A transformed group, including a speed racer; fun at the shore, & have 7 layer, will travel

The Shenanigan B & B mission trip guests arrived around dinner on the return trip Friday vs closer to 9:30 pm the week prior, so we had more time with them. There was another Creighton group that was rerouted to their same mission trip location, because their original NC destination was impacted by the hurricane. NC group stayed up crazy late and seemed more intent on having fun/goofing off than actually working. 'Our' group weren't fans, but they made the best of it. 

At one point, NC couldn't find the fire pit, so they started a fire in the yard after borrowing bricks from a landscaped area. This adventure burned a hole in the grass. It put a damper on that night, as that group's leaders cancelled the reflection time for BOTH groups, and lectured both groups at length. I think there was a power trip thing happening. 

One of 'our' girls got pulled over while driving. She apparently was driving behind a cop, pulled around him and passed him, while going 80 mph in a 55 mph zone. Oops. She's 4'9" and drives with her seat up close and the steering wheel lowered, and the rest of the group found her speeding-oops combined with her size to be sort of a commentary on small but mighty -or in this case small but speedy. The cop had to adjust the speed on her ticket, or she would've been arrested because driving that fast was a felony.  (this info isn't verified, but it's something I should know given I lost my license for too many speeding tickets a few years back). Speed racer took the teasing all in stride. 

One of the Hawaiian girls, a freshman, admitted that she preferred having Tank drive. "He's such a good driver." Apparently everyone slept while he drove. 

a blurry photo I snapped of some houses along
 the Jersey Shore by roomie's house.

The best part of hosting them was noting how they’d connected. There was a different vibe the first night vs. on the return trip. They had a blast playing a board game called Code Names. Mini had just arrived home for the start of her fall break, and she played  too. After dinner, they assembled in the basement to do a reflection/hang out, and the house shook with their thunderous laughter. All in all, a great experience. 

******

Sitting in the warmth
 of the sun was key.

Over the weekend Coach, Mini, and I stayed with Mini’s roommate’s family in NJ, and attended the ND game on Saturday at Metlife Stadium. We tailgated on a windy but beautiful day, and enjoyed adult time with Mini’s friends and their families. 

Pig and Parrot - a bar on the Jersey Shore.

My 7 layer taco dip survived the trip (are we breathing a collective sigh of relief? When my luggage appeared on the belt and had no food oozing out of it, I decided we were in the clear). The friend, who'd asked Mini if my 7 layer dip travelled well, felt bad that her comment prompted me to pack it, but it was a big hit - especially after the game when everyone was done with the bagels and donuts they'd been munching all morning before the noon game. 

the night before our flight

The secret, in case any of you feel daring enough to try a similar stunt:  I prepared the bottom two layers in a Gladware container (that I stuck in two freezer Ziploc bags and taped the edges together with packing tape), and brought the rest of the ingredients in double-bagged, sandwich baggies - all inside a soft-sided cooler inside my checked bag. After smoothing out the bottom layer - because the refried beans and the sour cream/cream cheese layers ‘slid’, I added the toppings Friday night when we returned from visiting a few bars on the shore. Our host, Mini's roomie's dad- who has the same first name as my Coach, owns an Irish pub in Long Branch, NJ and a trolley company. So - he drove us to a bar in his trolley. 

In other news, on Thursday night I caved. I took the lower dose (10 mg) antidepressants, hoping that I'd sleep well all weekend. I wasn't sure if it would take several weeks for my body to react. When used for depression it takes 6 weeks to make a difference. Great news - it kicked in right away. I slept amazing Thursday, Friday (I was awake a touch - but I attribute that to sharing a full size bed with my Gumby sized husband), and Saturday. 

I’d forgotten what it felt like to be well rested. I’m conflicted about where to go from here. For now, I'm gonna keep taking the pills. The nurse said taking them won't mess with the results of my upcoming test (small intestines photo shoot). If the 10 mg works, maybe I'll have less side effects? Hmm. 

A show of hands, who's been to the Jersey Shore? Supposedly a mom and daughter trip is in the works for the summer. I'm in! Anyone do anything fun over the weekend?