Awesome Weekend

This is not particularly nanny-related but I think it does tie in a little. I'll explain later.

When I was a member of the Christian Writers Guild, I picked up a critique partner in Wisconsin. I honestly don't remember who started whose novel first, but I want to say she started mine then I started hers. We began to talk about things outside of writing and became friends. We exchanged emails and eventually phone numbers and have even mailed packages to each other. However, we never talked on the phone or video called on Skype. I think in a weird way, it was like it would ruin the magic.

Well this weekend, 2 1/2 years later, I actually got to meet her and her husband in person! They were down this way and came to see me. We were both a little nervous, I think, although I was bouncing-off-the-walls-excited. My summer has been soooo lame and this was the one thing I have looked forward to all season.

I don't know, maybe there was a SLIGHT initial awkwardness but it was barely there, and within minutes we were laughing and talking and I felt like I had known them for years. (Technically I have known her, but I had never met her husband, and we had never "hung out" in person.) We did some house museums, stopped for smoothies and looked at their vacation pictures, had dinner, went bowling, went to yet ANOTHER restaurant although after we got there we weren't that hungry, just hung out. Originally we were only going to see each other Saturday but they decided to come to church with me Sunday. I am SO glad because I would have been pretty much brokenhearted if I only got to see them that one day.

Church went well even though I wanted to deck somebody that made fun of Wisconsin accents when they hadn't even opened their mouth (and he sounded NOTHING like them!). They said they weren't offended, but I was embarassed that someone treated them like that. Anyway, we did lunch and an art museum and they had to leave. I got in my car and almost cried. I hadn't expected to feel like that considering she has ALWAYS lived far away and I KNEW she was only visiting, but we had SUCH a good time together. Two days later I am giggling at random times remembering some of our conversations and things we laughed about. (I would venture to say on our own we all have a good sense of humor and can be nutty, but altogether we were downright hilarious!) I have not had an entire weekend of fun pretty much since vacation.

I came into the week with such a clear head. In spite of being busy all weekend, I felt unbelievably rested and--I guess not mentally exhausted for a change. But I didn't work from the time I got off Friday night till I went to work on Monday morning and that is so rare. I even had a slower day on Sunday than I usually do in that I wasn't working with the bus kids. It was actually a FULL weekend of fun. So maybe there is a nanny lesson in that taking some time off can do you a WORLD of good if you get stressed.