What shall I write about today?

I had a very busy weekend.  Every year the ladies from my church pack up and go on retreat.  We have gone to Suttle Lake in Sisters, Oregon for the last three years.  Before that we went to the Oregon coast.  Before that, a different retreat center near Eugene.  This is my ninth year attending.

It is great to get away from our families and obligations and have a little grown up time.  The place we go to is a camp and retreat center with a full-time staff to do the cooking.  The food is AMAZING!  My daughters went to this place for sleep-over camp this summer and are still talking about the food.  The cooks use lots of healthy, organic ingredients, but there were also yummy desserts.

Always before several of my good friends have gone on retreat too, but this year I was the only one.  It was kind of lonely to spend the time with a bunch of ladies I don't know very well.  I enjoy visiting with many of them, but I don't have much in common with some of them.  There were different times when we were divided into groups for meals or Bible study and a couple of times I ended up with a bunch of people I really didn't want to be with.  One is a huge complainer about her litany of medical problems.  One is a bitchy old lady who says mean things (She told our new pastor who lead the retreat that she was dumber than our old pastor!).  One lady kept talking about how she's disowned her children and about how her husband's children can hardly stand her (Hmmm....I wonder who's the problem there?).  And then there was the new pastor...I am trying really hard to like her and I do, but I love my old pastor.  She was wonderful and amazing and I really miss her.  The new pastor is...welll, different! 

Change is hard, I guess. 

Yesterday I had to get up really early and pack up my things and drive three hours to Portland for my dad's wedding.  He was married to a woman I've met once before (they've only been together a couple of months).  They belong to a very...enthusiastic church.  I don't want to offend anyone if this is the kind of worship style you enjoy, but it isn't my thing.  The service lasted HOURS.  People were sobbing and laughing and dancing and shouting and prophesying and waiving flags.  My kids were STUNNED.  My dad is a musician and he plays on the worship team.  I understand why he enjoys the environment.  He probably feels like a rock star up there on stage playing guitar and signing while people whoop and holler.  For me it was just uncomfortable.

And then I met my two new step-sisters.  They seemed pretty enthused about the whole thing (that's some sarcasm there). 

The good news was that my older sister brought my daughters to the wedding.  Since I'd been gone since Friday evening, I was really missing them.  They'd sent me a couple of texts during the weekend, but I had to drive about 10 minutes to get cell reception and they didn't answer when I called them.

And my youngest lost her front tooth.  The tooth fairy even came to my mom's house, where she was staying.  I was talking to my mom in front of my daughter and I asked her if she texted the tooth fairy (because that is what I do).  She just looked at me blankly and said, "I guess she just figured it out."  LOL - Mom.   

This is sort of a rambling post about nothing!

In band news, I had to field a hundred questions from people at the retreat about my weight loss.  Few of them know the truth.  Yesterday after the wedding I went to pick up my 16 year old sister at my aunt's house in Vancouver, Washington.  My aunt asked about my weight loss.  I've seen her probably 10 times in the last 7 months and this is the first time she's noticed.  I guess I had to lose 85 lbs. to make a difference.  So I told her about the surgery.

And then I had lunch at Burgerville.  Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that is my favorite restaurant in the whole world.  The closest one to my house is about 50 miles away so I don't get there much.  Burgerville is a fast-food place, but better than any other fast food restaurant.  I love that a little cheese sandwich and part of my fries fills me up these days!

Well, I think that's it!  I hope you had a great weekend too.  I'm going to try to read some blogs now.