Gosh, today has been so long, it felt like it was Tuesday by quitting time. Don't know why, particularly... I kept myself pretty busy all day at work. But compared to the last couple weeks, it has slowed down quite a bit. No immediate action needed on my data books, and there aren't too many documents to release (knock on wood).
Afterwards, I had time to come home and get a bite to eat before it was time to head over to the University to pick up my framed art from our photo show. It was just glorious when I crossed the bridge... the sun was radiant, causing the railings to light up like gold, and the water was such a bright turquoise, light blue, it almost looked a metallic color. I pulled up to the hospital just at the right time (amazingly enough) and met the take-down committee at the door with my photos. One of my classmates had organized a little get together after everyone was done with the photos. We met at "The Ram" bar & grill in University Village, just down the street, and over a dozen of us came. It was great to hang out for a little while with folks. Gosh, just over a month, and the next program is starting... I've known this group for almost a year!
I left the Ram a little past eight-thirty... and on the trip back across the water, I was treated to the gleam of the near-full moon reflecting on the lake. What a blessed evening.
Jp
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday in the Sunshine
Another fine day! I slept in until about 10, I think... and I thought I'd go to church. They sang some frivolous songs and offered sound teaching... a give/take relationship I don't mind too much. Our pastor is rock solid on the important things... and he teaches clearly! I really should go more often.
Afterwards, I went to the Brooks outlet store down the street, and found some awesome shoes for running/biking! Except mine only cost $20! yeah! By the time I got home, it was nearly time for lunch and the family was already over.
In the afternoon, I managed to get my checkbook back in order and take care of bills and other monetary things as well as finish filling out those dreadfully long forms for the Navy. I certainly have a clearer desk, with nothing else pressingly important, waiting for a time to complete. While I was doing this, everyone else was watching Veggie Tales's "Lord of the Beans"... which I've already seen a few times. It pokes fun (cleverly) at the Rings movies while illustrating a moral ("we should all use our gifts to help others").
By the time this was all over, some people were leaving places, so I decided to go for a bike ride. It really is nice to have a good road bike and a biking jersey and pants... it makes it much more comfortable than slapping workout pants and a t-shirt together on a old bike that makes your knees hurt :) Vast improvement, I'd say. And I have those guys from the U to thank! Anyway, I biked 4 miles from Woodinville to Log Boom Park in Kenmore, took a few minutes on the dock to look at the setting sun and the ducks, and then biked back. I averaged about 8 MPH. Gosh, the shoes are *perfect* for biking... and I tried a couple short sprints when I got back to the parking lot. Weeeeeee!
Back home, the family was just getting ready to leave when I returned. I'm glad I made it back in time to see them off! Mom and Dad were a little annoyed at still having a disc of "Happy Days" from Netflix, but we put on "After the Thin Man" from '36 and enjoyed that probably much more than anything else we have in our queue. :) It's lovely to see Jimmy in a role like that!
Jp
Afterwards, I went to the Brooks outlet store down the street, and found some awesome shoes for running/biking! Except mine only cost $20! yeah! By the time I got home, it was nearly time for lunch and the family was already over.
In the afternoon, I managed to get my checkbook back in order and take care of bills and other monetary things as well as finish filling out those dreadfully long forms for the Navy. I certainly have a clearer desk, with nothing else pressingly important, waiting for a time to complete. While I was doing this, everyone else was watching Veggie Tales's "Lord of the Beans"... which I've already seen a few times. It pokes fun (cleverly) at the Rings movies while illustrating a moral ("we should all use our gifts to help others").
By the time this was all over, some people were leaving places, so I decided to go for a bike ride. It really is nice to have a good road bike and a biking jersey and pants... it makes it much more comfortable than slapping workout pants and a t-shirt together on a old bike that makes your knees hurt :) Vast improvement, I'd say. And I have those guys from the U to thank! Anyway, I biked 4 miles from Woodinville to Log Boom Park in Kenmore, took a few minutes on the dock to look at the setting sun and the ducks, and then biked back. I averaged about 8 MPH. Gosh, the shoes are *perfect* for biking... and I tried a couple short sprints when I got back to the parking lot. Weeeeeee!
Back home, the family was just getting ready to leave when I returned. I'm glad I made it back in time to see them off! Mom and Dad were a little annoyed at still having a disc of "Happy Days" from Netflix, but we put on "After the Thin Man" from '36 and enjoyed that probably much more than anything else we have in our queue. :) It's lovely to see Jimmy in a role like that!
Jp
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Lovely Day
Slept in way past nine! It was lovely to wake up and be relaxed and rested. Mom and Dad were away all day, and I spent the morning cleaning up my room and the house. It was nice and relaxed... had just a bit of breakfast, played Phase 10 with my sister. She won, of course :) As I've been wanting a new pillow for awhile, and I just washed my sheets today... we went to Fred Meyer (after a short detour at Value Village - where we found some cool books) and I got a new one, along with a new deck of Phase 10 (lol) and a card for my friend who's getting married... an odd assortment :)
As for the rest of the day, I finished cleaning, sat down and read "The House Without a Christmas Tree" that I picked up at Value Village outside on the deck. The sun was shining (with afternoon light) and it was a cool 70 degrees. Soooo nice.
And then we had some dinner [homemade nachos and humus], a couple card games [of Skip-Bo], and then a movie [Call Northside 777]! And during chat, my brother called and we talked about Marine stuff. :)
What a day!
Jp
[Geesh, I went fast writing this post... I hate posting during chat... so distracting. Anyway, besides the one book I mentioned, I also picked up "The Bridge to Terabithia" which I have not read yet, "No More Dead Dogs" which Meg said was really good, and a fifth grade, practical math book from 1942 that has illustrations and prices from the '40's! It's fun to look at, and it only cost 69 cents... why not?]
As for the rest of the day, I finished cleaning, sat down and read "The House Without a Christmas Tree" that I picked up at Value Village outside on the deck. The sun was shining (with afternoon light) and it was a cool 70 degrees. Soooo nice.
And then we had some dinner [homemade nachos and humus], a couple card games [of Skip-Bo], and then a movie [Call Northside 777]! And during chat, my brother called and we talked about Marine stuff. :)
What a day!
Jp
[Geesh, I went fast writing this post... I hate posting during chat... so distracting. Anyway, besides the one book I mentioned, I also picked up "The Bridge to Terabithia" which I have not read yet, "No More Dead Dogs" which Meg said was really good, and a fifth grade, practical math book from 1942 that has illustrations and prices from the '40's! It's fun to look at, and it only cost 69 cents... why not?]
