June 30

Today was a mixed bag; some pieces good, some full-on not good. But that's how life goes sometimes, especially when you're on vacation.

The plan, when we got up this morning, was for Adam to stay at the house to meet the a/c repairman, since he had a few calls for work on the calendar and needed access to his laptop anyway. So the kiddos and I took the Ginormo Infiniti into Damascus and to the Dunkin', where Brady and I indulged in donuts, Isaac enjoyed a bagel stuffed with cream cheese (like Holy Cream Cheese, Batman-stuffed), and Abby tried out a Strawberry Coolata. She'd been interested in them for a few weeks now and since we don't have a Dunkin' near home, figured she'd try it out here. The verdict? Lukewarm. (As an aside, I included the parking lot picture as proof that I managed to park the Mega Mobile inside the lines on the first try.)

I had Stars to use up by tomorrow, so we made our way a little further down Main Street and landed at the Mother Ship, where Brady sipped a dragon fruit refresher and Isaac consumed breakfast item number two, a sausage egg wrap. 

With nothing else on the schedule for the afternoon and Adam still back at the house waiting for the repair verdict, I took the kids on a trip through the rolling hills and farmland of my early childhood. Brady was sitting shotgun and in a question-asking kind of mood, so I regaled him with tales of families I knew way back when and repeated the magical "none of those houses were there when I was young; it was just a big field" line more times than I can count. Isaac in particular was struck by both the color and the volume of vegetation, so I pulled off at one of the trailheads in Little Bennet Park and we took a short stroll to check it out up close. But it was indeed a very short stroll because it was over 90 degrees and humid out; according to the weather app I consulted, the "feels like" temp was 102. Yuck.

From there we moseyed over to Roy Rogers to pick up a very late lunch and then returned to the house, where Adam shared the news that the a/c unit was kaput. It was a frustrating and disappointing revelation to say the least, and hard for me to digest. I knew that I couldn't stay there with no a/c because of my ongoing sinus issues and allergies, so after talking with Adam, I called Reaya, and they graciously offered to have us over for the night. But some of the kids were unhappy with the upheaval, and, in my own weakness, I snapped at them and said things that I didn't really mean and now regret. Sometimes my humanness makes me sad.

But lest you should think the day ended on that note, I am very glad to say that it did not, because I got to have dinner with some of my EGG gals in Olney, at Full on Craft. We were a smaller bunch than usual, but it was so, so wonderful to connect with Shay, Wendy, and Eileen in person (and to consume my first-ever crabcake grilled cheese. Such a beautiful creation that I didn't even know existed). We've known one another for more than 30 years now and time with them is always a blessing and so good for my heart.

And now... well, now I'm tired. There were definitely sweet parts of today; I don't get the chance to share about my past with my kids very often so I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to be with them on what was once my turf. And I'm thankful for the time with sweet friends. And I'm thankful for my brother's family's hospitality. And I'm thankful for the fresh new day that's coming tomorrow, too.