Monday, February 21, 2011

Sunday Sojourn

Our niece Marj joined us for my first night at the apartment, camped out on an air mattress on the living room floor. Since this is a one-bedroom unit, that's the only way to accommodate overnight guests.

When we woke on Saturday, Richard had already left for his beloved PT Boat. Marj and I drove to see her sister and my son's family in Mississippi, an hour away. How nice it was to be able to take a day trip to be with my boy and his babies, and still get home to have supper with my sweetie.

The next day, I had to return the car lent to me by my daughter-in-law when my van wouldn't start because I had left my lights on. The strangest thing happened when we tried to jump it. Every time we connected the cables, the panic horn would begin to blare. Rather than have me miss my reunion with Richard, my son agreed to work out the problem before I came back for Marj. I knew I could get Richard to drive Marj's truck to Mississippi, so we left her little red truck in the apartment parking lot in Louisiana.

Richard and I have a deal; now that he gets to spend six days a week working with his boat builder buddies, he has agreed to spend Sundays socializing. Yesterday was our first morning of relaxing together at our new home. We began by having coffee together before jumping into our day. It was lovely to loll around in our pajamas savoring the time together.

We then took our time driving to Mississippi. Upon arriving in Ocean Springs, we were graced with the presence of Marj and her sister Mel, both college students, even though Mel is also a mother of two baby boys. It was so exciting to sit having sushi while they regaled us with their stories of adventures in academia.

This Sunday sojourn was followed by time with Mel's husband and boys. If I had known that her professional cook husband was at the stove at his home, I'd have probably skipped the sushi. I knew I was home when he put some of his chicken cooked Creole-style to my lips. When he left for work, after having put their fussy baby boy to sleep, Richard sat on the floor with the three-year-old building cabins with Lincoln Logs. This gave me and Mel lots of uninterrupted time to catch up.

The day ended with a trip to a casino buffet for the snow crab legs I had been promising our daughter-in-law since before Christmas. What a glorious way to spend the Sunday, in the company of several of the people we most love.