Good Times and See Ya Laters

Last Friday I racked up more than 20,000 steps cleaning my house, mowing grass, and doing the stuff that my damn job gets in the way of me doing. Gosh I LOVE my summer hall pass!! I'm back in my routine of morning chores, binge watching Grace and Frankie (two episodes per day) on Netflix, reading and sunning (at the same time) for 30 minutes--twice a day. Then I exercise...whenever I feel like squeezing it in. And squeeze it in I do! 

This past weekend King Ralph, D and I did what we do every year on my first weekend I've been set free (yes set free, because some school year's actually feel like a jail sentence...like this year, lol)--we attended Shakespeare in the Park. There is nothing we love more than a beautiful evening in the glen, near art hill in Forest Park, getting our Shakespeare on. This year: The Winter's Tale. I loved the first half...D thinks I'm nuts for liking the tragedy portion more, but I did! We spread out our blankets, noshed on Italian sandwiches, potato salad, chips and homemade chocolate chip cookies, while sipping spiked seltzer drinks. 

Once the sun set the stage lit up in a gorgeous soft hue of color. 

Saturday took us to The Wanderlust to tend to some necessary tasks. We are weeks away from wandering about this great country. Then if was off to our nephew's going away party. 

Since the Air Force base is minutes down the road from his house Princess A, D, King Ralph and I decided to stop at the base first for the air show. We waited in line for 40 minutes to see the nephew's "office." This is the beast he flys 

It's impressive! So many buttons and gadgets it makes the average person's (us) head spin. Now we have a good picture in our heads of what he is doing when he's flying. 

Next the party! 

My nephew is off on a year long deployment to Qatar. That calls for a party. This is not his first trip to the "sandbox." It is however; the first time in his military career that he has been stationed close to home where we can actually be together to say see-you-later.  As protocol has it we took a cousin picture...this time minus the customary name signs of the (two) missing cousins...we instead threw in the spouses for good measure. 

These cousins love each other. One will sorely be missed. 

It was good weekend! 

This morning I woke up at 6am and sent my nephew a text. I told him safe travels. Next I told him we are proud of him, his service and dedication to preserving our freedoms. Then I reminded him what I told him on Saturday--use sunscreen and Goldbond powder. That no one wants a sunburnt, chaffed squadron commander. He text me back that those goods were indeed packed and gave me the Qatar weather report: 114*. Folks that's not dry heat either, it's humid as hell in Qatar.  I felt a little tear in my eye. When we finally had him close by for the last two years it's easy to get use to having him at family functions all the time. It's not going to be easy to get unuse to him not being around again. It just isn't!