Meeting the family
Firstly, sorry that I didn't get a chance to see any of you in the Philly area. The weekend was pretty packed.
Secondly, this is a LONG post. That said, please... read on.
The Players
Betsy (Me)
Goat (Betsy's boyfriend)
Goat's Dad (Jim)
Pat (Goat's Dad's wife)
Jim (Goat's oldest brother)
Steve (The second-oldest brother)
Bob (Goat's younger brother)
Nikki (Bob's fiance)
Nikki's Mom
Gray (Nikki's Mom's husband)
Bonnie (Goat's Mom)
Uncle Bob (Bonnie's brother)
Uncle Cliff (Bonnie's brother)
Uncle John (Bonnie's brother)
Cousin Mary (Cliff's daugher, age 19)
Cousin Rachel (Cliff's daughter, age 17)
Rick (Goat's friend & accompliss)
The only people I have met before are Betsy (obviously), Goat & Rick.
Friday night we packed our bags, straightened up, and got a good nights sleep.
Saturday morning, we took our two bags (one backpack with our clothes, one with games/books/DangerMouse) and hit the road. With a healthy breakfast from McDonalds, I proved that forks, even when you are driving are only optional. The drive was long and direct with only a few pit stops. The time flew by thanks to The Golden Compass. Nothing like a book on tape to pass the time.
We arrived in Souderton, PA around 4pm. That is where Goat's brother Bob lives. The household consists of Bob, Nikki, Nikki's Mom and Step-dad, and three dogs (and occasionally Steve, crashing in the spareroom). Everyone was very nice and gave us some quiet time to get settled in.
Nikki volunteered to drive us to Goat's Dad's, where we would be meeting up with Jim before heading out for dinner. We took the scenic route, but I didn't mind as I had the rare priveledge of being passenger in the car. Once there Pat gave us a tour of the house. She enjoyed pointing out all the exotic gifts that they have received from their foreign friends.
When Jim arrived we headed out to a local mexican restaurant. The conversation was lively. I realize now why Goat takes my hearty laugh so easily... Jim too, has boisterous laugh. When dinner ended we returned to Goat's Dad's. There Bob joined us for dessert and more conversation.
As the evening wore down Bob, Nikki, Goat & I, decided to head over to Ruby Tuesday's to pester Steve until he was free to leave the kitchen. Nikki and I left first, then Bob, and eventually Steve and Goat. This gave me time to hang out one-on-one with both Nikki and Bob. Nikki gave me the 411 on some basics of the family history. Bob and I just chatted in a casual manner.
Then it was off to bed as Bob, Steve and Goat indulged in Danger Mouse.
Sunday morning was mostly spent curled up in bed. Goat and I eventually got cleaned up and went to breakfast at a local family restaurant.
When noon rolled around Jim, NIkki, Goat & I loaded up into Nikki's car and headed north to the Poconos. Goat and I fell asleep in the backseat on the ride up.
Once we got there we met Uncles John, Cliff and Bob. I got a tour of their little lakeside cabins. There were air matresses in the bedrooms, as Mary and Rachel had spent the night. The lake is shallow so it was easy to meet some of it's native fauna.
There was more food than needed, but such is the nature of cookouts. There was some lite grilling of Betsy. But what is to be expected when meeting the parents? The questions were easy and they stopped asking them once I started volunteering information.
The day was mostly filled with food and conversation. At one point, Goat and I took a decaying canoe on the lake. In less than five minutes we had taken on enough water to fill the bottom fifth of the canoe. All the men folk came down to delight in the fruitless attempt made by Goat and myself. Which actually made it all the more jolly.
At one point in the day, we ended up with the girls in the cabin chatting while the boys were outside playing Texas Hold'um. But by the time dusk came round Nikki and I got a fire started and there were smores to be had.
Not long after, we piled back into Nikki's car for the long drive back to Souderton. The original plan was to hang out with Goat's friends in the evening. But we got back so late, and there is something about fresh air that just makes the night so great for falling asleep, that we had to cancel.
However, we did get to see Rick Monday morning. Steve also joined us to make a foursome for breakfast. Goat and I were the most awake of the four. I know that I am a morning person. But Goat, while not a morning person, has become quite good at quickly becoming cognizant in order to keep me company. I always knew that Goat was a night owl. Not until I saw how out of it Rick was in the morning, did I truly appreciate Goat's willingness to pull himself out of bed and spend time with me in the morning.
After that, it was the long drive home. We got in around 7:30pm. We stopped to pick up dinner on the way. Goat, having listened to the description of Ioric Bearnesson eating a freshly killed seal, had an insatiable craving for sushi. So sushi for Goat and chicken for Betsy.
