Wicked Weekend

I had a wickedly wonderful weekend! Everything ran smoothly except for a couple of false starts. The train I planned to take was sold out, so after a few moments of panic and plans to go buy a new GPS ASAP so I could drive to Toronto, I went down the street and bought a bus ticket. The bus wasn't leaving for half an hour, so I went into the attached Subway to have a sandwich with Chris and the kids before I left. I came out 15 minutes later to find that the bus had already left! Apparently, the practice is, fill the bus and leave as soon as it is full. I must have missed the announcement, so I had to wait an hour for the next bus. I kissed Chris and the kids goodbye and settled in with my book to wait. I would arrive a couple of hours late, but my relaxing weekend had already begun!

Friday night included visiting and fine dining, followed by relaxing in our room and introducing Denise to a new TV experience: What Not to Wear. On Saturday we replicated the show ourselves at the Eaton Centre and The Bay. I had been to The Bay before, but not to The Bay, Toronto's eight story flagship store. Julie led the way, having clearly been called home to her mothership! When four o'clock arrived, Julie probably could have continued her shopping marathon, but Denise and I were beat. We returned to the hotel to rest, regroup and eat before we headed out to the main event, Wicked.

The play was truly wonderful. I hated the book, and I may skim through the rest, but to be honest, the best parts of the play have nothing to do with the book. The music was incredible, the actors were excellent, the sets were breathtaking. I cannot recommend this play highly enough.

What a wonderful way to connect with old friends. We decided we really do need to make this an annual event. Our Wicked Weekend was Wonderful!

Plane, (Almost) Train and Automobile

In my endlessly long autobiographical birthday post I mentioned the fun I had during my first year of university. One of the reasons I enjoyed that year so much was the three girlfriends with whom I shared much of my time. We took classes together, travelled together, ate lunch together, studied together, laughed together and despaired together. We ate countless chocolate chip muffins, listened to each other's music, stayed up talking late into the night, nursed each other's heartbreak, and got each other through that exciting first year of adulthood. I knew then that we would be friends forever, and more than twenty years later we still are. We don't see each other much, but this weekend three of us are making a new memory together.

Julie and Shari and I became friends of the first day of Grade 9, and stuck together through high school and university. We were in each other's weddings, and kept in touch afterward as much as our busy lives would allow. Shari is married to Craig, whom we found for her that first year of university (okay, Shari, I'll let you take some of the credit), and they have two great kids, Morgan and Matthew. Unfortunately, Shari won't be joining us this weekend, but we did have a great visit in Summer 2009 when Julie hosted a joint 40th birthday party for the four of us. Although at one time I would have said Shari and I were the closest, we now keep in touch the least. She is a full-time working mom, and let's face it, keeping up with faraway friends isn't easy, even with today's technology. She is a very important part of a lot of memories that I will always treasure though. Wish you could be here with us this weekend, Shari!

Julie is the best at keeping in touch. She faithfully phones me on a regular basis, and she has taken responsibility for making most of the arrangements for our getaway weekend. She bought the tickets to Wicked, which we saw tonight — it was amazing, as expected. She made the hotel and restaurant reservations. She's the official organizer! She is a very busy girl, making sure her family's construction company runs smoothly, keeping active at the gym, and serving on the boards of various associations. But Julie has always made keeping friendships current a high priority and I appreciate that. She is a faithful reader of my blog, which I also truly appreciate! Thanks for making this weekend happen, Jules!

Denise and I were in the same homeroom throughout three years of high school. But we never met until Frosh Week at UNBSJ. That's what happens when you go to a huge high school! That week we discovered that we were both Arts students, planning to be English Majors. We took at least half of our classes together for four years. We had so much in common, but were in many ways complete opposites. She was my right arm throughout university, and I'm so glad we've been able to keep in touch so well in the years since. We used to write old-fashioned letters on paper (remember those?), and every time I got one in the mail I would hurry to a quiet corner to devour it. Since then, we have evolved. We rely mostly on Facebook and our blogs to stay in touch, and the occasional email. One of my favourite things about NaBloPoMo is that I get to read a new post from Denise every day. She lives on a farm in Eastern Ontario with her husband, Andrew, and their three adorable kids, Erik, Anna and Grace. She writes, of course, and she is an editor and a college professor, and life on her farm seems just idyllic. I love being able to read about it every day. And this weekend I can hear about it in person.

