Trip recap

I flew to Indiana on an overnight flight. I didn't have high expectations that I would sleep through the entire flight, but I had hoped I would sleep a bit. I was sorely disappointed, then, when my two fellow row-mates, not knowing each other upon seating, apparently found their soulmate in the other. I say this because they spent the ENTIRE flight talking (loudly) and laughing (annoyingly), while the rest of the entire plane had their lights off and slept. I just looked upon all sleeping passengers longingly and wondered when these two beside me might want to sleep. They didn't ever want to.

Bright and early Friday morning I (groggily) made it to the Indianapolis airport and got to hug my dear friend Michelle! It had been nearly a year since I'd seen her. We keep this friendship going through email and phone calls, so it is a delight to see this girl in person when we get the chance.

Michelle, being the thoughtful friend that she is, made an immediate stop at Starbucks to get some caffeine in my body, and then we headed to her house. Let me tell you something else: Michelle had also created a room for me in their office and in my room I was greeted with a bouquet of fresh flowers (aren't they beautiful?),


a Third Day CD, some Warm Vanilla Sugar goods, and a candle. (And those of you who read my Autumn post will recall that Warm Vanilla Sugar is my favorite fall scent.) Isn't Michelle the most thoughtful person EVER?


She'd also cooked up a yummy breakfast casserole and another yummy desserty-type dish (both delicious!) which we ate up when we got home. Michelle's friend Carrie stopped by, too, so we chatted over breakfast while I tried to make friends with Micah (nearly two, and just SO incredibly cute), and *very* shy when he first saw me. After he warmed up to me we played lots. And I had the distinct privilege of teaching that sweet boy "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", which we sang frequently over the next few days.


I got a tour of the new barn and was introduced to their horse, Sparkles, and saw the goats and the three black kittens that Ella would have gone ga-ga over. We ate some lunch, which were some yummy appetizer-y things with roma tomatoes and mozerella cheese. Later that day I took a brief nap. When Erica got home from school we played a game. Michelle's mom stopped by for a hug and a short visit, and we played some more with Micah.

That night Michelle and I headed out to dinner at THE MOST DELICIOUS place I had never heard of before: The Mongolian Grill. Anyone familiar with that place? Oh my goodness, YUM. Think all-you-can-eat meat and fresh veggies and yummy sauce, all grilled up in front of you. Delish. (I liked it so much I'd decided I should write somebody somewhere to get one here in our town until my mom informed me that we actually had one here in our town THAT CLOSED DOWN. How did I miss that? A travesty, I tell you, that I didn't ever even know that. Nor was I able to park myself there once a week. I plan to get online soon and find the nearest one and take Mark there ASAP.)

Anyway, over dinner we had discussed these books we want to make for our adopted sons, so we headed to the scrapbooking store for some vision. We spent time there getting inspired and also headed to Coldstone Creamery for some deliciously fattening ice cream. I had some peanut butter concoction that probably gifted me with another five unwanted pounds.

On Saturday morning I awoke bright and early after 5 hours of sleep and decided I'd better get some more sleep. After one wide-awake hour in which I emailed Mark and the kids, I crawled back into bed and read myself to sleep. And then I slept until 10:30. Yikes! I headed downstairs for more fun with Micah, more conversation with Michelle, a late breakfast, and then a trip back out to the barn, whereupon I rode their horse, Sparkles. I think maybe "rode" is a generous term for what I actually did, which was cling to the reins while urging Erica not to move one inch away from that horse, which she was leading, while fervantly practicing the "Whoa" command. Because, you know, the horse was barely moving, but I just felt like we ought to get that command down right off the bat before she decided to walk any faster. (Whatever that would be called. A trot?) Which she never did. But I feel like Sparkles and I established a good rapport with me saying "Whoa" several times while she walked slowly. (And I'll bet Michelle is cracking up right now at the memory of this.)



For lunch/snack (since I'd eaten such a late breakfast), we had chips and salsa. And shortly afterwards we headed out for the cow milking adventure, in which we saw these cuties



and I got to have one suck on my fingers (which is *just* what I used to do on my grandpa and grandma's farm). Michelle got to have that experience, too:


Then we headed into the barn, where these girls were waiting to be milked:


First, I got to hook one of the girls up to this milking apparatus:


and then I got to try it by hand:


(and if it weren't for that delay on the camera, you would actually see milk squirting in this picture. I promise)


And then we got to go see these little guys, and I got to do this:


We picked up some pizza for dinner, and on the way home I made the mistake of asking, "What's White Castle?" Michelle and Erica about had a cow that I'd never heard of that particular eating establishment. Michelle about got us all killed by doing a sudden U-turn so that I could eat whatever it was they had there. (I was hoping for ice cream. Dairy Queen, White Castle... Queens live in Castles... maybe they had ice cream there! Mmm!) But she wouldn't quite tell me what it was I would be eating, and if it would be a favorable thing to put in my mouth. I should have clued into it by the fact that she kept saying something about having to try it "for the experience" of it. I found out that White Castle is a fast-food place that sells mini hamburgers. With onions. And just so you know, if you ever happen to pass one, just go ahead and keep right on driving. No U-turns necessary. (Michelle informed me afterwards that people either love 'em or they hate 'em.) I hated them, but thankfully Micah was getting quite hungry in the back seat so he was happy to polish it off for me. (Cindy, Joni..? Anyone else who has ever eaten these? Go ahead and cast your votes now.)

After dinner (pizza and a tasty salad Michelle whipped up), Michelle's friends Carrie and Colleen came over for some chocolate fondue. We ate and talked and had a great time until it was late and time to go to bed. So they left (Carrie, did you ever remember that gallon of milk?) and Michelle and I stayed up later to talk more... (and she showed me all sorts of fun tricks on my laptop. She recently got an Apple, too, and has spent the better part of the last two months camped out at the Apple store, hobnobbing it with all the helpful Apple folks and learning all sorts of neat things).

On Sunday morning the rest of the fam headed to church while Michelle and I ate breakfast and got ready to head to the airport. We set up a makeshift tripod in the living room which included a stool, 3 plastic bins (carried from the other end of the house), a mixing bowl, a towel, and a cookbook. Or notebook. (What did we end up using, Michelle?) and took some pictures.


And then we prayed together. And then she drove me to the airport. And then we hugged and then I went through airport security where this mean Indiana security guy confiscated my toothpaste and the Warm Vanilla Sugar goods. (!) Just tossed them in the garbage. I actually think it must have been his own favorite scent and he wanted them for himself. I'm sure that as soon as I was out of sight he was digging through that "garbage can".

So that was my trip. And if you're still reading this you should win an award because I realize that was a super lengthy description.