When I got to Pennsylvania just after noon, K was waiting for me at the airport with a bouquet of yellow calla lilies, which will be our Florida wedding flower. Evidently people only want white calla lilies in PA, so his florist had gone through all this trouble to get them in yellow. The flowers were beautiful, and it was really sweet of K to get those specific flowers for me since we'll have them in our wedding. It was actually the first time I've seen yellow callas in person -- at least, it's the first time I've seen them and known they were calla lilies -- so it was cool to familiarize myself with them before I carry them in my bouquet in Florida.
K and I had a nice lunch together and headed back to his house, where we took a nap before spending time with his dad and brother for a bit and then going out with a few of his friends. There's a great cover band we always wind up seeing when I'm in PA, and I jokingly asked if we were going to see them that night. "Are you serious?" K asked. Turns out they were playing that night at the same bar we always manage to see them performing. We decided to go, and we had a blast.
The next day, we went to the campground where K spent most of his summers growing up. We made some smores with a few friends, which was awesome because I'd been wanting to make them. That was my second time to have smores in the last few months, and honestly, I think that means the amount of times I've had smores in my entire life has now tripled. I was really excited about making them that night, and once K's friends realized I'd only had smores once before, they proceeded to watch me make and eat them with the intensity of parents watching their baby attempt her first steps. There was even a camera involved. That was a little odd and slightly uncomfortable, but at least the smores were pretty freakin' good.
At around 11 that night, we traipsed through the woods with a couple of K's buddies and shot off fireworks by the river. I can't believe I'm going to admit this online, but it's amazing what you'll do when you're in the middle of nowhere after a day of drinking a lot of water and managing to add a couple of beers on top of that: I peed outside. Twice. I had no choice. I think the last time I did that, I was fishing with my grandparents, and I couldn't have been more than 10 years old. So that was a big moment for me. A big moment that I won't revisit for a long time.
It was fun (the river/fireworks experience -- not the peeing outside), though, and the area b the river was really pretty. K's buddies' method of shooting fireworks is completely appropriate for a Fireworks: How NOT to video, but we all came out unharmed.
We stayed out until about 3 a.m. popping fireworks. Now, I'm definitely no tomboy. Far from it, in fact (in case you hadn't figured that out). I hate getting dirty. I'll do fun things that usually mean you get dirty, but I usually do a pretty good job of staying clean. And if I do manage to get dirty (or feel like I did), I am really happy once I can get in the shower afterward. And really cranky if that shower is delayed.
So imagine how I felt when K and I tried to get into his camper that night, only to find that his dad, who was sleeping inside, had locked us out. I had to go to bed without brushing my teeth, without my Clinique facewash, and without taking out my contacts. I had to go to bed in the same shirt I'd worn all day, in the same underwear I'd worn after peeing outside twice. I was not happy. Luckily, though, one of K's friends had a sleeper sofa in his camper, so we had a place to stay.
That next day, we got around pretty early (for having been up until after 4 a.m.) and cleaned up before heading to K's aunt's house for dinner with several of his relatives. We had a nice lunch with them. His family is all so close-knit, and I like them all a lot. I hadn't seen most of them since this time last year, which meant I hadn't seen them since before we got engaged. It was nice to catch up, and they make me feel like a part of the family already.
After lunch, K and I were on the road to Harrisburg, where we met a couple friends who drove up from Washington, D.C. to meet us. We had dinner with them, then walked around City Island. It's a really neat area, with a ballpark and lots of cute little things to do along the river. We saw a groundhog by the water, which was neat. I don't think I'd ever seen one before, and if I had, it was probably in a zoo or some sort of captivity, unlike this one.
K and I had just realized a few days before that we'd never played miniature golf together, so it was funny that that's what we wound up doing with our friends after dinner. We always have fun with these friends, and the miniature golf game was no different. I played much better than I thought I would, since I can only remember going miniature golfing two or three times before. I expected to completely suck, but I managed to surprise all of us a few times.
After the game and an ice cream cone (I think that may have been my first double-dip cone -- I've just always had really good willpower), K and I headed to Hershey to have coffee with K's friend whose wedding we went to in April. The funny thing? They're pregnant already. (I told K there will be no impregnating in our relationship until we're married at least 700 days. Considering the total number of days we've spent together consecutively is a whopping 11, I think a couple baby-free years is not such a bad idea for us.) They're really excited about it, though, and K's friend seems really happy.
By the time K and I were driving back to his house, it was about 11:15. We talked about the whole religion thing. Midnight wasn't the best time to be having that discussion for K. He was pretty tired, even though he was the one driving, and he was really focusing on the road to make up for it. The conversation got better, though, as the drive went on. It turned into a nice talk about our beliefs and our future. I told him how blessed I feel about the path my life has taken the last few years. I really feel like things keep just falling into place for me. It's amazing, and I don't know what I've done to deserve it.
We talked about how lucky we feel to have found each other, how much we are looking forward to September, how much we can't wait until we get to live together, and about other things in our future. It was one of those conversations I know I'll always remember.
We got home late that night, and we relaxed the next day and spent time with his brother, who'd taken off work for the day. The three of us went to lunch and drove out to this seminary in the area where some volunteers had put up 4,018 flags -- one for each soldier killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was unbelievable to see how many flags there were. My camera batteries died after one picture, and this is only a section of the flags.
We took it easy that afternoon, and that night, I flew home. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to K, but it was easier since I knew he'd be coming to Dallas on Wednesday. Besides, I don't know if I could've handled many more near-firsts in such a short time frame!
2 comments:
i heart smores and pretty flowers! glad you guys had such a great trip.
So many firsts!!! (Or atleast almost firsts!) WOW.
And no getting dirty or peeing outside?? Where is your sense of adventure? I think I'm happiest when I'm dirty... but I'll admit, peeing outdoors is something I can do without.
glad you had fun!
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