Another Perfect Morning

Flannel pants, a fleece throw and dad's warm lap- what more could an old girl ask for?  I do love the cooler weather.  Happy Halloween y'all!

Early Early Early

     Bear with me as I subconsciously direct dad on this post.  Mom and dad each have their own sleeping issues.  Dad's body wakes up ridiculously early every day because, well, just because.  Once his mind starts running around like a chicken with its head cut off there's no hope of returning to sleep.
     Mom often has trouble sleeping because her mind never stops.  And she likes her Diet Coke.  Plus she likes her Diet Coke.  Oh, and have I mentioned that she likes her Diet Coke?  If she drinks it too late in the evening it disturbs her sleep pattern.  This is the case today.
     So dad's body woke his mind up just before 3:30 this morning, when he stirred and found the bed empty.  Hearing the whispering of some program or other he went out to the living room and found mom (with me on her lap, of course) sitting in the lounger, wide awake.
     Flash forward about 10 minutes (after dad bypassed the preset 4:20 brew start on his coffee maker) and here we are, all snuggled together.  Mom can usually drift right off to sleep if she tries reading with her head on dad's lap while he sits with his coffee and whatever novel he's currently reading.  
     Though my favorite spot is down at the foot of the bed, this morning I felt the need to be just a little closer.

Yup, mom's finally asleep

     You know the cooler weather is upon us because mom recently dug out the afghan  (which I love)she keeps on the bed during the winter months.  Gonna be a long day...

Vacation Week

     Well there goes another year.  Dad just turned 57 (and he calls me an old fart?), and he's back to work after a relaxing week of what he calls staycation.  Once again, they kept it low key and low cost and just took it easy.

     Chapel Hill's Festifall was last week, and mom and dad walked downtown to take in the sights and sounds for the second year in a row.  Face painting, fun activities for kids, homemade crafts and art and music filled several blocks, and mom and dad got to sit and quench their thirst with an annual favorite while listening to the wonderfully talented kids from Chapel Hill's School of Rock.

     Octoberfest was on tap at Carolina Brewery, and the young musicians pumped out an incredible set on a nearby stage including their renditions of hits from Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains and Metallica.  Yup, just another day of fist-pumping rock and suds sipping in the sun.

    For dad's birthday mom got tickets for Bohemian Rhapsody, which they'll be going to see in a couple of weeks. 

Dad's older brother turned him on to Queen in the 70's, and when he first heard about this movie earlier this year he said he couldn't wait to see it (dad rarely gets overly enthused about anything, so mom knew this was a big deal).
     They also made sure not to pass up Top of the Hill's annual offering, Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat ale, which they try to catch at least once (or twice) while it's available in the fall.  
     Beer and music, music and beer.  Dad's sitting here buzzing like a saw.  Chill out mister.  You're back at work and back to reality.  Calm down. 
     As fun as all that sounds I spent the week doing what I do best and enjoy the most.  As you can see, time off from work and turning another year older mean nothing to me. My week was filled with:

This

 

and This

   

and This

 

and This

So anyway, Happy Birthday again.  Now get back to work. You gotta get rid of them extra pounds you soaked up during your semi-active week off.  And as much as you'd like to keep these damn balloons rolling around all year long mom says they gotta go.  Sorry Birthday Boy.  I'm sure mom'll get you some more next year.

     

     
     

Lazy Stormy Thursday

     Dad was on vacation this past week, and he celebrated his birthday (more on all that in the next post).  As our resident activity director mom always makes sure, the week was full of fun things to do.  
     As with Florence we got lucky up here and escaped the horrible tragedy and destruction of the storm, and our hearts go out to all those who are suffering and struggling in the aftermath of Michael.
     Mom and dad changed plans and kept it low key for Thursday, when the worst of the storm hit our area.  We pretty much just hung out, watching the lights flickering and the tall pines swaying, and listening to branches and pine cones hitting the roof.  
     Though I made sure to alternate between the two I took advantage of dad's extended lap availability, even though he was wearing shorts.

The Things Humans Find Amusing

I know this is nothing new to many of y'all, but mom and dad caught me with my tongue left out and managed to snap these pictures before I realized what they were laughing at.  

     It happens to the best of us, right?  I mean, this is nothing to get so excited about.  I don't know why they were laughing so hard.  Imagine if I took their picture every time I caught them with their tongue- or anything else- hanging out and posted it for the world to see.  Wouldn't be so funny then, would it?