Yesterday, my neighborhood hosted a parade down our half-mile-long street. The beauty and charm of a small town. Totally silly and fun. For a moment I felt like we were living in Stars Hollow with the Gilmore Girls. It was that kind of good-hearted silly craziness. Decorated tractors and trailers with happy very-noisy kids (those were mine) paraded down the street. One of our neighbors offered us a ride in his trailer. My kids were thrilled! They painted large pieces of paper in red, white, and blue for decorations on it. They gathered every instrument they could find (they were the band, you know) and played as loud as they could. Which, when you’re riding behind a large, noisy, blue farm tractor, doesn’t come across as sounding loud at all.
Two of my boys wore their newly tie-dyed shirts (we’ve been practicing tie-dying for a messy party we’re having on Saturday. It’s been waaaay too much fun.) At the end of the parade, we gathered for lemonade and cookies. Unfortunately, my littlest was running a fever–which I did not realize until the parade was about to start. So we paraded with the neighborhood, then I carried her home while Steve and the boys stayed to celebrate.
I also got to spend time this weekend with some lovely friends who moved to France a couple of years ago. I did my best to convince them to move back here. I tried coercion, threats, bribes. Even hypnotism. (Okay, so maybe I didn’t threaten them. But I did try the other tactics.) It didn’t work. (That could be because I know nothing about hypnotism.)
But I did spend an entire evening–a whole five hours–laughing like I haven’t laughed in a long time. Do you have friends like that? You know the kind. The ones who you can be apart from or not talk to for months, even years, and when you get back together it’s like no time has passed. That you pick right up from where you last left off. These friends are like that.
As this week kicks off with a firecracking bang (Happy Birthday, America!), I’m hoping for time to work on my revisions amidst all the getting ready for the upcoming party. Lots of neatening to do so we can all get messy with our friends.
What are you hoping for this week?
*title quote from Gilmore Girls
