Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away.

Three days of nothing to do but be. Loved it.

After living in our apartment for two years, we decided this weekend was the time to make use of the yard. We supped up a little section of the grass with a grill, an awning and an old table hauled down from the attic. We also got (drum roll) a pool. It is a 1-foot deep plastic baby pool, but a pool is a pool.

After eight hundred trips up and down the stairs (and quite a few I-can't-wait-until-we-have-a-back-doors) we were set up an tasty spread. We had the regulars over - Danna, Manuel, Joey and Katie - and we ate like we always eat and talked like we never talk. I'm sure it helped that we didn't have distractions like the Wii or Tivo'd reruns of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but we jumped all over the map of hot topics.

One topic I'm particularly thoughtful about, which I will bring up at our next bbq, is immigration. Here are my thoughts: if you are willing to risk your life to come here and then you work your butt off once you're here, you are welcome in my neighborhood. Isn't that how most of us got here in the first place? That may mean an array of complicated situations. But here's the thing - when you have more than someone else, you share, and as a nation we have a lot. Well, I think that's the way it is supposed to be. I know I'm oversimplifying. I know there are more complex issues - I am aware of some of them. But this is the land of opportunity. This is the land where we can pursue happiness with total abandon. Sometimes people get stuck and sometimes it's so hard, but it's available. It's here. Maybe these aren't orthodox thoughts, aren't quite what you'd expect from a white, middle class republican girl. But I don't care. And I think I'm going to change my political party anyway. (I better stop talking politics - I don't know a lot, but I have these convictions when it comes to the people...)

So, we had a picnic. We had friends. Come over for the next one.