The past ten days have been busy. Here is a brief recap of the events:
Wednesday, 14 November: After class I pick up Ben Wilson from the airport. He is in town doing consultation work for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco. (He works for a company called Flexsim.) Since he is staying with me and saving money, he has no problem using his budget for other things. That night he takes me out to eat at Carraba's. Pollo Rosa Maria - so tasty. Brad, our waiter, had suffered head injuries in a car accident years before. He is a gregarious fellow and Ben rewards his personable table-waiting skills with a 30% tip. That night we hang out, listening to recently mixed Asher B-Sides, and we even watch part of an Avril Lavigne DVD. He once told me her music was one of his secret pleasures so I pulled this DVD from an online trading site and burned him a copy.
Thursday, 15 November: After I take Ben downtown, it is business as usual for me on campus. Somebody from U.S. Smokeless gives him a lift to Vanderbilt, which is helpful. That night we go to The Loveless Cafe for dinner. Excellent biscuits. Ben has no problem spending other people's money. Another 30% tip. We head over to the gift shop where he allows me to spend more of his travel fund. I purchase some blackberry preserves and licorice. Even though you normally do not tip in a gift shop, Ben sees a line for it on the receipt and gives another 30% tip. I bet that cashier girl was happy.
Friday, 16 November: After my class I take Ben to the airport. It was great to have him come out. There is a possibility for future travel to Nashville.
Saturday, 17 November: I spend most of the day cleaning the apartment, getting ready for the return of Aimee, Big Boy, and Little Girl.
Sunday, 18 November: Today was Stake Conference. I did not go. I planned on attending, but let's just say I was not in conditions to be amongst people. (Mostly, I needed to be close to a bathroom for most of the morning.) Aimee and the kids arrived early that afternoon. It was great to have them home, especially since the next week was Thanksgiving break for me.
Monday, 19 November: We continue to put the house in order and go shopping for Thanksgiving. Aimee unpacks.
Tuesday, 20 November: More cleaning. I pick up John, April, and Marri in the afternoon. It has been three years since we have seen John and April and we have never met Marri. They check into their room and we hang out at our place that evening.
Wednesday, 21 November: Aimee makes cranberry sauce, wassail, and pumpkin bread, which is a success at the First Annual Nordstrom Thanksgiving Eve Pie Party. The Nordstroms are friends in the ward. There were a lot of people there. John and April decide to hang out at home and watch Shrek the Third.
Thursday, 22 November: We spend most of the morning and early afternoon cooking and cleaning and cooking some more and cleaning some more. Finally, around 4:30 we sit down to dinner: turkey cutlets in gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, corn on the cob, asparagus, cranberry sauce, mini bread loaves, Grandma Krause's holiday salad and Sister Lyon's spinach and bacon salad. Jonathan Wade comes over for dinner. He is in the middle of taking his PhD qualifying exams. In order to give him some space during this 12 day exam, his wife went to Cancun with her family for Thanksgiving. After Jonathan heads home, we do a Skype call with Mom and Dad, Andy, Tom and Patrick. It is a lot of fun to have all the brothers "together" at the same time.
Friday, 23 November: Thanksgiving dinner was so delicious we decide to have it again for lunch. We were so stuffed on Thursday that we never got around to eating the pie, so we have apple and pumpkin pie. I take the Krauses to the airport around 4:00 pm. On my way home, I stop by Red Box and pick up Ratatoille.
Saturday, 24 November: It has been a lazy Saturday morning for everybody. I need to get into campus and get ready for this next week. We are probably going to pick up a tree and decorate it either tonight or tomorrow after church.
It was really nice to have so many visitors these past two weeks, but I think my system went into shock after being by myself for these past few weeks. It is great to have Aimee and the kids back, though. Now I just need to make it through the next three weeks and finish out this semester.
Wednesday, 14 November: After class I pick up Ben Wilson from the airport. He is in town doing consultation work for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco. (He works for a company called Flexsim.) Since he is staying with me and saving money, he has no problem using his budget for other things. That night he takes me out to eat at Carraba's. Pollo Rosa Maria - so tasty. Brad, our waiter, had suffered head injuries in a car accident years before. He is a gregarious fellow and Ben rewards his personable table-waiting skills with a 30% tip. That night we hang out, listening to recently mixed Asher B-Sides, and we even watch part of an Avril Lavigne DVD. He once told me her music was one of his secret pleasures so I pulled this DVD from an online trading site and burned him a copy.
Thursday, 15 November: After I take Ben downtown, it is business as usual for me on campus. Somebody from U.S. Smokeless gives him a lift to Vanderbilt, which is helpful. That night we go to The Loveless Cafe for dinner. Excellent biscuits. Ben has no problem spending other people's money. Another 30% tip. We head over to the gift shop where he allows me to spend more of his travel fund. I purchase some blackberry preserves and licorice. Even though you normally do not tip in a gift shop, Ben sees a line for it on the receipt and gives another 30% tip. I bet that cashier girl was happy.
Friday, 16 November: After my class I take Ben to the airport. It was great to have him come out. There is a possibility for future travel to Nashville.
Saturday, 17 November: I spend most of the day cleaning the apartment, getting ready for the return of Aimee, Big Boy, and Little Girl.
Sunday, 18 November: Today was Stake Conference. I did not go. I planned on attending, but let's just say I was not in conditions to be amongst people. (Mostly, I needed to be close to a bathroom for most of the morning.) Aimee and the kids arrived early that afternoon. It was great to have them home, especially since the next week was Thanksgiving break for me.
Monday, 19 November: We continue to put the house in order and go shopping for Thanksgiving. Aimee unpacks.
Tuesday, 20 November: More cleaning. I pick up John, April, and Marri in the afternoon. It has been three years since we have seen John and April and we have never met Marri. They check into their room and we hang out at our place that evening.
Wednesday, 21 November: Aimee makes cranberry sauce, wassail, and pumpkin bread, which is a success at the First Annual Nordstrom Thanksgiving Eve Pie Party. The Nordstroms are friends in the ward. There were a lot of people there. John and April decide to hang out at home and watch Shrek the Third.
Thursday, 22 November: We spend most of the morning and early afternoon cooking and cleaning and cooking some more and cleaning some more. Finally, around 4:30 we sit down to dinner: turkey cutlets in gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, corn on the cob, asparagus, cranberry sauce, mini bread loaves, Grandma Krause's holiday salad and Sister Lyon's spinach and bacon salad. Jonathan Wade comes over for dinner. He is in the middle of taking his PhD qualifying exams. In order to give him some space during this 12 day exam, his wife went to Cancun with her family for Thanksgiving. After Jonathan heads home, we do a Skype call with Mom and Dad, Andy, Tom and Patrick. It is a lot of fun to have all the brothers "together" at the same time.
Friday, 23 November: Thanksgiving dinner was so delicious we decide to have it again for lunch. We were so stuffed on Thursday that we never got around to eating the pie, so we have apple and pumpkin pie. I take the Krauses to the airport around 4:00 pm. On my way home, I stop by Red Box and pick up Ratatoille.
Saturday, 24 November: It has been a lazy Saturday morning for everybody. I need to get into campus and get ready for this next week. We are probably going to pick up a tree and decorate it either tonight or tomorrow after church.
It was really nice to have so many visitors these past two weeks, but I think my system went into shock after being by myself for these past few weeks. It is great to have Aimee and the kids back, though. Now I just need to make it through the next three weeks and finish out this semester.
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