Back from Short Home Weekend

I don't know if I told everyone this, but this past weekend, I went home for a short visit. I think I may have neglected to inform some people about that, so for that I am very sorry. Anyways, now I am back, and just wanted to share a little bit of my weekend with you, especially those who were not present or who did not even now!

My weekend usually starts at 4:00 PM right after my Theology class. This past Friday was no exception, so I rushed off from class to get everything ready to go. I had already packed up clothes and other necessities in my suitcase, so all that was left was any little odds and ends that I forgot to pack. I brought a few books and studying materials, just in case I had some free time to study or do homework. Then there were just a few more mundane objects that I just had to bring along, so these kinds of things were included in my packing. However, because of all this packing, I was not ready to leave until 4:30, which in travel time is very significant. I quickly called home and said I was on my way, putting my arrival time around 8:30 PM. So, I hurriedly packed my stuff into my car and headed out, and I was on my way.

Unfortunately for me, it was Friday rush hour, and in Downtown Cincinnati, that is a bid deal. This is especially true when there are several wrecks throughout the city, and of course, right in the direction I was heading. So, I sat in Cincinnati traffic for more than an hour, moving about 6 miles in that hours. Needless to say, I was very frustrated, but I was glad when the traffic finally cleared up and I was "on the road." After that major setback, I finally arrived home at around 9:45 PM, with no other setbacks except for dinner on the road. I was extremely tired, but very glad to finally be back.

During my weekend, which I won't chronicle event by event, I went to my local place of employment (Ingles) and met some of my friends. Right after that I set out to the mall to meet some more friends, eating and walking around while we were there. I then said goodbye to them, and decided to spend the rest of the evening with my family, which actually was a major reason for visiting.

Upon coming home, I only had a little while to sit down when I was informed we were going to Saturday night Mass. Normally I went to 11:30 AM Sunday since I worked on Saturday night, so this was different for me. Not to mention the fact that at the Church in Cincinnati, they don't have a Saturday night Mass. But, I went along with that, since that meant more sleep the next day. When we got back, we prepared the fixings for barbecue ribs, since we were having a couple of friends over. I helped minimally, since grilling is not my expertise, but I did partake of the end product, which by the way was very delicious. We ate outside under the new deck canopy, and had a great time eating, talking, and listening to music. The whole shindig lasted until around 9:30 PM (may have been later) and it was a very rewarding experience. My family and I spent the rest of the night watching some TV programs and then headed off to bed. All and all, a very rewarding day.

Sunday started out relatively late since we had already gone to Mass, so I slept extra well that night. We then went out for a fast-food lunch and then a little bit of shopping. I decided that I needed a few warmer items, since by the time I would be back, it will have cooled down significantly. So, we picked up those items and headed back. The next couple of hours were spent lounging around and talking, and after that I had to pack up again. I waited to leave a little bit later than usual, since I felt my time there had not been sufficient. Everything was packed up into the car by around 6:30 PM, and I left soon after. But, not until after saying a very long goodbye to the family. I went out to fill up the gas tank (more than $3 a gallon!) and headed back north. I hope that this trip would take a lot less time, considering that I had started out quite a bit later.

Thankfully, I got back to Cincinnati in around 4.5 hours, which in my opinion is very reasonable. But, I did encounter some difficulty on the way back. It started raining outside of Lexington, Kentucky, and kept on and off until I got back. Apparently some of the power was out around here, but fortunately the power was on when I got back to the dorm. I unloaded and hauled my stuff up in the rain, and finally got settled at around 11:30 PM. I was very exhausted and went to sleep not too long after.

All in all, I would say this was a very productive trip. It definitely wasn't as long as I had wanted, but I'm thankful I got to come down anyways. Well, I guess that concluded this portion of "Sean's Exciting Life!" I will have more to write either tomorrow or Wednesday, since I have taken another test since last time. Until then, have a productive and blessed work week!