Preparing For Lauren's Arrival

Since Lauren wasn't due to get into Cherry Hill until 7:40, I did some usual day-off chores. Volunteered at the Oaklyn Library first. They were surprisingly busy for such a nice day. Quite a few older people were using the computers and chatting with the librarian. I didn't want to disrupt them, so I kept it to organizing the DVDs and doing a quick go-over on the picture books.

I mainly needed cards at Dollar Tree. Lauren just graduated college courses; my stepsister Jessa graduated the Art College of Philadelphia. Father's Day is this Sunday, too. I needed something for both dads. Also grabbed vinegar and a new laundry bag to replace the one that was damaged yesterday.

Went to the Haddon Township Library next. They weren't as busy. There were only a few people on the computers, and a few more taking out books. I organized the still-overflowing DVDs and shelved kids' books and magazines. I was out of there in less than an hour.

Newton River Park was absolutely gorgeous today. The weather was as perfect as it gets in mid-June. The sky was blue, with some fat clouds overhead. It was warm but neither too hot nor humid. There was a nice, soft wind that kept bugs and heat at bay. I saw a woman clearing the algae off the river in a huge harvester-like machine even as I rode past.

My ride ended as I left the park and was going up the hill into Oaklyn. I realized my back tire seemed to be moving a little odd. I got off and checked it. It was going flat. I wasn't that surprised. I've had that tire for a while, since the last one blew in July 2008. I was frustrated at first, but when I arrived home, I realized this was an opportunity. Lauren and I will probably hit Haddonfield sometime this week or next. Lauren loves the British Chip Shop. We'll just stop at the bike shop there, too.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at my apartment, having the last of the turkey sandwich I bought for dinner last night at the Acme for lunch. Ran a Lois & Clark episode as I ate. "Honeymoon In Metropolis" isn't what it sounds like. Our favorite reporter duo are trying to figure out why a well-known senator and a notorious arms dealer are meeting in the building across the way.

Spent the next few hours finishing the cleaning. I finally vacuumed around the edges and under furniture (at least as best I could with my pulled muscles), which I ran out of time for on Thursday. I swept the porch as best I could in the wind. I made the bed. I put away things I wouldn't need for the week and brought out towels for Lauren to use.

I then took a nice long soak in the bathtub. That felt extra yummy. I keep finding bruises in places I didn't know bruises could be. I can't really lean on my left knee because of the bruise there. Really, other than the sore arms, it could have been a lot worse. Nothing seems to be broken, not even the sore arms.

I'd just gotten dressed and was about to poke into the refrigerator to find dinner when the phone rang. Jodie wanted to know if I'd like to join her, Dad, and Jessa for ribs at Dad's house. Dad would take me to pick up Lauren from there. Sure! My only dinner plans was leftovers.

I strolled over to Dad's. Jodie greeted me on the porch. Dad and Jessa were in the kitchen, working on the rosemary baked potatoes. I congradulated Jess on her graduation. We talked about Rose and Craig moving into their house, and I told Dad about the few plans Lauren and I had. Jess asked if we'd like to hit up a couple of local Goodwills and thrift shops with her. I loved the idea and told her I'd float it by Lauren.

Dinner was delicious, as Jodie's ribs always are. We had asparagus and garlic and the tasty red potatoes with real rosemary from the big bush next to the side entrance to Dad's house. The asparagus was sweet; the ribs were succulent and tender. Jodie was worried that the potatoes hadn't cooked long enough, but I thought they were fine.

After Jodie and Jessa cleaned up the dishes, Dad and I headed to Cherry Hill to pick up Lauren. I called her as I was going to Dad's, and she called me when I was there. Not only did we hit some traffic going to Cherry Hill, but Dad took the wrong turn-off after we went over the Cooper River and had to go all the way around to the Towne Center, past Concentra Urgent Care where I had my foot looked at last year to get to the train platform.

Thankfully, we were only slightly late. Lauren had a bit of a rough ride herself. Her first train from Albany to New York ran into trouble after an hour. She had to change trains. That train was late getting in, which means she had to trade tickets to get a later train. Thankfully, she said she had no trouble after that and was in Cherry Hill on-time.

When we got home and got Lauren settled in, we decided to enjoy the nice weather and go for a walk. (Lauren said her folks mentioned spotty showers in Pittsfield, but we never saw so much as a raindrop here.) There was a huge crowd around Leo's Yum Yums; from the way they were talking and laughing, most of them probably just came out of the Oaklyn Manor. I was full of ribs and just went for a small Cotton Candy Yum Yum. Lauren had a medium orange-vanilla water ice. We strolled home, enjoying our treats and the company.

We took a look at cookbooks to make menus for the week for a while, then went online. Tomorrow, I'll call Jess and see if she's in the mood for a thrift shop excursion.