I turned 35 yesterday, and there were several low-key birthday things planned for this last weekend. The highlight definitely was Saturday. Instead of a birthday present, I asked David and the kids to take me to Huntington Gardens in Pasadena and to the Tea Room there. The kids had never been, and having a 5 and almost 3 year-old make through a high tea was somewhat of a dicey proposition. But we had a great time. The weather was gorgeous, the kids loved the gardens (especially the koi and some ducklings that were running around), it was much more restful than our usual excursions with the kids since we would sit down and just look at the flowers from time to time, and much to my delight, tea was a big hit and was fuss-free. This particular tea room happened to be set up buffet-style, so getting to pick out multiple desserts went over really well with the younger contingent. The only rough part was the art museum (Huntington Gardens also has a library with things like a Guttenberg Bible in it, and a small selection of art, including the "Pinkie" and "Blue Boy" paintings, for the uninitiated.). Soren had a hard time with the "no touching" rule and, immediately after we left the building, asked if we were allowed to talk now. But overall, we all had a great time there, which made for a delightful excursion.
Between that and a nice dinner at my mother-in-law's, it was a nice birthday weekend. But what made it particularly good for me was that it wasn't completely divorced from the other things in my life that are more difficult right now. We spent Friday night at Mark's house, and went to Lucas' T-ball game on Saturday before going to the gardens. I think it would have been harder for me to enjoy the weekend as much if it had not included the reality of loss on some level. It's probably the most at peace I've felt in a long while, which was both odd and nice simultaneously. But what kept it from feeling escapist or schizophrenic was spending the night at Midi's house and watching her son trot around a baseball field with a bunch of other 4 year-olds with her mother and in-laws.
I don't think I'm getting to a point of things feeling better all the time yet, but I'm grateful for this glimpse of how life might begin to reorganize, including both the hard and the good in the future.
Between that and a nice dinner at my mother-in-law's, it was a nice birthday weekend. But what made it particularly good for me was that it wasn't completely divorced from the other things in my life that are more difficult right now. We spent Friday night at Mark's house, and went to Lucas' T-ball game on Saturday before going to the gardens. I think it would have been harder for me to enjoy the weekend as much if it had not included the reality of loss on some level. It's probably the most at peace I've felt in a long while, which was both odd and nice simultaneously. But what kept it from feeling escapist or schizophrenic was spending the night at Midi's house and watching her son trot around a baseball field with a bunch of other 4 year-olds with her mother and in-laws.
I don't think I'm getting to a point of things feeling better all the time yet, but I'm grateful for this glimpse of how life might begin to reorganize, including both the hard and the good in the future.
1 comment:
Anne - I am so glad to read of your very fun and girly birthday celebration with the family. I can imagine that tea at the Huntington Gardens would go over well given the "all you can eat" style.
UFL
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