Weekend Update

Filed in: blog

AUG

2010

6:22 am

Ah….Saturday. Growing up, I usually spent Saturday with my dad. My parents divorced when I was twelve, and I usually lived with my mom during the week and saw my dad on the weekends. Dad loved to run errands on Saturday, and he especially loved to go to the grocery store.

I loved going to the store with him.

Dad loved canned vegetables, and he never bought one or two cans of anything when he could buy five. I used to marvel at the amount of sacks we would bring into his house, almost all full of cans. Standing side by side, we’d line up cans of corn and green beans in his pantry. My dad would grin at the neat, colorful rows when we were done, like we’d just done the greatest thing ever.

When my kids were little, Saturdays meant soccer games and baseball games and cheerleading practices. When I was teaching school, Saturdays meant grading papers. But now things are different. My son is away at college, and my daughter is busy, either working or sleeping or seeing her friends.

So, Saturdays have become my day to get things done and get out of the house.

This past week wore me out! I didn’t finish my latest round of revisions for The Caregiver until Thursday afternoon. By the time I finally pressed ‘send’ on my computer, my office was littered with a week’s worth of papers. Actually, our whole house was a bit of a mess. After writing ten pages of The Protector, I spent yesterday doing laundry and running around doing errands.

Well, actually, I spent way too much time at the driver’s license bureau. Somehow I hadn’t realized my driver’s license had expired on my birthday, and so when I tried to buy allergy medicine at the pharmacy I got denied. Next thing I knew, I was standing in line to get a new driver’s license-only to find out that the computers were down all over the state. Luckily they came back on an hour later. So, back I went, stood in line again, took a vision test, paid my late fee, and finally left the building with a new license.

Today, I’m writing, cleaning the house, washing the dogs, and getting my nails done. Tonight I’ll go to church, then go home, put on pajamas early and watch movies. I’m kind of having a ‘girl’ weekend, because my husband is back in Boulder, Colorado, having his annual fantasy football draft with college friends.

Yep, obviously there’s not much exciting going on here! What about everyone else? Anyone want to share their Saturday plans?

9 Comments

Comments

Leslie Dietrch says:

August 28, 2010 at 2:12 pm

Hi Shelley, your weekend sounds very relaxing! We are really enjoying having Tom here, right now we are sitting on our back porch watching a bunch of kids play and reading the paper. I am really enjoying your books, and am so impressed with your writing! I hope I get to see you soon, give Lesley a smooch for me! xo Leslie

shelley says:

August 28, 2010 at 4:50 pm

Leslie, what a fun surprise! Your house is so pretty~I can just imagine y’all sitting on that back porch.

I know Tom couldn’t wait to see you and your kids who’ve gotten way too big!

Thanks for picking up my books~that’s so sweet of you!
Did Tom tell you Lesley applied to CU? Sigh. We might be seeing y’all all the time!

love shelley

Jeanette says:

August 29, 2010 at 5:39 am

Hi Shelley

My Saturdays have changed over the years. I have always worked at the hospital but the scheduling has changed. When I first started nursing I worked a schedule of 6 on and two off (8 hr shifts) until it came to the weekend off when we got 4 days or nights off. Like a mini vacation every 5 weeks. But if I had to work I also had to sleep (I work nights). So I was either very tired or didn’t do much on Sats.

Gradually through the years things have changed to every 3rd weekend off, every other weekend off (only two days) until currenly we hava a weekend staff and a week day staff (12 hour shifts). Three shifts a week is considered full time. I usually work Mon,Tue, and Wed.

So having every Saturday off I have some things that are part of my regular Sat routine. I like to get to the farmers market early to get the pick of the best of everything. I have certain venders that i buy from routinely.

Next I usualy have to make a trip to the bank to replenish my cash supply. Then I head for the news stand to check for any new magaazines that have come out during the week.

If I haven’t been shopping on Fri I go to Wal Mart and/or Giant Eagle.

Occasionally I will go to yard sales or the flea market (I did both yesterday). I was looking for two books (which I found) but came home with several bags full.

I then watched TV for the rest of the day.

Occasionally I will go out to breakfast. I love Ryans breakfast bar.

And smetimes if I am awake early and need to do laudry I will head out to the laundry room. As I hvve said before it is such a good feeling to know that everything is clean. And I won’t have to do it again for a few days.

Your comment about shopping with your father and his buying all the cans of vegetables brought back memories of my childhood. My parents had a huge garden and my mother canned most of their vegetables. I can still see all vegetables and fruits sitting in their jars on newspapers on the kitchen table waiting to seal and cool and then stacked in rows on the shelves.

I almost forgot I usually go to the genelogy building a the library for a while also.

So that’s how my Saturdays usually go. Not very exciting but satisfying to me.

Jeanette

Will Carpenter says:

August 29, 2010 at 9:20 pm

Sunday night, taking a break, I have you tube on. Chris Botti with the Boston Symphony. My favorites, Yo Yo Ma,
Lucia Micarelli, and Katherine Mcphee.

