Cristina showed up in my neck of CT a few minutes before I had to leave work for the day, so we met up at my house that Thursday evening for our first face to face and some tasty burgers and dogs.
Like I promised, I ran outside and hugged the hell out of her. The kids couldn't get out of the car fast enough and made a bee line for the swingset.
Cristina and I quickly fell into conversation, and the next thing we knew, it was already 7pm. All our kids needed baths, so we decided to call it a night. She and the girls, Arden and Lily, went back to their hotel (the bat cave has no room for guests, unfortunately). We were going to meet up the next AM for some pancakes. Mmmm.
I dropped Ellie off at daycare Friday morning and drove over to the hotel to pick up the gang for breakfast. Unfortunately, someone was doing construction in the room above Cristina's around 11pm (um, HELLO!), so she didn't really get a good night's sleep. She managed to get a new room (a really posh new room at that), so after moving all their stuff, we jumped in Homey's Volvo (which I thoroughly enjoyed driving) and headed for Chip's, a family-owned and operated restaurant that I adore.
The pancakes were awesome as usual, and Cristina and I chatted through the entire thing. It was like we'd known each other for 20 years. I loved every minute of it.
We spent the rest of the day chilling at my house because it was naturally raining and actually kind of cold. Pffttttt. How in the world is it 60 degrees in June? Freakin' bizarre. We noshed on grilled chicken, courtesy of Mr. Harry, while the kids had chicken patties and fries.
On Saturday, Cristina, Lily, Arden, Ellie, and I decided to go check out our local zoo. We laughed like maniacs when we saw that they were having a special bird exhibit this month. Sorry, Manda! We're laughing with you, not at you. Arden was really worried that the tigers wouldn't actually be in their cages, but all was well with the tigers in the end. We learned that Lily can do a mean imitation of a peacock mating call, too. She's quite talented. We even had another mother comment on how good she was. Lily also conquered her fear of merry-go-rounds by riding on the indoor carousel at the zoo.
Then we all went to "my diner" for some lunch. When Cristina first got here, she asked me, "What's up with all the diners? I saw a sign for one on almost every exit on the way here?" Yes, people from CT really like our diners. We can't get enough of them. Each town/city needs at least 2. I practically lived in one from the ages of 18-24. So I had to bring her there. Sadly, there's even a picture of me on the wall in one of the picture collages. I forgot to point it out to Cristina as we were leaving, but it's there. It's been there for about 12 years.
After we finished our meal, Arden turned around and started hitting on the guy sitting behind us. No seriously, she was chatting this guy up, and right in front of his girlfriend. It was hilarious. Cristina noticed his ink, and we chatted a bit about all the local tattoo shops we know. People from Connecticut bond over two things: their diners and their tattoo shops. When we left, Cristina actually commented on how nice people are here. Sadly, it's only the tattooed ones. J/K.
After Ellie's nap, we drove over to the hotel again to meet up with Cristina and the girls at the pool there. We had a great time in the water; I have a feeling Ellie's gonna be a little fish. Lily realized that she could swim without her goggles on and informed Harry and I that now that she's 5 and a 1/2, she doesn't need goggles anymore. She said that when Arden's 5 and a 1/2 she won't need goggles anymore either. Since she's only 3 and a 1/2 now, though, she needs them. It was pretty cute.
After swimming, we ventured on back to my house for some of Harry's homemade pepperoni bread and chicken pizza. I told Cristina I was gonna feed her! I never lie about food.
We had to say our goodbyes after that. We snapped a few last pics and bravely kept smiles on our faces through it all. As she pulled out of the driveway, it really sunk in that she was going home.
I've been a raving cranky pants today. I really miss her. I hope I get to see her again soon. I'm gonna be looking up those flights, Cristina!
All in all, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Some of my favorite things from the few days I got to spend with Homey and the girls:
- The transvestite we both spotted waiting for the bus in front of Walmart yesterday, while we were in separate cars. This is not a usual occurence in my town, so I spotted "her" right away.
- A sleepy Arden resting her head on my knee, letting me play with her hair. Cristina said something like that doesn't happen very often
- Lily's smile. That girl has the most infectious smile
- Ellie laughing while the girls pushed her on the swing.
- All three girls laughing like maniacs as Ellie make strange noises into her keyboard microphone
- Cristina and I going through the basket of goodies Cathy sent us. Like kids in a candy shop.
- Harry saying how much he liked Cristina.
- Cristina calling Harry "Mr. Harry". That just really cracks me up.
- Lily's peacock imitation. I know I already mentioned it, but it's worth mentioning again.
- Arden's sweet, little voice.
- Cristina getting pissed off the more I told her about my family. It's amazing to see someone get as aggravated as I am with my family.
I can probably think of a million more things, but I'll end here.
Thank you for driving all the way up here, Homey. It meant the world to me. I love ya, girl.
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