Friday, August 28, 2009
And the Band Played... Again
Volleyball Band... with the Alumni Band. Way fun! Just like old times! Except it was a really small band, and I was the only Mello player... but there were a bunch of people I knew. It took me through the first phrase to remember how to play the Star Spangled Banner (no music), but otherwise, it was great! The Huskies beat San Jose State 1, 2, 3, and I made it home just in time to watch tonight's Monk. And although I didn't like it as much as last week, it was still good. At least they're taking the care to make the last season a good one.
Jp
Jp
Paper, Paper
Egads! I get home from a day with dealing with paper all day long to 30 pages of forms to fill out. Wednesday night I met with the Navy again in order to start the process of the preliminary medical stuff (before you even sign up for Delayed Entry). I also checked out the official site for the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL. yesterday. So although I've already signed my name fourteen times, I really haven't committed to anything yet. :) Love some of the questions: "Have you ever been X-Rayed?" "Does the sight of blood bother you?" And then of course: "Have you ever in any branch of the armed forces?" Well, I don't know... LOL!
Last night we all watched "Oz" while eating pizza for dinner. Gosh! It's been a long time since I had seen it! Jason had never had the pleasure before, so it was great fun. We're... off to see the Wizard...
Jp
Last night we all watched "Oz" while eating pizza for dinner. Gosh! It's been a long time since I had seen it! Jason had never had the pleasure before, so it was great fun. We're... off to see the Wizard...
Jp
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
There's Nothing Like a Bad Dream...
:)
... to get you up in the morning. I don't want to remember the particulars whenever I read this next, so lets just say it was pretty uncomfortable... I had a deep sleep though, and that was good!
Work has been steady all day, and I was able to do a good bit of filing, and some long-neglected scanning, as well as releasing all the documents that came in, although my coworker is now back.
Gosh, I feel much better than yesterday and the day before that. I admit, it did help to have an evening with my sister (we played a couple games of Phase 10). And as well as that, Mom and I had a bit of a refreshing time, reading a book of the Bible (1 John) and having a family prayer for general things - like my brother, all alone in Missouri. And we even sang a couple hymns. This was all quite nice, as both Mom and I missed out on church this last Sunday. I sort of prefer this kind of fellowship to church anyway. It's more personal and meaningful.
And to you, alone in a small room and working late again at the office (lol), thanks for the card with the little crab and the movies that came today. I think we're all going to watch Oz!
Jp
... to get you up in the morning. I don't want to remember the particulars whenever I read this next, so lets just say it was pretty uncomfortable... I had a deep sleep though, and that was good!
Work has been steady all day, and I was able to do a good bit of filing, and some long-neglected scanning, as well as releasing all the documents that came in, although my coworker is now back.
Gosh, I feel much better than yesterday and the day before that. I admit, it did help to have an evening with my sister (we played a couple games of Phase 10). And as well as that, Mom and I had a bit of a refreshing time, reading a book of the Bible (1 John) and having a family prayer for general things - like my brother, all alone in Missouri. And we even sang a couple hymns. This was all quite nice, as both Mom and I missed out on church this last Sunday. I sort of prefer this kind of fellowship to church anyway. It's more personal and meaningful.
And to you, alone in a small room and working late again at the office (lol), thanks for the card with the little crab and the movies that came today. I think we're all going to watch Oz!
Jp
Monday, August 24, 2009
In a Funk
This morning I didn't feel like getting out of bed, but not, at least partially, for the regular reasons. It's like I didn't care... and I almost still don't... I'm certainly depressed or something. Maybe it's coming off such an exciting trip and missing people and coming back to such a sudden change in my sister's life... I certainly feel alone.
Lord, God, it's hard to be human! (Like he didn't know already?)
But it certainly helps to talk about it. Thanks for listening.
Jp
Lord, God, it's hard to be human! (Like he didn't know already?)
But it certainly helps to talk about it. Thanks for listening.
Jp
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Rest of the Day
Horseback riding after work! It was just for a couple hours, but it was great to be back in the saddle again! The weather was perfect for riding... as mentioned earlier... it was cloudy and cool and oh, my gosh! I wore a sweatshirt! Gosh! That was nice!
We rode out to the overlook (of the Cascade Mountains) and ate lots of blackberries at various times. The horses must have been confused at how many times we stopped, and got on and off. But oh! On the way back, we saw a red-tail hawk flying away from us... and then he perched in a tree not far off, we rode up to him and stopped, and after a moment, flew away again, deeper into the forest. Now that's even cooler than seeing the coyote we saw a few months ago.
And for most of tonight, I am by myself! What a change!
Yesterday I started reading in Mere Christianity again, and am amazed at how clear and concise it is... If I can stay awake, I might read some more of that, I think.
How I do love Fridays.
Jp
We rode out to the overlook (of the Cascade Mountains) and ate lots of blackberries at various times. The horses must have been confused at how many times we stopped, and got on and off. But oh! On the way back, we saw a red-tail hawk flying away from us... and then he perched in a tree not far off, we rode up to him and stopped, and after a moment, flew away again, deeper into the forest. Now that's even cooler than seeing the coyote we saw a few months ago.
And for most of tonight, I am by myself! What a change!
Yesterday I started reading in Mere Christianity again, and am amazed at how clear and concise it is... If I can stay awake, I might read some more of that, I think.
How I do love Fridays.
Jp
Day After Day, After Day After Day
Every day at work this week has been much like the day before it... not a moment to spare, taking care of entering part numbers, releasing documents, putting data books together, all while trying to whittle down the huge pile of certs that came in while I was gone. And then I needed to help with an investigation that turned out to be a wild goose chase, and worry about those blasted UCR forms... that my boss was very unhappy about on my "mid-year" performance review on Tuesday. Gosh! Welcome home, but hurry!
And every evening had their similarities... my sister's boyfriend (gosh, that's weird to think of him that way) was over here every night. Mostly watching movies or whatnot, but we all had a nice little conversation last night. Oh! And I got to talk to my brother Wednesday afternoon! He called to talk to Mom, but I got the phone. And then of course, Wednesday's talk with Mike was wonderful! I've never listened to Holst's 'Jupiter' over the phone before now... and it was special, since I was outside, looking at Jupiter, itself, in the southern sky! It was absolutely clear out; I could see so many stars.
And that's another thing... I've had brilliant sunshine for weeks and weeks... (before, during and after the trip) and this morning it was finally cloudy gray. Ahh, I'm finally home again! And the temp has cooled off as well, so it really does feel more like the Pacific Northwest that I'm used to.
