i'm back and i'm just as mediocre as ever

I started writing a long post but then I read it back to myself and it was the most boring thing I've ever read.  And that's saying something because I used to read the St. David School directory every single night from about ages 8 through 13 while I ate a bowl of ice cream before bed.  I'm not kidding.  I had the names, parents' names, emergency contacts, and addresses for every kid in our school memorized.

Sometimes I would even take it up to my bedroom to study it.  And then my mom would need to call a parent from school and because it was 1998 she didn't have the phone numbers programmed in the home phone and I can hear her voice in my head right now saying "Laura! Where the directory?!"

Anyway, I deleted the whole post and decided to steal an idea from Michelle and share the last 5 photos on my phone:

-1-

 I got this text from Matt as I was leaving my mom and dad's house on Saturday afternoon.  A cut that he thought could be cured with some band-aids and Neosporin on Saturday afternoon ended up to be a trip to Urgent Care for four stitches in his wrist and a two week prescription for an antibiotic by Sunday. 

-2- 

We had to go to Virginia for a funeral on Tuesday night, and due to Matt's aforementioned wrist injury, I drove.  Here is a charming aspect of Matt's personality: he cannot keep his unsolicited comments (of which there are MANY) to himself when I am behind the wheel of my very own car with my very own driver's license that I have had for sixteen years with no issue.  I drive too fast.  I drive too slow.  I change lanes without looking long enough.  I look too long before I change lanes.  I spend too much time looking in my rear view mirror.  I stay next to other cars for too long.  I brake too hard. I don't brake hard enough. I ease up on the gas when I pass.  I don't give it enough gas when I pass.  By the time we got on I-95 I had HAD IT with the Goldilocks in my passenger seat.

We finally arrived (safely, I might add, my compliments to the driver) to our hotel at about 10:30.  I'll just put it out there, we had a reservation at the Hawthorn Suites in Sterling, Virginia.  Travelers beware.  I'm pretty sure we witnessed a drug deal while we were waiting to check in, and when we got to our room, the air conditioner didn't work.  It was also a non-smoking room which smelled like an ashtray and my face started itching the moment we walked in.  ANYWAY after a ton of back and forth with the manager, who told us we couldn't check out and he also couldn't give us our money back or fix the air conditioner or give us another room because they were sold out, we informed him we would be fighting the charge on our credit card and leaving.   

We might not have high standards, but we have SOME standards.  

Or maybe we don't, because as we walked back to the car, I said to Matt, "Well, I guess it's a good thing I've watched some YouTube videos lately on how to sleep in your car."

He just looked at me, and I knew, we would not be sleeping in the car tonight with Matt on the case.

Which is good because I probably would have done it wrong anyway JUST KIDDING.

There was a Hyatt Place right down the road, so Matt ran in to see if they had any rooms and they did!  Except they were sold out of king beds so we got a room with two doubles.  By then it was past 11:00 and neither of us were in great moods so separate beds were probably for the best. 

Although Matt could not have been more thrilled with the Hyatt Place.  It was like a thirty year old man's version of Eloise in the Plaza.  He drank the free lemon water in the lobby by the cupful.  He rode the elevator.  He took the stairs.  He used the front door and the side door, spent over an hour at the breakfast buffet, and even checked out the outdoor swimming pool facility even though it's been closed for the season.  He sat on the couch and at the desk and stuck a candy bar in the fridge to keep it cold.  We were there for 10 hours and Matt got every single penny's worth.

-3- 

Kohl's has been having great sales lately and I officially bought my first kimono.  I wore it today and felt just adorable.  I took this photo to send to my sister and then I totally forgot I took it until I opened my phone just now.  So, I hope you're reading this Emily! I got a kimono!  And there's my vacuum! I don't know why I look surprised!

-4- 

Admittedly this photo is from a few weeks ago but I love it.  I saw Annie and Jack again this weekend because they came to stay at my parents.  I hung out there for a while and we went to the food store, and I had a major change of heart about a topic I've felt strongly about in the past.  And that is those tiny kid sized carts at the grocery store, more specifically kids using them on the weekend when the store is crowded. 

It's always kind of bugged me in the past because it turns out small children are terrible cart drivers (takes one to know one) but Annie got one this weekend, and it will go down as one of my top ten moments of the year.  She had the TIME OF HER LIFE.  I don't know that I've ever seen her so happy.  And you better believe she got in some people's way, but who the heck cares?  A lot of parents grocery shop on the weekends, and why should their kids not use those little carts because of grumpy people like me?  So, long live happy kids and tiny shopping carts on Saturdays.

-5-

Matt's best friend turned thirty last weekend and we went to a surprise birthday brunch for him.  I had to laugh because the two of them talked about stocks and 401ks and mortgages and so much grown up stuff, and then Matt snuck up on Bob from behind and put a temporary tattoo of Bob's face right in the middle of his forehead.  Some things never change.  You can't make old friends.