Basking Selfishly

How can a week that ends with the perfect family date night, not lead into a treasure filled weekend? It can't, so it did, and I'm so glad about that! Thinking back about what made this weekend as fulfilling as it did was an effort. Not a strained, apprehensive effort, a genuine, because you want to effort. The good kind of acts that is more than the phone call on birthday's or Facebook get well wishes. An effort that rewards your heart, your whole, your core. A selfless purpose, with it's selfish rewards.

And like a freshly bathed dog, I rolled in the dirt of other's selfless purpose this weekend and I rolled hard and loved every selfish, spinning, filth basking, minute of it.

We don't eat out much. Other than the obvious reason's, it's more work than worth, more expensive than expected, and with this family of 5, the last thing we want to do on a cold, snowy, winter Friday, is load up and head out of the comfort of own home.  What would take a normal Richardson family dinner from ordinary to extraordinary in a low budget, kid approved way? Candles, elegant plastic glasses, deluxe peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pizza as your side….. that's what! It was perfect. Laughter wasn't muffled in fear of disturbing other's tables. Spills were cleaned at leisure, while avoiding the frenzy of finding extra napkins, and the "control those children" stares.  Lets not over look the advantage of the time out chair's lingering presence in the corner of the room as comforting reassurance incase things turned for the worse, but they didn't and it made it all the more sweet. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we even stayed for dessert.

Having Mom and Dad bravely, graciously asking to keep the kids for the night, after Saturday's basketball practice, I snuck away solo to Bangor. Where I not only went into 'not-so kid friendly' shops and eat at a 'not-so kid friendly' restaurant, I was joined by a friend who at the last minute made the effort to accompany me. Though we both have the important roll of being a mother, it was nice to step back, take a break, and just enjoy the flow of conversation, shopping, and time spent with a girlfriend in a kid free way. (and if you can believe it, I was so caught up in sales and conversation I only took pictures of the dolls that were more creepy than not)



Sunday brought a long over due get together with friends. And if there was a maximum amount of handsomeness per house hold, we would have been screwed. While we caught up on the far too long time that had passed between our visits, while changing diapers,  comfort of old friends was a thick as if we were sitting in our dorm room catching up on the few days during Christmas break we hadn't talked, while pounding a tub of frosting, that Amanda so graciously reminded me was 10 years ago. *gulp*

Sad by the reality two years could passed so quickly, I was refreshed our friendship did not stutter and lives had grown so heartily.




Ending the weekend, we were treated with a Skype date with some of our favorite west coast family. It could not have been any better of a way to end an already soul filling weekend. It was the candy coated, chocolate covered cherry, on my triple ice cream scooped, extra toppings, hold the nuts, covered brownie sundae.

These efforts are the kind, that make me revel in being so selfish.

(It certainly helped soften the blow from this)