CRAZY BUSY WEEKEND!!!

It's sad, really, when you think "I can't wait to get back to work, so I can rest...!", but that's EXACTLY what this weekend was all about!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE socializing, and "playing", and doing stuff, but...this close to the end of the school year (24 days and counting!), I tend to go into "hermit" mode, and hole up in my apartment when I'm not at work.

It was just NOT to be...too many opportunities to be social...

Sooooooo...I started my Saturday EMPTYING THE DRIP TRAYS on all of my deck plants because AGAIN it rained (I, APPARENLTLY, should have planted water plant seedlings this year instead of the usual herbs and petunias...).  After putzing on the deck and doing a quick load of laundry, I met my friends Kris and Rachel in Stillwater. 

We call ourselves the "Three Musketeers", and have been friends since THEY were "leads" in SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL and I was...ack!  barf! ...in the chorus...).  We hit it off immediately, and have enjoyed hanging out ever since. 

For SOME REASON, we always meet in Stillwater, which is about FOUR THOUSAND MILES from Eagan, but..we have a GREAT time eating, drinking, and antiquing.  Here are some "shots" of our adventures (I LOVE theater people...!!!!):

Kris and me at "The Green Room"

Rachel and me at "The Green Room"

Kris and Rachel at "The Green Room"

All THREE of us at "The Green Room"!!!!

Sustenance for "antiquing" in Stillwater!!!

WORK IT, girl!!!

Ummmmm...no...

I have no...words....for this...picture...

I'm thinking this IS going to be my next Facebook profile picture...!!!

Who can turn the world on with her smile??!!

FIERCE!!!!

Appropriate attire for Cinco de Mayo?????

Rachel and her SHOE CHAIR!!!!!

You can wear plaid with stripes...right??!!!

FIERCE II

Ummmmm...no...

So MANY hats...so LITTLE time...!!!!

I LIKE this one!!!!

After a couple of hours of shopping and MUGGING FOR THE CAMERA, I left the other TWO musketeers, and headed to White Bear Lake to meet MORE theater people...my dear friends Peggy and Emily (did I mention how much I LOVE theater people??!!).

We headed to Minneapolis to meet some OTHER theater friends for a quick dinner at Republic (I had an AWESOME Chicago Dog!!!), then went to see STILL MORE theater friends (George and Shana) in "Lost In Yonkers" at Theater in the Round.  The show was REALLY GOOD!!!  The two teens playing Jay and Artie (the "kids") were WONDERFUL, and Shana and George were, of course, both COMPLETELY AMAZING!

Emily and me at Republic before the show!!!

Peg and me at Republic before the show!!!!

I LOVE you Shana!!!!

What??!!  Emily and me MUG for the camera??!!  NO WAY!!!!

After the show with Peggy, George, Emily, and Dean and his wife!!

After a FULL day, I headed back to Eagan (via White Bear Lake...which is on the OPPOSITE side of the twin cities...since that's where my car was...), and went to bed at 12:30. I woke up several times for thunder storms, and got up at 6:00 to be at Robin and Dave's by 7:15 to drive the FOUR hours to Des Moines for our cousin Ashley's college graduation party!!!! 

TOTALLY worth it, since Ashley and her mom are two of our "nearest and dearest" relatives.  We have a special bond that's grown incredibly strong over the years, and we wouldn't have missed the celebration for the WORLD!!!!  It was TOTALLY cool to see several other members of the extended family too!  I don't think I've seen most of them since our "Christmas in July" party last...July...!!!

Before the party, we met mom and dad at Centro for brunch (an AWESOME Italian place at which Duane and I met Kim and Ashley a few years ago!), spent a little time at Gray's Lake (we had time to kill before the party), then spent a few hours at the party, which was at the Jasper Winery. 

Here are some more photos from the day:

Mom and dad at Centro!

Emilie and Abigail at Centro!!

Robin and Davey at Centro!!

Abigail and Emilie leaving Centro...how cute ARE they?!

Walking around downtown, where everything (EVERYTHING!) was closed...except for Centro (luckily!)...

Yep...these buildings were CLOSED too..!!!!

The state capitol building from in front of a store at which we wanted to shop, but YEP....it was closed...!!!!

Me and Emilie MOST of the way around Gray's Lake...which looked WAAAAAY smaller when we STARTED the hike...!!!!!

Davey and Abigail ALSO thinking "how much further IS it??!!"...!

Me, cousin Kim, and Robin at the winery...let the party begin!!!

Ashley, the COLLEGE graduate, and her mom, Kim!!!!

Davey sampling the reds...!

Me sampling the whites...!

Cheers!

The sisters...Aunt Doris, Aunt Sharon, and mom!

The graduation cake from Ashley's favorite bakery (the top square was a rice krispie treat!)

Davey cutting the cake!

Davey cutting the cake and Kim...helping??

Family photo with mom, dad, and Robin!!

Emilie, Ashley, and Abigail in the "vineyard"!

After a couple of hours at the vineyard, we piled back into the Pilot for the four hour drive back to the cities.  UGH!  LOOOOOOONG day....BUSY weekend, but TOTALLY worth the exhaustion that was my Monday!!!!!!

Here's hoping YOU, too, were able to burn the candle at both ends recently, and that you were able to experience the true joy and happiness that good friends and family provide!!!