Jen came to visit this weekend and we managed not to get pictures of ourselves, which is unheard of.

Usually we pick someone thoroughly undeserving of the torture (Eric, Shawn…), hand them a camera and put them through a rigorous endurance test by  demanding to see every picture they take. We argue over each one, Jen rearranges my hair 2-3 times and the room 3-4 times, she finds the best angle and then says to them “Can’t you stand somewhere higher so we’re looking up instead of down? What’s with this lighting? I think we need something closer/further away/darker/better…” The last time Eric was pressed into service he demanded a protein bar and a bottle of water half way in.

I guess we decided to torture ourselves instead because we spent Friday night eating mediocre tapas food at a new(ish) restaurant in town that I can’t really recommend because the food was only ok

Plus they had live musicians on the patio playing at yell-across-the-table loudness levels. We wanted to sit on the patio so Jen asked the hostess if they could turn the music down and the hostess said “oh no, that’s all their equipment. We can’t do anything about it.” When we got to our inside table Jen just looked at me with deep exasperation and said “What does she mean she can’t do anything about it? I’m going to empower her to go tell them to turn it down! Oh Lord, I sound so old.”

It certainly didn’t help that all their song choices fell into the smarmy 70’s “let’s get it on in our satin sheets” category. And at first glance these guys looked like Lionel Ritchie on guitar

and Mr. Miyagi on keyboards, but I’m sure both those men have better things to do than torture us with music that should have died 30 years ago.

Anyway, bygones.

The rest of the weekend was much more successful

involving a lot of food and drink

As well as pedicures, shopping, lattes, late nights telling stories and hanging out and a morning matinee of the last Harry Potter movie

which I’m happy to say was good and equally happy to think is the last one. I feel that the world is ready to move on to something else, as long as it isn’t Twilight…

It’s been a long time since Jen and I have gotten to hang out for a weekend

without the excuse of a major event like a wedding

Or a baby (stop decorating me, mama!)

Which made it all the more fantastic. The sooner it happens again, the better.