June 20, 2009
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Rain Again (but say it so it rhymes)
Happy Saturday! (Er, it IS Saturday, isn’t it?) Life has just been one big party of late. We stay up late and sleep in. I’m not sure how this schedule has helped Mr. UK adjust to the time zone, but he seems to be faring well.
Wait, you don’t know who Mr. UK is? He’s our friend from England, RH. Wit, Gockle, and I went to Washington, DC, to pick him up on Monday night. We then toured around DC for two days–mostly walking to outside buildings, but we did have fun in the Hirschhorn Museum of Modern Art guessing at what we would name the sculptures. And, of course, we went to Natural History (fun) and Air and Space (dull–I’m not a plane girl). And I had the best fries at a Ruby Tuesdays.
The drive home on Wednesday was…er, amusing? Wretched? Accompanied by a huge Diet Coke and much ice chewing? We left DC at 9:30 p.m. and headed out. I had printed directions, but I misunderstood what TGD said to me. (He was there filming the last week of lectures for his Teaching Company Algebra series.) So, we didn’t take the exit we should have. But, I soon realized that we were not in the right spot and turned around. Only too bad for me. There was no entrance for the direction of the highway we wanted. We could take 28 South, but not 28 north. So, I had to turn again. Then, we needed some other road, which I will call 267 (but it might be 629 or 643 for all I remember). Guess what? There was no entrance ramp for the direction I wanted to go! My choices? 267 East or Dulles Airport. I chose the airport. We had a good laugh as we circled the airport, drove through departures, and got back on the highway the way we wanted to go. Actually, there was a car in front of us (License ZZfan) who did the exact same thing. However, when we got on the highway, he turned the opposite direction and circled the airport again. We all started calling, “No, ZZfan! This is the way to the highway!”
But, adding 25% more time to a trip at 9:30 at night does not qualify for wretched. No, it rained the whole way home. Correction. It RAINED the whole way home! I saw lightning for three hours. I had my wipers on high for at least an hour and a half straight. I kept praising God, though. “Thank you that there is little traffic. Thank you that there’s no fog. Okay, thank you that the foggy bit is over now.”
At 1:30 a.m. with three teens sound asleep, I got pretty tired. So, I played mental games to keep me awake. “A, my name is Amy. My husband’s name is Adam. We live in Allentown, and we sell accordions.” (All the place names had to be towns in PA.) And then, I played another fun game where I pick a large family I know and have to go through and say the first and middle names of all the children. William Timothy, Christopher John….Sylvia Anne, Victoria Claire… That kept me alert until we hit the exit for HOME, and then I was perky.
The next day (after sleeping in a lot), we milled about and did this and that and went to see 17 Again at the $1 theater. I laughed like a fool. Oh, my. Perhaps seeing this movie from the perspective of a parent made it even funnier.
Friday (that was yesterday, right?), TGD and I went out to lunch and spent $$$ on food for our camping trip. We got home, unloaded, and I went to pick up Little Miss from her week at camp. I expected that she’d say, “Oh, no! Mom, go home!” But she came and gave me a hug. I think she was tired and ready to come home. When we got home, a kickball game was in full swing at the homework burning party. It was well-attended (um, 25?), and we enjoyed setting off the fireworks that Grammy Peep got for Hunter’s graduation.
The last folks left around midnight, except for those who were sleeping over (Mr. UK, EG, and my own kiddos). So, we sat up and played Guitar Hero for a long while. Much Nerf gun shooting also happened. (I shot my foot!)
So, it’s today. We are to go camping, maybe. No surprise, it’s RAINING again. It’s THUNDERSTORMing again. And, we aren’t packed. But, it’s all good. I’ve got five teenage boys in the house right now.
Comments (12)
Your mental games are a funny idea!
Hey, sweet! I was in your mental games! Did you end up remembering all of the middle names of our family? I’m glad you had such an awsome weekend. Thanks for telling us about it!
~Victoria
Hmmmmm, somehow this sounds familiar. BUT, added bonus, RAIN and teenage boys. You are amazing! Post pictures~
I love trips that are like that — afterwards, months afterwards, when we are sitting around laughing about the diaster that happened during this trip, or the unexpected delays on that trip – that’s when they are fun! ha ha ha ha.
Have fun camping!
You are brave to drive in DC. This country girl wouldn’t even think of it!
Laughing and praising with a few wrong turns, hummm, perhaps some of us (like me) need to let God lead us through a few wrong turns.
I think it sounds pretty sweet to have five teenage boys in the house, but it might be nice to get them all into the woods on a camping trip. I remember one when Quintus and Quartus were with us and it RAINED. We tried to see a local attraction since it was too cold and wet to be out, but the viewpoints were fogged in and when we got closer, it started to snow, so back to the campground. We bought some dry firewood from the campground host and the boys entertained themselves trying to make a campfire in the rain. It rained so much that the hollow they’d lined with a tarp under the tent filled with water and the entire tent floor became a “waterbed” with their air mattresses floating on it. We went home early and everything smelled smokey.
I hate driving at night, in the rain. You are a champ. Hope your camping is going well.
So did it rain at camping? Was it fun?!?!
Haha! Well, I’m glad I made you laugh.
Don’t feel bad about the card. I too have a letter to YOU that is (mostly) written but not yet sent. Epic fail at correspondence! However, I did have a dream that I came to visit you and we sat on your couch and talked by your fireplace. Then Nathan and Sadie came back from hunting (??) and we made them food. Weird.
Hope you had fun camping!
@ Laughsalot12 - I saw your Aunt B on Friday… in Johnstown… every time I see her, I think of you and Sadie and I am reminded of just how small the world really is!
Hi, are you back from camping? What’s the teenage boy headcount like over there these days?