Moot Thoughts & Musings

So I had two main motivations for this recent trip to Chatty. One: to drive my great-aunt and uncle to my second cousin's (their grandson) wedding and to attend said wedding. Two: to visit my friend Alison who lives in France, but is in the U.S. for the summer. And then there's the just the general happy things all around.

For one, I got to stay with recently removed from my every day life bud Jonesey and totally enjoyed getting to see her again (and Ellis likewise with his best bud Josh--note: they are holding cars. it is a shared obsession). What the boys did not know is that their moms stayed up late reciting lines from the movie Cars.

Friday--We arrived in Chatty. Ellis and I went to rehearsal dinner, a cookout at cousin's cabin in Cloudland Canyon. Totally awesome locale.
Saturday--Wedding at Rock Creek located in the Middle of Nowhere on Lookout Mountain. E and I enjoyed several views of the hang gliders as we passed by hang gliding bluff many, many times over those two days.

Sunday--church and Sunday with friends

Monday--playdate with peeps at St. Elmo Park

It was way fun to see old friends. To meet friends' kids! To get reacquainted with people I've gotten to know better through blogs. Alison and her 2 boys came. Steve and Nicky and their two boys came. Alli came with Fuller. Katie with Josiah and Eden. (It was fun to finally meet Eden, since Katie and I were pregnant for most of the same time.) Michelle with Caleb and Alice. Of course, Jonesey and crew.

I spent the afternoon with Alison. After all, she had come all the way from France and i had come all the way from Philadelphia. We often wish we could get our boys together for a playdate, and for an afternoon we got that wish. And it was the perfect summer afternoon. After a dreary looking morning and a soggy lunch, the sun came out for a bright, hot afternoon. We took the boys across the walking bridge to play in the Coolidge Park fountains, followed by fantastic Clumpies ice cream, and a carousel ride.

Alison and I managed to sneak in a couple quick soul-bearing conversations between naps and bedtime. I was so happy that we had come all the way to Chatty.

We left Tuesday morning, got back to Lancaster on Wednesday evening, and I came home on Thursday. It was a long trip. I wasn't feeling well with a bad sore throat for most of the time, but with the aid of Tylenol, really nice hosts who let me sleep in a bit, and sheer adrenalin I made it, and now that I'm home I'm feeling better. harumph, stupid hormones.

We had a lot of fun traveling with my great-aunt and uncle, too. Aunt Lee came prepared with a bag full of cars and books for Ellis, doled out strategically through the journey. I gotta say, though, Cracker Barrel has about zero appeal to me right now. I love hanging out with them. I love the family stories they tell, the love they have for others.