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!

July plans

I'm feeling rather flat today. I can't seem to muster motivation to do much besides sitting around around watching tv or taking naps. I did download a couple of new e-books to read yesterday: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory and My Real Children by Jo Walton. I love both these authors, so I expect the books to be good. Maybe something entertaining to read will help me shake off the despondency I'm feeling. I only have three weeks of summer vacation left and then it's back to work (which I'm suddenly much less excited about).

Next weekend should be good, though. Marla, Martina and I will finally be taking our trip out of town. We settled on Raleigh, NC because of the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Marla's husband booked us two nights in a really nice, modern hotel that looks wonderful. We're also making plans to have a couple of nice meals, since the area is known for lots of great restaurants. Gregg's sister Karen is going to join us for the Van Gogh thing, since she lives in Raleigh. We've agreed not to mention to Lou (my step father-in-law) that I'll be in town. I would love to see him, but since we're only there for a couple of days I'd feel rude leaving my friends during our girls' trip to visit family. I can always drive up to Raleigh another time for that. 

The week after we get back, we've set an appointment to get Poppy spayed. I've tried to put it off as long as possible, since too-early spaying or neutering can have negative health consequences for a young dog. Now that she's around 8 months old, though, she could go into her first heat at any time. The vet assures us that it's safe and a good time to go ahead. Plus, if I do it before I go back to work, I can be home all day with her while she recovers. 

The last week before I head back to work will see me hosting my book club for July. I'm actually providing all the food and drink, but the actual meeting will be at Sara's house. She has a pool, and we like to meet at pool owning member's homes during the summer. I was thrilled when she suggested her house because I won't have to go into a frenzy of house cleaning ahead of time! It's always so stressful to me to have lots of people over, even if they are my friends. Since we'll be at Sara's, I can concentrate on the part of hosting I love: preparing the food! I have lots of ideas about good stuff to make, and I'm looking forward to it.