a nice weekend/the virus lingers

My weekend in Springfield was really good. We got there Friday evening, and my brother and his family came over to my Dad's house, where we all had pizza and visited. I don't get to see them that much, so that was really nice. Saturday morning, we headed to Drury, where we dropped Nick off at a kids' science activity. While he was doing that, we hit the bookstore, where I found cute Drury shirts for both me and Nick. After gathering Nick back up, we strolled around campus. It was a beautiful day, and Drury is such a pretty campus. We took a few photos, which I'll share someday, when I get them processed. :) Tim and my Dad met us at the Alumni Center for a yummy picnic (The vegan burgers were really good, and the amazing cookies and brownies were my undoing!), where Nick got a balloon "sculpture" of a dinosaur riding a motorcycle, and also got his face painted. And I scored a cool free Drury mug and pens. I love swag! :) The best part of the picnic, though, was seeing a couple of classmates for the first time since college. My friends Annie Stewart (now an RN) and Aubrietta Jones (who is now the Rev. Aubrietta Jones!) were there, and it was absolutely fabulous to see them again and get all caught up. They have both grown into such beautiful, capable women, and I'm full of admiration for them. Aubrietta actually gave the sermon at the special chapel service on Sunday morning (I didn't go to this, but I hear she did a wonderful job!). After the picnic, we headed over to the music building for the dedication of a new student lounge. I went to that mainly to get a chance to visit with my old choral director, voice teacher, and friend Allin, who is now the head of the music department. We lingered for quite a while after the dedication, just chatting and laughing, and that was really great. And as we were walking out, we ran into my niece Caitlin, who attends Drury and was leaving after a rehearsal of her string quartet! What a happy coincidence. Even though we were completely exhausted at that point, the day didn't quite end there. We left Drury (finally!) and drove to the Rutledge-Wilson Farmstead - it used to be a working farm and has now been taken over by the Springfield parks department. It's really neat! They have a huge corn maze, pick-your-own pumpkin patch, animals, and some really neat areas for kids to play and explore. Our visit was pretty cursory, since it was hot and we were so tired. We declared that we shall have to go back on a nice crispy fall day.

On Sunday, Brian and I left Nick with my Dad and went back to Drury for a really nice brunch, complete with blintzes, mimosas, and custom omelets. We met Tim and my sister and her husband there (My sister is also an alum of Drury), and we all enjoyed the good food and good convo. After that, Tim and I did a little shopping. Most notably, I got a really cool insulated stainless steel water bottle. I love it - it really keeps the water cold, and I feel good knowing that it's safer than plastic. Then, it was back to Dad's to get ready to come home. And here we are.

The other thing that happened over the weekend, sadly, is that this virus I'm fighting took a stronger hold on me and has really been doing a number! I'm congested and exhausted, and worst of all, I've almost completely lost my speaking voice. My singing voice is totally gone, which freaks me out a little since I've got gigs coming up in three weeks. Please wish me luck for a very speedy recovery!