Unrelated #2 -Busy Weekend!

Wow, this weekend was so busy! On Friday I met an old friend for lunch. I hadn't seen him in 2 years when I ran into him at happy hour a couple of weeks ago. Before that it had been at least 5 years. So, it was great to see him and catch up. We had lunch at Busboys and Poets. Later on another friend of mine had an impromptu bbq at his house. We cooked cornish game hens, turkey burgers and hot dogs on the grill and he whipped up some rice&beans and greens. One of my old teaching pals from my first school showed up and it was great to see her! She had lost 50 pounds since the last time I saw her and she looked great! We had a lot of fun talking and listening to old music.

On Saturday I attempted to get some more done around the house and started a scrapbook of the kids I taught this past year. They are just so darn cute so it's going to be fun to put together. I also finished reading a book I was working on and did some yard work. Later on in the evening a friend stopped by to put together my edge trimmer that my dad bought for me when he was in town right after my surgery. I figured I could use it to mow my whole lawn but I was told that is impossible - that I need to break down and buy an actual lawnmower. I am still under the impression I can get it done with what I have although my backyard looks like the Amazon from months of neglect so I may be wrong! After getting attacked by 1,000 mosquitoes, we gave up and got some dinner.

On Sunday I went to a 7:45am church service at Metropolitan. I have heard some excellent sermons at this church and the music is always amazing. I went here this week since I had an 11:30am SMC meeting. I had forgotten how long Baptist churches can get! Phew! When you are raised in the Episcopal church you get used to 15 minute sermons and being in and out of church in 1 hour! Reminds me of a quote I once read from Martin Luther...

Some plague the people with too long sermons; for the faculty of listening is a tender thing, and soon becomes weary and satiated.

But I would be remiss if I didn't admit that I didn't even stay for the sermon. :-/ (I know, I know... I have some nerve posting about long sermons!) Well, truth be told, the church was absolutely freezing and after an hour and a half my toes started to get numb and the sermon hadn't even started yet! And at least I heard lovely music, took communion and left my offering. I was disappointed that I didn't suck it up (I was really uncomfortable-- I'm a total wimp when it comes to being cold) because it was Beecher Hickshimself preaching. I'm sure I missed a great sermon but I can always order it online for $7.00! After church, I picked up some bagels and coffee and headed home to read the paper. I ran into my neighbor who lives a few houses down. We met once before. She's around my age, single and childless. We talked about the annoyances of home ownership and bemoaned the fact that no matter how much we water our grass and flowers, most of them are dying. She said she goes to tons of embassy and gallery events around DC and asked me for my email so she can forward me the invites. I'm so looking forward to getting those! At 11:30 I went to my SMC meeting. That group is so supportive. I wasn't going to post anymore on this future baby because I am trying to give myself a break, but in short I just want to say how much I appreciate being around other women in my same situation. Being in a room with highly educated, attractive 30 & 40-something women who are all trying to navigate this parenting dilemma is comforting. I get the impression that the majority if them would prefer to be married and having a family with their husbands (except the lesbians in the group!) but it just hasn't worked out the way we had all dreamed and planned. I get asked all the time, 'How come you've never been married? What's wrong with you?' (as recently as this weekend) and although I respond with 'I just have to trust God's timing with when he will send me a mate' it still is a difficult question to hear. But once a month I am able to feel completely comfortable and open about my concerns and thoughts about becoming a single mom with several other women in my same predicament.

But I digress....

Where was I?!!? Oh yeah, my busy weekend. So after the (emotionally draining but eminently useful) meeting I went home and took a nap. Later that night I went out on a first date to a Japanese restaurant. He seems like a nice guy--a friend of a friend. The weird thing is, and this has been an internet thread lately, but how does one date while going through an adoption or the significantly more private and sensitive process of artificial insemination?! ...Yeah, that's definitely a topic for another post! LOL