High School Reunions, New Love and Then Some...

So much has gone on since I last posted. Drama…not like the high school drama, just parenting in the “other country” as my children and others have now named our new “State”. Try as we might to adapt to this new State after all this time, well, it just isn’t like “home“, yet.

I am finally in ONE house, the New house!

I went to another Get Together with friends from my past.

I met a Blast from the Past!! It was Fab…U..Lous!! The kind of fab-u-lous that makes your knees week and your pulse quicken when you brush hands at the table. Then holding hands while walking through the leaves at a state park which was once your stomping grounds.

Oh wait! I didn’t tell you about the first Get Together with my friends! There was Drama but I will get to that later. Things started out slow and awkward. The hotel Hampton Inn, didn’t have my reservation when I checked in. The girl behind the desk actually said “Are you sure you have the right hotel?” I spent 2 hours on the phone with them booking a suite for my friends and a room for myself. My response to her sarcastic, overworked and underpaid, remark …”Did you JUST call me Stupid?!” She and the other girls at the front desk all took a few jaw dropping steps backwards. Stuttering she said “Um-a-um-a-na, No.” They eventually found my reservation. After two hours on the phone with reservations to figure out how to book two rooms at once, they still messed it up by booking the suite for two nights and my room, the person paying for it all, for the wrong night! The front desk corrected the situation making my room for two nights and the suite for one night. Why didn’t the suite come up when I checked in? It would have been fine if I staid in the suit the first night but even that didn’t come up when I checked in.

I was finally checked in and on my way to my room. Oh my room preference is away from the elevators but I gave up on them fixing that. Then I went to check my wireless internet access and that wasn’t working. “We can send our maintenance man up in 20 minutes but it might be longer.” Oh joy! For some reason I thought it would work when I checked in and I let everyone know I would check my email and websites when I arrived.

Oh well, there is the bar down stairs where our day long party will end the evening. I was really surprised at a few things. Most of the people were 20 years older than me. There was a little glimmer of hope that not everyone who came here was in their 60s. I did promise something about an 80s night of music. Well, this woman passed by in a really short denim skirt, she was actually stick thin, blonde curls down to her waist. I was finally feeling optimistic that the under 60s crowd did still come to this place to dance! Then “She” turned around. The face that turned around was that of a 60 + woman! It would not have shocked me if she had not been wearing that micro jean mini skirt. It just seems so WRONG to be that age and have that face when you wear an outfit like that! Up until then I didn’t understand why the 30 + set (like myself) shouldn’t wear a plaid school girls mini skirt. I put my mini kilt in a box when I got home! It just isn’t right! Even a woman can see that! I can still fit the mini kilt I wore in high school but after what I saw, I wont do that again!

Since everyone down in the bar and dance floor was well over my age category I decided to give my in room internet another try. There were a few emails and website updates. Nothing major so I decided to venture out for a bite to eat. I. Got. Lost! In my own hometown! Too many new roads and new turns off the old roads. I couldn’t even figure out where to park for downtown dining! Roads were already being closed off for the festival.

I called my friend Rick to see if he had any suggestions and I was freaking out a bit about getting lost. He had been back a few times so maybe he would have some idea of what to do. He was helpful but then I saw something shiny! “Heather, are you still driving? You seem distracted.” “Um, I am in a store. Okay, I saw something in a window and I had to go in. I am a girl ya know. Looking for the perfect outfit. Hey! I did pass by three shoe stores before I actually stopped.” He laughed at me but staid on the phone while I told him about the different outfits I saw and how disappointed I was when I was actually in the store. Eventually I went back to my van and drove around. I had to say goodbye to Rick so he could get ready for traveling and I could find a place to eat. He did laugh more at my “what way does this street go!! I am on the high way again!! How do I get back?!” I gave up finding a fancy restaurant but wouldn’t give in to fast food that would make me feel like I ate rocks. I settled on Cracker Barrel. It was near the hotel and I wouldn’t get lost downtown or end up back on the highway again. Message to Cracker Barrel…if someone orders food to go, don’t just give them the covered dish…give them plastic ware!!! I was taking my food to go and didn’t realize there was no napkin, no fork and no knife, not even a butter knife or a spoon!! Thanks for the Salt and Pepper though! Thank goodness I remembered the suit case I used was previously a pageant suit case (much like a Girl Scout kit-be prepared) still loaded with the basic essentials like one set of plastic ware! The Cracker Barrel didn’t even give me one napkin so I used a tissue from the room. Tip, pot roast might require Utensils!

The internet wasn’t working when I returned to my room so I called a friend who walked me through the process. Yeah! I didn’t have to wait for the maintenance man to fix the internet. He did come by later to offer me a port-a-crib. I was in a room by myself. I did hear a baby crying on our floor so I cheerfully told him he might have the wrong room. While he was at my room I did mention the dripping noise in the bathroom and he said that would be fixed in time. I thought it would be fixed during the time I was there.

Around 4 am the dripping noise and my excitement about the next days events, the reunion with so many friends...I fell asleep.

Then I woke up every half hour. I was excited about the next day!! After the first hour I was no longer amused by the sound and vibration of the elevator. Oh well, at least it distracted me from the sound of the dripping faucet in the bathroom. Around 8 am I was so tired the sounds outside the room didn't bother me. I was tired by morning and the internet stopped working so I couldn't check my emails. I gave up, gave in and went to in to town.