It should, take an hour so we figure we can be on the road by 1:30 at the latest. If we find out we like it, look out Bloggers, I might be coming to a station near you someday!
DeleteI think after a funeral the best antidote is spending time catching up with family and friends, and sharing the good memories, most often with laughter. It's cathartic and necessary to let go of those emotions.
ReplyDeleteThat WM is quite the monstrosity. I'm betting the flipper is wishing they hadn't started the project.
I'm excited for you, for the trip to Portland to visit family and especially Pip. I've certainly appreciated the joy of spending time with my grandson through these past many months. BTW, I've never been on a train!
Take care, stay well.
I can hardly wait to be with Pip. We are intentionally staying at a hotel with a huge indoor pool so she can come swim the first day we get there!
DeleteI have ridden trains as an adult ,but short 3 or so hour trips. I have not slept on a train since I was a kid. I figure we will either love it and be hooked, or hate it and vow to never do it again.
I laughed at your sister because that is me sometimes. I fuss when Tommy takes me a different way and worry a lot. It could be Hades, you know? He gets annoyed at me wanting to go the way I know and come back the same way. However, I do know alternate routes, but they have to be my alternate routes. I think I have driven myself too long and now other people sort of scare me with their driving and routes.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that if someone else is driving their route is none of my business. She just gets freaked out because she literally knows only one way to everywhere!
DeleteSometimes, he is not going the right way, so I figure that is my business if I end up in the wrong place or we get into a neighborhood where we have no business. Plus, if it makes me late, it is my business.
DeleteWhen Tommy insists on going his way in my town and his way will not get us there, I will insist he go the right direction. He accuses me of only wanting my way, which is not true.
DeleteOh, I'd love to ride the rails again! As a child, I used to love train travel between our home in New Mexico and my grandparent's place in Minnesota. 'Not sure if you've seen it, but here's a link to what Sean Dietrich wrote about his recent experience on Amtrak.
ReplyDeletehttps://seandietrich.com/train-people/
I have not seen the article. Thank you for the link.
DeleteWe have ridden from Boston to NYC and also from Baltimore to NYC recently but those were short trips. I hope we will really enjoy it!
Today I went to Home Depot and was surprised to see Christmas decorations. Time flies so fast.
ReplyDeleteI know! They should at least let us get through with Halloween
DeleteI haven't been on a train in years. Sounds like it's going to be quite an adventure for you guys. You get to relax and take in the scenery along the way.
ReplyDeletePity about the Greek food. I've actually found the same thing since the pandemic started. Some restaurant food just don't taste as good as it used to. I don't know if it's because we've been eating more of our scratch made food.
I hope the train trip is fun. I guess I will find out pretty soon.
DeleteSorry to hear about your cousin's death, but, glad you were able to attend the funeral and meet up with family, afterwards. Sounds like plans to visit Pip are being finalized! Let me know if you ever pull into our train station, over here! :D
ReplyDeleteIf we like the train we decided to systematically travel each line. If we do we will land there!
DeleteI love train rides. I recently read about someone riding the Amtrak from NYC to Miami. May be next time in the US, I can find a nice route to somewhere I have never been to. Love reading your joys.
ReplyDeleteI hope we love it!
DeleteI wondered about the musical version of Waitress. I loved the movie. Have you watched Diana: The Musical on Netflix? I saw part of it. It's almost beyond belief bad.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Waitress was very good. It is not my favorite musical but was still very enjoyable. I have not seen Diana The musical.
Delete