An important thing you must know

Dirk, I apologize up front for the repetition.

I find it vastly important that you know a few things about the place we’re staying. 

1) Our bathroom is freezing
2) This is because the window must be left open at all times
3) This then makes our bathroom cold as it is very cold outside
4) Brett, I feel like Sarah Simpson
5) The bathroom has a funk (not the bassy, groovin’ music). Not like a “hmm, that’s odd” funk. No it smells like something crawled up someone’s bum rolled around for a bit, crawled back out, puked all over the walls and floor and ceiling and then took a poo as well.
6) This problem is perpetuated by the fact that we do shower in this room which means that the funk then festers in the hot steam of the shower (and there is much steam as the shower produces much heat).
7) We are to leave the door open after we shower to let the steam out.
8 ) This makes me feel guilty as poor Richard (no relation to Poor Regina) lives next to our bathroom so the festered bathroom funk floats just outside his door.
9) The stairwell just before the door to the suite where the bathroom is smells like rotting apples.
10) Mind you, not real apples. Like if you took the taste and smell of apple-flavored candy and made it so they could rot like real apples that is what the smell would be.
11) Not the “Oh Lord take out the trash” rot, but the just starting to turn rot.
12) And presently the place we’re sitting smells much like a dirty foot.
13) The good news is many of my clothes were cleaned at the Rhodes’ house
14) This means that they smell like clean laundry
15) So when I put them on I can’t stop smelling them
16) And they smell like the Rhodes’ house
17) So I think of them and get warm and fuzzy inside
18) And quietly I miss them and wish we were still there.

And scene.

another day another plane

I don’t think on this particular occasion I’m sad to be leaving the country or even just exhausted from crazy sleep patterns. I think it’s been the wonderful time to connect with three of the people I’ve always most wanted to. 

I’ve had time to spend with them before. When we were little John, Bea, Chris and David met Adam, Nana, Papa and I in Florida. David and Chris ate Hawaiian pizza. I did not approve. We went to Disney World. They also went on vacation with us once to Holland, MI. We used to play with little…well, the boys used to play with little WWF action figures. (No girls allowed of course). The summer after my senior year Chris, John and Bea came over for a couple of weeks around the fourth of July. I got to spend a little bit of time with Chris then. And the last time they were here, just this last summer, I saw them for about 20 minutes before I had to be out the door.

It’s been a great experience being here with them. I could not be more thankful for all they’ve done for us. I so very much look forward to the next time I get to see them and spend time with them

It’s been educational and hilarious and fun and sad and homey and sweet. I’ve appreciated the silent exchanges I’ve had with Chris across the table and the chances to just sit and talk to him about nothing, nothing much more than a mutual admiration for Simon Pegg anyway. Not to mention he’s been great about pretty much sacrificing his weekend with his friends before most of them go back to school. Bea’s been nothing but sweet and hospitable.  I remember a while back she was in the States with her mommy and we did a bit of shopping with Nanny and Big Bea.  She’s great fun and I will miss her dearly. John has been so great about taking us all over and showing us all sorts of interesting things that only we would all find interesting.  He’s filled us with so much knowledge and done such a great job of watching over us.

I will greatly miss them all until they or I visit again.