I did successfully drag myself out of bed this morning for my third Jazzercise class this week. I decided to get back in the routine. It's been hard, but good. Except today, the teacher was a substitute who played lots of interesting songs... and I felt like I was living in the 1970's... scary! And I barely broke a sweat... and the usual Friday teacher usually works us the hardest. Boo!
I'm almost done with work! Yay!
Jp
And every evening had their similarities... my sister's boyfriend (gosh, that's weird to think of him that way) was over here every night. Mostly watching movies or whatnot, but we all had a nice little conversation last night. Oh! And I got to talk to my brother Wednesday afternoon! He called to talk to Mom, but I got the phone. And then of course, Wednesday's talk with Mike was wonderful! I've never listened to Holst's 'Jupiter' over the phone before now... and it was special, since I was outside, looking at Jupiter, itself, in the southern sky! It was absolutely clear out; I could see so many stars.
And that's another thing... I've had brilliant sunshine for weeks and weeks... (before, during and after the trip) and this morning it was finally cloudy gray. Ahh, I'm finally home again! And the temp has cooled off as well, so it really does feel more like the Pacific Northwest that I'm used to.
I did successfully drag myself out of bed this morning for my third Jazzercise class this week. I decided to get back in the routine. It's been hard, but good. Except today, the teacher was a substitute who played lots of interesting songs... and I felt like I was living in the 1970's... scary! And I barely broke a sweat... and the usual Friday teacher usually works us the hardest. Boo!
I'm almost done with work! Yay!
Jp
Monday, August 17, 2009
Back at Work.
Ug. Been feeling one step behind all day at work... my password expired while I was gone, so that sent everything topsy-turvy from the start. Had to get connections fixed, had to remember how to use some of our applications, and because my coworker just went on a week's PTO, I had to remember a job I learned two months ago... and hadn't used since! And my data books hadn't shipped yet, but needed immediate scanning... gee, it didn't matter that the Internet wouldn't connect for me: I didn't even have time for a break.
But this morning I got back at Jazzercise, and it felt great!
Jp
But this morning I got back at Jazzercise, and it felt great!
Jp
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Corn, and Other Matters
Yesterday evening we had some wonderful news! My sister walked the dog with our friend Jason, and when they returned, they told us that they were going to start going steady! Wow!
And this morning, after sleeping in and getting breakfast, my parents returned from church and the store with some corn-on-the-cob for our lunch with the family this afternoon. And my sister and I reprised our husking roles... :) much to our satisfaction.
Dad had purchased a Cribbage game from Fred's yesterday, so we tried that out as well... and he beat me with an incredible hand at the end. We followed it up with Backgammon, and I won twice :)
Jp
And this morning, after sleeping in and getting breakfast, my parents returned from church and the store with some corn-on-the-cob for our lunch with the family this afternoon. And my sister and I reprised our husking roles... :) much to our satisfaction.
Dad had purchased a Cribbage game from Fred's yesterday, so we tried that out as well... and he beat me with an incredible hand at the end. We followed it up with Backgammon, and I won twice :)
Jp
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Back Home
I slept in! After waking up at a quarter past 6... oh well! I got the rest I needed after falling back asleep!
And then was invited to a lunch at my Aunt Penny and Uncle Don's house with my parents! So, after a little picking up my room, we headed out and had a lovely couple hours.
And back at home we watched the episode of Monk we taped off TV... besides hitting you over the head with the Trudy story again, it was pretty good.
Jp
And then was invited to a lunch at my Aunt Penny and Uncle Don's house with my parents! So, after a little picking up my room, we headed out and had a lovely couple hours.
And back at home we watched the episode of Monk we taped off TV... besides hitting you over the head with the Trudy story again, it was pretty good.
Jp
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Other Seven States (aka... part 2)
Oh, gosh! It's been a week now since this part of the trip began! And I never even had time to write down notes on what we did, like I did during the North Carolina portion... so, bear with me! :)
Well, here we are in the St. Louis Airport, and car-less, but maybe I should talk a little about how we got here...
Last Friday morning (Aug. 7th) we were still in NC, but we took off pretty much right away. It was splendid taking off on a car trip instead of a plane trip... no rules about bags, no security... no Nazis... very exciting! The lady at Hertz really was helpful... we found with our AAA membership we'd get the 2nd driver for free, plus an overall 10% discount - oh, and an extra day with the car than we thought! So we'd have it until early this morning, instead of early yesterday morning! Big difference. So we said our goodbyes to the grandparents... I wanted so much to stay as well as to go... and that's really what the rest of the trip has been - conflicted feelings while all the while enjoying everything. We got into our black Ford Focus and drove off to the South!
There's a great deal of beautiful landscape between NC and GA, especially in SC. Great sweeping scenes of forest and mountains. It took me a while to get used to not being in control of the car... especially in Atlanta traffic, but after this first drive I settled down and didn't have any more outbursts... poor Meg. We arrived at Linda's around noon, I think. It was a darned good thing she gave me her phone #, because of all the things I forgot to bring, I didn't bring her address. LOL! We had a tour of the house, and I have to say I was very impressed with the diversity and size of the library, the "man cave", and the Lassie collection. It took me a while to take in how many dvd's were there. :) On the way to get glasses and lunch, I really loved listening to '40's music in a PT... :) Back at the house, I really loved "The Big Time". I was totally engrossed with the story and finished it wanting to know a whole lot more about those characters. What a shame they didn't continue it! A recurring character from the Spiderman movies was a main character in this... I think I like him a lot! Great stuff really. Oh, and we were treated to a lovely dinner of ribs and corn-on-the-cob, followed by perfect brownies! I'm afraid I proved myself to be rather silly though: we had left the suitcase in the car and I had stupidly packed my pajamas there... duh! I think I was too much beside myself with happiness to worry about the duh-obvious things like bringing the address and packing the PJ's in the right place.
As for Saturday the 8th, Linda has done a very detailed post as well, I won't reiterate what she already said, but simply continue... it was already getting warm at the Farmer's Market when we arrived. There were lots of free tastes of things: I've never had chicken pot pie for breakfast before... lol. Especially when combined with watermelon, salsa and chips, and a few other really tasty things. The Georgia Aquarium was very much like the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Both very modern with all the exhibits branching off a huge, main lobby. I had forgotten that they had whale sharks here... holy cow, were they neat! I think I liked this one more than the new one in Long Beach.
Gosh, Saturday night (into Sunday... hehe) was spectacular! I've never really watched WENN with other fans (besides Meg) and it was so fun! Gee, five episodes! during chat! and then extras that I've never seen! and Rupert stuff! Holy cow! WENN overload! And loving it. Took me a moment to calm down enough to sleep, LOL!
