65 Degrees and Sunny

The weather and my disposition! That's what it was in North Carolina today. This is why people move here. I swear, every time I come home there is a new strip mall, a new free-standing CVS, and a new 500-home subdivision around the corner from my parents' house. It's surreal, coming back here from Northern Virginia where space is such a premium, and the 'strip' malls are from the 30's.

This weekend was a rare event, the effects of which were dramatic and life changing: my being away from my 18-mo old toddler for 1.5 days. Woo-hoo! Two days ago, my husband and I left the kid, two dogs and most of our sense of responsibility, and took off to our college bowl game in Charlotte. We'd lived in Charlotte for a few years just after we were married, still in D.I.N.K. (Dual Income No Kids) mode, resided in an urban condo with downtown views and NO dog hair or baby furniture.

As part of the full college bowl experience, my husband and his best friend, who lives downtown, packed the car full of coolers, with required accoutrements, and drove three blocks (that's right), to a parking spot next to the stadium. It was full of our like-minded fans, replete with toddler-sized charcoal grills (nod to irony), free beer koozis, Bloody Mary's and good friends. It was grand. After the game, we went and de-tailgated (similar to a de-brief, but more fun) at a nearby friend's house, and saw even more friends and ate ever more food. To top it off, we went and met two friends for dinner, cramming one more event in before heading home, in the shiny new sports car borrowed from Dad.

Other than the fact that we lost, and a drunk friend got in a fight in the men's bathroom, it was a magnificent time to be "normal" again. And I know you know what I mean there. It was like a two-day long deep breath of fresh air, we came back recharged. Well, tired and recharged at the same time.

And when we went to change the little guy's diaper this morning, we could tell what they had fed him the previous evening. TMI?