I'm BACK!!! This is going to be a very long blog because I have so much to share! I had a wonderful wonderful time in Missouri. I'm so glad I got the chance to go back and visit with my friends, and my professors.
When I got into Kansas City Airport, Rachel was waiting for me, and she had a sign made for me! It said, Welcome Back, Audrey! I brought it back to CA with me. It was so good to see her again. She's chopped her long hair off, and she looks good with short hair! We did a lot of catching up on the drive to Clinton where the wedding was going to be held. It was a long drive because there was construction all over the place! We got there right at 5.30 pm when the rehearsal dinner was supposed to start. I walk in and Matt Huitt goes, Well, here comes the Asian Sensation. (it's a joke that goes way back) It was so good to be back. Then Dr Parker and Lori and Alex and Brianna arrived, and I got to visit with them a little bit. Brianna was the flower girl, and she was really cute and fun. She's really grown too! And she talks and talks and she can actually say my name right! Dr Parker and his family are moving to North Carolina. Good luck and God bless over there!!
The rehearsal went off pretty good. I walked with Matt, and Rachel walked with Matt, Jeremy's brother, and Brianna (Lisa's best friend) walked with Jeff, another of Jeremy's brothers. I got to see Dr Smashey too! She and I have the best times together. We somehow bonded in school, maybe because she wasnt that much older than I was. She is a fantastic pianist and she played the piano for the wedding. The rehearsal was fun and fine. Brianna Parker kept wanting to practise throwing her flower petals on the ground. After rehearsal Rachel and I went to Walmart to get some stuff we needed, and we saw a lot of people from the rehearsal there! It was funny. It was reminiscent of Bolivar college days when I would go to Walmart and see friends there too. Then we spent the night at Lisa's house. As we were getting ready for bed, I told Rachel, You know, it's 11 pm here, but it's only 9 pm over in CA. I'm wide awake!! And so she and I talked and caught up on stuff for about an hour or so. In the meantime, Lisa got sick because the sleeping medicine she took was too strong for her. And we had to help her with it.
The next day we got up and Rachel and I went for our hair appointments. We asked for simple styles, but they sure sprayed a lot of stuff on our hair to hold it in place. Rachel said she felt like she was wearing a helmet! The hairstylist asked me if I wanted sparkles in my hair, and I turned to Rachel and said, Sparkles?? She said, Sure! So I told the girl, OK! And she put sparkles in my hair. I got done first, and waited for Rachel. She got done, and she didnt have any sparkles in her hair! I said, what's up with that? She looks at me and goes, I thought you asked me for yourself! I said no, for US! So in the end, I was the only one with sparkles in my hair. We had a lot of fun with it. People would say, you look nice with sparkles, and Rachel would say, DONT GET HER STARTED ON IT! Because I would blame it on her. It was fun though.
The wedding was pretty. Short and sweet. I saw Jessie and Lacey there too. It was good to see them again. I had a lot of cake and punch at the reception because I was so hungry! After we sent Lisa and Jeremy off for their honeymoon, Rachel and I changed and left for Bolivar. On the way we decided that we needed pictures of our own because everyone knows we dont get wedding pictures until 3 years down the road! SO! When we got back to Bolivar, we went to Walmart, and I got myself a disposable camera, she got some groceries, and mind you, we still had our hair up, and went back to her place, changed BACK into our bridesmaids dresses, and got Adam, Rachel's husband, to take pictures of us. Then we both hit the showers, and washed all the gunk out of our hair. I called Dr Smashey and she came and picked me up and we both got Andy's frozen custard. YUMMY. I havent had that in a year! Then we went back to her place and just chatted and caught up with what's been going on. It was a really nice time. The next day was Sunday, and Rachel and Adam took me to Springfield airport so I could rent a car.
We got there, and I rented a Dodge Neon. It was very different from my Toyota Corolla! The gas was harder to push than my car! And it sat lower too. I was to meet Kathie and her family at her Gagee's house (Gagee is what we call her grandmother) that afternoon for lunch, so I had to drive on 13N. It was a rite of passage for me. All my life there I was a passenger, but that day, I drove it myself. It felt good! But I also knew that cops in MO were more vigilant than those in CA, and you had to follow the speed limits pretty good. So I made myself drive at 65 mph the whole time. Sometimes I went to 70, but that was permitted. But it was really slow driving, and I almost fell asleep driving! I made myself drive behind slow moving cars so I didnt feel the urge to speed, and honestly, I was yawning a lot. So I had to stop at Osceola Cheese factory and got myself something to eat. But I got to Windsor, where Gagee lived, and visited with them. Oh it was so good to see them again. Being with them always gives me peace because they are such wonderful people. They keep me grounded, and bring me back to the simplicity of life. They are simple folk, very down to earth, and sounds cheesy to say, but I feel comfortable and safe and protected from the world when I'm with them. I dont know how to explain it any other way. I dont have to put up any facade when I'm with them. I can be myself, and I know they will love and accept me for who I am, and who I've become. It was EXACTLY what I needed after living out here in CA for a year. Kinda like a reality check of sorts.
Gagee cooked lunch, and it was really good. And we just visited and hung out and talked about anything and nothing. It really didnt feel like I've been gone a year. And that was what I liked. After we got caught up with each other's lives, we just talked about everyday things, and it made me feel right at home, like I was one of them and not the guest at all. WONDERFUL! Then I went back to Bolivar and went to Walmart by myself, which was another rite of passage for me. I never went to Walmart by myself when I was in school because I couldnt get myself there! So that was really neat. Then I went back to Rachel and Adam's and spent time with them.
I'll write more next time. I need to get going.