Yes, today had a theme: Free food!
Ronni got me up and told me I had been smiling in my sleep. I don't doubt it. I'm usually happy even when I'm not even here. I got up and got ready to go and we were out the door to the Heritage Combined Service, which both Ronni and Chris warned me several times ahead of time is NOT their usual Sunday service. (You know, so that I don't think they go to a service in an amphitheater every single week.) We walked in amid scheduled greeters telling us they were excited for us to be there (including Mr. Matt in a bear costume, woo) and lots of baked goodies. Most of them were homemade. We snacked on the way in, kept stopping to say hi to people Ronni knew, got some beverages, and went to the service.
It was definitely huge, and there were a few nice choirs singing inspirational songs. In between these things there were little messages from the guy who seemed to be running the show--he talked about the hurricanes in Florida, so I think maybe he knew I was there, ha ha--and also a couple testimonials from people who talked about what God has done for them in their lives and marriages and stuff. It was nice to see how these people were in touch with spirituality in a way that makes their lives have meaning and keeps them on the right track and . . . well, whatever else it means to every one of them. It was cool also to watch all these different families and people running around with kids and how so many people seemed so glad to see each other. It was really casual; most people were in jeans and stuff (including me).
After the thing was over, we went to a chicken wing type place where they had funny signs on the walls and on their cups and stuff. Yay. We sat at a couple big tables and everyone ate stuff but I was too full from the morning of free baked goods so I only got a drink. And I didn't even get to pay for that, because Ronni and Chris put it on their tab instead. Well, that makes me a giant freeloader, but um . . . well, it was a good Diet Coke. :)
After THAT, we went home for potty time, and came RIGHT back out to go to a family reunion thing for Chris, where he insisted he was only going to spend about an hour or whatever. Ronni warned me ahead of time that this was not going to happen. So we were resigned before we got there that we were going to be there for quite a while. But the good news is this: Free food. Yup, MORE baked stuff--I had some spaghetti, a hot dog roll, and some fruit for a healthy meal (ha), but after that I just loaded up on lemon cake and peanut butter bars and brownies and cookies and chips. Oh yeah! There were other things I would have bravely tried if they hadn't looked so much like they had cinnamon in them. BOOOOO!
Aidan had a great time running around getting Sno-Cone on himself and playing with people who just love to roll babies around in dirt. Chris talked to relatives and junk and mostly Ronni and I sat in the sun and talked, sometimes with Kelly or other people talking to us too. It was fun and cool; I tried to get some snapshots but most of them ended up being of Aidan because he's just too damn cute.
Of course, before we left that function we ended up getting invited to Christy and Chad's, so no evening at home baking and chilling for us. We came home for a short while and I gave it the runaround trying to find out if my mom and family are okay considering I'm in slightly chilly but hurricane-free Ohio and know nothing of what's happening in not-so-sunny Florida. I couldn't get through because of the stupid company telling me my number was invalid even though I had just used it to get into my account to check messages. POoOP and a half.
We went to their house and ended up kind of sitting around for a while. I went outside and managed to reach Mommy on the cell phone and Daddy's voicemail. A tree fell on Mom's house. Urgh! I came back inside and I got grumpy when Chris and Chad hogged the kitchen to make their baked apples. They were pretty good though--I was a little surprised when they just came out and handed me one; I wasn't expecting to eat anything else for a while. Oh, but wasn't it good. We were watching that house makeover show and all three of us girls were crying watching this family get their house made over and junk. Ugh, we're such wusses. Aidan played around and got Jello on himself. Finally after Scrabble was abandoned and we pried ourselves away from the show, Ronni and I made apple bread in a bundt pan. While it was baking we watched the rest of the show and cried some more. Then that Total Extreme whatever Japanese show was on, and we were watching people hurt themselves. Aidan LOVED it and danced around all excited. Christy and I talked about Japan. We've both been there.
When the buzzer rang we got to have some apple bread, and everyone seemed to like it a lot. I wiped up in the kitchen a little and then hung out until it was time for Christy to go to bed and we left. I forgot my stupid recipe box there. On the way home Chris was telling this story that made me laugh so hard I cried, about programming his computer to talk and say dirty things like "Bill Clinton likes to suck on Monica's boobies," and then he would play the computer voice to other people on the phone, and they would think it was this other guy named Dave. Har har har.
Now we're home and I think I'm ready for some maxin' and relaxin. We have nowhere to be tomorrow morning. I don't think I can handle that concept. We definitely want to go shopping and watch Wicked and do DDR and karaoke revolution and stuff. It is going to be a blast, but it feels like I just got here and really I've spent three days already. Well isn't that just stoopit.
MAVEN IS A WHORE!!!!
Notes:
MAVEN SUCKS and is a big cheater too. BOO on her.
Hehe, you've been very busy! And that's a helluva lot of treats. I've been noticing a pattern here: food, Scrabble, food. :) I was worried about you and that hurricane until I found out you were going to be in Ohio, safe and cold. Florida is really getting screwed over by hurricanes. I'm not even gonna ask about this Maven thing. [katqueen]