Bah humbug. Bah humbug.

I take great pride in being active and connected and having many things to do in life…and even more people to do these things with. I love my life this way I really really do. But MAN sometimes, I just need time off.

I’ve finally recovered from the crazy work week last week, all in a day’s work in the field I chose to work in, that I do not complain about. I was just sort of kind of wishing I could have taken a day or two off to catch up with myself and reconnect with that person who lives in my house with me. And of course, that didn’t happen at all because of a surprise situation (which of course is also part of my job from time to time, I would have just preferred another time.)

This past weekend was really nice. Mark’s parents came and stayed with us and celebrated their 49th Wedding Anniversary with their son and his *lady friend* as his dad likes to refer to me as…his mom said until we are legal, that’s what he will be calling me hee hee! We went to dinner/BPO Glen Miller Concert and picked up after hours desserts from the Chocolate Bar on Saturday night. On Sunday I got up very early to drop Mark off at the Buffalo Marathon where he ran a leg of the relay, came home and took a small nap then weaved my way through the city to pick up Mark (who I am so proud of! Good job honey!) and went to brunch at Ambrosia. After brunch we hit up Old Fort Niagara for the afternoon came home for leftovers and homemade elderberry pie- my favorite and then played the card game FLINCH until Midnight when Mark crashed. Monday we walked through our neighborhood down to Caffe Aroma for coffee/pastries and the view. (And Talking Leaves of course, Mark’s mom loves a good bookstore too!) I think his parents left sometime around 2-3ish that afternoon and I’m not at liberty to recall what we might have done for the rest of our weekend. I know a few naps were involved. 😉

Aside: Mark’s Dad has bought his wife a corsage every year for 49 years since they’ve been married. I think that’s super sweet and no pressure at all for Mark.

Of course, I also do think that despite having the 3 day weekend off, entertaining visitors *especially future-in-laws* means no lounging around without pants, grabbing a beer (or a Mark) and checking the blogs. Hence, Tuesday was not REALLY NOT welcome. I did not want to do ANYTHING this week and yet had about 100 loose ends to catch up with along with a few hours of work still left undone at the other job.

So hurrah for Thursday when loose ends (work wise) are caught up and back to normal!

Tonight I’m skipping out on the League Annual Dinner to stay at home and get together information for League ironically enough. I was supposed to be traveling with Ms. Audrey my superfantabulous organizedenthusiastic partner in New Membershipness to Toronto this weekend for a Regional Conference.

…but then I found out the memorial service for my Uncle who passed away a few weeks ago was going to be held this weekend. So to home I will go with my brother and his family to represent the few, remaining members of the Smith family. My two cousins, my brother and myself. 🙁 I’m not especially looking forward to going, of course, who likes these things, right? I was hit a little bit harder than I thought by the news of his passing. It was totally unexpected. And tragic and terrible and I was at work when I heard the news. And being who I am (over-emotional) all I can do is put myself in my cousin’s shoes or even worse…my Uncle’s and well…I’ve not talked about this on the blog for a reason.

Anyhow…it hit me harder than I thought because I haven’t really seen my Uncle in quite sometime. He represents the *past* the somewhat chaotic normal childhood past that ended when my Gma and Dad passed away back in 1989. So very much happened those years following and so very much of it I didn’t directly deal with because I went away to college in 1992. And unfortunately, a majority of it I repressed. My Aunt (Dad’s sister) passed away days after my college graduation. I was in North Carolina during her memorial service and unable to get home and when I heard the news of my Uncle I realized I’ve hardly gone there for my Aunt in my mind all these years later. While we were not close, and I think I only saw him a few times in the past, well, many years… my Uncle still represents that last remaining *adult* connection to our childhood and the Smith family. I was however close to my Aunt and cousins growing up and have been told frequently by family when I was younger that I had her sass. God damn, I miss her. I wish so much that she could know me today and I could stop by her house for dinner on a whim to shoot the shit. Sigh… My brother and I have taken care to keep the cousin bond close and have a special family Christmas together still every year. And despite the fact that my cousins are in their 40’s and my brother and I are in our 30’s it doesn’t feel right that we get to play the role as the Patriarchs/Matriarch of the family. Nosiree, it most certainly is NOT ALRIGHT. And it all makes me sad to think about giving up my family name someday if/when I marry. My cousins do not have children. The only Smith’s left are coming from my Lil Brother/Dayna and myself, but I won’t be a Smith now will I?

Sigh…where was I going with all this?

Damn.

Anyhow. I’m sad. And it’s not going to be the easiest weekend. And that’s that.

This post was about being busy people!! Back to busybusybusy…

Out of town this weekend for the service on Saturday. I’m also going to sneak in sometime with my Gma at the Nursing Home for a few rousing hands of Yahtzee. Funerals/Cemeteries worse place in the world for a Jen. County Nursing Home second worse place. Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk, NY, third worse place. All sad reminders of the people I love who are no longer here—or are here but no longer themselves. Visits to any of these places physically DRAIN ME. I also almost always excuse myself to go shed a few tears in the bathroom at any given visit as well.

After a day of fun like that planned!!! Who can turn down a HELL OF A LOT OF BEER, right? Surely not a Smith. So methinks the fam might be stopping in to hear our friends band play in Fredonia and then I plan on crashing at LindaLu’s to recover.

Basically, Sunday will be an early bed night because the following week? Holy heckadoodle! Another week where I have two back to back events for work. And a meeting on Monday, and a meeting on Tuesday (BUT BRET MICHAELS IS PLAYING AT ARTPARK!) and an invite for a networking thingy on Wednesday and a volunteer gig for TITS on Thursday (both events I am likely to skip because, sometimes you need a day or two!) and since I got two free comp tickets for THE BASH I can hardly miss that event right? And then SATURDAY is my work event. And then the next MONDAY is my other work event—and oh, I forgot, I actually have one of those formal luncheon things on the following Friday AND another event (a smile thank God this week was successful and over celebration) on the 13th. And then off to an out-of-town family event for the weekend of the 15th.

So, technically I don’t have anything planned either this Sunday or next Sunday.

A quick glance down at the book shows a whole lot of empty spaces (yet to fill) after June 15th. Hmmmm. Perhaps then I will get a chance to stay at home and PAINT THE APARTMENT before all my friends from college come into town for Erin’s wedding. I do have the best intentions on getting the whole place painted. Of course now I am going to sign off laughing because I know better…