Weekend wrap-up

Hope you had a great weekend!

Friday night was an easy-going night - made sauce and chicken meatballs for Tom and he made the garlic bread - very yummy dinner if I do say so myself!  Then just hung out and watched TV and had ice cream with my roommates.  I went to bed pretty early because on Saturday morning we went to Philadelphia to see my family for the weekend to be with my Mom on her birthday!

This was unlike any other trip to Philly because Tom and I drove.  In a rental car (thank you Larry!!!!).  With a backseat.  And we only had to walk two blocks to pick up the car.

Now, why is this such a big deal?  Well, when you no longer have your own car - the idea of a backseat is like the greatest thing ever.  You don't have to pack only what you can carry and you don't have to bring back only what you brought.  When you no longer have your own car, you are at the mercy of timetables - trains, buses, etc.  And therefore, you can't leave when you want to - you leave when you have to.  When you no longer have a car, you must travel to the public transportation before actually beginning the trip to your final destination.

So - our good friend Larry was able to score us a rental car for the weekend and we loved it!  We brought whatever bags we wanted and brought back so much delicious food that my Mom cooked for us (and didn't have to say no to any of it because we had enough room to in the car to transport it). We even went to a few stores while we were at my house and were able to transport all of it back!  Additionally, we left after a great birthday dinner for my Mom at my brother's house and Tom dropped me off at my apartment before taking the rental car back to the lot.  As you can gather, door-to-door service is nearly unfathomable for me nowadays.  I forget what it is like to have a garage and the freedom to go as I please without having to walk blocks to get there or stop multiple times on a train before my desired destination.

So - can't thank Larry enough for helping us get a taste of freedom and providing us the opportunity to celebrate my Mom's birthday yesterday.  It was so great to be with her and my brothers and sisters for a few days and as always it was really nice to spend time at my house, take my dog for a nice walk and be back home.  

Here's to the greatest Mom in the world - you're the best and I love you very much!  Wishing you 55 more years of health, love and happiness!

One of my favorite pictures from back in the day - at our favorite place.
Ocean City, NJ 2006