Long Weekend

America has come to use the term "long weekend" for the 3 days that occur when we irrevently move a holiday to the nearest Monday, forming a 3-day holiday for workers. I have already informed my family that, after my demise, if my birthday becomes a national holiday, it is *not* to be moved to the nearest Monday, but is to give workers a delightful holiday right there in the middle of the week, wherever it falls.

All that aside, we are having a true "long weekend."Meaning, Little One is gone away for a whole weekend. She has only been gone this long once before, and that is not the best story to share.

The Middle School Youth Group at church has the Outdoor Challenge every year at this time. It's three days at an outdoor camp in VA with a whirlwind of activity. Yesterday they went caving; today they will kayak and tomorrow they will rock climb and rappel. It's sort of a kickoff of the new year for the Youth Group, and is meant to create bonding among the youth, including the new members, rising 6th graders. Little One is one.

The Youth Director mailed her a list of what to pack. Funny, all the other kids seemed able to lift their own duffles, but Little One's was so heavy even I could not lift it.

We gathered at the church parking lot yesterday morning to see them off. As is always the case, this took forever, as various parents remembered they had forgotten this or that and zoomed back home to grab it and bring it back: a pillow, a spoon. We stood in the church parking lot, making small talk and wishing they could just get on with it.

Little One did not feel her best yesterday and was unusually clingy to me. She did not know anyone in the group and felt worried. DH and I tried to be exceptionally chipper, despite our hearts being heavy at her going away from us.

Finally the group took off. DH and I headed to the Middle School to paint the teachers' bathrooms, the PTA project for the summer. While there, we got FIVE im's from Little One, --(DH loaned her his cell phone) -- telling us where they were on the road, and, finally, "we got here." That was the last one we received.

Last night we went to a nearby Larger City for sushi and a little shopping. I sent her a pic of DH's sushi salad, but she did not reply. I'm going to say she has gotten into the spirit of the thing and is having a ball.

We sent her with two disposable cameras, one flash, one waterproof. We'll have pics developed on the way home from picking her up, and will scan and post here soon.