Worlds Collide

Isn't it weird when you see someone you haven't seen in a really long time? Technology is making it a whole lot easier to keep in touch with people, but there's still no real replacement for seeing someone in person. This has happened to me twice lately.

When I went to my niece Abbie's birthday party last week, my aunt Diane and uncle Greg and their grandson, Ashton, were there. I think I've only seen Diane and Greg twice in the last ten years or so. They live near Cinci now. When I was younger they lived in Florida, and my sister and I would spend a few weeks each summer with them. They have kids around our age, and we just had a blast going to summer camp with them, chasing geckos, praying alligators wouldn't come out of the canal behind their house, rollerblading across this really cool bridge by their house, and so much more. Anyway, it was really cool to see them, and really weird at the same time, because time changes all of us. I was glad to see that they're doing really well.

The second time was yesterday, when I met a friend of mine and her kids at the Pittsburgh Zoo (thus the zoo pictures). Charity and I met when we were about 11 or 12 at summer camp. So we were summer friends who visited throughout the year sometimes. It was tough, because she grew up in Johnstown and I grew up in CT. We ended up going to the same college, and even being roommates for our last semester of senior year. Anyway, she was the same but different. She was the same fun Charity that I grew up knowing, but with the mommy thing added on top. Another thing that was weird was seeing her kids. Brett is 4. I first met him when he was 3 months old. He looks exactly like Charity's dad. Autumn is 2 and just a little pumpkin! She and her husband, Nate, also a friend from college, have a beautiful family.

Anyway, I had a great time catching up with these friends and relatives. I'm thankful that God allowed our separate worlds to collide for a brief moment in time.

Didn't expect to see this!

Today while we were out we saw the Pizza Fusion car parked outside of Taco Bell. We had to laugh! Doesn't exactly speak too highly of Pizza Fusion now, does it?

Looking forward to vacation

Now that I'm back from KY, I'm starting to plan the meals for our vacation. We're going to Faith Mountain in WV. Apparently Faith Mountain retreat center is not near anything. The directions include the grocery store where you should do all your grocery shopping on your way there. The nearest grocery store is 35 minutes away. So I'm trying to weigh the factors, like, how hungry will we be? Some meals, Isaiah actually eats more than I do. Other meals he hardly eats two bites. What if we want to take a picnic lunch out with us? What about food that won't keep for a week? Should we plan a trip to the grocery store half way through the week? This seems logical since some food won't keep for a whole week, like meat. So while I'm trying to figure out how many pads of butter we might use, I'll be looking forward to the whirlpool and the hammock in the cabin's backyard.

Some funny moments...

• With much fear and trepidation, Dan smiled and, choosing his words very carefully, asked me, "For health insurance purposes... what is your weight?" Ha!
• At the bed and breakfast in KY, Isaiah and Samuel were goofing around on the bed, and Isaiah kind of squished Sam's arm. My mom said, "Isaiah, be careful, or we're going to end up in the hospital!" Isaiah replied, "Or jail!" I don't even know if he knows what jail is, but it was hilarious.
• At church on Sunday, Isaiah didn't want to stay in the nursery, so he stayed with us in the service. The pastor asked anyone with a prayer need to raise their hand, and then he prayed for everyone. I don't know what the pastor actually said, but Isaiah turned to me during the prayer and said, "Mommy, he said 'No more Jesus.' There's no more Jesus." Great. My kid goes to church and stops believing in Jesus. It was too funny.
• During the sermon, the pastor mentioned Peter, the apostle. Isaiah said with a big smile on his face, "He's talking about Peter Pan!"

Have you ever asked yourself, "What was I thinking?"

I just got home from a trip to see my sister and brother-in-law in Kentucky to celebrate my niece's first birthday. Boy did that trip give me a lot to blog about. Here's the short list:

• Driving a vehicle over 800 miles, and praying 7,987 times every mile that the thing wouldn't fall apart
• Seeing suspicious drips of liquid form puddles every time we parked (and it wasn't just air conditioner condensation. More like an oily substance.)
• Hearing sounds coming from under the hood every time I hit the brakes that sounded like a donkey playing bongos (hee-haw hee-haw bang bang)
• Turning left to go straight (I think the van's out of alignment)
• Feeling like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years as we turned a 7.5 hour drive into a 9.5 hour drive
• Feeling a little like Goldilocks - we stayed in two different places while we were down there due to rooms being booked, etc. One bed was too soft and one a little too hard. No bed is like your own!
• Periodically giving Tylenol to Sam who decided to work on cutting a tooth during the big drive home
• Pulling over to the side of the road and having a nice old gentlemen almost stop to offer help before he realized what was going on - just a toddler sitting on a blue potty. (This was only out of desperation, as we were nowhere near a restroom of any sort!)
• Going to church and not doing anything - wow! weird.
• Hearing/Seeing a train go through downtown five or six times an hour the entire time we were there. Isaiah loved it!
• Went inside a caboose and Isaiah got to ring the bell. So fun!
• Experiencing the best of Southern hospitality and a great Southern breakfast
• Trying to manage two kids who are totally out of their routines - oy!
• Three little cousins playing together - very fun!
• Meeting my cousin's little boy, Ashton, for the first time - what a sweetie!
• Trying to figure out cousin-type relationships. What is Ashton to Isaiah and Samuel? (Ashton's mom is my first cousin) Are they second cousins or first cousins once removed, and what is the difference?
• An adorable, precious little girl who just turned one year old

Overall, it was a great trip, and once I fully recuperate, I'll look back on it fondly and be glad we went. =)