So here we are, in Toronto, eating and shopping and talking and going to the theatre and eating some more and shopping some more and talking some more. Julie flew in yesterday, I planned to take the train from London but ended up on a bus (long story — will fill you in later), and Denise drove down with her kids, whom she dropped off with her father in the suburbs. I've been looking forward to this weekend for about six months, and it's flying by way too fast. Denise and I have just stopped in the business center to update our blogs (and keep our NaBloPoMo commitments). Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be home, ready to write all about my weekend away.

Treasure

I finally arrived at the hotel, found my sister, and filled my aching belly. I drove Tracy and her four friends (crammed in the back of my rental Cube) around Lowell, searching unsuccessfully for a Target. We did find a Marshalls and I was the only one who did not leave any money behind. The shopping portion of the weekend had begun.

And it continued the next day. We got up at our leisure and made our way to the hotel's continental breakfast, before heading next door to check out The Cracker Barrel's famous gift shop. I have to say, that is a great place to find something to take home to a 10-year-old boy! Treasures galore! Spy glasses! Exploding pop bottles! All sorts of toys that make endless amounts of noise! All I needed was some piece of Red Sox memorabilia and Connor's souvenir needs were met.

The daytime agenda for Friday had been a trip into Boston for shopping and sightseeing, but the tropical storm was apparently barrelling down upon us, so our wise bus driver and tour leader made other plans. They found a mega-mall in Burlington, MA, that easily satisfied this group of ladies, all with purses full of credit cards and US dollars waiting to be spent. Tracy and I spent the majority of our time at Justice (a little girls' clothing store), Crate and Barrell (beautiful things, but a waste of time when you only have one suitcase) and Macy's, where we found some awesome deals on children's clothes (including that important Red Sox t-shirt). We met the rest of Tracy's gang of girls at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, where we wisely ordered our cheesecake to go. Afterward we spent 45 minutes chasing down a few other favourite stores before we hopped back on the bus to head back to the hotel. We passed a lazy couple of hours in our hotel room with our cheesecake and a quart of milk, and then got ready for the main event, the Living Proof Live conference.

I know I've mentioned Beth Moore and the awesome Ladies' Bible Study group I left back in Fredericton. We have shared many hours and many tears with Beth over the years. I was so excited to finally hear her speak in person. She always seems to know exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it. God has certainly used her to get through to me on a number of occasions, and I wondered what He was going to show me through her this time.

On the way to the arena, the tour leaders handed out a gift for each of us: pink Dollar Store tiaras, so we could identify each other in the crowd, and maybe catch Beth's attention, too. I was clearly travelling with a bunch of ladies who did not take themselves too seriously, because every one of us donned our crowns and headed into the building. We arrived at the Tsongas Arena along with 2800 other women of various backgrounds and denominations, and the evening started with the Living Proof worship band led by Travis Cottrell, a tremendously talented musician with a wonderful gift for leading people in worship. I don't think I've ever experienced a time of praise more focused and intentional. As we were singing one familiar song after another, dozens of names of God were being flashed on the screens over the stage area. Clearly our attention was being turned toward the One to whom we were offering our praise. Then Beth took the stage. She immediately established a rapport with the audience. She even mentioned the Moncton church that was the group we were travelling with (although she never did comment on our stunning head attire!)

When Beth announced the passage we would be studying for the weekend, I was surprised to find that it was Luke 2, the Christmas story. But it was the particular verse that she was going to expand upon that touched me. It was one of my favourites: vs. 19, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." I have always loved this verse, especially since I've become a mother. I love to think about Mary just sitting back and treasuring all the wondrous things that were occurring in her life, and really digesting their significance in the grand scheme of things. The title of Beth's message was "The Lost Art Of Treasure". I can't think of any better way to share what it meant to me than by listing her eight main points.

• There are treasures out there! This really hit me from the very beginning. I remember thinking: She means there are treasures everywhere. Even in London.
• They're not my treasures until they make it past my defenses. Hmmmm... That one hit it's mark! For six months I've been quite conscious NOT to call London home, not to start loving anything about it, not to let it reach my heart. I'm not going to experience any treasures here until I let them into my heart.
• Treasures strung together can bring healing. It is finding those treasures that is going to ease the pain of being so far from home.
• Most people will miss the treasure entirely. Of all the people who experienced Jesus' birth, Mary is the only one who took the time to treasure it. I want to treasure the special things about this time in my life, and in my children's lives. I don't want to miss it because I'm bitter about not being in New Brunswick.

