Mother's Day

Back in DC

This past weekend Spouse & I were back in DC again.  I say 'again' because we were there a month ago for Easter, and 2 weeks ago for his mom's viewings and funeral.  But we went back again for 2 important reasons.

The 1st was a 35th high school reunion cocktail party.  This was not an official reunion planned by the class.  This was a cocktail party reunion held at our dear friends Kerry & Hugh's home.  Kerry sent out an Evite and I created a Facebook event to get the word out.  Probably 25 or so classmates came and everyone had a ball!

I had an idea of taking selfies with my classmates AND my cosmo, so you'll see several of those, plus some other photos.

Donna looking incredublously at something Gary is saying, with Susan

Me and Patty

Me and Corky

Jeff, Kelly, Wayne, Corky

Me and my sister from another Mister Lisa

Me and Ginny

Scott and Allison

Lisa and Kerry

Me and Jeff

Carl and Kerry

Me and Kelly

Me, Kerry, Kelly, Jonathan

Me and Gary

Me and Carl

Me and Susan

Apparently only Carl could hear the amazingly funny joke...

Me an Allison

Me and Scott

The next day was Mother's Day, and only 1 month after Evelyn's passing.  This was another reason for coming back to DC; to spend Mother's Day with Spouse's sister Mary and her family.  We figured it would make the loss of our mother easier to endure on Mother's Day if we were together.  We had a very leisurely morning, talking and laughing a lot, and then ordered a bunch of Chinese food and ate lunch out on the deck.  Anna made this cake for her mother:  chocolate with mini M&Ms - her favorite.

We left at 3pm and after some traffic congestion finally arrived home at 6pm.

Mother's Day recap

Yesterday morning Spouse & I packed up the dogs and drove the 2 1/2 hours to DC to spend Mother's Day with his mom and family.  

Our nephew David (aka: Baby David) finished his semester at college last week so he was there when we arrived.  We hadn't seen him since Christmas.  Our niece Anna also arrived shortly after us, with her daughter and boyfriend in tow.  We visited with them and Spouse's mom for a while, and then I picked up my aunt Mary so she could join the fun.  Then Spouse's sister's mother-in-law and brother-in-law arrived.

We brought Marvin & Walter with us.  Typically we'd bring them to Spouse's mom's house and leave them there to sleep while we go to Spouse's sister's house for the meal and visiting.  But since Spouse's mom's house is undergoing renovations in preparation to go on the market, the boys were with us and the family, including Spouse's mom's dog Romeo.  All 3 dogs get along well together, and Walter especially loves chasing Romeo or being chased by Romeo.  It was a pretty day (no rain) so we were outside on the deck and in the fenced yard with the boys a good bit of the time.  We were really pleased with the boys' behavior. With all that activity during the day, Marvin was ready for a nap on Grandma's lap by late afternoon.

We had a delicious early dinner together; a combination of home-made and purchased items, and then Spouse's mom opened her cards and gifts.  Since she loves costume jewelry I picked out this seashell-themed necklace, earrings, and bracelet which I knew she'd love.

We left shortly after 7pm and got home about 9:30.  It was a long but very enjoyable day.

Wonderful weekend recap

Me & Spouse at cocktail hour

Sat evening Spouse & I went to the wedding and reception of Tim & Randy, 2 of the owners of the
Blue Moon where I perform in the Legends show.  After 36 years together they got married, and it was top shelf the whole way.

The ceremony was presided over by the Bishop Gene Robinson, the 1st openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.  Tim & Randy's longtime friend and recording artist Pamala Stanley sang during the ceremony, and Tim's brother shared a poem. After the ceremony the couple received their guests and everyone enjoyed an open bar, passed hors d'ouerves, and a fruit and cheese table while a jazz trio played.  

Huge floral arrangements abound!

An hour or so later everyone was asked to enter the dining room and find their seats.  Spouse & I were seated at a table with several of my fellow Legends and Rehoboth Idol performers and a few others. Again there was an open bar, and servers offered everyone red or white wine at the table.  A longtime friend of the couple spoke, followed by Miss Richfield 1981 who left everyone in stitches!  Then came the spinach salads, followed by the entre: surf and turf with risoto.  Amazing!  The balance of the night was filled with conversations, laughter, wedding cake, and dancing to the 10-piece band.  It was quite a lovely and fun event.

The wedding cake

Me with my good friends Rick & Lisa

My handsome Spouse

The next morning we showered, filled travel mugs with coffee, grabbed the dogs, and headed to VA to spend Mothers Day with Spouse's mom.  We arrived shortly before noon and since it was a nice day, the 3 of us sat outside in her back yard while the dogs ran around off-leash.  

Spouse's sister and her margarita

Then at 2:30 we met up with Spouse's brothers and sister and their spouses and children for an early dinner at Cantina Mexicana (aka: The Taco House).  It was wonderful to see the owners (and our friends) Juan & Gloria again, and they treated our group of 12 like royalty.  From appetizers to entres to drinks and dessert, we were there for 3 hours!  But the time seemed to fly by.

Back and Spouse's mom's house we gave her a gift:  a neckless, earlings, and matching bracelet.  She loves costume jewelry and wears it every time she leaves the house, so we knew she'd enjoy it.  We left at 6:45 and got home at 9:15.  It was a long but fun day.

Mother's Day weekend

Since I make up the schedule at work, I scheduled myself off this past weekend so Spouse & I could spend the weekend in VA with our family.

We arrived at Spouse's mom's house shortly after noon on Sat to find Spouse's sister and 2 of her kids there.  We sat and visited for a little while before heading out to have lunch together.  We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with them and even took Marvin for a nice long walk.

That evening Spouse, his mother, and I picked up my Aunt Mary and the 4 of us went to dinner.  Since Sun was Mother's Day we mistakenly thought the restaurants that are normally crowded on a Sat night might not be so crowded, as folks would be taking their moms out on Sun instead.  Boy were we WRONG.  There was a 75 minute wait to get a table, and since the parking had been so tricky we decided not to leave and look for another place with a possibly shorter wait.  But we had a wonderful dinner at Coastal Flats, and our waiter was really cute too.  He was slightly flirty but then mentioned his girlfriend later on.  But we had a great meal and plenty of time to visit with my aunt and my mother-in-law.

Cantina Mexicana owners Gloria & Juan

Sun morning Spouse & I had coffee and toast with his mom and relaxed while she got ready and went to church.  While she was gone we showered, got dressed, and walked Marvin.  After church Spouse's sister and her family came over for a quick visit, and then we all went for an early Mother's Day dinner at Cantina Mexicana (aka Taco House).  This has been a Mother's Day tradition for us for many years.  We had terrific food in a fun, lively atmosphere.  Just as we were about to leave, our good friend and part owner Gloria walked in and we received sincere hugs and kisses from her.  We were afraid we were going to miss seeing her.

Afterward we packed up our gear and put Marvin in the car and headed back to DE.  It was a great weekend that passed all too quickly.