The Week's Recap!

What a busy week it has been!

TUESDAY NIGHT

I left off with you all on Tuesday – with full anticipation of our chicken & waffles night. Let me just say this: It did not disappoint!

When we arrived, Ryan and Lisa were in the kitchen, and "Roscoe" Ryan was covered with flour & grease. There were 4 pots of oil on the stove with chicken pieces being fried. It was fantastic. Sarah had made some delicious deviled eggs, and Kati some yummy potato salad. We’re talking a complete southern feast with SWEET TEA! (Of course. Is there any other kind of tea?) I mixed up the waffle batter and then deferred to my better half, who has a way with waffles that makes them divine. He gets them coming out nice and fluffy and always crisp and golden. You can see from the picture the spread that we ate (on durable square plates provided by Terri).



The combination of chicken and waffles was quite tasty, and some of us even tried eating them in the same bite. I admit that I was in heaven – even though my stomach was of course rumbly afterwards. Sarah brought mint brownies which were also amazing, and most of us had to be rolled out to our cars. Or at least it felt like it!

RICHMOND

I persuaded Terri to join me on the road trip, and we set off first thing Wednesday morning. The drive was uneventful, and I enjoyed the road-tripping tunes of DJ Deuce (what I call her anyways), who kept my ears happy while I was driving amongst the trucks on 81 & 64. I discovered some new music and really enjoyed several new artists she introduced me to.

After dropping Terri off in Short Pump (where she would meet up with friends later), I headed into the city to Rachel’s new place. She lives in an apartment in The Fan, and other than the moaning cat her roommate owns, it was an awesome place to be. We grabbed lunch and then decided to go to a pool at a friend’s apartment complex down near Shockoe Bottom. I read, Rachel napped, and we both took dips in the pool to combat our sweat from the sun. It was incredibly relaxing.



We then went to the grocery store and bought ingredients to make a pizza for dinner. Our toppings of choice are broccoli, spinach & pineapple, and this may sound gross to some of you, but don’t knock it until you try it. This was Rachel’s first attempt at using her oven for dinner (her kitchen is the one part of the apartment that leaves some things desired) and it worked just fine. Who needs fancy? We decided to eat it out on the balcony/patio, because a storm was brewing. We ate and chatted and watched runners go up and down the street, until finally the storm hit. It was such a relaxing feeling, smelling the rain coming and enjoying the breeze.



I asked Rach to take me to the anatomy lab she has TA’ed this summer, and she graciously let me in and let me touch some cadavers. It was awesome! So cool. I’ll spare the details so as not to gross out anyone, but I definitely got to gently handle a body and have Rach show me some neat things (like a spinal cord). She then showed me another building where she has class and we picked her first syllabi for year 2 classes (which begin on Monday). She is going to be an amazing doctor, I just know it!

We got back to her place and decided to watch Project Runway. We were going to try and squeeze in an old Alias episode, but there wasn’t enough time. So we chilled and watched TV and waited for Terri to call. Terri was just one block away at a Shane Claiborne event called “Jesus for President.” We heard from her at the very end of our show (perfect timing) and we walked to get her. After a quick Kroger run near Carytown to get Terri some chocolate, we called it a night. It was a fabulous day.

Thursday, Rach went to work and I went for a run. I decided to not focus on distance or frustration and just run for enjoyment. It went really well and I felt very refreshed. I then did some reading on the balcony and ate breakfast while Terri got ready for the day. I then got cleaned up and we went on a driving Richmond tour. It was Terri’s first time in Richmond, and I did my best to show her the main parts of the city. We finished up our tour at Commonwealth Chapel, where my sis & her family go to church. My bro-in-law was there picking up my oldest nephew Jonas from Vacation Bible School, and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see Jonas (and his brother Asher). They are so adorable. I love squeezing them. After a brief visit, it was time to meet Rachel and head to lunch.




We went to Carytown and settled on Galaxy Diner. I daringly tried a fried pickle, which was pretty gross. After a tasty meal, we dropped Rachel off, said our goodbyes, and headed back to Short Pump. We ran into Short Pump Town Center to see my sis, who is a manager at Pottery Barn Kids. She was taking a late lunch break, so we got to chat for a few minutes and grab drinks from Starbucks before hitting the road. Then it was back to 64 & 81. We chatted most of the way home and enjoyed the nice weather. We made it home just in time for dinner… and so ends the great impromptu Richmond roadtrip of July 2008.