Sunday morning (Aug. 9th)...
I felt rather sad for leaving so soon (and sorry for having to leave so early!), but also rather excited... it only took us 12 and 1/2 hours to get to Norman... a mere hop, skip and a jump. No, really... it wasn't bad at all. Mississippi turned out not to be terribly bad after all... unless you don't like Taco Bell (I'm not their biggest fan, myself though). And Alabama had an interesting turnoff... that was a darned good thing we didn't miss. Arkansas had too many semis that were passing each other... and Oklahoma had bits of interstate down to one lane... but we made it just fine and saw lots of cows.
Now after talking to someone for over a year (and becoming best of friends) and never meeting... meeting Mike face to face was very nice, indeed. And good old Charlie lived up to his friendly reputation... and then some! :) We simply visited for a little while and then took Charlie on his walk, which hilariously turned out to be more of a run, with lots of breaks. LOL
Mon. Aug. 10:
The next morning Mike picked us up at the hotel (what service!), and we had a lovely breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, and then made off to the Zoo! Although it was rather hot (in the 90's) we saw almost everything and I especially enjoyed the Native Oklahoma trail that included American bison, and a pair of flightless bald eagles (one had been shot (grrrrrrr) and the other hit by one of those semis... probably while they were changing lanes) and the mini aquarium with the seals. After cooling off in the lobby after retrieving my bag... (sigh) we took off for "linner" at The Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown. After some great food and accompanying conversation, we went back to let the dog out for a minute and watched a favorite episode... "The First Mrs. Bloom". Now before we had come, poor Audrey had passed away. So after a brief phone call, we located a lady piggy in Midwest City and went to pick her up. "Penny" came home with us while we got shakes and MEAT for dinner. Back at the house, a lighting storm was coming so we took Charlie for his "walk" sooner than later. My goodness, it lit up the whole sky! The evening slipped away with copying discs and dog lickings and conversations.
Tue. Aug. 11:
We totally missed the hotel breakfast from sleeping in too late, so we all took off to Panera Bread. The rain and thunder finally caught up to Norman while we were eating, and the place lost power. It really didn't matter though, because our plans took us back to OKC, and back to Bricktown even. We took the "water taxi" on the canal that was built there in 1998. A pleasant affair with all the mallards and statues. And on the way back to the car, I confessed to having left my fishy hat in the restaurant the previous day, so I was able to get that back without too much embarrassment :) For fun, we stopped by the Softball Hall of Fame next, and then had a quick lunch at a nearby mall, before continuing on to the Botanical Gardens. This place was full of tropical plants and tiny lizards and had its very own waterfall! There was a duck pond below the gardens, edged by concrete. We saw lots of ducks and turtles and fishes, but the cutest and saddest thing was that poor, little duckling that couldn't quite jump out of the pond after its mother. Mom would jump back in, and then jump back out, but poor Jr. couldn't quite make it, but tried again and again... and again. Back at the house (with all my belongings), we watched "Sight Unseen", then went to a fabulous local Italian place for dinner, then returned to get the dog. We took a tour of the Law Building (which is very impressive), saw the office and the library down the hall and then finally let the dog go on a real walk. Although getting kinda late, we watched "The Court Jester" back at the house. Really, everything went by all too quickly. Gosh, it was sad to leave.
Wed. Aug. 12:
In the morning, Meg and I took off around 8. Although in time for breakfast, I really didn't feel like eating. I took a biscuit along and ended up eating it by the time we got to Tulsa. The Oklahoma Aquarium was easy to find, and it, like the zoo in OKC, had a native Oklahoman exhibit of freshwater fishes, along with the aquarium regulars. We really liked the large-mouth bass that was two feet long... he was big! And they had a beaver in the river exhibit... and he came out of his "dam" while we went by! Couldn't spend too much time, however, so we took off after an hour and a half visit. I was finally hungry after a while, and it happened to be around Vinita, OK. We didn't eat our burgers there, but we sure did like the view! Had to eat and drive as we were cutting it really close in trying to see anything at Fort Leonard Wood, in the middle of Missouri. We ended up making it in time to see the Engineer's museum in a quarter of an hour before closing. Whew! After that, we had no schedule, so we leisurely drove around the fort, saw various construction vehicles, and left. My brother couldn't meet us, but we did talk to him on the phone. He's in the middle of his training there. Stopped at Shoney's on the way, but other than that it was clear sailing into the St. Louis area. We were able to meet Meg's friend for a bit of dinner at a Mexican place near the hotel, but that's all we saw of her.
Yesterday (Aug. 13th), Meg and I had lots of plans, but were only able to fit in Daniel Boone's Home (a bit west of St. Louis) and the Gateway Arch in downtown. This was because it took so very long to get up into the Arch. The north tram had a cable that had a couple of tiny frayed cords in it, so they closed it down. That meant that the south car had to accommodate everyone! While waiting, we were able to relax, read, visit the very strange museum they have there (below the arch) and the two gift stores. It was all as cool as I remembered it being in 1998, when my grandparents and I stopped by on our way from Minnesota to Springfield, MO. We got a little lost on our way back to the hotel, due to construction, but we made it alive. :) My goodness, and Daniel Boone's home (that morning) was very cool! They showed a short film about him, and then a tour guide took us over the house. The beams and floors were original, and a person could see the axe marks on all the beams. VERY impressive (and neat as well). That night we relaxed in the hotel and played Phase 10. I enjoyed my leftovers from Tuesday night as Meg had something from Steak n' Shake (she had finished hers the previous morning). I started the last post before taking a shower and falling asleep. Oh, dear... it's pretty much over.
This morning (wow, we're finally on today!), we had to turn in the rental car. And Meg's friend wasn't kidding when she said St. Louis had a terrible metro system. We'd be cutting it close to getting back to the airport on time even to go only a couple miles. So, we decided to stay in the airport... we played cards, watched TV shows, and gosh! I finished all this posting! We are missing out on seeing the Clydesdales at the Budweiser Brewery and the Spirit of St. Louis at the museum in the park, but that's not too bad, I guess. Better to actually relax and be sure of getting on the plane. And thank goodness for the outlets we found! heh!
You are now up to date, as of 4:15 pm, Central Time. Our plane takes off in two hours.
Jp
Well, here we are in the St. Louis Airport, and car-less, but maybe I should talk a little about how we got here...
