Spring...Sprung!

This photo brought to you by new beginnings and a farewell to the bad decisions of the weekend. The new week is a clean slate...let's see how long it takes me to muck it up. Start your watches!

LIVE ALL AGES Rock 'n' Roll Extravaganza This Saturday!

This Saturday morning at 10:00am, join the families of Cheverly Weekday Nursery/Mother's Day Out for a very special all-ages rock 'n' roll morning show featuring SOUL REVOLVER. Admission is only $5 per person (it's a tax-deductible contribution.) And there will be snacks available for a small fee.

Soul Revolver is Cheverly's very own Beatles cover band, and has played private parties as well as several times at The Surf Club on Kenilworth Avenue. Members are Charles Andrews (bass, vocals), Kelly Fisher (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Brian Jarboe (guitar, vocals), and Brian Youmans (drums, vocals). All four members have some relation to the Weekday Nursery/Mother's Day Out programs or to Cheverly United Methodist Church, so it's definitely a family affair.

The concert will take place in the historic church's Sanctuary, and we encourage dancing in the aisles!

We hope that many families are able to take advantage of a fun, inexpensive opportunity to hear (and see up close!) live music in Cheverly. This is the second concert in the Music at School series, which benefits the Cheverly Weekday Nursery and Mother's Day Out programs for young children. We bring a variety of music to children and their families in the Cheverly area, allowing them to experience live music performed by familiar people -- parents and other people the kids know. We encourage children to take an active interest in music, and families to pursue more opportunities to expose their children to a wide array of musical styles. In our first year, we've offered performances by classical pianist Naoko Maeda and rock band Soul Revolver. Next year, we will continue to expand the offerings of this exciting new outreach program.

For more information, visit the WDN/MDO website or read about it on your friendly neighborhood blog or its' close personal friend.

I bet you're wondering where I've been...

I did not fall off the face of the Earth.

I did not fall asleep in a ditch somewhere.

The children did not win (though it's been close...)

I've been busy...

First, we spent a lovely weekend at Lake Gaston, Virginia with our best friends. The prettiest member of several Cheverly bands that you know and love and her very kind parents opened their house to all of us for the weekend. By "opened their house" I mean fed us, housed us and took us on the boat. Repeatedly. At all hours of the day and night. (Actually, I slept through that...)

And why, you may ask, did we go all the way down to the VA/NC border?

So that Things 1&2 could see their very first WILCO show!!!!!!!!! They had a great time. We all had a great time (even though the crowd, as Jeff Tweedy mentioned repeatedly, smelled very nice...but not like the pine trees surrounding the amphitheater. You know, concert nice.) Cary, North Carolina, has a great concert venue -- the Koka Booth Amphitheater. If you ever have an opportunity to see a show there, do it. The band was great, and Bon Iver, the opener, was really cool. I want to see them again.

On the drive between Lake Gaston and Cary, we went to Raleigh, which has a great comic book store. Any comic book store that employs nerds willing to find the perfect comic book for a three-year old girl is tops in my book. They had one copy of a Barbie comic book and we all made a big deal about it being rare in in plastic. Maggie was thrilled. The boy needed no help in the store... there was also a good used bookstore and lots of coffee shops. Fun, fun, fun. (But not as cool as Richmond, where we stopped on the way down to the lake.)

So we had a terrific long weekend with great people and I got more sleep than I have in months. Fantastic. And then...

JURY DUTY.
Okay, I'm one of those people who think that jury duty is a good thing. I've been called several times, but was never put on a trial. Until this week. All I'm going to say: Do not do drugs. Do not use guns. If you have to use drugs, do not use guns at the same time. We'll all be alot better off if you just take my advice.

Monday night, after a quick yummy dinner at Eat First, we went to see Grizzly Bear at the 6th & I Synagogue in DC. A band I'd never heard of, Violens, opened (but I will seek them out!) It was the most polite show I've ever attended, and we were probably the only people there who had to get home to a babysitter (thanks, Abby!) Also, Charles said that every guy in the restroom while he was there washed their hands. Impressive fans, Grizzly Bear.

My jury duty ended early (plea deal) and I went to a little coffee place in Upper Marlboro that I've driven past so many times: More than Coffee! They make an incredibly good black bean and corn salad -- warm, tossed with oil and lots of cumin, and served over lettuce. (And really good soy cappuccino...) So after a relaxing lunch and a stop to buy school supplies for the boy, we got to spend Tuesday afternoon at the pool. You know those days when the cold water is especially welcome because you've been laying in the hot sun? Yeah. And we ended last night with a fantastic vegan meal made by some new friends and shared with some old ones.

So. In less than a week, four bands. Three states. The pool. Lots of great friends and food. Civic duty. Not a bad way to wind down summer...

Technically, right now I really should be working...

but instead I am going to let you in on the highlights of the weekend, because otherwise it'll never happen. My procrastination skills seem to be at their apex this weekend...

Friday:

Because P&M were good all morning (and I was busy and I'm a big treater) I took P&M through the McD's drive-through. I was told by the elderly man working the window that I "could make a man stop watching football". P&M have been repeating and giggling ever since. I'll have to remember that in the fall ... or maybe not, since I do not actually have that power in our household.

I took pictures at the Cheverly Community Market's Potluck, which was really charming. About 70 people came out and, though I didn't get a chance to eat, everything smelled and looked fantastic. Can't wait for another one!

Saturday:

We made it out to Target (for a cooler so that we don't borrow E&K's cooler for a second year), Clagett Farm (for our -- I have to say -- pretty teeny share) and Landover Liquor (thank you for stocking Sofia -- it's been a source of slow mornings more than once for several Cheverly mommies who shall go unnamed...you know who you are.) That was all a leadup to Soul Revolver's performance at the Surf Club. Fun night -- Ladies' Night was originally scheduled, but got pushed back (the band was only supposed to play 7:00-9:00) in favor of a second set by Kelly, the Brians and Charles...and a very special two-man finale around 11:00. There was lots of dancing (I'm sure I'll regret that...) and some people were rather surprised at how much dancing and drinking the parents were able to do...not sure if those people were impressed or horrified. Oh, you'll see when you're parents. I hope the band gets to play there again very soon! After finding my glasses (under a table, sorta wrecked), we had an after-party of sorts back at the house until 1:30am. Thank you, babysitters of Cheverly. You do important, meaningful work and your service to your town and the parents therein is valued. I salute you.

Sunday:

Things are a little slow and sleepy around here today...can't imagine why. I think we need a week to recover from our weekend.

I really do have to work now. Pfeh.