Happy!

I just realized I hadn't posted anything in nearly a month. Nothing really awful has happened. That's a good thing! (I no longer consider tussles with my health insurance company to be of any significance - they have become a way of life. I am just grateful that I have a health insurance company to tussle with.) Nothing really remarkable has happened, either. We made a few trips up to Oklahoma City - Mother's Day where we had an extraordinary lunch and then for the twins' school awards ceremony, and then for their spring concert, where they were featured in a duet and in an ensemble. We even stopped for some famous food along the way - Robertson's ham sandwiches and Arbuckle Fried Pies. Happy times.

We  met up with friends for dinner several times - tried out some new places (Zhabuki) and some old favorites (like Bavarian Grill and Gordon Biersch). We even spent one evening at Top Golf.

We celebrated an anniversary this past week. We spent the night at the Marriott and had dinner at the Capital Grill. Not as good as the Capital Grill in Chicago - and for the money, the next time we'll go to The Mansion or The Palm. But we had a great meal and a good time celebrating our eight years together. Mark makes me happy. Going through our wedding pictures looking for one to post on Facebook also made me happy.

We spent our rainy/cloudy holiday seeing a film and planning some trips for the rest of the year. We've booked our hotels for England and changed our plans to eliminate Brussels and substitute Cornwall. We're thinking a road trip to New River Gorge is in order - probably in July or August. (Because we're driving we don't need to be exact.) We're also planning a rail trip in the fall from London to Paris and then to Zurich. From Zurich over the Bernina Pass to Italy and on to Spoleto for a reunion before returning home. We're reluctant to plan any further out than that but we do have some destinations in mind. I think it's going to be a great year! Happy!

Our garden is a big source of happy, but it's a bit torn up right now. We had the decks ripped out and they are being replaced with a concrete and stone patio. It probably won't be finished until August. (Apparently you have to wait 30 days to stain the concrete and it can't be poured until nearly the end of this month - and we don't want to build the pergola until the concrete is stained. And I don't want to plant the hanging baskets until I have their new places ready. Lots of things to do and each thing dependent on another. But my visual image of the completed project makes me happy. Can't wait!

Here are some of the places that are NOT under construction: