Home Again

It’s been almost a week since I returned home from vacation and over a month since my last blog post. Guess it’s time to update. First the bad news: Unfortunately, I never got to wear my pretty green and black ball gown. My escort to the fundraiser ball cancelled a couple of days before the event. Thankfully I was still in Memphis so I did not needlessly lug my gown to Boston and I was able to make the trip without having to check my luggage—the gown was to be my carry on. I was quite bummed by this turn of events and am flabbergasted that to this day he does not see the gravity of the issue and thinks that I am overreacting. (In my defense, this was at least the fourth time he has cancelled on short notice with no real plans to make it up to me. Excuses and apologies abound, but nothing comes of it. Sorry if I find it necessary to be near the top of the priority list. Oh wait. No I’m not.) With the exception of the pre-vacation let down, the trip itself was fun. I got in late Thursday night. On Friday, I went to Pickety Place with mom and my SIL.

On Friday evening my parents and I went out to eat at Bangkok Hill, one of our favorite Thai restaurants, and were welcomed with open arms by the lovely owner, Mae. If you are ever in the area, you must go. I highly recommend the Drunken Noodles with Tofu.

On Sabbath we went to SMC for church and then a potluck hosted by a couple in my parents’ Sabbath School class. Since I was no longer going to the MFA black tie event there was no need to rush back home, so we took our time fellowshipping with friends and eating some great food (and yes, I did end up falling asleep in their library and taking a little nap). Dad took off on his motorcycle later that night to head to Maine and I met him up there on Sunday. It rained most of the trip, but it allowed us time to visit my cousins’ families and my aunt & uncle who live near the camp. And since it was good reading-by-the-fire weather, I got halfway through Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged; just don’t ask when I will finish it. It finally stopped raining on Tuesday, so we were able to get in at least one canoe ride.

I also got to take a spin in my uncle’s homemade sidecar rig. He drove me out to the main drag and then I drove him down to the restaurant we were going to for a late breakfast. I must say that Uncle Frank is a brave man. Dad drove back to MA Tuesday night and gave me a night alone at camp. It is so peaceful up there. I wish it was closer. Nothing beats falling asleep by the fire and waking up to the view of the pond out the front windows. I took my time driving back Wednesday and drove Mom to work on Thursday so I could see her new office and meet her friends there. Friday was a wonderfully lazy day capped off by going to SNEC’s camp meeting to hear Barry Black (you may remember that I read his autobiography in 2006). He is one of the most well spoken and charismatic speakers I’ve ever heard. His three talks were full of substance; no feel good fluff here. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak, go. I even suggest getting the tapes of his sermons from camp meeting. Even though I was disappointed not to get Red Sox tickets this trip, it allowed me the opportunity to go through the NAD Women’s Ministry Leadership Training, Level 1 on Sunday. Considering that my pastor’s wife didn’t even know that this program existed, I consider myself lucky to have been able to attend. Later that evening we headed back to the campgrounds for a concert put on by Steve Green. The highlight was the two songs he did with the K-6th graders from Browning. The fact that my oldest nephew was on stage with him doesn’t make me biased does it?

The next day I flew home. It was a long day of delayed flights, barely made connections, and lost luggage (my larger carry on wouldn’t fit on the first plane, so it got checked and missed the connection). I was just grateful to be able to sleep at home with my girls instead of getting stuck in Atlanta. Vacation is always a good thing, but it’s nice to be home.