memorial day weekend

friday night ella slept over at momby's and j. and i went to newburyport for dinner.  ate at a restaurant called oreganos.  then we took a walk in the gorgeous night air by the ocean water.

saturday morning we went to momby's house to spend time with ella before i left for vt.  she was next door petting the neighbor's cat, named Mephistopheles.  oh yes.  you guessed it.  

me: "ella?  can you say 'Mephistopheles'?" 

ella: "meph-a-tah-fo-lees!"

we took her out to breakfast and the waitress came around asking if we wanted any more coffee.  i said "no coffee, thank you." and as the waitress walked away ella said "no coffee thank you" and the waitress turned around and came back and said "did she just say 'no coffee thank you'? how old is she?!"  

elenora is 20 months as of yesterday.

this morning i asked her what the neighbor's cats' names are at mam-aw's house, and ella said "one is mia. one is mephistopheles."

also this morning, she pulled out her toy stroller and said "ella's too big for super baby's stroller. bubba fits."  i swear she said all that.

my trip to vermont was lovely.  it made me so happy to be in the green mountain state.  i didn't even mind the long drive--so beautiful.  i stopped at a rest area in sharon, vt, and some old ladies from a church were there with a coffee break table with all kinds of baked goods.  i was really hungry, so i went over and picked up a ziplock bag of chex mix and a pastry and a cup of coffee and looked around and saw a donations can and stuck $5 into it.  but then i thought i should probably double check that it was really by donation, so i asked one of the ladies "is this by donation?" and she said "oh yes, we donate all the money to charities in the white river junction area" and then she was looking at me and i didn't know if she'd seen me put my $5 in the can, so i opened my purse and put in another $2.  

i call it my "seinfeld" moment.

seeing a. was so much fun.  we haven't seen each other in over a year and a half, but we have that kind of easy friendship that picks right up where you left it.  i had 2 hours with just her and then we went to make scones and lemon curd at c.'s house.  we drank red truck wine and joked around until after 11.  sunday morning i helped set up the room for the tea and then a. and i made 2 quiches.  the afternoon tea party went off without a hitch.  at first i was super awkward, but a. suddenly confessed how awkward she felt, herself, and said "you're coming to sit with me, right?" which made me feel so much better.  i hadn't wanted to presume that i could sit next to the bride, but i would have been so stressed out if i'd had to sit among strangers.  what an introvert i am!  

the drive home went well.  i got home around 9:40 pm.  at midnight ella woke up and cried "mommy" and i went in and she and i both enjoyed snuggling for 15 minutes.  i had missed her so much.

today k. came over to play with elenora, and we walked downtown to zumis for ice cream.  then this afternoon we went to the brunners' for a cookout.  ella was being so cute at the dinner table--counting to 11 by herself and then clapping along with everyone else.  she also recited part of this children's book "noisy nora"...if j. say's "quiet said her father" ella says "hush, said mum...nora...sister...why you dumb?" (the real words are "'hush,' said her mum. 'nora,' said her sister, 'why are you so dumb?'")

now j. and i are just relaxing.  it's one of those evenings that is so nice out we wish we could go for a walk or play tennis.  oh well.  you take them when you can.