Spending Time With Others

The weekend isn't nearly over yet, but it's already shaping up to be a wonderful one that has largely been spent by spending time with others:

Last night, following aftercare and the middle school dance (where I had the chance to catch up with my principal and some other teachers), I visited with my sister, two of my ACE housemates, and another ACE classmate who is attending a conference this week in Chicago. We sat around sipping beer, munching on tortilla chips, and swapping stories - so low key yet so incredibly worthwhile! To top it all off, we all got respective rides home from our host.

This morning, Marisa and I had a nice run along the lakefront trail together - we are so close to our race! The weather was beautiful (except for the wind on the final stretch), but it felt super early after getting to bed late and having an early start.

For today's afternoon/evening, I attended the annual Service Day at my Church, where my group went to one of the local shelters. Our work did not consist in much manual labor - it was a lot of sorting and (for others) filing. But it was neat to meet some new people who are also parishioners! Our group had some great visiting time. Then, all the groups came back together to celebrate Mass and to enjoy dinner, drinks, and dessert.

Tomorrow, Marisa and I will be heading downtown to visit with one of our college research professors - it's been awhile since we've seen her, so it should be a lot of fun! (Somewhere in there I'll squeeze in some work I need to do too. Ha ha.)

It's so good to just be with other people. Weekends are perfect for times like these.