Last Friday morning (Aug. 7th) we were still in NC, but we took off pretty much right away. It was splendid taking off on a car trip instead of a plane trip... no rules about bags, no security... no Nazis... very exciting! The lady at Hertz really was helpful... we found with our AAA membership we'd get the 2nd driver for free, plus an overall 10% discount - oh, and an extra day with the car than we thought! So we'd have it until early this morning, instead of early yesterday morning! Big difference. So we said our goodbyes to the grandparents... I wanted so much to stay as well as to go... and that's really what the rest of the trip has been - conflicted feelings while all the while enjoying everything. We got into our black Ford Focus and drove off to the South!
There's a great deal of beautiful landscape between NC and GA, especially in SC. Great sweeping scenes of forest and mountains. It took me a while to get used to not being in control of the car... especially in Atlanta traffic, but after this first drive I settled down and didn't have any more outbursts... poor Meg. We arrived at Linda's around noon, I think. It was a darned good thing she gave me her phone #, because of all the things I forgot to bring, I didn't bring her address. LOL! We had a tour of the house, and I have to say I was very impressed with the diversity and size of the library, the "man cave", and the Lassie collection. It took me a while to take in how many dvd's were there. :) On the way to get glasses and lunch, I really loved listening to '40's music in a PT... :) Back at the house, I really loved "The Big Time". I was totally engrossed with the story and finished it wanting to know a whole lot more about those characters. What a shame they didn't continue it! A recurring character from the Spiderman movies was a main character in this... I think I like him a lot! Great stuff really. Oh, and we were treated to a lovely dinner of ribs and corn-on-the-cob, followed by perfect brownies! I'm afraid I proved myself to be rather silly though: we had left the suitcase in the car and I had stupidly packed my pajamas there... duh! I think I was too much beside myself with happiness to worry about the duh-obvious things like bringing the address and packing the PJ's in the right place.
As for Saturday the 8th, Linda has done a very detailed post as well, I won't reiterate what she already said, but simply continue... it was already getting warm at the Farmer's Market when we arrived. There were lots of free tastes of things: I've never had chicken pot pie for breakfast before... lol. Especially when combined with watermelon, salsa and chips, and a few other really tasty things. The Georgia Aquarium was very much like the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Both very modern with all the exhibits branching off a huge, main lobby. I had forgotten that they had whale sharks here... holy cow, were they neat! I think I liked this one more than the new one in Long Beach.
Gosh, Saturday night (into Sunday... hehe) was spectacular! I've never really watched WENN with other fans (besides Meg) and it was so fun! Gee, five episodes! during chat! and then extras that I've never seen! and Rupert stuff! Holy cow! WENN overload! And loving it. Took me a moment to calm down enough to sleep, LOL!
Sunday morning (Aug. 9th)...
I felt rather sad for leaving so soon (and sorry for having to leave so early!), but also rather excited... it only took us 12 and 1/2 hours to get to Norman... a mere hop, skip and a jump. No, really... it wasn't bad at all. Mississippi turned out not to be terribly bad after all... unless you don't like Taco Bell (I'm not their biggest fan, myself though). And Alabama had an interesting turnoff... that was a darned good thing we didn't miss. Arkansas had too many semis that were passing each other... and Oklahoma had bits of interstate down to one lane... but we made it just fine and saw lots of cows.
Now after talking to someone for over a year (and becoming best of friends) and never meeting... meeting Mike face to face was very nice, indeed. And good old Charlie lived up to his friendly reputation... and then some! :) We simply visited for a little while and then took Charlie on his walk, which hilariously turned out to be more of a run, with lots of breaks. LOL
Mon. Aug. 10:
The next morning Mike picked us up at the hotel (what service!), and we had a lovely breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, and then made off to the Zoo! Although it was rather hot (in the 90's) we saw almost everything and I especially enjoyed the Native Oklahoma trail that included American bison, and a pair of flightless bald eagles (one had been shot (grrrrrrr) and the other hit by one of those semis... probably while they were changing lanes) and the mini aquarium with the seals. After cooling off in the lobby after retrieving my bag... (sigh) we took off for "linner" at The Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown. After some great food and accompanying conversation, we went back to let the dog out for a minute and watched a favorite episode... "The First Mrs. Bloom". Now before we had come, poor Audrey had passed away. So after a brief phone call, we located a lady piggy in Midwest City and went to pick her up. "Penny" came home with us while we got shakes and MEAT for dinner. Back at the house, a lighting storm was coming so we took Charlie for his "walk" sooner than later. My goodness, it lit up the whole sky! The evening slipped away with copying discs and dog lickings and conversations.
Tue. Aug. 11:
We totally missed the hotel breakfast from sleeping in too late, so we all took off to Panera Bread. The rain and thunder finally caught up to Norman while we were eating, and the place lost power. It really didn't matter though, because our plans took us back to OKC, and back to Bricktown even. We took the "water taxi" on the canal that was built there in 1998. A pleasant affair with all the mallards and statues. And on the way back to the car, I confessed to having left my fishy hat in the restaurant the previous day, so I was able to get that back without too much embarrassment :) For fun, we stopped by the Softball Hall of Fame next, and then had a quick lunch at a nearby mall, before continuing on to the Botanical Gardens. This place was full of tropical plants and tiny lizards and had its very own waterfall! There was a duck pond below the gardens, edged by concrete. We saw lots of ducks and turtles and fishes, but the cutest and saddest thing was that poor, little duckling that couldn't quite jump out of the pond after its mother. Mom would jump back in, and then jump back out, but poor Jr. couldn't quite make it, but tried again and again... and again. Back at the house (with all my belongings), we watched "Sight Unseen", then went to a fabulous local Italian place for dinner, then returned to get the dog. We took a tour of the Law Building (which is very impressive), saw the office and the library down the hall and then finally let the dog go on a real walk. Although getting kinda late, we watched "The Court Jester" back at the house. Really, everything went by all too quickly. Gosh, it was sad to leave.
Wed. Aug. 12:
In the morning, Meg and I took off around 8. Although in time for breakfast, I really didn't feel like eating. I took a biscuit along and ended up eating it by the time we got to Tulsa. The Oklahoma Aquarium was easy to find, and it, like the zoo in OKC, had a native Oklahoman exhibit of freshwater fishes, along with the aquarium regulars. We really liked the large-mouth bass that was two feet long... he was big! And they had a beaver in the river exhibit... and he came out of his "dam" while we went by! Couldn't spend too much time, however, so we took off after an hour and a half visit. I was finally hungry after a while, and it happened to be around Vinita, OK. We didn't eat our burgers there, but we sure did like the view! Had to eat and drive as we were cutting it really close in trying to see anything at Fort Leonard Wood, in the middle of Missouri. We ended up making it in time to see the Engineer's museum in a quarter of an hour before closing. Whew! After that, we had no schedule, so we leisurely drove around the fort, saw various construction vehicles, and left. My brother couldn't meet us, but we did talk to him on the phone. He's in the middle of his training there. Stopped at Shoney's on the way, but other than that it was clear sailing into the St. Louis area. We were able to meet Meg's friend for a bit of dinner at a Mexican place near the hotel, but that's all we saw of her.
