My weekend started on Friday with a plane trip. I was attending a statewide leadership meeting for the Knights of Columbus, and it was on the other side of the state. Our “second” car which we recently purchased has not really been proven road worthy for long distances as of yet, and I certainly wasn’t about to take our primary vehicle a few hundred miles away when it is the only one that is able to fit all of our kids. This meant I had to take the plane. No problem, at least as far as I was concerned.
I flew from Seattle to Pasco, Washington, which is just a very short distance, relatively. This meant that the big jet airplanes are not necessary. I feel safe in the smaller planes, but they make my wife nervous. She and the kids were not attending the conference, so she didn’t have to see the twin engine turboprop airplane that shuttled us on the less than hour ride.
Stepping off the plane I was hit with two things. First up was the heat – somewhere in the 90’s. it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t used to the temperature (Seattle is much more temperate and mild). The second thing that hit me was the smell. It wasn’t just manure, but much more of a “farm” smell. Yes, you could distinctly gain the odor or horse and cow, but this was different. Maybe you know what I am talking about, and maybe you don’t. It might be something that you need to experience for yourself to distinguish.
After checking in to the hotel, I got caught up on some work and then walked the mile or so to the nearest grocery store. I picked up some fruit, cereal, milk and a couple of plastic kid bowls. I figured my kids would appreciate them (SpongeBob and Disney Princesses) and I could save money on not eating breakfast at a restaurant. Yes, there was a refrigerator in the hotel room. And a microwave.
Getting a little more work done Friday night I wound up staying up later than I had anticipated, but felt good about how I had spent my time. After going to bed, I simply couldn’t fall asleep. After about 30 minutes I wished I were still up getting a few more things done, or at least reading from the book I’ve been trying to get through since April. Something, anything, other than laying there not going to sleep. This is one of the pitfalls to having a great hotel room and nobody to share it with. I enjoy not having somebody take the covers in the middle of the night, but I really do miss sleeping next to my wife. I wound up sticking it out and eventually falling asleep.
Saturday I woke up, had breakfast, and got ready for the day. This included a call home to talk to my family. Some people make fun of me or roll their eyes with the frequency of which I call home, but I don’t care. I choose to be with them, and enjoy their company. Heck, I have even chosen a job that allows me to stay at home so that I am able to spend even more time with them – naturally I miss them when I am away and like to talk to them.
The day was broken into three main sessions, all having to do with the Knights of Columbus and its work, so I won’t go into detail about any of that. After a break we had mass, which was the one issue for me, as I didn’t have a car, so I couldn’t get to the church on my own. I just stood in the lobby of the hotel and asked a couple of fellow Knights if I could catch a ride to the church. One was gracious enough to not only drive me there but also look out for me so that I would have a ride back. I wish I could remember his name, but again I want to thank him.
After mass there was a banquet dinner. After everybody had gotten their food, some leftover awards from the previous year were awarded. I was going to skip out early, but am glad I didn’t because one of the last ones given was to the council I belong to. As the only representative of my council at this meeting, it was my duty to go up and accept the award.
And thus endeth part one…