Labor Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a great three day weekend. I decided due to financial reasons to stay on the home front and it turned out to be an awesome weekend. Here is the recap:

On Friday night after a hellish week I decided to keep it low key and have dinner with Angie and Erik (the newlyweds). Angie made an awesome Mexican Lasagna. Erik and I ate until we couldn’t fit another bite in. I am such a sucker for good food.

Saturday morning I headed to the Cantor Museum at Stanford University with my mom. I don’t go to museums much and I don’t know why. I always really enjoy myself when I do. There was an exhibit of lithographs by Robert Raushenberg, I really appreciated his Bellini series of lithographs. The lithographs in this collection are vibrant in color and combine Italian and Roman works and figures. The colors pop while the images are romantic in nature. Another artist had done a very life like dummy of a cement pourer workman. I felt as if I was being followed around the room. It was driving me crazy because every turn I made I would catch him out of the corner of my eye.

In the evening I headed over to Christine’s for a BBQ. We laid around and watch TV and chatted, generally did nothing. And it was great. I didn’t feel restless like I was supposed to be doing something. It was much needed. I also got an education on the difference between Hair Bands and real heavy metal. I can’t help it I love the Power Ballads, I am such a geek.

On Sunday Angie, Erik and I headed to Pleasanton to the Scottish Highland Festival. WOOOHHOOO men in kilts. This was going to be very entertaining. Unfortunately we missed the shot put throwing contest and the contest where they throw the telephone poles. We did learn though that those telephone poles weight 120 lbs, yikes! Also that this festival was the 144th ( if I recall correctly) Scottish Highlands Games. Our first encounter in the games was a gentleman sitting in a camp chair with his legs open for the world to see what men really wear under kilts. Now the saying goes, its nothing at all. To my relief, this gentleman didn’t follow the rules and the only sight I saw was very hairy legs and a banana hammock. Thank You Erik for that quaint descriptive word to say bikini underwear for men. Now I wasn’t the only one privy to this sight, Angie and Erik saw the same thing. We all look in horror at each other and thanked the underwear gods for granting us this minor miracle.

The second notable encounter makes me think that the little pouch Scottish men wear in the front isn’t such a good idea. While continuing to wind through the booths of the different clans, Angie and I spotted a slighter gentleman vigorously rooting around in what I originally thought was the front of his kilt. God man, there are small children here. What are you thinking….. Oh wait that’s a pouch you have there. Well I guess its ok then, still maybe you want to tone down the vigor in which you are looking in your sporran.

The Highland games are actually kind of big. There was a Birds of Prey exhibit in which I saw the cutest owl ever, he was pocket size. So Cute!! We also saw two young guys in there early twenties decked out in kilts that matched suspiciously well with their shirts AND matching tattoos on their calves. Oh how cute, I wanted to get a picture to proved their matchingness, but I missed my opportunity. Seriously when did that sounds like a normal straight heterosexually good idea? I honestly did a double take, I didn’t think men got matching tattoos, really I didn’t.

Also I know this shouldn’t be a shock but there was haggis there, you know the Scottish dish. With sheep body parts and what was equally more shocking is that people were ordering it and EATING it!!! EWWWWW, no I haven’t tried haggis nor do I have any intention of ever eating it. Nope, no way no how.

After inadvertently being flashed and the other joys of the Highland Games, I headed over to my boss’ parents house for a BBQ with my darling, oh so cute, nephews. I know I brag about them constantly but seriously in case you didn’t get it the first nine million times, they are the cutest things EVER. I was greeted by William, him running at me with open arms and launched himself at me. This is the first time I had this greeting and it made me feel like a MILLION bucks. I made a pasta salad to contribute to the dinner which the boys loved. Good to know  We read books and rocked in rocking chairs. They are very verbal now that they have grasped words. Now that doesn’t mean I understand what they are saying but they do talk. It must drive them crazy that I look at them blankly trying to decipher what they are saying. Since I was the shiny new truck of the evening that meant they wanted to be with me all evening, even when I wanted to go the bathroom. Now I love my nephews but I am not ready for them to join me in the bathroom. They need to start doing that with their parents, not Auntie Liz. So I had to distract the boys and the run away to get to the bathroom. Well I am not as quick as I think I am. Jack was right on my heels and I slammed the door, celebrating sweet victory all the while his feelings got hurt that I had slammed the door. Talk about gut wrenching. I felt so bad that I hurt his feelings. There was hugging involved and all was righted in the world. I was exhausted by the end of the evening, I have no idea where they get their energy.

All in all it was a great weekend home, did way more than I thought I would. I was sure my friends were going to come home and find me completely STIR CRAZY. Down side, I didn’t get the list of chores I had, done. Oh well I am sure I will get bored in the winter months.

I will add pictures when I am at home. Sadly none of the matching tattoos.