Wednesday, July 13, 2022

The weekend and other stuff

 Our girls' weekend in Raleigh was a lot of fun. If you get the chance to visit the Van Gogh immersion experience, do it! It was gorgeous, particularly the "immersion room" where it honestly looked like the paintings were coming to life, and the lights and music and narration were...*chef's kiss*. If anyone is interested, I posted 5 very short videos from inside on my Youtube channel which should give you an idea of what it looked like. Here are three of them:




We had a nice room with comfortable beds at Hotel 83 . We also had some wonderful meals in downtown Raleigh. We visited a used/rare bookstore after Van Gogh on Saturday, and that was a genuine pleasure  (we all spent too much money there!) It's so nice to visit a real city with lots of diversity in its people and lots of things to do and see. I did miss Gregg and the puppies, though. While we were waiting for a table to eat brunch just prior to leaving on Sunday, we browsed a nearby pet store, and I bought the dogs a new toy and some treats. They were so happy to see me when I got home! So was my husband. We're not used to spending any time apart, and it felt good to be home.





Gregg's sister Karen joined us for the Van Gogh Experience since she lives in Raleigh.




While shopping at the pet store Sunday morning we met a sweet dog named Edith! Which is funny because that's my late mother-in-law's name...and she lived in Raleigh, too.


The tug-o-war toy and treats I brought home for George and Poppy.


The weekend away was really good for me. I'm trying my best to keep my anxiety about the new school year at bay. I've had some more interactions with my new boss since getting home, and they weren't very reassuring. For someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, this kind of stress can quickly overwhelm me. I'm keeping a close eye on my symptoms so I can see the doctor if things start to escalate. But enough about that. 

Today Poppy is at the vet getting spayed. I've gotten two texts from Martina letting me know that she did fine and is resting in their recovery area. I can pick her up between 3 and 5 this afternoon, and they'll be sending her home with pain medication. My poor little girl! George is so worried about her. When I came back from dropping her off, he whined and whined when he saw she wasn't with me. He's moping around the house and looking miserable. My sweet boy! He'll be so happy to see her this afternoon!

35 comments:

  1. I would love to see that exhibit!

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    1. It's worth the price of admission if you get a chance!

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  2. The videos are marvelous! The hotel looks great. I worked for Marriott for 12 years and I always like to assess lobbies.

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    1. We really liked the hotel room, and the lobby and bar were nice.

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  3. Sounds like a perfectly wonderful getaway! Glad you enjoyed yourself. Give Poppy a special skritch from me for her operation.

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  4. How sweet that George has bonded with Poppy. Your getaway sounds great!

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    1. I'm really pleased with how bonded they are!

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  5. Wow! What a terrific exhibit! How interesting and calming! You need a room like that at home to de-stress when you start work again!
    How sweet that the dogs missed you and Gregg too! You have a lot of love in your home, Jennifer!

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    1. Thank you, Ellen. There IS a lot of love in our home!

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  6. I am very pleased that the weekend in Raleigh went really well. Thanks for sharing the videos. I hope you brought a present home for Gregg! Maybe a Greggs' vegan sausage roll.

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    1. I kept looking for something to bring back for Gregg, but nothing seemed right. He didn't care! :)

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  7. I wonder what Van Gogh would have made of his 'experience'?

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    1. I kept wondering that myself, Cro. I wish he could somehow know what the world came to think of him. I'll bet he'd be astonished!

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  8. A great time was had by all, by the looks and sounds of it! I am so pleased you had this wonderful weekend with your friends, Jennifer. It is important for your wellbeing to have such happy times in your life to counterbalance any anxieties or worries.
    The series of sunflower paintings made me smile - maybe you remember that I have one such painting in my kitchen, painted by a friend of mine, a musician/painter who lives almost next door to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

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    1. I, too, love the sunflowers! I'd love to see the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam!

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  9. How wonderful that George has grown so attached to Poppy. The Van Gogh Experience has been very different depending on where you see it.

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    1. George loves Poppy and it's sweet to see how careful he's been around her since she came home. He's been quietly by her side the whole time!

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  10. It sounds like a lovely trip. I'm a bit of a home body and need a nudge to make a trip happen. Once I'm off, I have a great time. You reminded me I'm due for a change of scenes. I hope Poppy recovers quickly.

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    1. I, too, am a bit of a homebody and need a nudge to make a trip happen. We all had so much fun that we're considering making it an annual thing--a girls' trip.

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  11. I'm glad you had a good trip. I wonder what Van Gogh would think if he stepped into one of those "immersive" rooms?

    I know it's easier said than done, but try not to think too much about working with the new boss until you actually get to work. It's going to be hard to tell ahead of time what that experience will be like.

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    1. I kept wondering what he would have thought of it all, and what he would have thought of the fact that one of his paintings sold for $83 million in 1990!!!! The poor man could hardly pay his bills when he was alive and in some cases traded paintings for them. He never had any recognition when he was alive, and that makes me sad.

      Edith was AWESOME! Really sweet 2 year old girl...and so friendly. That's Martina petting her in the picture.

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  12. I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit in DC back in January. I LOVED it. Just got caught up reading your blog. I cannot believe you go back to school so soon! One more year for me!

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    1. We're on a "modified year round" schedule in our district, Michael. Staff and students go back two weeks early in the summer, but we get an extra week off in early October and again in early February. It's totally worth it! I still had seven weeks off for the summer, and the students got eight.

      This last year will zip by before you know it! Lucky you!

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    2. I know that the year will zip by. The older I get, the more things seem to zip. Glad you enjoyed your time in Raleigh. I used to have friends who lived there (they have since moved) and I always loved going down to visit them.

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  13. I’d love to see the exhibit love to x

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    1. John, I wish you could have been there! Not only was the exhibit wonderful, but we also had a couple of really nice dinners out and one really nice brunch with delicious food! Raleigh is a progressive, liberal city where tons of Pride flags were still waving all over town, despite Pride month being over by more than a week. It's so nice to be in a real city for awhile, and a kind of hip city at that. :) xx

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  14. Poor George. It's rather sweet that he misses his new friend, though. I hate it when one of the dogs is out of the house and feel like whining, too. I've heard nothing but good things about the van Gogh experience. It sounds as if you had a very good time, but home is always the best.

    Love,
    Janie

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  15. That Van Gogh immersion experience sounds like something I would love, especially after I watched one of your video links.

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  16. What a wonderful weekend you had! Try and take Steve's advice and not think about school until you have to be there. It might not be so bad!

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  17. Edith has Olga's smile, doesn't she? You know, I had a chance to do the van Gogh experience. I wish that I had gone when it was in Buffalo.

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  18. "Besides, there's nothing like a good dose of being left alone for man to appreciate his wife" - Mrs. Moorehead.

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  19. This all looks so lovely. I'm really glad you got to have this excellent woman-adventure before the reality of school sets in again.

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  20. I think that we all need to hear how Poppy is faring!

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