JD and I are now (happily) home from our travels to the city. JD attended a national sales meeting/training for Whirlpool in Chicago last week where he spent forteen-hour days learning about and comparing products he sells. Although he did not win one of the many laundry pairs up for grabs at the meeting, he did come home with a nice crockpot - a perk that Phillip Morris did not offer him!
Meanwhile, Emily and I traveled to Charlotte where we immersed ourselves in children's literature. I admit that I got a bit obsessed with fantasty series, attending two sessions on Harry Potter and two on Twilight. But I branched out with other sessions such as cinematic adaptations, getting a job in academics, a syllabi exchange, and several others. My paper on Wicked went well, but I didn't know what to think of the lady in the back of the room assembling dolls. Did she even realize that she was at an academic conference? Mom and Dad drove up on Friday and spent some time with Emily and I that night. They took us to the house where they lived when I was born, and they got us in trouble for hanging out on a closed floor in the hotel. Traveling via plane is never fun, but we got lucky with four on-time flights; we were paid back with four crying babies on our flights too.
It's always so nice to come home after a busy trip to a loving husband and a sweet kitty. Now, let summer begin!
Friday, we spent the morning at the St. Louis zoo. Not only did they have wonderful exhibits, but the zoo was free! JD's favorite exhibit was the African hyenas; they were much larger than we expected. My favorites were the giraffes and the elephants. But Kyla's favorite was the hippo tank with all the fish.
After resting Friday afternoon, we went back out and took a tour of the Budweiser plant. Although not big beer drinkers (any of us), the plant was very interesting! We saw the Clydesdale horses, the mashers, the cellars, the bottling machines. By the end, I was interested in beer, and the free tour capped our interest with two free beers apiece.
We enjoyed a lazy dinner that evening and each other's company very much. When JD and I arrived back in town on Saturday, we had just enough time to get ready for a wedding. A couple in our Bible study, Justin and Ashley, were married Saturday afternoon. Not only were we able to witness their ceremony (during which Justin, a music major and high school band director, sang to Ashley!), but we also got to spend a lot of time with the rest of the group. It was a beautiful evening and a lot of fun.