That was Friday night. That was a lot to think about. When we came back on Saturday morning, I started tearing up as we sang the opening song. When Beth opened by asking us to share with someone what we learned the night before, I was a mess! It's a good thing I was talking to my sister, because she's seen me a mess before. I basically cried all through the morning. But they were good tears.

• The fine art of treasuring got lost in the same trash as our time. As someone who has been a working mother in the past, I understand lack of time. But that can't be my excuse now. I have plenty of time to treasure the great things God has to offer me here and now.
• Where there is one treasure, there could be many. Really, it isn't that I haven't been treasuring anything lately. I have been very thankful for the gifts that I have recognized: our trip to Indiana, Tracy's surprise visit, our parents' visits, our trip to NB in the summer, seeing Peter Pan at Stratford, having the Moores visit us on Labour Day weeknend, my trip to Toronto next month with Julie and Denise, and this trip to Boston with Tracy. But I know there are treasures in the every day here. They are the ones I need to appreciate.
• We'll minimize our treasure if we look past the hardship and pain. Beth said: "When you go through things in life that you think should have killed you, but they don't, you know it's the all-surpassing power of Jesus Christ to save you. Treasure!" I remember a dozen years ago thinking I didn't know how people live through multiple miscarriages. I believe I treasure my children in a completely different way than I would have had I not experienced heartache in trying to have them. Not that I love them more than I would have, or more than other parents love their children, but in a very different way, on a different plane of understanding. Well, I never thought moving would kill me, but I did think I'd be pretty much miserable. And I often have been, but that's my fault. I haven't allowed God to pull me out of my funk and show me all the treasures He has to offer me here. And those treasures will be so much the greater because of what I had to go through to get to them! I think it's time.
• When you feel like you've lost the treasure, look for Jesus. I have always known where I need to go when things don't make sense. Every major challenge of my life has been overcome by taking it to Jesus. He is faithful. He has all the answers. And He holds the treasures in His hands.

Beth had us turn to each other and pronounce a blessing on each other by repeating a form of these eight points. I almost made it through without tears, but not quite. I was overwhelmed by how, once again, God knew exactly what I needed to hear. And I was ready to head home and start living it.

I headed to the front doors with Tracy, and said goodbye to her and her sweet friends that I had gotten to know that weekend. Then I went back inside for a bit to avoid the traffic, look at some of the books and CDs for sale, and see if I could find any of my BM girls from Fredericton. I was lucky enough to catch Kandy and Carol on their way out, and I had already had a nice chat with Janice and Sandra at break time. It was so good to see their familiar faces and share some warm hugs! Then I was on my way.

The trip home was much less eventful than the trip down on Thursday. I got to Buffalo at 10 p.m. as scheduled, fueled up with some English Toffee Cappuccino at an American Tim Hortons, and started the 3 hour trek home in the rain. After I crossed the border I put on a CD that I had gotten at the conference of Beth Moore speaking at another conference. She certainly knows how to keep you awake! This time her message was about desire, and she finished speaking just as I pulled into my driveway, happy to finally be home, and ready to treasure everything about it.

A Whirlwind Weekend!

There and back in three days! I can't say the weekend went off without a hitch, but the flies in the ointment really just proved to make it more interesting. I'm so glad I took the opportunity and didn't let little things like a three hour drive to the airport, or needing to rent a car in Boston, keep me from making a memory.

I was in the car at 6:45 a.m on Thursday morning, only 15 minutes behind schedule. The weather was cloudy but not rainy, and I put on my tunes and settled in for a long ride. Construction in Brantford and a nosy border guard held me up a bit, but I arrived at the Buffalo airport in just under three hours. By this time it had started raining quite hard, so I was thankful I had brought my raincoat and an umbrella. I parked in an enormous long-term lot, and made my way to the shuttle stop, just as the shuttle arrived to whisk me off to the airport. Things were moving along splendidly.

