Lifestyles of the Misfits and the Hausfraus

Best. Weekend. Ever. Well, maybe not EVER, but quite close. I had it all; I got a road trip, I got to spend quality time with my Pittsburgh Girlfriends (including a slumber party!); I got to go to a birthday party that didn't involve Dora or goodie bags; I got to go shopping for shoes--for ME; I got to be sociable, I got to drink(and smoke a cigarette or five--shhhh), and I got back home in plenty of time to celebrate my daughter's 3rd birthday too!

Chapter One--The Drive

I got in the car and drove for 4 1/2 hours to Pittsburgh.
By myself
Without children
Without husband
Without being commanded to put in a Dora movie
Without being bothered for snacks. Every five minutes.
Without being interrupted
Without crying
Without screaming
Without a constant stream of chatter
Without smelling something repugnant coming from the back seat
There was nothing but me

Sheer heaven, I tell you. This was the first time I had been in a car alone (except for my 5:45 AM jaunts to the gym so they don't count) since JULY! For the first 20 minutes, I kept the radio off and just enjoyed the silence. The rest of the trip I listened to the radio, then I listened to my cd's. I had a marathon Radiohead/Wilco listening session that lasted through most of Ohio. I listened to a few songs six or seven times REPEATEDLY--because I COULD! I sang along to some songs. Badly. Didn't matter.


Chapter Two--The Party

The reason I went to Pittsburgh was to celebrate the 40th birthday of my dear friend Angel. We met during college at IU. At the time, she had taken a break from her studies at Duquesne to stay with her sister. While in Bloomington, she worked in the same restaurant as my husband and I and we all became friends. We kept in touch with her over the years and were thrilled to reconnect with her when we moved to Pittsburgh. It is because of Angel that we made the most amazing friends when we were there. Her husband and all of her friends became our friends and it made our time there some of the happiest years of our lives. My friend Lisa made the trip from new Jersey. This was her first trip away from her 4 month old Ava. We were each other's dates at the party. We had a blast catching up with all of the Pittsburgh people and celebrating Angel. We girls surprised Angel with a Tiffany Bracelet. It made her cry. Our work was done.

After the party, Lisa, Annie and I headed back to Jenny's for a slumber party. When we got there, Erin showed up, which was great, as I had not seen her in a long time. She was in a play so she was unable to attend Angel's party. We stayed up talking until almost 3AM, I think. Daylight rolled in much too early.

Chapter Three--The Ride Home

See Chapter One. The only differences were that I was tired and it was snowing.

Chapter Four--Baby Girl's Birthday Party

I got home three hours before Baby Girl's birthday party. It was a very small event--just one little friend and her cousin. When I got home, I showed her the beautiful dresses Erin had gotten for her. She insisted on wearing one to her party. Baby Girl was thrilled to open presents, which were almost entirely Dora products. Wish I had bought stock in Viacom. One of her favorite gifts was the Hess Holiday Firetruck with lights and whistles! Upon opening it, she held it in her arms like a baby and said, "It's so Beyooootiful!" She spent the afternoon twirling her new pretty dress, harassing her cousin and chasing the dogs with her new grocery cart. It was wonderful seeing her so proud of herself. She kept walking around saying, "I'm Three! I'm a BIG GIRL!" or "I'm Three! I'm a Doctor Princess!" She is becoming more fun to watch every day. I am so blessed to have her.



The girls with their tiaras.