New Hampshire and back again
It's been 4 days since I've seen my computer. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to New Hampshire and back. I rented a minivan, and drove up to Brentwood, NH with my sister and her boyfriend, my brother, and my two children. We left late Thursday evening, drove through the night and arrived there at 6 am Friday morning. The kids blessedly slept the entire trip. They woke up upon arrival and immediately commensed playing with their twin cousins. The rest of us tumbled into our designated bedrooms and slept for the next 3 hours. When we woke, it was time to get back in the van and drive another 2 1/2 hours to Jackson, NH for our cousins wedding rehearsal dinner.
I had wanted to get on the road a bit early because I wanted to make a stop in Conway. I remembered it as a beautiful New England town. I wanted to stroll through some of the shops and get an ice cream cone. I think I was driving the others crazy with my talk about stopping in Conway... well about 5 miles from the town we hit incredibly bad traffic. It was stop, stop, go etc... We were stopped for about 30 minutes before we got past the entrance of the Kancamagus Highway. By that time we were all frustrated. (I believe I said "Who's stupid idea was it to stop in Conway anyway?) We got up to the railroad tracks and I couldn't quite get across. I was nervous, and told the others to watch for trains. About 5 min later, I was able to get off the tracks, which was excellent timing. Less than a minute after that we heard a train whistle. The next obstacle was an intersection. The oncoming traffic was having a difficult time crossing our lane to make a left turn. Occasionally someone in our lane would let one of them go. When I got up to the intersection, in an attempt to be generous I let one of the oncoming vehicles across. That also allowed for traffic from the cross street to make a right turn into my lane. After the oncoming vehicle cleared my lane I proceeded to move forward. 2 cars from the cross street made the right turn in front of me, but then a big truck turned as well. The rude asshole driver cut me off and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic. Then he had the gall to stick his head out the window with the 'international peace sign' and attempt to wave me in right under his wheels. What an ass, a perfect representative of northern hospitality. No, I don't think everyone from there is like this, but this driver's actions didn't serve to increase my feeling of mutual respect for others. If I'd thought about it, I'd have taken a picture of his truck to post on here. (Thanks Scott!)
Despite the traffic jam in Conway, we were still running early for the rehearsal dinner, so we stopped for a little bit at outlet shops in North Conway. Got a few nice items from there. A beautiful sweater from Banana Republic, a matching set from Maidenform, a Schoolhouse Rocks CD, and a few t-shirts. Then it was on to Jackson NH. To the Wentworth Resort Hotel. We missed the turn off toward the town and took 10 min detour through other quaint NH towns before realizing our error. Once back on track, we went over the Jackson Covered Bridge and on to the hotel. It was so nice to be there. I saw Aunts and Uncles that I hadn't seen in a few years. It was nice to be with family. Everyone looked so good. My cousin Matthew looked great, grown up, self-assured, relaxed... What a change from the kid I knew. He's finished Medical School, is in his second year of residency and was marrying another doctor, a cute girl with a sparkling personality. They really suit each other. I liked all of Matt's friends. I wish that our family hadn't lived so far away. I think it would have been fun growing up with Matt around more than we got to see him.
After the dinner, we drove back to Brentwood for sleep, then got up at 6 am and did it all over again. Had to be at the wedding at noon. Drove back up there, this time with no traffic in Conway. Got there a little early, so went out for breakfast. Then to the wedding. The ceremony was interesting. The pastor was hilarious. He was from Korea and had mastered a preaching style that made him sound like an African American Southern Baptist Preacher. He emphasised every explosive sound in the alphabet. He also joked that he was the only yellow face in town.
He made good points, some that I'll probably never forget because of the way that he delivered them. He spoke of his interpretation of where the word 'trust' came from. Said it was a useless word... look at savings and loans, large corporations, casual friendships etc. All had pretty much appropriated and bastardized the word until it had very little meaning... Trust me.
