A Night of (Much Needed) Normalcy

The other night we went to our cousin Lauren’s house for a cookout with her husband Brent and their two girls. And friends, we it was exactly what we needed.

The air was cool and breezy in the most springtime way that only this time of year in Tennessee can bring. Lauren and Brent made us dinner for the second weekend in a row: last weekend they camped out at the farm and Brent smoked a pork butt for everyone and it was so delicious and wonderful to not have to cook dinner!! Truly, having someone else make you dinner is suddenly my love language as an adult. I know how much work goes into making meals now that I’m cooking for our family of five, so anytime someone makes us dinner, I am eternally grateful.

Our kids and theirs play so well together and it’s such a treat for us to see our kiddos interact with others. Does that sound weird? It sounds weird to read out loud, but, as sad as it is, because of social distancing, our kids don’t play with other kids and haven’t had a chance to make real friends this past year. We are sending the boys to school in the fall, so we’re both excited to see them learn from other kids, to form friendships, to bond with someone other than each other, etc. It’s going to be an entirely different phase of parenting and life in general, but we’re excited for what it will mean for them and their development.

Anyway, the kids ran off and played together in the big field and on the trampoline and on their playhouse jungle gym and we were able to relax by the fire with a glass of wine and a yummy burger. Like so many others, this is a new experience for us (spending more time with family, being in the same vicinity of others), one the importance of can’t be underestated. Last year was, to but it plainly, horrible, so even a night with family around a fire can feel like the absolute greatest night in the world. And it was!

We talked about PJ and Lauren’s childhood memories at Lauren’s house (which was their grandma’s house when they were growing up, and where they spent every day playing- the same grandma that PJ adored and who instilled his love of plants and gardening), we talked about the pandemic and how we’re all dealing with it a year later, we traded stories of our kids and their quirks and how much they make us laugh. Lauren and Brent are amazing people and we have all been making plans to spend more time together this summer, starting with the other night. We just enjoyed each other’s company for a few hours.

A few lovely, much needed hours.