Just A Little Moment

Aw, he's so cute.

We Love Birthdays (And Selfies Apparently)

Simon's birthday was this past weekend and in true Delekta fashion, I planned a little surprise for him. It wasn't anything compared to that masterful, pat myself on the back Chicago trip a few years back and didn't even come close to the glory of his spiriting me off to Detroit for my birthday, but I managed to integrate a few special unknowns into the celebration. 

We woke bright and early on Saturday, his actual birthday. I made him walk the dog so I could sneak the overnight bag into the car.  Before that though, I caught him smirking, and he confessed that he noticed his deodorant was missing from the dresser top so he surmised we were bound for an overnight adventure. Grrr. Can't sneak anything past this guy.

After a delicious breakfast at The Friendly Toast we loaded Merwin into the car, stopping at our friends' house in Newburyport who graciously agreed to watch him for the night. Then off to the ICA in Boston! Some amazing exhibits, especially the work of Nari Ward which spoke of culture, immigration, politics, and social justice. We both really enjoyed it. Then we headed over to Harpoon brewery for a beer tasting before a mystery drive across town to emerge outside of Rino's restaurant, Simon's all-time favorite Italian joint. To Simon's surprise, Anthony walked down the sidewalk to join us and despite the unhappiness of Melissa not being able to be there, it was nice to share a scrumptious meal with his CF. After stuffing ourselves we checked into our hotel, watched the Rangers lose yet another heartbreaker, spent a few hours at work, enjoyed a drink at a local hip bar where we felt like 85 year olds completely out of our element, then turned in for the night.

Our brunch the next day at Committee was a real highlight. Delicious Greek tapas and a spot we definitely want to return. We strolled through the Sowa Open Market before meeting up with Jason, Nina, Arlo and Merwin for a walk along one of Plum Island's beaches, chowder, and finally, home to collapse on the couch. Whew! And whoop!

Open For Business

Ahhhh....finally, it is lake season again! We spent the last few weekends opening the house and tidying up outside. Lots of raking, trimming, mulching, painting, etc. An extra helper arrived from Upstate NY this weekend and we're so so so grateful for all my mom's help with the multitude of tasks required to return our little property to visitor ready status. After painting the deck, raking, weeding, mulching, and trimming bushes down by the waterfront, we're mostly ready. Just need to wash some windows and get the outdoor furniture out of the bunkhouse before we're fully operational. I can't tell you how glorious it feels to be back. There are signs of life around the lake with three loons, ducks, and some humans starting to emerge from southern hibernation. Come on over!

Milestone

I've never been a fitness person. That is the understatement of the year. I blame it on my history as a dancer. For 20 years, physical activity was built into my life in a way that I didn't recognize it as fitness. Going to ballet class or leading dance team practice was routine. It was part of my schedule growing up and part of my academic life at Hamilton. I never had to decide to go to dance - I just went.

As an adult, with a full plate of work and life, you have to decide to go to the gym. In NYC, I could swing by one of many available hip hop cardio classes at the gym on my way home from work. The instructors were amazing choreographers and the classes were high energy, thought provoking, and sweat inducing fun. Because...New York. When we moved to Boston, I never found that (I, um, also didn't look very hard) but I was also walking about two miles a day on my commute to the office.

When we moved to Portsmouth, I replaced those walking miles with driving miles. Many driving miles. I never figured out how to integrate the gym into my daily routine. At the same time, my previously enviable metabolism decided to stop being enviable. It was time to face the music. While I still haven't been able to get there on days I commute to Boston, I do my best to go to the gym when I work from home. Believe it or not, I've started to enjoy the treadmill and actually, just a few weeks was able to run a ten-minute mile without stopping.

For many, that would be a walk in the park, but I'm proud of reaching that milestone (pun!). I will never be a long-distance runner given the crummy knee, and I will likely never be able to run much farther or faster more than that, but it feels good to know I can do it.