I work at the shop on Saturdays. I do love my work.
It is different each week. This past week not being any different. We started a new “worker” a fellow seminary friend of my sons. very outgoing, he jumped right in with enthusiasm.

The things which stand out are children for me first of all. Under my order counter are tootsie pops a whole box of them. I love stopping families and asking if their children may have a ‘lolli’. I then go out into the hallway and stoop to their level and tell them these are the best and my favorite. The smiles from their faces says it all!
Shelley do you remember tootsie rolls pops?

The other thing is I offer a discount to active military ID’s of all kinds. Nothing at all really. But on this occasion I met a woman who said she and her husband had military ID’s wanted to try tomato pie. After looking at it she said no. I said wait after pulling on a glove I pulled a peace and handing it to her said ‘with my compliments’. After trying it she said “this is good” she bought half the box. I inquired what branch they were, she said Army. My ears perked up. And she said that her husband was a full colonel with special forces headed to Iraq. I meet the most interesting people.

Most of all I love it when I catch troops in uniform. They get comped whole meals, much to their surprise. I love seeing their faces, as I stop them and send them to my shop or pull them to my shop. I take no arguments.

Then this is our ministry also, so many just start talking about their ills. And we put them on our prayer list at the shop.

Well back to work.

Will Carpenter says:

August 29, 2010 at 9:35 pm

I hate it that good people have to sign for and show a drivers licence to get sudaphedrine. You know that the meth makers are still getting the stuff. Oh well. It is what it is I guess. My filling fell out, off to the dentist tomorrow. Reminded me of you.
Will

Shelley says:

August 31, 2010 at 9:05 am

Jeanette, I’m sure with your work at the hospital, you love being home when you can. I love going to the farmers market, too, though I have to say we don’t go very often. My daughter works at an orchard, though, so we get truly wonderful berries, peaches and apples. All of us are doing our best to be patient for those Honey Crisp apples!

I bet seeing all those mason jars full of fresh vegetables was quite a sight! A few months ago when I was up in Sugarcreek, my Amish friend took me to her daughter’s house, and showed me their storage room. Inside, there had to be at least five shelves of neatly arranged mason jars, all filled with all kinds of fruits and vegetables. My father would have been very impressed!
Hope your day is going well.

Shelley says:

August 31, 2010 at 9:10 am

Will, your shop sounds wonderful. I certainly do remember those Tootsie pops.

I love that you offer a free meal to your military customers. Almost everytime I go through the Atlanta airport, I see so many men and women in uniform. One time, there was announcement that they were all returning home from Iraq. It seemed like everyone in the whole airport stopped what they were doing, stood up, and clapped for them. The memory still brings tears to my eyes.

Will, I’m right there with you about showing my drivers license for allergy medicine. grrr. I understand the reasoning, but it does seem unfair.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tammy says:

September 19, 2010 at 10:34 am

Hey Shelley. This is a very delayed post, but I just wanted to tell you what my weekend was like in August. I moved back into school on the 26th, and spent the 27th getting the campus ready for the incoming Freshmen who moved in on Saturday the 28th. That was a blast, but it was anything BUT relaxing. Haha I was stationed to move in all the girls of St. Mary’s dormitory–an all girls’ dorm… THOSE GIRLS HAD SOOO MUCH STUFF!!! There were a couple of girls who pulled up to the building with 3 cars!!!!!! It was soooo crazy, but very fun and rewarding. We certainly got out exercise and scared our fair share amount of freshmen with our chants and songs and dancing as they came, looking like deer in the headlights. Haha Normally my Saturdays at school consist of procrastination on my homework. I’ll hang out with friends and maybe do some laundry or watch movies. They’re fun.

Dear Jeanette,
I give you nurses sooo much credit! My friend is currently training to be a nurse, and has to commute to St. Joseph’s Nursing school 4 days a week, and it’s not easy work at all. I had the privilege of sewing her patches on her blouses and lab coat last week, and I love hearing her stories, living vicariously. I used to want to be a nurse, but I’m sitting on a French major and a Music minor instead. Haha Farmer’s Markets are the best!!!

And Will,
I LOVE that you do that for the military men. My dad is a retired Vietnam Air Force Veteran, and it’s so wonderful when he gets discounts or (like what happened last year on veteran’s day) when we went to a favorite diner, and the owner said the meal was on him. Thank you so much for ministering that way, and reaching out to them, and the children! I can imagine how happy they must be when you show them such kindness.

Love,
Tammy

Shelley says:

September 20, 2010 at 7:26 am

Tammy, I’m so glad you wrote a note! Oh, that weekend move-in sounds like so much fun! My daughter is a senior in high school, and I can only hope her move-in day will be that wonderful and welcoming.

And, yes, I imagine she’ll be one of those girls with Too Much Stuff!

I hope school is going well, and that you’re still finding time to relax.

Weekend Update

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