And my goodness, how wonderful it is to be back home!
Secondly, this is a LONG post. That said, please... read on.
The Players
Betsy (Me)
Goat (Betsy's boyfriend)
Goat's Dad (Jim)
Pat (Goat's Dad's wife)
Jim (Goat's oldest brother)
Steve (The second-oldest brother)
Bob (Goat's younger brother)
Nikki (Bob's fiance)
Nikki's Mom
Gray (Nikki's Mom's husband)
Bonnie (Goat's Mom)
Uncle Bob (Bonnie's brother)
Uncle Cliff (Bonnie's brother)
Uncle John (Bonnie's brother)
Cousin Mary (Cliff's daugher, age 19)
Cousin Rachel (Cliff's daughter, age 17)
Rick (Goat's friend & accompliss)
The only people I have met before are Betsy (obviously), Goat & Rick.
Friday night we packed our bags, straightened up, and got a good nights sleep.
Saturday morning, we took our two bags (one backpack with our clothes, one with games/books/DangerMouse) and hit the road. With a healthy breakfast from McDonalds, I proved that forks, even when you are driving are only optional. The drive was long and direct with only a few pit stops. The time flew by thanks to The Golden Compass. Nothing like a book on tape to pass the time.
We arrived in Souderton, PA around 4pm. That is where Goat's brother Bob lives. The household consists of Bob, Nikki, Nikki's Mom and Step-dad, and three dogs (and occasionally Steve, crashing in the spareroom). Everyone was very nice and gave us some quiet time to get settled in.
Nikki volunteered to drive us to Goat's Dad's, where we would be meeting up with Jim before heading out for dinner. We took the scenic route, but I didn't mind as I had the rare priveledge of being passenger in the car. Once there Pat gave us a tour of the house. She enjoyed pointing out all the exotic gifts that they have received from their foreign friends.
When Jim arrived we headed out to a local mexican restaurant. The conversation was lively. I realize now why Goat takes my hearty laugh so easily... Jim too, has boisterous laugh. When dinner ended we returned to Goat's Dad's. There Bob joined us for dessert and more conversation.
As the evening wore down Bob, Nikki, Goat & I, decided to head over to Ruby Tuesday's to pester Steve until he was free to leave the kitchen. Nikki and I left first, then Bob, and eventually Steve and Goat. This gave me time to hang out one-on-one with both Nikki and Bob. Nikki gave me the 411 on some basics of the family history. Bob and I just chatted in a casual manner.
Then it was off to bed as Bob, Steve and Goat indulged in Danger Mouse.
Sunday morning was mostly spent curled up in bed. Goat and I eventually got cleaned up and went to breakfast at a local family restaurant.
When noon rolled around Jim, NIkki, Goat & I loaded up into Nikki's car and headed north to the Poconos. Goat and I fell asleep in the backseat on the ride up.
Once we got there we met Uncles John, Cliff and Bob. I got a tour of their little lakeside cabins. There were air matresses in the bedrooms, as Mary and Rachel had spent the night. The lake is shallow so it was easy to meet some of it's native fauna.
There was more food than needed, but such is the nature of cookouts. There was some lite grilling of Betsy. But what is to be expected when meeting the parents? The questions were easy and they stopped asking them once I started volunteering information.
The day was mostly filled with food and conversation. At one point, Goat and I took a decaying canoe on the lake. In less than five minutes we had taken on enough water to fill the bottom fifth of the canoe. All the men folk came down to delight in the fruitless attempt made by Goat and myself. Which actually made it all the more jolly.
At one point in the day, we ended up with the girls in the cabin chatting while the boys were outside playing Texas Hold'um. But by the time dusk came round Nikki and I got a fire started and there were smores to be had.
Not long after, we piled back into Nikki's car for the long drive back to Souderton. The original plan was to hang out with Goat's friends in the evening. But we got back so late, and there is something about fresh air that just makes the night so great for falling asleep, that we had to cancel.
However, we did get to see Rick Monday morning. Steve also joined us to make a foursome for breakfast. Goat and I were the most awake of the four. I know that I am a morning person. But Goat, while not a morning person, has become quite good at quickly becoming cognizant in order to keep me company. I always knew that Goat was a night owl. Not until I saw how out of it Rick was in the morning, did I truly appreciate Goat's willingness to pull himself out of bed and spend time with me in the morning.
After that, it was the long drive home. We got in around 7:30pm. We stopped to pick up dinner on the way. Goat, having listened to the description of Ioric Bearnesson eating a freshly killed seal, had an insatiable craving for sushi. So sushi for Goat and chicken for Betsy.
And my goodness, how wonderful it is to be back home!