Day 51:
Snooze. Snore. Drool. These
are only three of many things that you are sure to do if I describe my day in too much detail. ;-) Therefore,
I will spare you the mundane details of the morning and afternoon and skip directly to dinnertime. Richard and Jeanette
decided to take Michelle out to a restaurant that night (since, right now, she's the only child at home), and I was invited
along too. Michelle really wanted to try a seafood place called "The Ark" (as in Noah's), and I, although always
eager to try new things, was a little hesitant. Seafood is not exactly my greatest love in life.
When we arrived at the restaurant and sat
down to wait for Richard (he was going to walk from the station and meet us), I was shocked to discover that most of the menu
items were upwards of 12 pounds. Michelle's order (halibut?) was 18 pounds. 18 pounds for a FISH?!?
Honestly. I was quite proud of myself, though; I ordered a crab entree and a side salad, and my order total
was under 9 pounds. That turned out to be a very good thing indeed since Richard and Jeanette insisted on paying
for my meal (the stinkers!). I was a bit surprised when my crab came shredded and cold in an actual crab body,
but the meat wasn't bad, and I was thrilled with my free souvenir! I'm going to dry the crab body and take
it back with me to Utah.
:-)
After dinner, Michelle and I watched "Some Like
it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe while eating Ben and Jerry's "Phish Food."
Day 52:
Day 52 was my official Run-Around-Like-a-Maniac-and-Get-Packed
Day. I spent the entire morning and afternoon doing laundry, unpacking and then repacking everything I own, putting
my clothes into ziplock bags, and deciding what I'm going to take in my traveling backpack and what I'm going to store at
the Saltzmans while Michelle and I are off globetrotting. The two of us leave on Monday for Ireland
(where we'll meet up with my mom), and after that, we'll be exploring Scotland,
England, France,
Autria, and Italy. I couldn't possibly be more thrilled!
This is going to be the greatest, most stimulating experience of my entire life--a dream come true. (Note: My
friend Kati has been teasing me about my constant enthusiasm and the way I throw superlatives around. What, Kati--would
you rather that I say, "Meh. I guess the trip will be okay. Out of six countries, I'm bound to like one or two."
Despicable!)
As I waited for a few pairs of pants to dry on
the outside line, I jumped on the trampoline (who knew that waiting for laundry could be so tiring?) and enjoyed
the crisp London air. Then I helped Jeanette get dinner ready. The
bishop (who was just released from the hospital after suffering a stroke) and his wife were joining us for the meal,
so everything had to be perfect. Jeanette made sure that we didn't break any rules of British etiquette; for example,
we didn't set the table with spoons, we only offered the bishop and his wife juice (not tap water!), and we didn't mix sweet
and savory (the fruit bowl counted as "dessert"). Richard and Michelle had to eat a quick dinner in order to reach their
karate lesson in time, but Jeanette and I were able to stay and chat with the bishop and his wife.
Chat we did, let me tell you! After
an hour or so, I stood up to do the dishes. And even when I'd finished loading the dishwasher, cleaning the counters, and
washing all the pots and pans by hand, the conversation was still rolling forward, full force! I sat in the
kitchen with the family (Richard and Michelle had long since returned from the karate lesson) until 10
PM, at which point I was ordered to play my showiest piece on the piano as the bishop and his wife made their grand
exit. :-)
They were two of the sweetest people I've ever
met (hurrah for superlatives!), and I thoroughly enjoyed our chat. And guess what? Even though the bishop and
his wife left so late, I still had time chat briefly with Kati on MSN (of course!) and answer several wonderful, juicy
e-mails from friends. As I slipped into dreamland, I decided that, on the whole, it had been quite a productive day.
