The Weekend

This past weekend was pretty amazing because it was filled with some of my favorite things: food, games, naps, and friends - lots of good friends.  I headed to Knoxville Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with my friends Michael and Haley.  We've been friends for six years or so, and I don't think we had seen each other in at least a year, so this was a long overdue trip.  Friday evening we met up with some of Michael's pharmacy school friends to play beach volleyball at The Cove, this great place on one of the lakes there.  They had a big pavilion, picnic tables, grills, a playground and walking path, volleyball courts, all sorts of water rentals like canoes, paddle boards etc., and maybe even a place to fish.  I love places like that - places that provide nice, free outdoor recreation.  I'm not a huge outdoorsy, water sports kind of person, but in our technology driven, entertainment hungry world, places like that are invaluable and I definitely appreciate them.  And looking back, we should have gotten a picture of me playing volleyball, because athletically inclined is also something that I am not.  But I played, and I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be.  I'm not saying I was good, I definitely wasn't, but it could have been much worse.

Saturday morning we slept in and enjoyed chocolate chip waffles.  Our original plan for the day had been to go tubing but the weather was bad, so we packed some lunches and headed to the lodge that Haley's family owns instead.  We enjoyed lunch on the porch and then picked vegetables from the garden in the rain.  Well, they picked veggies; I took pictures.

We were wet and the bugs were getting bad, so we retreated inside where after a round of Mad Gab, we all ended up falling asleep on the couches for about an hour.  Normally weekends away are jam-packed full of activities and can be exhausting, so being able to take a nap on a large, worn, leather couch in a lodge in the mountains was ah-mazing.

Another treat was that some other friends of ours were able to join us for dinner back at Michael and Haley's.  I hadn't seen Dave and Scottie since January or February, so being able to spend the evening with them as well was really special.  After dinner we played Quelf.  If you aren't familiar with the game, the point of it is more or less to make you act ridiculous.  I call it a sober person's drinking game, because you end up doing some crazy stuff.  For example, one time I drew a card that made me wrap toilet paper around my head like a mummy and I had to leave it on until someone else rolled a certain number on the dice.  Or sometimes there are rules like You must finish every sentence you say with the phrase: Hear me, for I have spoken or Every time the opponent on your left has a turn you must announce everything they do as if you are a golf announcer, with hushed tones and small claps.  It's pure craziness...and I won!

I love them...and little baby Isaiah due in October!

Haley and I had to have a drawing competition.  We had to draw a baby, fork, alligator, and whistle.  Her's is on the left, mine on the right.

Just ignore the fact that Michael has a piece of paper taped to his head, it was all a part of the game.

Sunday morning I went to church with Michael and Haley, and then we had lunch on the deck before I hit the road.  I did get to make one more stop to a see a friend before I  made it back to Johnson City.  It was quick, about an hour and a half, but I hadn't seen Jessica since February.  And these days, as my friends and I get more and more scattered, I'm thankful for any chance I get to see them!

Thumbs up for winning and good friends and a great weekend!