Long Weekend Luxuries

This Memorial Day weekend came at the perfect time. 

After several busy weeks for both myself and the boyfriend, 

we entered into this long weekend with no plans. 

And it has been fantastic.

With the summer ahead already packed with weddings, showers, 

get togethers, and traveling, I've started to feel a bit worried, 

concerned that there was too much on the calendar. 

While I hope to embrace the crazy busy summer for what it is, 

full of wonderful, joyous celebrations, 

I know that staying organized and calm will help me, personally, 

to enjoy it all so much more, despite its schedule, 

and so I've looked forward to this upcoming weekend, 

to kick off the summer season, 

hanging on to the fact that our days were free from plans.

Having that extra day makes long weekends insanely more awesome. 

It allows one to really achieve, so much more fully, the core goal of the elusive weekend: 

mixing productivity with relaxation and pleasure. 

And so this lovely long weekend, I've done just that. 

I cleaned our home, and tidied up our living space. 

We stocked up on necessities for the upcoming week's breakfasts and lunches

 as we grocery shopped, carting home various items to turn into creative dinners. 

I went to the gym,

making up for the lack of time and self discipline 

that reigned over the past couple weeks. 

I have piles of clean laundry, fresh sheets on the bed, 

and I'm slowly but surely making a dent in my towering stack of magazines 

that I can't help but collect. 

Friday night we set out a smorgasbord of taco fixings, 

filling tortillas with shrimp, beans, rice and avocado, 

indulging in one of my favorite types of dinners. 

What use to consist of parties, pizza, cocktails and 

bedtimes that went into the early hours of the next day, 

now ended with a showing of The Great Gatsby and bed by midnight. 

The movie didn't disappoint and neither did the hours of uninterrupted solid sleep. 

Saturday night we cheered on the Bruins with good friends and good food, 

before returning home shortly after 9PM, 

to enjoy the lazy pleasures of hbo's comedians. 

These little long weekend luxuries came together to create a weekend

 that I so badly needed and craved. 

While I didn't cross off everything on my never-ending to do list, 

I feel refreshed and reorganized, 

eager to keep this positive momentum going, 

ready to not only tackle the week ahead, 

but excited for the beautifully busy summer that lies before us.

And so as we wrapped up this weekend with a little hike by the coast

and a bbq with the boyfriend's family, 

I cheers to not only our country's Memorial Day 

but also to the summer ahead.

photo via my iPhone