Our Weekend

Friday:
I kicked off the weekend with a day off work, which started with a work call with a potential intern. Later, Joel and I had a meeting with our financial advisor. Multitasking as usual, I took the call while heading to the Galleria for my hair appointment. I arrived a little early and grabbed lunch at Sweetgreen. While walking around, I unexpectedly ran into a friend, and we ended up catching up over coffee at Starbucks.

At my hair appointment, I had my extensions moved up and the brassiness toned down. My stylist and I decided to stretch my next appointment to 10 weeks instead of 8, and I left loving how my hair felt and looked. Afterward, I picked up my new glasses, which made me feel extra pretty. To cap off the day, I stopped for a quick drink with friends before heading home to get the kids in bed.

Saturday:
The morning started with Joel heading to pickleball while I took Hailey and Miles to grab donuts on the way to Hailey’s school conferences. It was wonderful to hear how well she’s doing and get tips on how to support her as she starts reading. It was unfortunate that both kids’ conferences couldn’t be on the same weekend, but it was nice to have something to do.

Afterward, I took the kids to the gym, where I got in a 1-hour barbell strength class. I’ve done that barbell class one other time, but at the other gym near us. I liked this one way better! I think it’s the studio setup that is a little darker so I feel less exposed. I also knew what to expect this time, so wasn’t rushing to get all the weights I needed.

Post-shower, we met Tucker and Cassie for brunch. Joel took Miles home after brunch, and Hailey and I stayed for some much-needed mommy-daughter time. We strolled around, got our toes done, enjoyed froyo, and capped it off with hot chocolate. It was the perfect little outing.

In the afternoon, we rested at home before Joel took the kids to his parents’ house. On a whim, I decided to attend the year-end party for one of my running clubs—the one that originally got me into running. It was nostalgic and heartwarming to reconnect with people who’ve been part of my running journey for over a decade.

Sunday:
Sunday started a bit slower, with Joel heading to pickleball and me staying home with the kids. I had originally planned to go to my other running club, but it worked out for Joel to sneak into a group that he likes to play with. Around 10, me and the kids headed to the gym, where I hit the treadmill for an hour of one-minute-on, one-minute-off intervals. I kept the pace varied to fight treadmill boredom, and it worked! Can’t believe I stayed on that thing for a whole hour. I alternated between listening to an audiobook and some pump up music from the early 00s. [Side note: I’m listening to She Doesn’t Have a Clue and reading No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding.. both up my cozy mystery genre alley.. HOWEVER. they both have to do with weddings on an island during a storm, so I’ve been having some challenges jumping between the two. I’ve been using this blog as a way to take notes on books as I read them, so that’s super helpful to look back at.]

Joel met us at the gym, and I headed straight from there to see Wicked. It was a last minute thing, but I’m a huge Ariana Grande fan and knew Joel wouldn’t want to see it. What an incredible movie—it was everything I hoped for and more! I’m not usually into musicals on the screen (the ones I’ve been to in person have all been great), I usually skip the musical episodes of TV series.. because, what the heck.. but this was just great.

Back at home, I wrangled the kids to help make pizza dough, which inevitably led to flour everywhere. It’s hard not to get a little flustered with such a mess, but they love to help make it and so it’s worth it. While the dough rose, I took the kids to Target for toppings and a few other groceries. I also picked up a little 3-foot Christmas tree—the first one we’ve had in years thanks to our mischievous cats. It was the last one in stock, and I couldn’t resist.

We came home and got to work on the pizzas. The kids had so much fun making their own creations (with a little bit of frustrations coming from me as the kids just don’t listen sometimes), and they turned out fantastic! After some screen time and a quick bedtime routine, both kids fell asleep quickly and stayed asleep all night. That uninterrupted sleep felt like a mini miracle.

Monday Morning:
This morning, Hailey and I set up the new Christmas tree before daycare. It’s small but perfect, and seeing it lit up brings so much cheer to our space. After such a busy weekend, I’m planning to take it easy today and soak up a little rest before the Thanksgiving rush begins.

This weekend was full of little things. From mommy-daughter dates to reconnecting with old friends and the excitement of a tiny Christmas tree, I’m feeling grateful for all of it going into Thanksgiving week.