Happiness in the Empty Nest (The nest is full this weekend!)

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Happiness in the Empty Nest

Just for Labor Day weekend, our nest will be full! Oh happy day, our kids are coming home for the weekend and I am over the moon. How lucky are we that our busy, adult children want to come home to visit, hang out and attend an event with us.

Partly because there was a free airline ticket, partly because there will be free delicious food and free handcrafted cocktails and partly because they really do love us and want to come home!

Can I get a woo hoo? So often Craig and I attend a really fun event which usually involves very special food and drink and we say to each other, “I really wish Alex and Nick were here to experience this with us.”

The Taste

We said this a couple of times when we attended The Taste, a culinary extravaganza on the backlot (which is super cool) at Paramount Studios. Craig and I have attended this Los Angeles Times event twice in the past four years and missed last year.

We thoroughly loved the experience so much and the kids were able to arrange their schedules to come down to LA and join us this year. Yay!

The Taste is a three-day event, but we are choosing to repeat our past adventures by attending the Saturday daytime event and the Saturday evening event. The day is filled with great restaurant food from all over Los Angeles, as top notch chefs from all over the city share their crazy wonderful talent.

The culinary experience is over the top and listening to these passionate and sometimes famous chefs, explain their dishes is a kick and a super fun way to spend a day together. All of the activities are planned and paid for in advance and we just have to show up and feast! The portions are small and maybe just a bite or two is enough at “The Taste”.

In between events we go back to the hotel and chill out, take a shower and recap our day. We then change in to some casual cocktail attire and head back to the backlot for a more party-like atmosphere. The Taste is located on the outdoor set of the streets of old New York. Overhead, sparkling white lights are strung across the street and fun music is playing. More great small plates are being served and Paramount Studios sparkles with shiny, happy foodies.

happiness in the empty nest

Happiness in the empty nest takes a little work…

Recently I wrote about 13 things to do with your adult children and it was a pretty big hit. As your children get older the family dynamic changes. It is important to keep in mind that your grown children are adults now and want to do different types of family activities. If food and drink aren’t your thing, maybe going to a game or playing sports sound like the perfect fit. Just ask the kids and plan something. Trying to plan with multiple schedules can be really challenging, but TOTALLY worth it.

This happy Mama Bird is going to have a busy Labor Day weekend with both kids at home.

Do you have any plans?

Many of the college kids have just gone back to school, so they may not be coming home quite yet. If that is making you sad, make sure you plan something anyway. No moping around! Get out and find adventure, it will definitely cheer you up and help with the empty nest blues.


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