Easter 2014

Couldn’t have been better.  Combine that with the fact that my parents had the little ones for the past week and it was my wedding anniversary, it was a surprisingly low-key, relaxing affair.

Friday night we went down to an old haunt for the anniversary dinner.  I had me a fluke special – no, the special wasn’t a fluke, it was a fish – two glasses of some micro-brewed ale I enjoyed (“pony” something or other), and a glass of medium-priced port.  Ah, good times.

Saturday I drove halfway to PA to meet my parents and pick up the little ones.  Then we did the routine errands: dry cleaners, post office, library, B&N, Blimpies.  Didn’t find anything at B&N but got the girls each a small book.  The wife took them out to see the bunny and get photos taken; I did all our laundry and finished reading my Civil War book.  Later than night we reheated some leftover spaghetti and meatballs.  Put the little ones down and the wife and I watched – of all things – The Expendables.  Well, I did, as she fell asleep about 45 minutes in.

Oh, and I also started reading The Exegesis of Philip K Dick.  More – much more – on that, later.

Yesterday we got up leisurely.  The girls hunted Easter eggs the bunny left in our house.  I made us all scrambled eggs with a three-Italian-cheese mix tossed in.  We all got ready and went to 10:30 mass to see Little One as an altar server.  My father-in-law and my parents were there, too.  Excellent mass, lots of incense, good sermon by our young priest, a packed house.  Only complaint was the music director decided to take us to Dixieland for the Gloria and a few other interludes, which is never appropriate in a mass setting.  But that, though ear-splitting loud, was relatively minor. 

We took some pics outside the church, in front of a statue of Mary.  Then we headed to my parents’ favorite restaurant for an early, early dinner.  I had a couple of Heinekens and lobster ravioli, then we all toasted Great Grandma’s memory with a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  The girls were well-behaved and very entertaining.  We all said our goodbyes around 2:30 and were home by 3.

For the next four hours we indulged in what has become a Hopper tradition: we watch Charlton Heston in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments.  The girls love the movie, and we love that they love it.  We allowed them some chocolate and jelly beans, and we were all so filled from early dinner that we had apples and cheese for an evening snack.  Put the exhausted girls to bed by 8 and then watched an episode of Impractical Jokers and – Star Trek (the original series). 

Who could ask for anything more on a beautiful holiday weekend?