Snow and ice is nothing now! Another summer must begin!
I haven't made an update in a while because Sara and I traveled back to Louisiana for the Memorial Day weekend. We made the trip in Muse Watson, and he made really good time, although we did get pulled over in the forest (not for speeding). There wasn't even a shoulder, so we had to pull over on the dirt, and I banged my leg on a tree branch and still have a killer bruise from it.
Home is a complicated concept, isn't it? I always found it odd that there's no real equivalent for it in French. The closest they have is maison, "house." While getting ready for the trip, I kept referring to my hometown as "home," just out of habit. When we go home, before we go home, etc. Eventually, I started trying to catch myself and correct it. I do enjoy visiting my hometown, but it isn't my home anymore, and I hope to God that it never will be again. One of my fears is that circumstances will somehow require me to move back there. They'd have to drag me back kicking and screaming!
Anyway, it was a very fun trip. The temple was happened to be having a Shabbat dinner after services on Friday, so a lot of people were there. I ate and ate and talked and talked with a lot of old friends. The temple there is so much smaller than the one here, and it made the service feel more personal and intimate. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, because they're both meaningful, in different ways. I was also able to bike there on Mom's bike! At first, I was so excited to be biking on flat, level ground again -- but then after a few blocks, I remembered how humid Louisiana is! Ugh!
Old and young temple members enjoying the dinner
A few other blurbs (and crappy iPhone photos) of the trip...
~ We were there for Adam's birthday (or close enough to it, anyway). I didn't get him a present, but I did enjoy eating his cake. He doodled a few different landscapes and get the cake-decorators pick one.
Adam's birthday cake
~ We had a good visit with CJ & Company. I hauled my crochet bag along, and Aunt Connie and Eva both acted very impressed with my plarn projects. Their poor sweet dog Eleanor is ill. She sat on the couch with labored breathing the whole time we were there. I hope she responds to the medication, because she's still a middle-aged dog, and boy, do I know how hard it is to lose a pet.
~ I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past with Adam and Sara. I drove us there and made sure we got to the theater early because I'd been looking forward to this movie soooo much, and I was terrified it would be sold-out. (It's the #1 anticipated movie of the summer.) The movie wasn't as good as First Class, but I still really enjoyed it. I came home and made a list of potential fanfiction plots. And on the car ride to the theater, this conversation made me lol...
Sara: I found this clip on YouTube, of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart playing the newlywed game.
Adam: [horrified] The newlywed game?!
Sara: Yeah, it's this thing where they take two people and ask them questions, to see how well they know each other.
Adam: [relieved] Oh.
(It made me flashback to this conversation with Grandma.)
~ I went into my old store (kinda had to steel my nerves for that) and talked to Josh and Sally.
~ I visited Aunt Carla, and together, we actually completed all the word jumbles and Soduko puzzles in the Sunday paper! They were both at level-5 difficulty, so this was a big deal for me. I never could've done it on my own.
Aunt Carla's finger pointing to our completed puzzle
The only bump in the trip was that I didn't bring along a fresh inhaler. I didn't realize until right before we left that I didn't have any refills left. I don't have anyone to blame but myself, because I've been caught without albuterol way too many times before, but my last night in Louisiana was really rough. The air in Mom's house is very heavy and dusty, and I barely slept at all and had to get up early to drive back the next morning! Ugh!
You can bet that I slept hard last night. Mayim even slept with me, which she almost never does. Now, I'm back to my 9-to-5 life -- but I don't mind so much. :)
Home is a complicated concept, isn't it? I always found it odd that there's no real equivalent for it in French. The closest they have is maison, "house." While getting ready for the trip, I kept referring to my hometown as "home," just out of habit. When we go home, before we go home, etc. Eventually, I started trying to catch myself and correct it. I do enjoy visiting my hometown, but it isn't my home anymore, and I hope to God that it never will be again. One of my fears is that circumstances will somehow require me to move back there. They'd have to drag me back kicking and screaming!
Anyway, it was a very fun trip. The temple was happened to be having a Shabbat dinner after services on Friday, so a lot of people were there. I ate and ate and talked and talked with a lot of old friends. The temple there is so much smaller than the one here, and it made the service feel more personal and intimate. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, because they're both meaningful, in different ways. I was also able to bike there on Mom's bike! At first, I was so excited to be biking on flat, level ground again -- but then after a few blocks, I remembered how humid Louisiana is! Ugh!
Old and young temple members enjoying the dinner
A few other blurbs (and crappy iPhone photos) of the trip...
~ We were there for Adam's birthday (or close enough to it, anyway). I didn't get him a present, but I did enjoy eating his cake. He doodled a few different landscapes and get the cake-decorators pick one.
Adam's birthday cake
~ We had a good visit with CJ & Company. I hauled my crochet bag along, and Aunt Connie and Eva both acted very impressed with my plarn projects. Their poor sweet dog Eleanor is ill. She sat on the couch with labored breathing the whole time we were there. I hope she responds to the medication, because she's still a middle-aged dog, and boy, do I know how hard it is to lose a pet.
~ I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past with Adam and Sara. I drove us there and made sure we got to the theater early because I'd been looking forward to this movie soooo much, and I was terrified it would be sold-out. (It's the #1 anticipated movie of the summer.) The movie wasn't as good as First Class, but I still really enjoyed it. I came home and made a list of potential fanfiction plots. And on the car ride to the theater, this conversation made me lol...
Sara: I found this clip on YouTube, of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart playing the newlywed game.
Adam: [horrified] The newlywed game?!
Sara: Yeah, it's this thing where they take two people and ask them questions, to see how well they know each other.
Adam: [relieved] Oh.
(It made me flashback to this conversation with Grandma.)
~ I went into my old store (kinda had to steel my nerves for that) and talked to Josh and Sally.
~ I visited Aunt Carla, and together, we actually completed all the word jumbles and Soduko puzzles in the Sunday paper! They were both at level-5 difficulty, so this was a big deal for me. I never could've done it on my own.
Aunt Carla's finger pointing to our completed puzzle
The only bump in the trip was that I didn't bring along a fresh inhaler. I didn't realize until right before we left that I didn't have any refills left. I don't have anyone to blame but myself, because I've been caught without albuterol way too many times before, but my last night in Louisiana was really rough. The air in Mom's house is very heavy and dusty, and I barely slept at all and had to get up early to drive back the next morning! Ugh!
You can bet that I slept hard last night. Mayim even slept with me, which she almost never does. Now, I'm back to my 9-to-5 life -- but I don't mind so much. :)