A Full Weekend

Had a full weekend, even without adding work into the mix.
I spent Saturday with family:
- seeing my nephew taking pride in his new ability to walk
- making chicken wonton soup with my sister
- eating toad-in-the-hole made with brats (Mmmmmm!!!)
- making chocolate chip cookies that ended up a little flat (guess we need more practice, eh?)
- chatting with my brother about work and life

Then, on Sunday:
- had brunch with Hot Chick Janiece (who's looking hotter and hotter with her healthy lifestyle changes) and her Smart Man
- Janiece and I did a little shopping and then went to get pedicures (Janiece, a delicate lavender, me, deep blue. Winter is the time to experiment with toenail colors.)
- The very kind and thoughtful Janiece gave me frozen dinners for the times I need to stay late at work and the Smart Man gave me more music to listen to. It's tough to find better friends than these. :)
- when I got home, I got moving on a bunch of chores that had gotten a little out of hand, and though I didn't get *everything* done, I made some good progress.
- I also made a broccoli, mushroom, and rice fritatta to eat for breakfast for the coming week. I'll spare you the pictures, since I plan to do this regularly from now on. (My metabolism works much better, I've found, when it gets an early start.)

A lot of this domestic, familial, and friendship-related contentment was brought into sharp contrast when Janiece and I received texts that our good friend Shawn Powers' house burned in a fire. All the family is safe and sound, but all their possessions were destroyed and their pets (several dogs and a cat) were killed. As Shawn says in his own blog report, "Their loss is the roughest part right now, as everything else that was lost is just stuff." I know that's the part of it that hits me the hardest. When I got home, I couldn't sit down for more than 2 minutes without one or the other of the cats sitting on my lap and, even more than usual, it was tough to evict them. Life is so uncertain. Who knows when it might be the last time you get to pet your animal or kiss them on the head? Or the last time they tickle you with their whiskers when they want you to get up and feed them or let them out? I'm so glad that Shawn's family are safe and experiencing the love and support of their friends and community, but I grieve deeply for the animal friends that they lost.

RIP, furry friends.