Busy weekend

Mom got to town late Saturday night and we grabbed a quick dinner out with Russ and Greg and stayed up (a little too) late chatting.  On Sunday morning, we got up early to go meet a few of my parents' neighbors who were in town to support another neighbor participating in the Nation's Triathlon.  We saw her come off the bike, start the running portion and cross the finish line in very strong form.  It was really inspiring watching people of all shapes, sizes and ages coming through and finishing this race. One of my favorite things, which happened several times, was when little kids jumped in to run the last few steps with their parents and even some grandparents...totally heart-warming.

Only picture of us from the weekend - we were busy! Pardon the red-eye - I still think we're pretty cute.

From there we went back to my place to grab the car and head over to my brother's apartment.  This was where our plans hit a bit of a snag.  It turned out that the public parking garage where she had parked the night before was closed on Sundays and her car, along with all of the things she brought down for Russ, was locked inside.  Fortunately for us, the building engineer was on the property repairing damage from Saturday's storm and took pity on our cause. He called the parking manager, convinced him to let us out, ran down to his car to grab his access card and swiped it to open the gate himself.  He could not have been more of a gentleman throughout it all and completely saved the day.

Once we finally got to Russ's apartment, we unloaded the car, did a quick hardware and grocery store run to get the essentials (including wine and cheese, of course) and got about the business of settling him in.  The most prized item that Mom brought down was a gorgeous antique mirror that stood in Russ's room when he was little.  He had always loved the mirror and specifically arranged the furniture in his new room so that it could have its own little nook.  Though all of the cleaning and arranging we did made a big impact, the mirror was definitely the most important touch of the day.  I love watching a new place come together and Russ's is going to be amazing.

We wrapped up the weekend over dinner at a fantastic Indian restaurant with the triathlete and her support team and it was a wonderful celebration of her impressive feat.  Mom left this morning after grabbing coffee as I fought back tears at her leaving so soon.  These visits are never long enough and I can't wait for the next one.

Hope your weeks are off to a good and less tearful start!