this weekend was good. it was great to see my family again – I always realize how much I miss them when I see them. same with the folks at church – I have a good life out here, but I always find myself wishing I could stay longer when I’m standing there with them after church, with only a few short moments to catch up and say goodbye again. I wish everyone lived closer – I don’t often wish I’d grown up in only one place, but at times like this, I envy David for living in his hometown (even his home state!).

anyway. here’s a weekend recap. =)

Friday:

got up blessed early and spent the entire day driving. there was a lot of traffic because of construction – on 70, 79, 68 – on every highway we traveled on. I took some fun pictures as we drove – you can see them here. a couple of the pictures are of an evil housewife who was cussing us out and flipping us off because she couldn’t get around us before the construction. =) we instigated, I must admit, by not letting her butt in – we didn’t deserve the horrid display she put on in front of her teenaged daughter, though.

I would just like to take this opportunity to tell you why I will NOT be a housewife. disclaimer: this applies to modern housewives. housewivery was a respectable occupation for a woman in my parent’s days. but today… today’s housewives have this club where you have to be evil. here is an excerpt from the rulebook:

• you must not engage yourself in gainful employment. if you do, you’ll be worthless to the cause because you’ll be doing something meaningful with your time and won’t have any unrelased rage. remember, stored-up angst is the key to this movement’s success.
• you must drive a minivan or suv. no other vehicle is suitable for bullying surrounding traffic or wasting gas. you must waste gas because you don’t earn the money that buys it. you must bully traffic and cause jams because you have to release your pent-up aggression.
• follow no traffic rules. if someone tries to make you, cuss loudly, gesture widely, and finish with a flip-off flourish. then, if possible, tailgate them.

but I digress. =) the rest of Friday, after the drive, was great. saw the fam, watched a movie (Shaolin Soccer – so fun), put together all the little plastic boxes, played with this blog and posted some images to the gallery.

Saturday:

spent most of the day out – went to Sam’s Club to buy the Skittles and granola bars, went to Starbuck’s, went dress shopping for Melissa and Leah in this super-crowded, TINY David’s Bridal, met friends for dinner and had ice cream afterward. when we got home, everyone collapsed. we played a round of progressive rummy, then the last hand of that game several more times (I won all but the last 3 of 4, I think). Dave and I stayed up filling the boxes with Skittles, then went to bed exhausted.

Sunday:

church – it was really good. my sister is going to be a missionary/Bible translator with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and this Sunday was her commissioning ceremony. she gave her testimony – told the church things we didn’t really know about her struggles with faith and her walk as a Christian. I’ve never been prouder of her. =) my little kid sister is grown up – an eloquent, well-rounded, level-headed woman who has a purpose and is taking the steps of faith to meet it. it was a neat experience, being there.

after church, we went to lunch with family friends and spent some time talking. had to leave all too soon – then we were back on the road, going the other way. the place where we had come to a standstill and the evil housewife accosted us was backed up for miles and miles in the other lanes – we were certainly relieved to have missed THAT horror. we’d only spent an hour in traffic there, and those people were going to be there for much, much longer.

I’m glad to be home. I passed out last night – fell asleep while watching Ocean’s Twelve – the first time in AGES I’ve not finished a movie. I just couldn’t stay awake. it was hard getting up this morning, but I’ve got energy now. I’ve spent some time during my lunch hour posting this mammoth of an entry and organizing the side bar and links. let me know what you think of the new layout/features. =)