Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your... er... wait, that's not my line, is it?

Ah well.

This weekend was the Random Family Gathering for the summer. In this case, a Significant Birthdays party... there were quite a few of them, too. My Aunt Sue is 50, semi-cousin Ann is 40, great-uncle Ken is 70, and my great-grandmother is 96. There were a few others across "the pond" in England who therefore couldn't show up, however. My mom's cousin and her daughter, for instance. I think that was all.

So because of this, us kids (this label now applies to anybody under the age of approximately 27) were pretty bored, as none of us had significant birthdays.

Actually, come to think of it though, my sister did... in January, she turned 20.

I guess that nobody thought of it. Since it was about six months ago. That, or she wasn't there, so she didn't count... although people in England did, and she's only three hours away by car instead of ten by plane...

Oh well. Happy birthday again, sis. *hug*

Anyway, the kids were all pretty bored... fortunately, Ann-who-is-40 brought jetskis. So for those who got to play on them, they had fun.

I did not get to play on the jet skis.

I was going to, but never got the chance.

So we decided they'd come back today, and I'd get to play then.

Well, this noonish, just before I left to go back out there (more on this later) I got a call from Ann saying that Jenny and Bob (her kids... Jenny's, what, 14? and Bob's probably seventeen) did not wish to come back out, because they're PARTY POOPERS.

So phooey.

On Tuesday, if it's nice, we might go back out there once I get off work. I dunno. I guess we'll see.

Lemme think... what else...?

I had a talk with my cousin Kent about cigarettes, birth control, how it's not good to combine the two, how The Truth ads are working and nobody smokes anymore which means he can't bum cigs off anybody anymore, how he broke up with his boyfriend who we met at Easter, how it really sucks sometimes that our extended family is mostly old people who don't like cities... you probably get the picture at this point, surely.

I guess basically that yesterday was a typical family gathering. Better than it could be; worse than you'd hoped for; more boring than it might have been, and not as long as you'd expected, while still being too damn long.

Oh, and nobody wanted to go to the drive-in. :(

After most everyone had left, and only Mom, me, Sarah, Shawn, Aunt Sue, Uncle Dick, and their three grandkids - Sarah's niece and nephews: Ciera, Alec, and Bradley - were the only ones still out there, we moved Mom's tent over behind Sue and Dick's camper and started up a fire for s'mores.

Because you haven't been camping today if you don't have s'mores. SCA events don't count, and I think half the time you get s'mores anyway.

Shawn regaled us with a few tales of his neighbor kids when he was growing up, and how they burned down their hay barn, another burned down his house, and Shawn used to light fireworks with a blowtorch.

You know, just those typical things that happen with boys when they grow up...

*thinks about this happening to her own kids, once she has them, and twitches*

We went to bed around 12:30 this morning.

Well, that's... not quite accurate.

I was tired enough I was going to stay out there. I was gonna get to see Shawn and Sarah off in the morning, too, and get breakfast, and all that spiffy stuff.

And then, when I went to the car to pick up my pillows, I realized something.

The bunny that Greg bought me was here, at home, on my bed.

Let me explain this.

Since he bought it for me, at Eastertime, I have not slept a single night that I can think of without either having it under my arm, or at least next to me, or having Greg there. Oftentimes I'd have both.

Friday night, we'd come home because it was too windy to camp out, and I couldn't sleep till I'd gone and gotten it out of the car.

So of course, I'd forgotten to put it back in the car... and I knew that no matter how tired I was, I would not be able to sleep without it, unless Greg happened to show up out at the campsite.

This was unlikely to happen, let us say.

So I came back home.

Once I was back home, I sent Greg a message. This is what it said:

lunziek: I hope you're asleep, because it's one in the morning - literally - and you're working at 7, I think... but I want you to know that I ended up coming home just now after all.
lunziek: Because I went to go to sleep in the tent with Mom, and realized that my bunny was at home. Last night, I was about to go to sleep and realized it was in the car. I haven't slept this summer if I didn't have either you or the bunny.
lunziek: I love you.

When I woke up this morning, this is what I had waiting for me:

Greg: hey.
Greg: hey
Greg: love
Greg: love
Greg: love
Greg: love!
Greg: love!!!!
Greg: no:(
Greg: man i just missed you

So that kinda stunk.

But just before I started this, I got to talk to him on his new cell phone for about twenty minutes or so, so that was nice.

New cell phone because his old one didn't have unlimited nights and weekends - and right now, we really need that - and also, despite that there was a tower not a tenth of a mile from his house, that he could see from his bedroom window, he got really exceedingly and surprisingly shitty reception at his house. So he changed companies and got a new phone and new plan and all sorts of spiffy stuff.

And now I have to learn a new phone number for him.

Went back out to the campsite earlier today, around one or so. Ate lunch, and helped pack up the camper and Mom's crap so that they could move the camper over to the side of the lake that had electricity and water hookups.

Very well timed, too: as soon as we had packed everything up, and we were heading for the vehicles, it started to rain.

Then it started to really pour.

And by the time they'd picked out which spot they wanted, it had already stopped.

Admittedly, there was a twenty-minute feline/canine storm... but still.

Good timing.

We hung out for a while, and I accidentally locked myself in the camper briefly, and then Grandpa and Uncle Dick dropped me off at home.

Mom's still not home yet, and it's already 5:30.

Oh well.

Whatever, dude.

I'm tired, I have a midterm tomorrow, I'm sweatsticky and I need a shower, and right now, the one thing I need more than anything...

...is a hug from Greg. :(

Le sigh.

Four days... just four days... hell, ninety-three hours if you wanna get really specific...