Yesterday (Aug. 13th), Meg and I had lots of plans, but were only able to fit in Daniel Boone's Home (a bit west of St. Louis) and the Gateway Arch in downtown. This was because it took so very long to get up into the Arch. The north tram had a cable that had a couple of tiny frayed cords in it, so they closed it down. That meant that the south car had to accommodate everyone! While waiting, we were able to relax, read, visit the very strange museum they have there (below the arch) and the two gift stores. It was all as cool as I remembered it being in 1998, when my grandparents and I stopped by on our way from Minnesota to Springfield, MO. We got a little lost on our way back to the hotel, due to construction, but we made it alive. :) My goodness, and Daniel Boone's home (that morning) was very cool! They showed a short film about him, and then a tour guide took us over the house. The beams and floors were original, and a person could see the axe marks on all the beams. VERY impressive (and neat as well). That night we relaxed in the hotel and played Phase 10. I enjoyed my leftovers from Tuesday night as Meg had something from Steak n' Shake (she had finished hers the previous morning). I started the last post before taking a shower and falling asleep. Oh, dear... it's pretty much over.
This morning (wow, we're finally on today!), we had to turn in the rental car. And Meg's friend wasn't kidding when she said St. Louis had a terrible metro system. We'd be cutting it close to getting back to the airport on time even to go only a couple miles. So, we decided to stay in the airport... we played cards, watched TV shows, and gosh! I finished all this posting! We are missing out on seeing the Clydesdales at the Budweiser Brewery and the Spirit of St. Louis at the museum in the park, but that's not too bad, I guess. Better to actually relax and be sure of getting on the plane. And thank goodness for the outlets we found! heh!
You are now up to date, as of 4:15 pm, Central Time. Our plane takes off in two hours.
Jp
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Colossal, Super-Fabulous Trip, Part 1
This post is extremely late, in the tradition of last August, when I was too busy to do so. I don't know how long this will be, but whatever the case, I hope you can keep reading... as long as my fingers can keep typing...
My sister and I have traversed eight states this August, and will be landing briefly in a ninth before getting back home to the tenth. NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, AR, OK, MO, (UT), WA
North Carolina:
On the morning of the 30th, I never heard my alarm. Got to work an hour and a half late, worked through lunch, and stayed a bit later to make it up... never did get to eat... got home at 6. Oh, yeah! Time to start packing! So I packed in an hour, had a brief dinner of leftovers to clean out the fridge, mailed my visa bill, watered the plants, and finally left at 10 minutes past eight with my Aunt and our dog, who she was going to take care of. Spiffy was a little surprised when we didn't get back in the car at the airport, but we heard he did fine.
Didn't get much of a rest on the flight; we tried all sorts of ways to try and get comfortable, but all we got was extremely intermittent sleep. We arrived in Atlanta on Friday the 31st, but it still felt like Thursday to us... had an hour layover or so, and had a little airport food. After a delay (we had to de-board our plane and, after a wait, board a different one - because they needed to "replace a panel" on the first one). So we ended up getting there a couple hours later than expected - all I can say is thank goodness for cell phones.
We dropped our stuff off at the Grandparent's house (they came to pick us up), had a snack, then went to our Aunt Vicki & Uncle Chunk's place about 15 minutes away. This was where we spent most of the visit, since there were so many people. After all the greetings, and a little visiting, and some lunch, two of our aunts and Meg and I went and picked blueberries off their bushes. We ended up with a couple gallons and had become quite sticky in the heat. So after putting them away, we all went for a swim in their pond (it's about 100 yds. across). Gosh, that was refreshing! And then dinner was pizza and salad with blueberry cobbler for dessert. I took various naps during the day, but after dinner I succumbed again on the porch swing overlooking the pond. The sun was golden, going down behind the ridge of trees beyond their property. It made the trees brilliantly green as they were sharply reflected in the motionless water. My parents dropped us at the grandparents house as the grandparents had Cousin Bob and his wife and kid in their car. They had arrived just a few hours after we did. We went right to sleep after a game of Phase 10.
Sat. Aug. 1:
Woke up at 9:20 with a call from Grandma... we both were dead to the world, but the family had come and it was nearing time to go to the Aunt & Uncle's place again. Had a muffin, took a shower and we were off. This day was nice and relaxing. Sat on the porch and visited for a while, went exploring in the woods a little, had sandwiches and leftover pizza for lunch, met and talked with my Aunt Beth and Uncle Kerry's friends that had come by from Virginia for a short time, took a nap, watched my niece and nephew fish on the dock, took some more pictures of deer and a heron, read in Animal Farm, visited some more, went and shucked the corn with Meg, had dinner down on the lawn (hot dogs, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob) and s'mores for dessert. Afterwords, Bob and Meg were fishing, so I joined them. She caught three bluegill; one big (10 in.), one regular (6 in.), and one tiny (two inches with purply scales!). I only had a bite on my lure once. It rained for a bit while we were out there - rain is always fun on a lake - especially if you're on a covered dock. After the rain there were lots of cute little bats and fireflies flitting around in the dark blue sky. Back at the grandparents, Meg and I played Phase 10 again and then watched 'The Mouse That Roared' on my laptop in our room downstairs. Oh, gosh! So funny!
Sun. Aug 2:
Woke up again from above... this time I was on the mat and Meg had the bed. Cereal and blueberries for breakfast, and the family (mom, dad, sister, niece & nephew) came over and we all packed up and went back to Chunk and Vicki's. I think we sat and visited for a while, but soon it was time to put lunch out... I was starved for some reason. We had to get it going though, because half of us had to leave at 1pm for the play we were seeing... Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Flatrock Playhouse. Although the storyline is ridiculous, I loved it. The actors had incredible voices (the lead actress was in 'Curtains' on Broadway) and they danced up a storm on stage. It was around 4pm when we got back to the house. Preparation was underway for dinner, but there were too many hands; so Meg and I went out to pick blueberries and got another gallon and a half. It was simply wonderful... under the blueberry tree, reaching up for the ones hiding underneath, the afternoon sun spilling onto me through the leaves, the doves and the crickets sounding in the background with otherwise peaceful quiet around us. Simply marvelous! Dinner was so good too! Tender pork chops, spicy wild rice, stuffed sole and veggies! Wow! And then there was strawberry shortcake! Whoa! Afterwords I read a little and took a few pictures of the deer that had returned and the near-to-full moon that was out. And then to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday this day, Chunk, Vicki and I set off fireworks down by the pond. It was so fun! The stars were out with a very clear sky as we drove back. Went right to bed.
