Nearing a Milestone

October 19th was my father's birthday. He just turned seventy-seven. To celebrate this tremendous event, I drove up to Sedona with my nephew Cameron to pay them a visit. My sister, her husband, and my other nephew, John, came up as well...separately, because they are having issues with Cameron. My nieces were also there, but their parents could not make it until we all left. In preparation, I had to get my truck repaired. Since I was bringing a guest, I wanted to be safe, so I finally got my brakes fixed once and for all. It cost a pretty penny, but the comfort of having this finished after all of this time was a significant weight off my shoulders.

Almost as soon as I got there, my father, Cameron, and I went to a park to practice some softball. One would pitch, one, would hit, and the other was fielding. That was a good way to kill about an hour or two, and then we had lunch. Cameron and I had already plowed down some Del Taco for breakfast a few hours prior, so I figured I would pack it a bit light this time. While waiting for my mother to get off work, we walked through the downtown area, which I am not sure I have ever done. It is a nice, charming little area. I would like to spend an evening there sometime. I think sometimes simplicity is better than having a lush amount of "stuff" around you.

Later in the day, we had dinner and went to the clubhouse and shot pool. Since there were three of us, we played cut throat, which fittingly, may dad won most of the games. The weather was actually rather nice that night; I walked to and from the clubhouse in shorts and a t-shirt. Sleeping was a little rough. The sleeping arrangement switched around a bit, and so I ended up sleeping on the couch in the living room while my nieces and nephews played musical chairs (literally) for around an hour or two. Sometime during and after this, my mother paced around the house a few time in the middle of the night. Sleeping there can be a very interesting experience sometimes when I don't get to sleep in the spare room.

The next day was the actual birthday event. It turned out to be better than I expected. Many of our family gatherings end in a bit of turmoil. There is only so much time before something erupts, it seems. This particular time was abnormally pleasant, despite the tension between Cameron and his parents. We made lasagne with garlic toast and sparkling cider. I was in charge of the garlic bread. Something smelled absolutely repugnant in the kitchen, and I was positive that it was the garlic bread, but it ended up being surprisingly delicious. There's nothing that complements pasta quite like toasted garlic or cheese bread. We topped it off with the traditional cake and ice cream, and shortly after, I was making my way home.

It was nice to see my parents, and my family in general. I visit them far too infrequently, and I hope to make a more concerted effort to see them in the future. That is one thing I can certainly say I regret. Overall, it was a rewarding trip, and I look forward to seeing them again soon.