Our Weekend Excursion

The Martin Luther King, Jr.holiday weekend provided my Smoochy family a perfect opportunity to visit my best Smoochie and her family. Angie and I have been friends for nearly a decade now. We have come a long way together in that time. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Angie is one of those amazingly beautiful women who glow from the inside out. You will never meet a more loyal or generous person. We hadn't seen each other for almost a year, and now that I've moved to the Chicago suburbs we are only a short drive away from each other as she and her family live in the wonderful city of Madison, WI. I can assure you this won't be the last time I show you photos from a get-together with the Smoochies.


We had a delightful time this weekend. It was Angie's first chance to meet Georgia, and we had such a blast getting out kiddos together. Her son Mikey is a little lover-boy, and if only there were arranged marriages here in the US, it would be a done deal for Georgia!

The Obligatory Bath Picture!

Poor Mikey was a bit under-the-weather this weekend, but you can't tell in this sweet picture. The little guy had a cough that was slowing him down and making him out of sorts. But, every now and then the clouds would clear and out would come his sunny personality.

Normy was his usual maniacally loving and exuberant toddler-self. He was so excited to have a playmate, that some times his joy manifested in a complete inability to stay out of Mikey's personal space. It's like he just wanted to eat him up.

One of the highlight of our weekend was a trip to McDonald's to enjoy some burgers for lunch and a spin through the Playland to expend some energy before naps. SO MUCH FUN.

Angie and Mike make such a good pair.

By every standard the weekend was a complete success. Another of the highlights was getting to spend an afternoon with my long time friend, LisaLou, another Madison resident. I can't believe I didn't take my camera out while Lisa was visiting with us. I can be such a bone-head. Lisa and I go way back to the days of clubbing in Jacksonville. Again, I m really excited about living so close to her. I think it will give our relationship a huge shot in the arm. We have been in such different places for so long, that it's nice to find so much common ground after such a long time (both literally and figuratively). I have this picture of her from my wedding that perfectly captures how happy we were to see each other after a long time apart That was just how I felt hanging out with her on Saturday. She is quite possibly one of the most fun people I have ever know. A friend that really listens, and is just as great sharing a quite cup of coffee with or a beer in a noisy bar.

Not a great picture of either of us, but it was such a great moment.

So that will have to be it for now. It's time to make some popcorn and settle in for the inauguration. It all begins today folks, I can't wait to see how the next four years unfold. I for one, am optimistic.