Back in Boise

Hello Thursday!
Now I know all of you missed me terribly while I was away over Memorial Day weekend. I'm very sorry for the emotional angst I put you through. Really. Very sorry. But I had a FANTASTIC time in Portland and it was one of the best vacations I've had in a long time. So I thought I'd just tell you about it.
What? You don't care?
Well then get your own blog and stop reading mine.

So I left Boise on Thursday around 10 and got to Portland around 4. I stayed with my friend Elizabeth and her husband Alan and they are the most FABULOUS host people known to man. I'm serious. Not only are they hilarious and fun but they're super easy to be around and incredibly mellow and low-key. I haven't laughed so much in a while.
They also have an infestation of ants.
So watching them duel to the death was entertaining to say the least.
Friday I had lunch with several people I used to work with at Multnomah University. My former boss (and the best boss EVER) Ian, and coworkers Zach, Mary and Colin. We ate Vietnamese food, which I'd never had before. It was tasty. Being a bit of a chicken in the new foods department, I was pleasantly surprised. After lunch I went back to the office and chatted with Colin for a while. Colin is my almost-twin. He's two days older than I am and looks nothing like me. But we're great friends because God hates him and I have to console him periodically.
I met another friend, Andreas, for coffee later and it was FANTASTIC to catch up with him. He's Swedish. Wonderful people, those Swedes. Phenomenal taste in backpacks. ;)
Saturday was Elizabeth and my day to hang out and do nothing. So we watched Jane Austen movies and chilled. Fantastic.
Sunday I went to my old church and almost melted into the floor because I was so happy. It was lovely to see all of my friends there and catch up with them. And listening to Father George is always amazing.
I then proceeded to lock myself out of Elizabeth's house and spent two hours in my car waiting for them to get home.
Heh.
But then came Monday.
I got to meet Elizabeth's parents and friend Will when they came over for a barbeque. That was fun.
Then I went to meet my good friend Celeste and her new baby girl Josephine, who is ADORABLE.
I'm using a lot of adjectives here.
Celeste and I went for coffee and then walked around an antique store. And she's hilarious most of the time without knowing it so I was hysterical the whole time. Hooray for Hispanic people and their whole fishy sense of humor. ;) again.
Then I went to meet my Brother, Danny, and his girlfriend Beth.
I have to tell you about my Brother. I met him either the first or second day that I was at Multnomah. And he was my Brother. Right then. He's fantastic and quirky and non-boxable and so much like me and not like me and all kinds of other things. I love him. He's my Brother.
So we had coffee, went to a park, went to eat Mexican food and then hung out at his house for a while. That was hard visit to walk away from. I wanted to stay forever. He plays the guitar like an angel and I wanted to fall asleep in his room while he played, like I used to do in my apartment while we were in school. *sigh*
So Tuesday Elizabeth and I went for breakfast and hung out some more, and then I met Father George for a semi-lunch. He's my Godfather and he's fantastic too. He taught one of my World Religions classes and introduced us to Orthodoxy. The class was so interesting that I went to visit St. Nicholas the next Sunday. And the rest is history. The Holy Spirit sucked me right in and I became Orthodox shortly after. So I feel highly indebted to Fr. George and I'm super glad I know him. He's great.
Then I went by Multnomah again to see Lisa, who is WONDERFUL and who wasn't there on Friday when I was there before. I also saw Dr. Metzger, who is a professor I admire greatly.
So I didn't leave Portland until 5:15 or so, which explains why I didn't get back to Boise until 1 am Wednesday morning. But the drive back was great. I was on a SUPER high from how splendiferous the visit had been so I wasn't tired or anything. And the roads were fine, there wasn't a lot of traffic after getting out of Portland and everything went really well.
*sigh* again.
Sometimes I don't understand why I'm not living there anymore. I'm so happy when I go there and so sad when I leave. And people kept asking me why I didn't just come back and I didn't really have a good reason except that it just didn't feel right.

Don't you just hate that?