Whirlwind weekend

Last Friday morning Audrey and I headed over the pass, abandoning the boys to a weekend of Wii and fishing. I don't think they missed us. Much. First stop: I dropped Gertie off at the Singer service center in Bellevue for a much-needed tune-up. Five pairs of Jimmy's winter pants had holes in the knees, so (tightwad that I am) I cut them all off and hemmed them into shorts. I've also made some shorts for myself and a gorgeous new Mexican oil cloth tablecloth, so with all those heavy-duty fabrics, I've been wearing Gertie out over the past few weeks and her thread tension was starting to get funky.

Let me just say, if you live in Washington and have a Singer sewing machine, the service center is a great place to go for service and repairs, even if you have to make a trip to get there, like I did. A complete service costs only $89, which includes any mechanical parts that need to be replaced (electrical parts, like my lightbulb that burned out, are a little extra). That's a bargain for Singer factory parts and Mel, the repairman, is a pro and all-around nice guy. He gives great advice, completely free of charge, and had my machine ready for me to pick up in just two hours.

Next stop: Audrey and I had lunch and a visit with Lydia and her girls at their new digs in Kirkland. Far too short of a visit, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. After picking up Gertie from the service center, I went to Redmond to exchange some biking shoes I ordered online that turned out to be too small, then headed back to Bellevue for a visit with Faye (also wonderful, way overdue, and not nearly long enough), before heading to Everett.

Ramona, the youngest of my four original siblings, lives in Everett with her husband Jason and her little girl Aidan, who is a year older than Audrey. Ramona just graduated with her associate degree from ECC and has already been accepted to the UW history program. (I will demonstrate great restraint and refrain from making the obligatory plug for my alma mater and field of study. Uh, too late.) Dory was also there with her youngest, Gavin, and it was a wonderful time for us to support Ramona in her tremendous accomplishment, as well as strengthening our bonds as sisters. The photo above is us hamming it up (Ramona, Dory and me, from left to right). We stayed up way past our bedtime on Friday night (make that Saturday morning; I lost track after 3 a.m.) talking and enjoying the chance to get caught up on each other's lives. The babies had fun playing together, too.

On Saturday afternoon, I headed down to Seattle for a soggy but memorable picnic with Holly, Kim, Dean and their families. I've known Holly and Kim since junior high, and we all worked together with Dean on our high school paper. It was a treat to see them (especially since Holly lives in Munich and rarely makes it to the States). Everyone looked the same and yet older, in a good, dignified way that comes from laugh lines and gray hair: being happier yet sadder and therefore wiser. After the picnic, Audrey and I turned back and headed home, arriving just in time to give Jimmy kisses goodnight before he went to bed. It was nice to have a change of scene, especially to the vivid green of my hometown, but it sure is good to be home...