A nice, fun and relaxing weekend.

So, this week was really nice. On Monday, John and I went to the IMAX movie presentation of the Colorado River. It was really neat because I got to relive m whitewater rafting experience and that was great. We went to the German restaurant for dinner and the food was good as always considering the fact that I’ve not been there in quite some time. I was part of a pilot discussion group led by Kevin which talked about being a healing presence to others. There were eleven of us in the group and most everyone were or are in the healthcare field. We had some really good discussion and Kevin is looking to add healing presence as part of is consulting business. I think it will be a very good addition. The young adults met for dinner on Thursday and I asked them if they would come to my pre-birthday party on Friday, May 2nd if I were to have one and all of them said they would. So, I ended up calling a bar that I’ve been to before that’s non-smoking and reserved a section for a group of us. I’ve actually seen the section before and you can fit anywhere from ten to fifteen people and that’s where we’ll be. The only condition for reserving the section is that the group will have to spend at least $250. With the group that I invited, it won’t be a problem whatsoever. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be working until 10PM that evening, but will head on there right after work. I’ve put in a request to have the next day off because the last thing I want would be to party until 2AM and end up working at 6:30AM. That would just be wrong in my books. I don’t see any problem getting that vacation approved, but you just never know.

On Saturday, Ann and I went to Panom and David’s house for dinner. We had set the date quite some time back and all of us were looking forward to the evening. I got to play and hang out with their kids, Aiden and Keegan. Both of us are such adorable kids. Aiden warmed up to me right away, but Keegan was napping when Ann and I arrived. When he got up, he was a little cranky and surprised to see people at the house, but he did end up warming to us. Dinner was fantastic – Panom made this amazing chicken dish that had friend onion and garlic on top of it and it was so tender and juicy. After dinner, I played bowling on the Wii console with Aiden and later read a couple of books with Keegan that Ann had gotten him. His vocabulary was outstanding for a kid his age and he’s just so cute pointing and verbalizing the different things found in the book. It was great to catch up with Panom and David too and I was so happy to hear that they got a babysitter to take care of the kids while they attend my party. It’s just neat for parents to have an evening off and I’m glad to hear that they’ll be able to make it. Ann and I left their home at around 11PM which was pretty late for them, but all in all everyone had a blast that evening. There’s not like spending a fun and relaxing evening with dear friends.

I drove a couple of residents to see the finished art work at Drake’s Street Painting event on Sunday. Street painting was to take place on Saturday, but had to be cancelled because of the threat of rain and an overall cloudy day. The students ended up painting on Sunday and by the time we arrived which was after dinner, a number of them were still painting. Some of the squares had not been worked on yet, but I’m sure it will be done in a couple of days. Believe it or not, Relays is this weekend and Drake’s neighborhood will be buzzing big time.

That’s all the news from me for the week and weekend. Next weekend I’ll be headed to St. Louis with Charlene for Cindy’s wedding and it’s a wedding that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Cindy’s such a wonderful person and she’s been through a lot over the years and the fact that she’s met this great guy and will be getting married makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. While in St. Louis, I’ll be meeting up with Kurt and Janet because they’ll be visiting Janet’s friend who lives in St. Louis. We’ll also go to Mass at Stan’s parish and spend Sunday with him. On my way back to DM on Monday, I’ll be visiting two former religious education students in Dubuque and Decorah, IA. I’ve not driven to the Northeast corner of Iowa and have been told that it’s beautiful. I’m excited about the trip.