This weekend was a good one. It started on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale, where I caught an outdoor family-friendly concert and craft fair. I sang along with plenty of pop songs, ate a crepe, and generally enjoyed being outside on a February evening.

Most of my Leap Day was spent at the beach, although I did precede it with a bike ride over to a local farmers market. I picked up baked goods, a baguette, burrata filled with nutella, oranges, strawberries, and tropical fruit, much of which became my breakfast and lunch. I read on the sand, dipped myself in the water, and enjoyed people watching. (There’s a lot of Instagramming that goes on at the beach, particularly on the first official day of spring break season.) The sun was setting as I arrived at the airport, which seemed a pretty fitting end to my trip.

To kick off March today I did sleep in a bit today before getting up and heading off to the farmers market. My team had our final bowling match of the season and then we each headed out our own ways. My friend Sigrid and I strolled back toward Dupont together, possibly our last such walk, since she and her husband pack up to move back to Germany at the end of the month. I did a little grocery shopping, got in some phone time with my folks and my friend Laura, made a lasagna, and did a very little bit of tidying up before Rudi came home. After he went to bed, I started a new graphic novel, New Kid, which won the Newbery Medal this year. I’m nearly halfway done and am really enjoying it so far.

Tomorrow it’s back to the office. I thought there might be another trip coming up later this month, but it looks like some other colleagues are going to cover that, so I feel optimistic that I might be able to catch up on several projects. It would feel great to not be so behind on things and to start my second six months at my job with some things crossed off my to-do list!

I hope your week is a good one (it’s that magical last week before daylight savings time robs us of an hour of sleep) and that you get to cross some things off of your to-do list, as well!

I’m home. Corey was delighted to see me arrive and now is eager to remind me where we keep the bedroom.

But first, I wanted to think about what I’d like to do tomorrow:

• Sleep in a bit. I didn’t get to do that today (although I also didn’t get up to watch the sun rise over the ocean the way I’d considered) and am looking forward to it. I’d guess Corey will also agree that’s a good way to spend the morning.
• Stop at the farmers market to buy milk and drop off compost.
• Go bowling. Our team is vying for third in the league playoff during the final week of the season.
• Unpack. Rudi will also have bags tomorrow night, so I’d like to minimize their impact on the living room.
• Call a friend I keep missing in phone tag.
• Do some laundry.
• Start my Sock Madness sock. The first pattern arrived today and I’ll have until midday on the 14th to finish a pair to advance to the next round or a single sock to get all the patterns. I haven’t gotten out of round one in several years…
• Get Rudi to put aloe on my upper back. It’s the most ridiculous sunburn, full of bumpy edges at the limits of where I could reach myself. I had hoped that I had compensated for that knowledge by putting on a long-sleeve shirt in time, but alas.

How about you? How’s your weekend going? Are you ready for a fresh new month’s start?

I thought I’d share some more cake with you.

This is the homemade blitz torte. It was so good that we’re down to a single slice remaining.

You know it’s a good birthday when you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, even if you were intending to write a blog recap from bed.

Rudi & I began the day with bagels and birthday presents before he took me to the airport for a flight to Connecticut.

My parents gave me midday cake (above) and we spent a low key afternoon reading and dozing (me) before heading out for pizza. We returned home for more delicious cake (Mum made my favorite cake of Gramma’s) and a dizzying array of gifts in front of the fire.

I got texts or calls from everyone I know, starting before I got up to moments before midnight, which made me feel very loved.

If your birthday sets the tone for the upcoming year, mine promises to be a good one.

I thought I’d share a sense (or five) of what’s going on in the Burrow tonight:

Seeing: A lot of mess, but much of it good mess like piles of books to read and dvds to watch. The warm light of the floor lamp combined with the fairy lights around the perimeter of the room.

Smelling: The barest hint of the broccoli dish Rudi stir-fried for supper tonight. Possibly also some of the citrus I bought last week.

Tasting: Toothpaste. (I’m heading to bed after posting this.)

Hearing: The hum of the refrigerator. An occasional car driving by. (There was just the acceleration of an SUV or truck trying to make the light.) Corey padding around in the kitchen.

Touching: The warmth and softness of my polar fleece lounge pants. The too comfortable sag of my couch cushion.

And a bonus:

Feeling: Excited about trips to Connecticut, Phoenix, and Fort Lauderdale this month and my birthday at the end of the week. Stressed about a couple of work projects. Achy in my knees from three days in a row of sports (I’m counting bowling), including tonight’s very vigorous volleyball game. Sleepy and ready for bed.

Good night!

It was a pleasant weekend, all told. Rudi came home tonight, and we got to watch episodes of Sanditon and My Life Is Murder and catch up with each other.

I had a great game of bowling, coming up with 111 points in nine frames. (The league is weird and is timed and so I didn’t get to bowl a tenth frame.)

I did a lot of walking out in the mild weather. (Isn’t that camellia gorgeous?)

I tracked down King Cake and Girl Scout cookies (Did you know each local council sets the price for a box of cookies, which meant cookies in D.C. cost a dollar more than they did 100 miles away in Pennsylvania?) and cat litter, bought greens and potatoes at the farmers market and tea made out of cocoa bean shells at a craft fair, picked up holds from the library, and did some other chores.

I finished two books and a shawl, rewatched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and had supper with some friends.

So, yeah, it was a good weekend.