Instead of trust, he prefered troth- T. R. O. T. H. as a vow. A much stronger word that encompasses everything a person is.
He had other wisdoms as well. He referred to the circle, of course, as representing eternity... which is how long the love should last in a marriage. He talked of drawing a circle on the ground and having the person that you love jump in the middle with you as a symbol of your T.R.O.T.H. so that no outside forces can destroy the marriage.
The thing that he said that will stick with me the longest though is this:
He said he was sick of people and other ministers saying that in marriage the two people became one. He said "Don't try to become entwined as one. You'll quickly kill each other! Instead stand together as 2 stronger individuals."
There was a long wait between the ceremony and the reception, so I decided to take a ride up to Mount Washington. The remnants of Hurricane Ivan were in the area, it was rainy, foggy, and I was still dressed for attending a wedding. I really would have liked to hike the Tuckerman Ridge Trail, but that's hard to do in a sleeveless dress and 2 inch heels. In fact, I was getting strange looks just going into the visitor center dressed as I was. Most of the people were dressed in various layers of wool, microfiber, gortex and the like. I supressed the urge to hike and instead bought a postcard with a picture of the mountain. That's the second time I've been there and not been able to do the hike. If I ever go back, I'm going to go prepared to complete that hike!!!
I returned to the hotel to catch the tail end of cocktail hour. Had a few, and some appetizers. Matt and Andrea had everyone head to the bar to sing "The Piano Man" while Andrea's brother played the song on the piano. Afterwards it was finally time for dinner. We met a nice couple, Adam and Andrea, who sat at the next table over from us. Andrea went to medical school at UVA. One of her classmates, Mark Dixon, went to highschool with my sister. We all marveled at the small world with so many connections.
After dinner, I wandered over to the hotel and noticed a college football game on- Notre Dame, and... Michigan State I believe. I also notice one of the wedding guests watching the game. Sat and talked with him for a bit. His name was Jake, also a doctor that works with my cousin. I enjoyed his company, and would have liked to stay longer to talk with him, but it was time to get going at that point. We still had the long drive back to Brentwood so that we could get a decent night's sleep before piling back in the van for the 10+ hour drive back to Chesapeake.
The kids didn't sleep much on the way back, but they were incredibly good for such a long ride. I was very impressed!
Well, that's pretty much the tale of our trip to New Hampshire. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. I'm going to have to get off here and try for some sleep if I expect to do anything constructive tomorrow.
I had wanted to get on the road a bit early because I wanted to make a stop in Conway. I remembered it as a beautiful New England town. I wanted to stroll through some of the shops and get an ice cream cone. I think I was driving the others crazy with my talk about stopping in Conway... well about 5 miles from the town we hit incredibly bad traffic. It was stop, stop, go etc... We were stopped for about 30 minutes before we got past the entrance of the Kancamagus Highway. By that time we were all frustrated. (I believe I said "Who's stupid idea was it to stop in Conway anyway?) We got up to the railroad tracks and I couldn't quite get across. I was nervous, and told the others to watch for trains. About 5 min later, I was able to get off the tracks, which was excellent timing. Less than a minute after that we heard a train whistle. The next obstacle was an intersection. The oncoming traffic was having a difficult time crossing our lane to make a left turn. Occasionally someone in our lane would let one of them go. When I got up to the intersection, in an attempt to be generous I let one of the oncoming vehicles across. That also allowed for traffic from the cross street to make a right turn into my lane. After the oncoming vehicle cleared my lane I proceeded to move forward. 2 cars from the cross street made the right turn in front of me, but then a big truck turned as well. The rude asshole driver cut me off and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic. Then he had the gall to stick his head out the window with the 'international peace sign' and attempt to wave me in right under his wheels. What an ass, a perfect representative of northern hospitality. No, I don't think everyone from there is like this, but this driver's actions didn't serve to increase my feeling of mutual respect for others. If I'd thought about it, I'd have taken a picture of his truck to post on here. (Thanks Scott!)
