I officially got my phone call informing me that I am one of the select few invited to work as a seasonal at the Indianapolis Zoo this summer. Even though I already knew it was coming, I still danced around the kitchen with joy! I am one very happy kitten.
But on to, hopefully, less redundant and more interesting topics.
Virginia
Probably the BEST part about Virginia was how well all of us got along. I only knew Laura and her boyfriend Phil beforehand, plus taking a class with Nate Wheeler (Wheels) so the other four members of the Virginia Company were mostly strangers. Wheels brought along Nate Luers (Boo), and from Berg we had Ian, Brian and Molly.
The car ride up was filled with lots of off-key singing, a few videos that I need to destroy because of their potential to be used as blackmail, driving past a drug raid, beautiful scenery and various awkward angles. If you've seen the tiny-ness of my car and tall-ness of the two Nates, you'll understand that last bit even better.
We arrived in VA a mere ten and a half hours after we set out and promptly collapsed in our sweet domicile. We're talking two floors of awesomeness complete with several TVs, a giant jacuzzi tub, a tripped out kitchen, three balconies and a killer view of the mountains. The club nearby had an indoor heated swimming pool and a hot tub that we utilized many a night. Plus there was minimal internet connection which was a plus for me! The girls comandeered the upper floors and the boys managed to keep their area relatively liveable.
And the next day we began our adventures!
The week consisted equally of lounging and setting out to explore the terrain. I was perfectly content with hot-tubbing, swimming, watching movies and playing board games but I have to admit that the mini-trips we did were fantastic, even when (especially when!) they were accidental! We hit Charlottesville with my sadistic GPS, plus much of Shenandoah Valley, including a battlefield. We perused half a dozen antique shops (where I bought an ancient copy of 'Much Ado About Nothing' that had Stephen squealing), and some of those kitschy places so clearly marketed to tourists. A lot of the time we enjoyed just acting like children and playing games like frisbee, stomp and hide and seek tag, and snapping candid shots.
Our meals were made and cleaned up after in a very casual rotation. Everyone pitched in, and there were never any falling outs, just a lot of good natured fun. By virtue of relationship, Phil and Laura were dubbed parents to the rest of us motley crew which made for some very funny conversations.
Some great memories of Virgina:
-Falling asleep behind the television while playing hide and seek tag.
-Chatting and relaxing with the girls in our sweet jacuzzi tub.
-Nightly movies/board games.
-Having Subway three meals in a row. Yum.
-Burning things with Boo. *contented sigh*
-Mini Road Trips!
-Having all our meals together at one table. :-)
-Couch wars, water wars and pillow wars.
-Finishing my books, and getting a lot of writing done.
-All car rides with Wheels, Molly and Boo.
Pennsylvania
On Saturday we got up at the crack of dawn (vaction time) and left our humble abode for Washington D.C. I, however, spent only a traffic filled half and hour there. I can't say I'm sorry. I really dislike big cities.
Anyway. While the two cars were en route to D.C., Phil informed us all that he and Laura would be dropping us off so the two of them could go visit Phil's sick grandmother in Carlisle, PA. They would then come back later that night and pick us all up so we could continue our trip back to Taylor through the night. Out of curiousity I asked ChaCha (oh, modern conveniences) how far Carlisle was from where Stephen lives in Mechanicsburg and was informed that it was 10.784 miles away. So I promptly texted him and told him what was up. Phil generously agreed to let me tag along and he met Stephen halfway between Carlisle and Mechanicsburg for a hostage exchange. ;-)
And I am SO glad it happened. It was great to not only spend more than a week with Laura, Molly and the guys but to top it off with a visit to my guy. The town he lives in is adorable and I got to see some of it when we walked around. It's older homes reminiscent of a more neighborly time.
We spent the evening with his mom at his sister's color guard competition, which was insanely cool, and watching random 90's cartoons. The next day Stephen packed up and we hit the road with his roomate, John, and their friend, Rachel, for the nine hour drive back to Taylor.
Upon arrival at eleven, of course, I had to drive a further one and a half hours to my own home where I collapsed into bed wrapped in Stephen's fuzzy gray sweatshirt.
And I'm so tired I don't really remember what I did yesterday or today, except I started re-reading Jurassic Park, I made a few necessary calls and I played with the pups. Tomorrow is probably going to be an Auggie day.
Plus I still need to unpack, do laundry and wash my sheets (I have a sneaking suspicion that someone was in my bed eating M&M's...).
But now, loves, it is time for me to rustle up something to eat for dinner. With any luck there will be some yummy pasta or soup that I can throw together!
'Quel
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