Have A Little Faith in We

We missed a weekend wrap up last week – so this week we are doing a little combo. This works out pretty well as the last two weekends could not be any more opposite if we tried!

Two weekends ago should have been titled “let’s walk down memory lane” – with a lot of good friends and reminiscing to be had by all!  Starting with Saturday’s BBQ lunch. This summer we have made a big effort to catch up with our friends. You know the folks you say “lets get together to” and then 6 months go by and nada? We can be especially terrible at this with the unpredictability of Danny’s health. So with our new place that has so many awesome characteristics for entertaining – we have been filling our schedule with friends! And it just so happens this Saturday was a good day for two of my best high school girlfriends, Libby and Atheni. You know the kind that make you laugh till your sides hurt, weeks and months can go by and its like you saw them yesterday? Yea those kind….I love those kind….so we scheduled them with their hubbies for Saturday lunch together!

And for a little extra credit trivia – Danny was Atheni’s prom date!

Dan has been a little worn down and since he is the chef in our world – we decided to keep it simple and order BBQ from a local Ashburn favorite, Carolina Brothers. This left room for me to only have to focus on my favorite parts- cleaning and decor.

Once our guests arrived the wine started flowing!! Which meant the catching up …..which meant the stories……which meant the yearbooks. Yes – our yearbooks came out! Now Atheni and Libby are married to some awesome fellas from college – but they don’t have the O’Connell thing in their past, so putting up with the yearbooks –  they were pretty good sports! And oddly enough the one guy who did go to O’Connell was the first to roll his eyes – sorry hun, we are creatures of habit!   The afternoon was a blast and I loved catching up.

Once we bid are farewells it was time to change and head out the door the evening festivities- a DC rooftop party with childhood friends of Danny. My in-laws, have lived in the same house that Danny was brought home for the hospital to, so naturally that neighborhood is the setting of most all of his childhood memories. And so many of the people who were a big part of Danny’s formative years were neighbors, especially the next door neighbor boy – Nick. Nick and Danny were the same age and knew each other from 3 years old. They were such good friends growing up (I always picture Kevin and Paul from The Wonder Years) that often they were more like brothers – fighting and all. Truly the best of friends.

But as life happens, Nick’s family moved and although they stayed in touch for a lot of years it was never the same. Danny and Nick lost touch about 10-11 years ago, right around the time I entered Danny’s world and I had never had the chance to meet him. Over the years I met his mom and sister – they even came to our wedding – but Nick had gone to college out west and never really made it back DC.

On this summer evening, atop an incredibly gorgeous rooftop patio, with Washington DC as the backdrop, I met Nick and relived the tales of their childhood. The wiffle ball stories were confirmed, the tales of snowstorms, video games, and how Vienna used to look were repeated with even more enthusiasm than I could have imagined. It was special to watch two guys who have ended up leading very different lives act like no time had passed at all and were just as excited to talk video games as they were about their now married lives. Life has such a funny way of leading people in and out of our worlds.

Sunday morning we were moving a little slow- you know we were out living it up in DC till like 11 that night before!! So to keep the honoring of friendship going I settled in a little pocket of sun and enjoyed my new book. So far it has been great and if you are looking for a light summer read, that makes you laugh out loud and remember all the crazy that comes with being a female – pick it up!!

The lazy haze of a summer Sunday only lasted for a short while since we had mass and dinner with more friends that night! Ryan – another best friend form O’Connell- and Megan had a few winery errands to run (don’t those sound like the best errands) out our way so we decided on dinner to catch up on their way back. As usual we made a reservation at Ford’s Fish Shack and then chilled the Coronas for some back deck sitting after our meal. It was the PERFECT way to end a weekend of catching up – laughing with friends as the summer sun set on another July weekend.

Fast forward a bit to this past weekend AND>>>>> we did a whole lot of nothing! Danny’s energy was at an all time low and his lungs very sore. My mind was cluttered with back logged work and errands that had been on my to do list for weeks! So a weekend of rest and catching up was had by all.

We did escape out into the sun for a lot of walks and exploring our surroundings lakes and ponds.

Shiba and I were sure to pop into Starbucks and enjoy some sweet treats, since this is our last Starbuck’s drive thru window visit for the foreseeable future. Folks – get ready….the Bessette family has purchased our own, at home brewing, Starbucks system coffee maker. The prices on my preferred beverage has gone up again this summer and the expense is just getting to be too much (even for me)- so we will be learning to brew at home! Stay tuned!! 🙂

Sun soaking continued with a few good books and catalogues to dream of more house projects.

We did attempt on Saturday night to make it to dinner and a movie. But sadly getting through dinner was a rocky and we ended up back home so Danny could rest.

And finally I ended the weekend prepping for a health week of lunches and making my husband a lovely, nutritious, made from scratch dinner Chicken Pot Pie.  When Danny is sick and the cooking is left to me…..it is very, very sad.

Unfortunately by the end of the weekend, Danny knew a tune-up was in order and he would probably being head to the hospital this week. Luckily this is much more of a regular maintenance to help clear his lungs passage ways versus the very painful, and unexpected intestinal blockage from June. The hospital is never easy, never to be taken lightly, and never a good thing – but knowing how hard June was and this stay would be more “normal” -we are not complaining too much.

Hope you are soaking up these summer breezes as we head into August…. Happy Wednesday!!