Finally.

Spring, finally.  You made it. 

We've been waiting forever...so glad you could join us!

And in honor of your appearance this weekend, we dove in head-first and soaked up all of the lovely warm weather, every last drop.

The weekend started with a group of friends...new friends, old friends and even friends we hadn't seen in years, having drinks on the patio of the Brooksider, celebrating a birthday and the ending to another week of work.  But when the night called and the weather got chilly, we moved the party inside and thanks to The Magnetics, (the live band that was surprisingly good), the dance party soon followed. 

It's outings like this one that still leave you smiling the next morning, remembering all of the funny stories that were told, all of the funny things that happened, and all of the memories that were made.  After nights out like this, I catch myself reminiscing about the good 'ol days at K-State...the Thursday nights out with the best of friends a girl could have, followed by the mornings after, spent laughing and remembering all of the details from the night before. 

Although Thursday nights out these days are a rarity, those memories from college, are a reminder that life goes by so fast.  You gotta soak it up.  Every moment, every single one of them.  In the blink of an eye 4 years 5 years (due to a last minute change of major...haha) goes by like that and years later, you are back visiting a good friend and you can't help but smile.  How ironic life is.  Because across from you and your husband, sit her and her husband and their precious baby.  In the same booth, at the same bar (which happens to be a favorite amongst our group of girlfriends), where memories were created, just a few years prior.  Isn't it funny.  Who would have thought, a handful of years ago, while we were sitting there in that circle shaped booth laughing over a few pineapple beers (which by the way have been renamed to something completely odd...like "a nancy" or something?) that we'd look back one day and be all "grown up"?  But it happened.  People grow up.  We change.  We have to move, literally.  Across the state, across the US, or across town.  But friendships, those that are true and meaningful and what life is all about, remain constant.  And I am grateful for those friendships.

Ok, I digress.  Off topic much?  This  was supposed to be is a light-hearted post about SPRING...Soooo, Friday night was a blast.  And just the right dose of fun to start our weekend. 

Saturday morning, I painted my toenails, another "welcome spring" ritual in my books.  Some of you may know that I am a procrastinator by all definitions when it comes to painting my toenails.  I just don't like to do it.  And winter-time/boot/closed-toe shoe season, is the perfect excuse to let the fresh coat of toenail polish fade off itself.  I'm guilty.  But it was time to "un-winterize" my shoe wardrobe, which meant, painting my toenails.

Nothing says hello spring like a fresh coat of red/orange polish in a pair of sandals or better yet, barefoot in the yard.

And even one better is this sweet little number I scored this weekend.  Remember when we were 5 years old and had a pair of these??  Meet the newest addition to my shoe family...Silver Sparkly Jelly Shoes.

Hello summertime.  And just to reconfirm my purchase, I was wandering around Home Depot on Sunday (yes, I was in Home Depot all by myself since Kevin was out enjoying the weather golfing) looking for one of those tractor sprinklers, and although I failed on the sprinkler front , I did overhear some girl begging her mom for a pair of shoes just like mine.  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention she was like 7?  Oh well.  Some styles are just...hmmm what's the word... timeless. :)

Kevin and I also experienced the Farmer's Market at the River Market this weekend for the first time.  We invested in a couple of herb plants... dill & cilantro.  We also bought the best asparagus and little red potatoes, which have already been cooked and devoured.  Yum. 

One thing lead to another with the herb plants and I decided it was time to get out my "green thumb" for the summer... so I while I was at Home Depot looking for a tractor sprinkler, I went a little overboard, and also got some flowers to put on the back patio and the front porch, a hanging plant, and to spice up our summer BBQ's, a cherry tomato plant and jalapeno plant.  If I was a betting woman, I'd guess not all of them are going to survive the summer, but it will be fun to try, so here's to beating the odds!

It's probably safe to say we spent nearly all weekend outside, which meant I paid little attention to the pile of laundry calling my name from inside the house.  And my original plan was to clean windows/blinds/the whole 9-yards too this last weekend...but spring came, and got in the way.  Oh well, I'm not complaining.  The windows, clean or dirty, will be there next time.  And although it's probably not ideal to clean windows on a "rainy day", it will just have to do.

So take my lead, get outside.  Bask in the sunshine.  Soak up the spring weather.  Soak up life.  Every minute of it.  Enjoy the moment.  Live it up.