Coming Home

Daryl and I are in Wisconsin! Hooray!!!

It's amazing how going back to my childhood home (even when "home" is now technically New Jersey and temporarily Burbank) makes me feel like myself again. Every mile we drive north adds a bit of joy and relaxation back into my harried soul. After final exams and a loooong drive across the country, this is completely, completely wonderful.

After a Presbytery Inquirer's Retreat at our home church of First Presbyterian (Glen Ellyn) on Saturday, and a great night with Joel and Bethany the day before, we started the trek north in short steps. First we stopped at my Aunt Eileen and Uncle John's house for a night of games (during which I discovered that my 10+ years of music lessons count for absolutely nothing when playing Rock Band... a cross-eyed lemur probably has more rhythm than I do...) and a reunion with Caitlyn, Caroline, Jared (Cait's husband), and Mom. So good to see my family again! It's been almost six months since I've seen my sisters, which is months too long!

We got to see lots of family at Aunt Eileen's, including Gram, who is nearing her 103rd birthday in September. She's pretty amazing.

Sunday we drove north to Wisconsin Dells, where Mom, Cait, Caroline, Daryl, and I spent the night at the Wilderness Lodge, a hotel/waterpark (if you've been to the Dells, you know what these look like... lots of cheesy statues of animals, lots of hilarious "themes" (our favorite was the Wild, Wild West), lots of corny puns on those themes, and tons of fun), which we ran through like giggling little kids. I learned two things at this water park:

1. A person who has been a certified lifeguard but hasn't been swimming and/or exercising much often (ahem... me) can practically drown in a wave pool. We all made the innocent mistake of swimming right up to the safety rope at the deepest part of the wave pool before the waves started. Then the sound of a trumpeting mammoth blared out over the speakers (I told you it was cheesy), and five foot waves started cresting over our heads. I believe Cait's exact words were, "Are you KIDDING me?" (spoken between mouthfuls of water).

2. If you're feeling insecure about how you look in a swimsuit because you've gained some studying weight this year from sitting around reading books, the PERFECT place to go to feel more confident is a water park... in Wisconsin. :) I love my state, but we do have one of the highest body fat levels per capita of any state in the country AND we don't tend to tan very well... :) So, yeah. I felt like quite a babe, extra weight and all. :)

Today we've come home. Dad made us a wonderful dinner (with my parents, as with many parents, food = love, and he made a TON of food!). We laughed, told stories, laughed some more, and ate until we were too full to move. The family is in the other room right now watching the NHL game. Tomorrow, we'll sleep in. On the menu for the day's activities: absolutely, completely nothing.


Listen... Can you hear it? It's the sound of VACATION!!! :)

It's SO good to be home.