Hello, Monday.

Although I am glad I went straight into research post-semester, the time to take a break has come. A chance to slow down and let other areas of my life emerge. Fortunately, things will be slow over the next week. So I asked for what I needed... which is so unlike me.

Friday started with a quick solo breakfast where I sat at the counter and read. I'm knee deep in a book... how novel.

I then headed to a coffee shop a couple blocks away to get together with some of the other moms at my son's school. There is an amazing group of woman who are interesting, lovely, and incredibly easy to be around. I feel like I have known them forever... it is that effortless. Coffee became lunch and the conversation flowed.

Kiddo has been adjusting to the idea of shorts weather, so we took a drive down to Mass to stock his closet with some warm weather duds. It was looking hopeless (he is not digging the bright primary colors some stores are carrying this season... I'm talking to you, Gap), until Old Navy saved the day. Adjustable waist? Check. On sale? Score! Now he won't keel over on the playground, drenched in his own sweat.

There is a great barbeque restaurant on the way home, and Kiddo can't resist baby back ribs, so we stopped for dinner. They have a great sides bar with an assortment of accompaniments. Delish.

My first watermark... I love this picture so.

The drive home is beautiful and we were graced by a lovely pink sunset. We passed a field of sheep and their babes and just had to pull off to the side to watch them. I wanted to take every one of them home! Kiddo was on board, but Mario would have put the kibosh on a yard full of baby lambies.

Of course the night required a sorbet/yogurt nightcap. This is one of our favorite ice cream stands in all of New England.

Saturday was a scorcher. We wish we had air conditioning probably 5 days per year... and Saturday was one of them. I took Kiddo to the Y to cool off in the pool, then we had some friends over for dinner. I adore my research friends.

Sunday we went for our first aimless weekend drive of the summer season. We drove up to the Lake Sunapee area and enjoyed the scenery, had lunch at a picnic table while Kiddo played on the playground, and took time to appreciate the mist-covered mountains post-rainstorm. It was the perfect kind of afternoon.

Now it's back to the grind. It is still unclear whether I'm working today or not (I'm hoping for the latter), and I volunteer for a couple hours at Kiddo's school on Monday afternoons. Mario has shared the duties the last couple weeks, so I'm up.

I got a call yesterday from the owner of the local CrossFit studio where I worked out about a week ago. She assured me that I could make the Foundations sessions work this month, so as of tonight I will be working out at the studio (The Box? Is that what they call it?) three days a week for the next four weeks. I'm terrified. I really hope I'm not hobbling around for the whole 30 days... wish me luck!

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