We're not waiting for permission. We never were.
This last weekend (7 weeks shy of Independence Day), we partied non stop.
A small group, outside, maybe wearing masks?
No.
A large group, outside? That was the plan. My lovely sister threw a shower for Zack's lovely fiancee, Sara. The party was to take place on her beautiful, recently redecorated back yard deck. Then the forecast changed to cold and rain. A quick survey of the guests revealed that everyone there had either had the virus or been fully vaccinated. We moved indoors without further ado and had a great time. It was almost as big a group as that which crowded into Mom and Dad's place last August to say goodbye to Dad when he shuffled off this mortal coil. I have pictures but decided not to post any. I don't want some Next Door karen hassling my girls about public safety.
Saturday, we attended another shower. A couple's shower, hosted by Jay's brother and sister in law. Sara's mom was in town for the parties and this was an opportunity for her to meet a slice of the gigantic clan they're about to become connected to. The weather had cleared from the night before and the sun came out and burgers on the deck was perfect! We upper Midwesterners love being outside whenever we can. This shower began at lunchtime and ran through most of the afternoon.
Jay and I had time for me to take a power nap before we headed for our third party in under 24 hours. A surprise party for an old friend who turned 65 was party #3. This party also took place indoors and out, lots of food, family and friends, no one masked, afraid or hug averse. The sunset was gorgeous!
Less than 12 hours after we returned home from that party, Babalouie and Kitten were dropped at our back door. Their Mom and older sister were currently on the road to South Dakota, having gone to the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave to pick up a new horse and sundry other livestock for the summer and hadn't returned yet. Ty had an early tee-tie with his boss, so the kids joined me and Jay for breakfast. We also went to the park, which is always at the top of the kids' list of things to do when they visit us. Babalouie had a flag football game at noon, so Ty had to pick them up in time for that. While we ate lunch (wheat thins and 'butter cheese', known to the rest of the world as brie), we played Yahtzee. They love Yahtzee, even Kitten, who can't count but boy, can she roll those dice!
Babalouie waxed the floor with us, twice. In the first game, I rolled Yahtzee on my very first roll (five sixes! One roll! Who does that??) and thought I had it in the bag. A half an hour and two Yahtzees later, Babalouie beat me by over 100 pts. We played again and he rolled his third Yahtzee of the day.
I've known since he could walk that Babalouie had freakish athletic skills but...Yahtzee??
After lunch, Babalouie put on his football jersey, cleats and his flag belt.
"It's flag football, Nana," he told me "we're not supposed to tackle but sometimes they just happen."
"It's pretty fun when they do, isn't it?" I asked. I've known a lot of 7 year old boys.
"Yeah!" he grinned.
An hour after they left, we got a text from Ty saying Babalouie had gone straight from Nana's house to the end zone: He scored on the very first play.
Of course he did. Anyone who can roll three Yahtzees in the morning is gonna score a TD in the afternoon.
The afternoon was spent by me, painting the ceiling and finishing a wall in my office while Jay hosted a couple of his favorite colleagues to cigars and whiskey on the back deck.
It was a really fun weekend.