Monday, September 03, 2007

Friends and Family Weekend

My weekend thus far has been so full that my only plan for Labor Day is to relax, relax, relax. But it was full in a good way, and it was one of those weekends that makes you look back and think about what a good life you are leading. And that is even with two nights of work included!

Saturday, I slept all day because I worked Friday night and was due back in Saturday night, but I altered my sleeping schedule a bit so I could get up earlier than usual so we could have my parents and my grandmother up for dinner. Bill did a wonderful job of cleaning up the house while I was asleep and cooking on the grill, and we had a great visit with them. My stepsons were also up here for dinner, along with their brother and my brother-in-law. It was such a nice meal! Incidentally, one of my favorite things about working night shift is that I can usually alter my sleeping schedule once in a while so I don't miss out on everything. I will doing that a lot this fall, as both my stepsons will be playing football, and I will want to make it to as many games as possible. I find that when you are working while the rest of the world is asleep, as long as you can suck it up and survive on five or so hours of sleep once in a while, you don't have to miss too much during the day. Love that!

On Sunday, we had a couple of big events. The first was the baptism of our friend's Chris and Ryan's baby boy, Jack. Chris has been Bill's friend since high school, and earlier this year, she married Ryan, who fit right into the family and the group as if he had been there forever. We were excited to be able to spend some time with them and the rest of the Ruppe clan (Chris's family).

Bill and the boys went to the reception after the baptism, which I headed to the baby shower for a Bath and Body Works friend. I have worked at BBW for almost five years now, and some of them women I work with have become my best friends. We have been through a lot together, and we make a great team. It was fantastic to be there as Steph celebrated the upcoming birth of her first child and opened the insane amount of gifts that her friends and family provided for her. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon!

After the shower, I headed to Bill's grandmother's house for some Labor Day celebration one day early. Some games of quoits, food on the grill, good party salads, good conversation, and good brownies made that night on the patio such a good one! I love getting together with Bill's huge family (now my huge family too!), as they are so different from the family I grew up in. My family is scattered far and wide (except for my parents and sister), and we get together only once in a while, when something big (wedding, baptism, holiday) is going on. Bill's family gets together often and really enjoys each other's company...and I enjoy it too!

And we rounded out the night with a trip to the Ruppe's house so I could catch up with the people I missed by skipping the reception after the baptism. I have written before about how wonderful it is to be welcomed into another family so completely now that I am Bill's wife, and I will say it again. The Ruppes are an amazing family with a lot of love that they share freely...and I feel so lucky to have them in my life!

All in all, the weekend was a great success! And now I have today as a day of rest before I have to head back into the work week!

Hope you had a great holiday weekend!

1 comment:

Gunngirl said...

That's really nice. It really is great that you fit right into the family and can get along with them with or without Bill. That's a blessing! Yes, I would say you do have a good life.

I have learned that family will do you wrong faster than the average Joe on the street, that stealing, fighting, and disrespect is quite all right because we're "family" and for some insane reason they think it's forget and forget time. So, I don't feel quite the same about family, but I'd love to marry into one where I feel as comfortable as you.

Enjoy, and the night with good food, good conversation and brownies sounded great. Glad you had a nice weekend. I did too.