Mon. Aug. 3:
A break in the routine... Aunt Beth came over and picked Jess, James, Meg and I up in order to go visit the Biltmore Estate just east of Asheville. I had been here once before, in 2004, on my first visit to NC. It was very nice going back... they had a few new rooms that had been restored and we took a long walk through the gardens and the conservatory and around the Bass Pond. It was rather hot out though... good thing most of the gardens were in the shade. I had sufficiently cooled off with the car's AC when we got back to my Aunt & Uncle's at 4:00. Before dinner, I took some pictures of the baby, played a tournament of Backgammon with dad (gee, I won seven times in a row...). The main course was steak and it was really good! After dinner and dessert, I finished reading Animal Farm while watching the group of five deer feeding down by the pond. Uncle Chunk puts something out for them.
Tue. Aug. 4:
Today the family was going to go on a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but as Meg and I have done it many times, we opted to hang out at our Aunt & Uncle's and read and relax. I downloaded pictures and wrote a few notes for posting before the Grandparents came with Cousin Bob and family. Bob and I did a bit of fishing off the dock together; we talked and I caught a couple bluegill. We had a very quiet lunch (with much fewer people - Bob and family had just left) and I stayed on the porch afterwords to read. While engrossed about the events that led to Bismark taking power in Germany, the cloudy (and barely raining) sky let loose with a huge lightning bolt on the ridge across from the house. Suddenly pelting rain swept across the pond (I could see it come) and a torrential downpour began. I just stared for a while, but then the wind started up and the porch was soon to be enveloped by what my Grandpa calls "crooked rain", or rain coming in at an angle... so I dashed inside. While we were still watching out the window, the family returned from the Blue Ridge and we watched a bit of a family movie from when mom was a kid. By then it was time for leftovers for dinner, and my sister's kids were ready for bed so they packed up and went back to their hotel. While cleaning up dinner, we saw 9 deer out the window... with a couple of baby fauns, still with spots! How adorable! They were all so little. It started to pour again, so the Grandparents took Meg and I back to their house. Downstairs we played Phase 10 again, and watched a rather entertaining episode of Mission:Impossible.
Wed. Aug. 5:
Aunt Vicki came by at 9:30 and picked Meg and I up in the morning to go to Tractor Supply. Meg had something to get for one of our friends saddles, and it's pretty fun to look around in as well. Everyone else was going shopping at the fabric store so we just went back to her house with her. I read more German history, picked blueberries with Meg and Vicki, and then we ate a leftovers lunch, and Aunt Vicki taught Meg and I how to play Cribbage while the just returned family ate as well. The three of us had to start early because we were heading off to a Jazzercise class that evening. Vicki teaches, and in fact, it was visiting here last March that made me join a group near me. Right after freshening up a bit, we headed off to meet my parents and grandparents at 'Papas and Beer', our favorite Mexican restaurant. I had that camerones (shrimp) and veggies dish that Grandpa usually has, and it was fabulous! When we got back home, Meg consented to play ping pong with me for one round and then we did the usual Phase 10. We went upstairs though, watched a bunch of the Cubs game with Grandpa, checked a little email and then "went to bed" by watching another Mission:Impossible episode. Heh.
Thurs. Aug. 6:
A day of goodbyes. We stayed at the grandparent's house today. Woke up early and didn't really feel like going back to sleep. Got a bit of laundry going... mostly shirts and socks. Grandpa fixed pancakes for breakfast and we had a lovely time talking with just them for a long while. The family came over for the afternoon... they were leaving that afternoon. I read some more in that history book on the deck (warm sun, with a breeze... exactly perfect - and quiet!). I then challenged dad to a tournament of ping-pong, and I got away with 2 out of 3 games. After a little lunch and more reading, Chunk and Vicki came over to say goodbye and left, the family left, and Vicki came back to pick us up for another Jazzercise session... hard on the thighs... :) When dropping us back, Vicki visited with the grandparents and us girls for a while longer, and we really had a nice conversation. It was then time to put things in bags and take a shower and get ready to leave in the morning...
Jp
My sister and I have traversed eight states this August, and will be landing briefly in a ninth before getting back home to the tenth. NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, AR, OK, MO, (UT), WA
North Carolina:
On the morning of the 30th, I never heard my alarm. Got to work an hour and a half late, worked through lunch, and stayed a bit later to make it up... never did get to eat... got home at 6. Oh, yeah! Time to start packing! So I packed in an hour, had a brief dinner of leftovers to clean out the fridge, mailed my visa bill, watered the plants, and finally left at 10 minutes past eight with my Aunt and our dog, who she was going to take care of. Spiffy was a little surprised when we didn't get back in the car at the airport, but we heard he did fine.
Didn't get much of a rest on the flight; we tried all sorts of ways to try and get comfortable, but all we got was extremely intermittent sleep. We arrived in Atlanta on Friday the 31st, but it still felt like Thursday to us... had an hour layover or so, and had a little airport food. After a delay (we had to de-board our plane and, after a wait, board a different one - because they needed to "replace a panel" on the first one). So we ended up getting there a couple hours later than expected - all I can say is thank goodness for cell phones.
We dropped our stuff off at the Grandparent's house (they came to pick us up), had a snack, then went to our Aunt Vicki & Uncle Chunk's place about 15 minutes away. This was where we spent most of the visit, since there were so many people. After all the greetings, and a little visiting, and some lunch, two of our aunts and Meg and I went and picked blueberries off their bushes. We ended up with a couple gallons and had become quite sticky in the heat. So after putting them away, we all went for a swim in their pond (it's about 100 yds. across). Gosh, that was refreshing! And then dinner was pizza and salad with blueberry cobbler for dessert. I took various naps during the day, but after dinner I succumbed again on the porch swing overlooking the pond. The sun was golden, going down behind the ridge of trees beyond their property. It made the trees brilliantly green as they were sharply reflected in the motionless water. My parents dropped us at the grandparents house as the grandparents had Cousin Bob and his wife and kid in their car. They had arrived just a few hours after we did. We went right to sleep after a game of Phase 10.
