Reunion Weekend 2016

It was the first time we'd gone on a long trip in two separate cars, but Mary got her license recently and it was time for the kids to prove their mettle with the metal. If you know what I mean.

Six hours on the road. That's a lot of driving for anyone, even more so for someone who's sole experience has been puttering around the side streets of Grand Rapids.

Driving is a very big deal to me, since it is one of the few things I can do with any amount of confidence. (Most people who've been passengers in my car would agree that I have far too much confidence in my own abilities and far too little understanding of the laws of physics.)  It has always been my hope that my children would enjoy it as much as I do. Even so, was a bit nerve-wracking to go on a six-hour interstate trip and not be totally in control.

Deb and Mary took turns driving Deb's car on the trip down; on the way back, Deb's boyfriend, Mason, took a turn as well. And they all did well.

It was much easier, anxiety-wise, when they drove back on Sunday afternoon than when we were all driving down, caravan style, on Friday evening. For one thing, everyone was familiar with the route, having already gone through the requisite twists and turns and last-minute detours. For another thing, I'd seen that they knew how to handle the traffic and the construction zones and the weather conditions, and my confidence in their abilities had increased a great deal.

I was quite proud of them.

That first night, though, it was physically and mentally (and emotionally) exhausting because I wasn't sure what to expect on the road. I didn't have any trouble falling asleep that night. After we checked into the motel.

:::

The reunion was a bit smaller this year, but as I generally talk to the same people each time, and those same people were there this year (except Aunt Susan and Uncle Bob, who were sorely missed), it was nearly the same. We got there in time to set up, we had a wonderful feast (including Doc's famous bratwurst!), we went on our hike to the Wolf Cave (where I, in honor of my brother Craig, did the entire thing by myself and thought about him the whole time), we went swimming (and the water felt sooooo good!), and, to shake things up a bit, we went horseback riding with Judy and Rebecca.

We hadn't gone horseback riding since a million years ago when we took Rachel on her very first horseback adventure. And things hadn't changed much. The horses were just as slow and ponderous, the price was still too much, and we still had a great time regardless.

Because we had such good company.

Afterward, we went over to Uncle Joe's house and feasted (again) on homemade ice cream and cake and pie and other sundry leftovers, watched Ricky and Kenneth flying drones, yapped a mile a minute to everyone who had the patience to listen, and then finally took our weary (but well-fed) bones to the motel to get some sleep.

Sunday morning we went to Denny's to get some breakfast before heading down to the church where Jerry and Naomi attend. We like hanging out with them on Sunday morning and have been attending their church nearly every time we've been down there, so we're treated like old friends by the people we've met down there. It's very nice.

Afterward, we went back to Joe's for some more leftovers (and excellent conversation) and watched old reunion videos from 1995 and 1997 (they had the one from 1989 but I didn't get to see that one) before heading back north to Grand Rapids.

Actually, the girls (and Mason) headed out a bit earlier, since Mason needed to get back early due to his work schedule. I got a picture of them out in front of the tree with the neighbor's dog just as they were getting ready to go:

It wasn't too much later that Cheryl and Adam decided they were all peopled out (which happens quite often to introverts like us) and it was our turn to head north.

Funny that there wasn't any anxiety about not having the kids in sight while we drove, unlike the trip down. But I suppose that's what happens when they've proven they can get from point A to point B without constant directions from the adults. They can figure it out for themselves, just like we did.

So when we all got home that and had our own little 'reunion', it wasn't too much of a big deal, just felt like normal. Boosted my confidence in my kids' abilities, and gave me a reason to just relax.

::

I would really like to relax completely, but there's just too much going on around here. Cars to fix, basements to finish, VBS coming up next week, and then Marching Band Camp the next.

Cheryl was anxious to get the bifold doors up in Adam's new room, so she got them all painted and we hung 'em up, and they look great.

 

Of course, they didn't have the knobs on them when I took the picture -- they do now! -- but the important thing is that they look fantastic and give us a better idea of how the room will 'feel' when it is actually occupied.

I did my part, too, by installing the supports for the ceiling and then putting up some panels. The picture below shows one row -- I just finished another row tonight -- so it'll be a few days before things get finished. And I've got some things to figure out, like how to mount the light and the smoke detector, and how to do the angle-jump where the ceiling drops down below the HVAC vents.

But we'll get there soon enough.