dinner party

Our Cincinnati friends are awesome. We ended up having a great time at the dinner party Saturday night and already have plans for the next one in April. We almost didn't get to go though. Ted's Mom didn't end up coming down due to weather. I was so incredibly bummed thinking we couldn't go and that Elle wouldn't get to spend time with her Grandma. I once again felt alone and without help and wishing my Mom and Dad were alive to come. I never thought we would be so on our own. Reality is setting in...

I asked one of Elle's teachers late on Friday and was thrilled to find out she had Saturday evening open. She was such a sweetheart with Elle and while she only got to play with her for 30 minutes before she put her down for bed, they had a great time. It was her first evening with a babysitter and it was a success. And it was easy because we were right across the street. It was nice to be able to enjoy friends and relax for a few hours...we needed that. Ted made a fabulous homemade crab bisque for the soup course and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Ted has become a serious gourmet chef. Jess and Eddie opened several bottles of wine that they brought back from Italy and we all shared one of our favorite wines during the course we were serving. We left right around 10:45 and sent Miss Kay home. We were so appreciative of her helping us out we paid her extra. We hope she wants to come back, yay.

I am not in the mood to travel these next few weeks.....off to our HQ office. I'm just a little down .....and then when I have to leave the family it makes it worse. Luckily when I am working I do really well and can focus on that and will enjoy catching up with some co-workers I don't get to see very often. I will miss my Elle.

Tonight I'm helping Ted put together his evite for his brother's bachelor party for this May. They are hosting it at my parents lake. I am honored. But yet it makes me sad of course as my Dad would have done anything to party with the boys and to have everyone up there together. He would get such a kick out of this. Harrison will always be a special place filled with so many memories as a child and relaxing times as an adult. And I am happy to be able to share it with others.....it truly symbolizes who my parents were and how they lived life. The more the merrier was always their motto and I so thank them for passing that thought down to me.