Blogging the Reunion

Booking hotels always gives me anxiety. You never know what you're going to get. Photos can be manipulated, customer reviews can be faked, and the low, low price they offer never includes the additional 30 bucks in taxes. You're never sure about the neighborhood where they're located, and there's always the possibility of getting some dirty fleabag in ghetto central. That's exactly what happened to us the last time we traveled to Idaho. We stayed at some filmy, funk-laden Rodeway Inn somewhere next to the railroad tracks in nowhere Wyoming. I was aiming for affordable and ended up traumatized.

So I'm not a fan.

On the bright side, it's always a happy surprise when you take the chance and end up with something that doesn't utterly suck. So we're at a Comfort Inn in New Buffalo, Michigan and it's not horrible.

The once-every-three-years Day Family reunion officially kicks off tomorrow in Beulah, Michigan on the sandy shores of Crystal Lake. Because Beulah is a long ol' drive from our beloved and soon-to-be-abandoned Tonica, we decided to break the drive up and get a few hours down the road tonight. Suzanne taught her final class and turned in her grades this evening, and as soon as she was done, we got on the road and headed out. Now we're all sitting in room 307 laughing at people falling down and getting hit in the crotch on America's Funniest Home Videos. Ah, hotel life. You eat things and watch things you would normally never consider.

Anyway, tomorrow at two is the family lunch that officially starts things off. It's supposed to be a little cool at the beach this week so we''ll see what ends up happening. But if it's anything like last time, there will be boating, swimming, sandcastles, ice cream, skits, ladder ball, picture taking, all-out-gonzo-insanity featuring Jeff Day and Shauna Pierson, and other Day family staples. This is our one week of vacation this summer, and everyone in my family is looking forward to it.

I'm not making any promises, but I will try to update daily on the goings on in Beulah. Stay tuned!

In other news, today was my last day at IVCC too. It was quiet, uneventful, and a little sad. I took care of my final grades, passed a few projects off to other people, said goodbye to a few folks, and then turned in my keys, ID badge, and parking pass. I signed a resignation form and walked out the front door. I felt a little melancholy because, for better or worse, this place has been where I've spent the majority of my waking hours for almost half a decade. Some people are utterly unsentimental about work. However, I am not one of those people. I'm pretty sappy and misty about stuff, so even though there was a lot about IVCC I didn't like and even though I am completely enthusiastic about starting at Delta in two weeks, I am a little sad to be leaving IV. Ah well. So it goes.

This week isn't time to be thinking about work anyway, old or new. It's time for tubing, karaoke, and games. Work will come soon enough. No need to rush it.