Sat. Aug. 1:
Woke up at 9:20 with a call from Grandma... we both were dead to the world, but the family had come and it was nearing time to go to the Aunt & Uncle's place again. Had a muffin, took a shower and we were off. This day was nice and relaxing. Sat on the porch and visited for a while, went exploring in the woods a little, had sandwiches and leftover pizza for lunch, met and talked with my Aunt Beth and Uncle Kerry's friends that had come by from Virginia for a short time, took a nap, watched my niece and nephew fish on the dock, took some more pictures of deer and a heron, read in Animal Farm, visited some more, went and shucked the corn with Meg, had dinner down on the lawn (hot dogs, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob) and s'mores for dessert. Afterwords, Bob and Meg were fishing, so I joined them. She caught three bluegill; one big (10 in.), one regular (6 in.), and one tiny (two inches with purply scales!). I only had a bite on my lure once. It rained for a bit while we were out there - rain is always fun on a lake - especially if you're on a covered dock. After the rain there were lots of cute little bats and fireflies flitting around in the dark blue sky. Back at the grandparents, Meg and I played Phase 10 again and then watched 'The Mouse That Roared' on my laptop in our room downstairs. Oh, gosh! So funny!
Sun. Aug 2:
Woke up again from above... this time I was on the mat and Meg had the bed. Cereal and blueberries for breakfast, and the family (mom, dad, sister, niece & nephew) came over and we all packed up and went back to Chunk and Vicki's. I think we sat and visited for a while, but soon it was time to put lunch out... I was starved for some reason. We had to get it going though, because half of us had to leave at 1pm for the play we were seeing... Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Flatrock Playhouse. Although the storyline is ridiculous, I loved it. The actors had incredible voices (the lead actress was in 'Curtains' on Broadway) and they danced up a storm on stage. It was around 4pm when we got back to the house. Preparation was underway for dinner, but there were too many hands; so Meg and I went out to pick blueberries and got another gallon and a half. It was simply wonderful... under the blueberry tree, reaching up for the ones hiding underneath, the afternoon sun spilling onto me through the leaves, the doves and the crickets sounding in the background with otherwise peaceful quiet around us. Simply marvelous! Dinner was so good too! Tender pork chops, spicy wild rice, stuffed sole and veggies! Wow! And then there was strawberry shortcake! Whoa! Afterwords I read a little and took a few pictures of the deer that had returned and the near-to-full moon that was out. And then to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday this day, Chunk, Vicki and I set off fireworks down by the pond. It was so fun! The stars were out with a very clear sky as we drove back. Went right to bed.
Mon. Aug. 3:
A break in the routine... Aunt Beth came over and picked Jess, James, Meg and I up in order to go visit the Biltmore Estate just east of Asheville. I had been here once before, in 2004, on my first visit to NC. It was very nice going back... they had a few new rooms that had been restored and we took a long walk through the gardens and the conservatory and around the Bass Pond. It was rather hot out though... good thing most of the gardens were in the shade. I had sufficiently cooled off with the car's AC when we got back to my Aunt & Uncle's at 4:00. Before dinner, I took some pictures of the baby, played a tournament of Backgammon with dad (gee, I won seven times in a row...). The main course was steak and it was really good! After dinner and dessert, I finished reading Animal Farm while watching the group of five deer feeding down by the pond. Uncle Chunk puts something out for them.
Tue. Aug. 4:
Today the family was going to go on a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but as Meg and I have done it many times, we opted to hang out at our Aunt & Uncle's and read and relax. I downloaded pictures and wrote a few notes for posting before the Grandparents came with Cousin Bob and family. Bob and I did a bit of fishing off the dock together; we talked and I caught a couple bluegill. We had a very quiet lunch (with much fewer people - Bob and family had just left) and I stayed on the porch afterwords to read. While engrossed about the events that led to Bismark taking power in Germany, the cloudy (and barely raining) sky let loose with a huge lightning bolt on the ridge across from the house. Suddenly pelting rain swept across the pond (I could see it come) and a torrential downpour began. I just stared for a while, but then the wind started up and the porch was soon to be enveloped by what my Grandpa calls "crooked rain", or rain coming in at an angle... so I dashed inside. While we were still watching out the window, the family returned from the Blue Ridge and we watched a bit of a family movie from when mom was a kid. By then it was time for leftovers for dinner, and my sister's kids were ready for bed so they packed up and went back to their hotel. While cleaning up dinner, we saw 9 deer out the window... with a couple of baby fauns, still with spots! How adorable! They were all so little. It started to pour again, so the Grandparents took Meg and I back to their house. Downstairs we played Phase 10 again, and watched a rather entertaining episode of Mission:Impossible.
Wed. Aug. 5:
Aunt Vicki came by at 9:30 and picked Meg and I up in the morning to go to Tractor Supply. Meg had something to get for one of our friends saddles, and it's pretty fun to look around in as well. Everyone else was going shopping at the fabric store so we just went back to her house with her. I read more German history, picked blueberries with Meg and Vicki, and then we ate a leftovers lunch, and Aunt Vicki taught Meg and I how to play Cribbage while the just returned family ate as well. The three of us had to start early because we were heading off to a Jazzercise class that evening. Vicki teaches, and in fact, it was visiting here last March that made me join a group near me. Right after freshening up a bit, we headed off to meet my parents and grandparents at 'Papas and Beer', our favorite Mexican restaurant. I had that camerones (shrimp) and veggies dish that Grandpa usually has, and it was fabulous! When we got back home, Meg consented to play ping pong with me for one round and then we did the usual Phase 10. We went upstairs though, watched a bunch of the Cubs game with Grandpa, checked a little email and then "went to bed" by watching another Mission:Impossible episode. Heh.
Thurs. Aug. 6:
A day of goodbyes. We stayed at the grandparent's house today. Woke up early and didn't really feel like going back to sleep. Got a bit of laundry going... mostly shirts and socks. Grandpa fixed pancakes for breakfast and we had a lovely time talking with just them for a long while. The family came over for the afternoon... they were leaving that afternoon. I read some more in that history book on the deck (warm sun, with a breeze... exactly perfect - and quiet!). I then challenged dad to a tournament of ping-pong, and I got away with 2 out of 3 games. After a little lunch and more reading, Chunk and Vicki came over to say goodbye and left, the family left, and Vicki came back to pick us up for another Jazzercise session... hard on the thighs... :) When dropping us back, Vicki visited with the grandparents and us girls for a while longer, and we really had a nice conversation. It was then time to put things in bags and take a shower and get ready to leave in the morning...
Jp
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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