I haven't written in a long time, but we have been so busy. The new front loading washer/dryer showed up on schedule (whew). The delivery guys brought them in, set them up, ran a test run, and hauled away the old dryer. Bruce had already taken the broken washer to the white goods recycle bin at our recycling center. So far I really like them. The washer takes quite a bit longer to run a full cycle, but the clothes come out so dry and fluffy that the dryer cycle is really short. I was able to do laundry and have clean clothes for my trip to Indiana.
So, I had a whole lot of fun visiting the kids in Lafayette. We crammed a whole lot into 2 and a half days. We ate out a LOT, because we were trying places out. My favorite turned out to be this little shop on Main St. called the Wine and Cheese Cellar. We went there for lunch. I had a mandarin orange/toasted almond chicken salad sandwich and a bowl of 4 cheese soup....it was so delicious that I crave that chicken salad, and am sad I can't have it more often. I loved the kids' new house, and the town, and the way they can walk to pretty much everything except Target and the Post office and those necessary places on the main drag into town. Even that is a 5 minute car ride from their house. I posted pictures of the weekend on Facebook, so I won't do it again here.
Then the trip home....it was kind of ugly. We were flying into the rain and bad weather on the east coast, so the first leg of the trip from Indianapolis to Charlotte had so much turbulence that it scared me. The flight attendants stayed strapped in and couldn't even offer beverage service. Then when we got into Charlotte it was a mess. Flights were delayed, a lot of them were cancelled. I had to wait about 2 hours longer than planned, but at least I made it home. I was tired and hungry, and I paid 13 dollars for a sandwich, drink, and a small bag of chips. It always kind of ticks me off....they have you stranded and your hands tied. Its not like I had the option to go anyplace else. So I paid it and I ate it and while it was just "ok" (nothing like my 6 dollar delicious chicken salad...LOL) at least I wasn't hungry anymore.
Of course, seeing the kids just made me miss them all over again when I had to leave.
And something about that arduous trip home made me realize just how freaking far away they are. I had such a good time, but then had a mini-depression again when it was over. I guess. I felt really sad and overly emotional. But I think I am ok now. This week was way too busy to have time for tears.
The rest of the week was a blur. We had torrential rain for days. Roads were flooding, school was cancelled....it was a real pain in the rear. But it has finally cleared off for the weekend. Bruce and I are busy painting the kitchen. We have the people coming out to measure for the new kitchen floor next week, and we want all of the messy painting to be done before that floor goes in. It hasn't been exactly FUN, but it is necessary and I have been dying to get this done for a long time.
So, that's where I've been. We are going to get the painting finished up and then are hoping that Erica can come home for a visit next weekend. She hasn't been able to confirm it for sure, but we both need/want some new fall clothes and IF she does make it, we are going to take long "shop till you drop" day in Raleigh to hopefully find some pretty things. I want a new dress to take to Vegas at the end of the month. I know what I want, but finding it is not as easy as it sounds. I want it to be simple enough to dress up or down, depending on where I need to go. And I want it to be travel-friendly and wrinkle-free, like a jersey knit...maybe a wrap dress. I've looked all over this town, and haven't found anything that even comes close, so....? If Erica can't make it, I doubt I will make the trip to Raleigh by myself. I might resort to ordering something online. But we will see.
