A Very Stockton weekend.

We had a very special visitor over the long weekend - no, not the finches that diligently kept rebuilding their nest in my fern even after I kept yanking it out [I've since given up and am now eagerly awaiting babies] - my cousin, Josh. It was his first trip to St. Joe and one of his few visits to Lake Michigan (the first one that counts, as far as I'm concerned). His very pregnant wife wasn't up for 18 holes in a golf cart, so just Josh joined Brad and I, as well as f-i-l, Bob, for a round at the country club - my first game in two years. Do I look the part?

Anyway, it was super awesome to spend some time w/ my little cousin (not so little anymore!) - who doesn't love sharing old stories that outsiders just don't get!? Looking forward to more visits soon, and, of course, planning a trip out east to meet Junior when he arrives in August.

How cute are we?

Ok, how cute is he (front left) and how totally '90s teen angst am I?

The pups love their cousin.

In other around-here news from the holiday weekend, I made a second (and third) trip to a new nursery and planted my old and new plants -

 

Draws a little attention away from our crazy little yard.... :)

We had some delicious cocktails -

Watched the birds from our front porch (currently obsessed, thanks to my new bird feeder!) -

"I don't want my picture taken with flowers!"

Had our first bbq of the year -

Grilled shrimp and corn salad - yum! Supervised by Creeper Heidi.

And, finally, started comparing and contrasting colors for our *gulp* home renovation aka upcoming paint job -

A pretty fantastic weekend.... the perfect preparation for our upcoming trip to.... NEW ORLEANS! See ya Friday morning, Louisiana! Have a Hurricane waiting for me, please.