Then came the first challenge. I had checked the weather on Tuesday and saw that rain was forecast for Boston on Friday (which is why I had come prepared). I remember also noticing a note about a tropical depression over Florida. I must have filed that info under "not important to my trip", and didn't think about it again until I tried to check in to my flight to Washington. It was delayed, possibly cancelled. In fact, due to the weather, nearly half of the flights to the east coast were being cancelled. They'd have to send me on a flight to New York, which was supposed to leave at 11:10, but wouldn't likely get out until 1:00, and then on to Boston around 5:00, arriving at 6:00. I figured that was fine, at least I'd get there, and only a couple of hours late. I proceeded through security and to my gate to settle in for a long wait with my book.

Around 11:00 an airport employee came rushing into the waiting area saying "We're leaving right away, but we have to board immediately". Great. I'd just have my long wait in NYC instead of in Buffalo. We arrived at LaGuardia around 12:45. Once inside the airport I started looking for a place to have lunch, but was quickly interrupted by an announcement: "Anyone with a later ticket to Boston, come to Gate 19 right now if you'd like to take the 1:00 flight". That's me! I headed to Gate 19 and had my ticket exchanged. Is this possible? Because of a tropical storm I was going to arrive in Boston early? That doesn't happen every day!

Wonderful. Two-thirty arrived, and I arrived at my destination. Sort of. I thought of grabbing some long-awaited lunch in the airport, but decided to get my rental car first. How long could it take? I found my way to the shuttle pick up area and watched for the Budget shuttle. I saw countless Hertz shuttles. Several Thrifty shuttles. Quite a few Avis and Enterprise shuttles. Where was the Budget shuttle? Finally, I saw it making its way through the traffic and beginning to slow down at the curb. I grabbed my bag and started toward the bus, just in time to see it speed up and pull away. %#$&!!! I decided to go have a seat on a bench, knowing I'd see many other rental shuttles arrive and leave before another Budget shuttle would be by again. About 20 minutes later I was finally on a shuttle and on my way to my car.

At 4:00, just after my scheduled arrival from Washington, I was in my car and ready to make the half hour trip to meet Tracy and the rest of her bus trip at the hotel in Tewksbury. The GPS system I had brought from home was plugged in with the address of the hotel programmed and ready. The woman at the rental agency had given me a map, just in case. I was ready to go. I headed out of the airport and immediately into a tunnel. Traffic was moving smoothly. Everything was working out just as it should. I emerged from the tunnel and the GPS took a few seconds to reconnect to the satellite. But there was a fork in the road ahead. Which way to go? I hadn't looked closely enough at the map to know, and my GPS wasn't ready to tell me. I picked a lane.

I picked wrong. And I couldn't get off that highway for 5 km, which had me right in the middle of downtown Cambridge. At rush hour. With a very rumbly tummy. I had eaten nothing that day except an apple danish at the Buffalo airport. And now I was stuck in an unfamiliar city in gridlocked traffic. My husband knows how I get when I'm really hungry. I'm completely irrational. So I called him to express my frustration. He was maddeningly calm, as usual. I texted Tracy on her bus trip. She did not expect to arrive until between 6:00 and 7:00. I hoped I'd arrive before she did!

In the end, I arrived at the hotel at 5:45 p.m. Only an hour and 45 minutes after leaving the airport. I drove right past the hotel to the Wendy's next door and ordered a hamburger. I sent Tracy a text telling her I had arrived and was having a quick snack before checking in. Her immediate reply came saying that they had just pulled in. What excellent timing! We had both arrived. Time to start our weekend.

To be continued...

Off on an Adventure

Tomorrow will be a day of firsts:

1. First time I've driven through the border by myself.
2. First time I've landed in Washington D.C.
3. First time I've rented a car on my own.
4. First time I've driven in Boston.
5. First time I've met my sister for a getaway weekend in the States.
6. First time I've left Chris alone with the kids in London.

There will be a number of other firsts before I arrive home in the wee hours of Sunday morning. First time I've seen Beth Moore speak live and in person. First time I've waved goodbye to a bus full of all the people I know in a particular place. First time I've driven back to the Boston airport in my rental car to head home. And first time I've landed in Buffalo at 10 o'clock at night to begin the long drive home. It will be an adventure! I promise to tell you all about it when I get home!