Hello friends and Happy Friday! That view above is from yesterday, and today was just as pretty and even a few degrees warmer, which is welcome. I’m wearing jeans and a sweater and socks … which isn’t really all that typical for mid-May around here. Still, I’ll take blue skies with a scattering of puffy white clouds at just about any temperature!
Thinking about … the CDC’s announcement yesterday about relaxed guidelines for fully-vaccinated folks. It feels like we turned this last corner super-quick (like my body has been slammed against the door, and I’m glad I’m wearing a seat belt quick) and I need time to adjust. My small group spent much of our time together talking about this new guidance … one of us was 100% on board and felt like the updates had been too slow and the rest of us were more like me. Sara hits her 14-day mark tomorrow so our household is almost there. My mom and I are going out for lunch on Monday (patio dining). I guess I’m still taking baby steps and I’m ok with that. I trust the vaccine; I just need at least a few days to adjust.
Grateful for … the positive news – finally – about COVID (at least in the US – Pantsuit Politics had a great segment in today’s episode about how things are going in other parts of the world and as always, I recommend listening!) I cried when I read this headline in Axios’ newsletter last night:
“For the first time in a long time, nobody needs to cherry-pick some misleading data to make it seem like things are going well, and the good news doesn’t need an endless list of caveats, either. It’s just really good news. We’re winning. Be happy.”
Inspired by … all of that to order some new lipstick! Chelsey of Novel Pairings was wearing a lovely berry shade on Wednesday night’s Classics Club class – I bought that exact shade, and a tinted lip balm. Root is a brand I handn’t heard of until Chelsey shared … I’ll report back!
Fun … I mentioned last week that we had a fun weekend planned and here are a few of my favorite bits (at least the few favorite bits that I actually captured in a photo). Saturday morning, my sister, Marc, Sara, and I joined Katie and her family at the ballpark. Charlie had a game at 11 and Sam had one at 12:30. It was so much fun to see the boys (and their dad) out on the field. and it was a good “first step” for us to get back out into the world (also, it was Karen’s first time seeing Sam and Rob since Christmas 2019 … Sam’s grown a bit since then). After the baseball, we went back to Katie’s for a late lunch. Karen got to meet George (and whoa, he’s grown a lot since we saw him at Easter!) and we ate, and played, and … hung out. and it was just so wonderful. On Sunday, Sara made me lunch (and opened a special bottle of wine to accompany) and after, I enjoyed a bit of me-time on the porch with a book. For all that my full-vaccinated weekend felt normal, getting to share pieces of this weekend with Katie’s family and my sister … well, priceless.
Writing a TGIF post on Friday afternoons is such a nice transition to the weekend; thank you for sharing it with me! Thinking about rhythms, what routines do you have to mark that transition? Here’s to the weekend, wishing you the best one available to you!
mere-et-filles 
What a joyous blog! Yesterday Norm and I had lunch at an outdoor restaurant area for the first time! It felt fantastic! Have a great weekend.
I can’t believe how much those boys have grown! When?! I agree with you: the news about the vaccine is mind blowing…sooo welcome and yet, I’m easing back in very s-l-o-w-l-y,definitely still wearing a mask -someitmes two- depending on where I am….
Do enjoy the weekend.
Cheers~
I only got my second dose on Wednesday, so luckily I still need to wait a couple of more weeks before I can consider taking off my mask in public. It’s such a difficult decision and I think most people would support whatever decision you make. And if our lips are about to exposed in public again — then new lipstick sounds like a fun thing!
Those Little Leaguers are so cute – enjoy the season! 🙂
All the boys are growing up so fast — George included! Like you, I am cautious about the restrictions being lifted. I trust the science, but after being so careful for so long, it doesn’t feel right to go completely back to normal right away, particularly as we’re still waiting for the youngest kids to be vaccinated. But the news is positive, and I’m taking baby steps (I took my mask off for portions of my walk yesterday, just to get used to how it feels). I kind of how we keep mask wearing around for good so that we can keep colds and flu from spreading.
A lot of places around here are lifting the facemask requirement for fully vaccinated people and I am working on trusting that those who are not vaccinated will continue to mask but it is going to take some time. I love seeing that family gathering. That is the best thing!
I’m not yet ready to remove my mask indoors, but maybe I’ll gradually be able to work towards it this summer, especially when more of our family members and others are vaccinated. I have been taking my walk outdoors without a mask, and that is a small step so far. I trust science, and usually that includes the CDC, but this latest relaxation of the mask guidelines feels a bit like a whiplash decision with little explanation. Bute enough of that – thanks for sharing those cute baseball photos and a delicious made-for-you lunch!
I am feeling okay eating outside because we are still limited on the numbers/spacing right now. That all is over on Memorial Day though. I am not certain I will feel the same after that. I am with Sarah with concerns for those who cannot be vaccinated… fortunately, I don’t mind masking at all and will probably continue for the foreseeable future.
Those boys are getting so big! What fun to see those baseball photos! It brings back memories of my kids doing that (even the girls!) There is nothing that matches the joy of watching kids play ball! It is the best! Thank you for sharing!
It does seem like the new CDC guidelines came out really fast and really unexpectedly. But . . . I think it’s going to be good. Really good. Once we navigate our way through the changes, each of us in our own ways.
Mid-May in your neck of the woods looks very happy. I love the idea that the Covid news is good. I hope we have turned a corner for good.
Oh the photos of you and your grands! delightful! I’ve been sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful weather.
How lovely to see these happy family photos! And gosh, your grandsons are getting big :). That sounds like a very rejuvenating time, even if it’s spiced with undertandable caution. We still have to wear masks here in indoor spaces (apart from when you are actually eating). It will be a while before I feel able to eat inside in a café or restaurant (watching variants), and I am quite happy to take it slowly.