Memorial Day Weekend

I spent the entire day on Friday getting my room cleaned up because my Hopie was coming over for the weekend. Friday evening I met Hope's mom to pick her up for our movie date. We got our candy, snacks, and drinks and headed to the theater. We went to see Epic in 3D, which was a pretty cute movie. We were pretty much through the popcorn before the movie even started. After the movie we went to my house and I introduced her to my family from out of town (cousins – Ali and Jess – and my Uncle Willy) who had arrived while we were out. We chatted with them for a bit and Hope played with the cats (one of her favorite things to do at my house) and then we went upstairs for some just us time. We played LIFE (as always) and Don't Break the Ice and Cootie (I was trying to introduce her to old school games). We played a few rounds of MASH and then we both passed out. We should have gone to bed earlier considering how awesome the following day was going to be.

We woke up, had breakfast, and got ready for Hope's surprise. She had mentioned over and over that her and I should go to this trampoline park in Charlotte (after seeing pictures of me at one in Australia). I kept telling her that it was too far to drive considering how little time I had spent driving on the American side of the road and considering how little time we had together. A few days before Hope and I were set to hang out I saw some videos my little sister (Beka) posted on facebook of her in a foam pit. I immediately thought about the fact that the main place you would find something like that is at a trampoline park. So I clicked on it and came to find that she was at a trampoline park in Durham, about a 40 minute drive from my house (much better than the 2 or so hours to Charlotte). I knew instantly that that is what I wanted to do with Hope while we were together, but I wanted it to be a surprise. Based on certain questions she asked and deductive reasoning (comfy clothes, hair back, etc) she guessed where we were going on the day of. My two cousins, Ali and Jess, went with us. It was an absolute blast. Except for when she was exhausted, I'm pretty sure the smile didn't leave her face the whole time we were jumping. She laughed a lot too. I'm not sure I've ever heard her laugh so many times in that period of time. We went out to eat for lunch and then headed home. I watched my friend Kolby sing the National Anthem at the Charlotte NASCAR speedway on TV, then Hope played the Wii while I took a break on the couch (I was exhausted). Then we went to Lake Michael to go paddle boating. It was the perfect weather for paddle boating on the lake – not too hot, not too cold. Being in the middle of the lake with no cell phone service, no internet, no one else around I really really really got to spend some special time with my Hopie, just me and her with no interruptions or distractions. I was constantly reminded of what a loving, beautiful, smart, sweet, silly, fun girl she is. At some point we turned the paddle boat around so the back edge/platform was facing away from the cabin and we hopped out of our seats, took of our flip flops, sat on the edge and stuck our feet in the water. We didn't realize we were drifting until Hope happened to turn around and realize. And right at that moment the guy started yelling at us to get the boat back within the allowed perimeters. When we got home we each showered and then got ready because we were having a cook out with some of my other family friends. The cookout was fun and yummy and afterwards we set up a tent with the help of my cousins and camped in the backyard for the night. It was pretty chilly so we geared up in long pants, socks, long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts/robes, several blankets, and 2 sleeping bags. We watched a movie, but shortly after it started we were both out cold for the night.

In the morning we had breakfast, took everything out of the tent, and got ready for church. During this time Hope was very, very quiet. I thought maybe she’s tired or maybe I’ve upset her or who knows what, but I wasn’t quite sure. After church Hope came back into the sanctuary where we were all standing and chatting and again she was very quiet. Her grandmother and I were talking about when I go back to Australia and I happened to take a glance at Hope to find she was sitting there quietly with tears in her eyes. Turns out all her quietness was her dealing with the fact that I was leaving again. We sat there and I held her in my arms talking to her about how much shorter the time will be and what we can plan for when I get back and reminding her about all the fun we had this past weekend. We ended up getting up and walking out of the church towards the car where I continued to talk with her as she cried. It’s with Hope that I often have to fight my own tears the hardest. I didn’t want to start crying because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stop. As most people who know me know… Hope is able to tug at my heart in a way that no one else can. The love I have for that not so little anymore girl is indescribable and the last thing I want to do is see her cry, especially when I’m the one that is making her do it. After some hugs and more chatting she was eventually able to cheer up and we left each other with smiles hoping we’d be able to see each other again before I left for Melbourne (we actually didn’t get to see each other again and were both pretty upset by this, but I’m making sure to use it as motivation to see her as soon as I get home in December). 

After church on Sunday my family and I had lunch then my cousins, my Uncle, my mom, and I went shopping for a bit. Afterwards I took a nap while dinner and cookies were being made downstairs. We had a cookout where the oldies (my parents and uncle) sat outside and the kids (me, my brothers, and my cousins - the youngest being me at 22) sat inside. Afterwards we had a small celebration for my brother's 25 birthday and spent the evening icing cookies and just hanging out and chatting. In the morning my 2 cousins and uncle left to head back to Ohio.

My family has never really done the whole "Memorial Day Weekend" thing, but I'm sure glad we chose to do it this year!! It was a weekend filled with family, friends, fun, and food!!