Despite the traffic jam in Conway, we were still running early for the rehearsal dinner, so we stopped for a little bit at outlet shops in North Conway. Got a few nice items from there. A beautiful sweater from Banana Republic, a matching set from Maidenform, a Schoolhouse Rocks CD, and a few t-shirts. Then it was on to Jackson NH. To the Wentworth Resort Hotel. We missed the turn off toward the town and took 10 min detour through other quaint NH towns before realizing our error. Once back on track, we went over the Jackson Covered Bridge and on to the hotel. It was so nice to be there. I saw Aunts and Uncles that I hadn't seen in a few years. It was nice to be with family. Everyone looked so good. My cousin Matthew looked great, grown up, self-assured, relaxed... What a change from the kid I knew. He's finished Medical School, is in his second year of residency and was marrying another doctor, a cute girl with a sparkling personality. They really suit each other. I liked all of Matt's friends. I wish that our family hadn't lived so far away. I think it would have been fun growing up with Matt around more than we got to see him.
After the dinner, we drove back to Brentwood for sleep, then got up at 6 am and did it all over again. Had to be at the wedding at noon. Drove back up there, this time with no traffic in Conway. Got there a little early, so went out for breakfast. Then to the wedding. The ceremony was interesting. The pastor was hilarious. He was from Korea and had mastered a preaching style that made him sound like an African American Southern Baptist Preacher. He emphasised every explosive sound in the alphabet. He also joked that he was the only yellow face in town.
He made good points, some that I'll probably never forget because of the way that he delivered them. He spoke of his interpretation of where the word 'trust' came from. Said it was a useless word... look at savings and loans, large corporations, casual friendships etc. All had pretty much appropriated and bastardized the word until it had very little meaning... Trust me.
Instead of trust, he prefered troth- T. R. O. T. H. as a vow. A much stronger word that encompasses everything a person is.
He had other wisdoms as well. He referred to the circle, of course, as representing eternity... which is how long the love should last in a marriage. He talked of drawing a circle on the ground and having the person that you love jump in the middle with you as a symbol of your T.R.O.T.H. so that no outside forces can destroy the marriage.
The thing that he said that will stick with me the longest though is this:
He said he was sick of people and other ministers saying that in marriage the two people became one. He said "Don't try to become entwined as one. You'll quickly kill each other! Instead stand together as 2 stronger individuals."
There was a long wait between the ceremony and the reception, so I decided to take a ride up to Mount Washington. The remnants of Hurricane Ivan were in the area, it was rainy, foggy, and I was still dressed for attending a wedding. I really would have liked to hike the Tuckerman Ridge Trail, but that's hard to do in a sleeveless dress and 2 inch heels. In fact, I was getting strange looks just going into the visitor center dressed as I was. Most of the people were dressed in various layers of wool, microfiber, gortex and the like. I supressed the urge to hike and instead bought a postcard with a picture of the mountain. That's the second time I've been there and not been able to do the hike. If I ever go back, I'm going to go prepared to complete that hike!!!
I returned to the hotel to catch the tail end of cocktail hour. Had a few, and some appetizers. Matt and Andrea had everyone head to the bar to sing "The Piano Man" while Andrea's brother played the song on the piano. Afterwards it was finally time for dinner. We met a nice couple, Adam and Andrea, who sat at the next table over from us. Andrea went to medical school at UVA. One of her classmates, Mark Dixon, went to highschool with my sister. We all marveled at the small world with so many connections.
After dinner, I wandered over to the hotel and noticed a college football game on- Notre Dame, and... Michigan State I believe. I also notice one of the wedding guests watching the game. Sat and talked with him for a bit. His name was Jake, also a doctor that works with my cousin. I enjoyed his company, and would have liked to stay longer to talk with him, but it was time to get going at that point. We still had the long drive back to Brentwood so that we could get a decent night's sleep before piling back in the van for the 10+ hour drive back to Chesapeake.
The kids didn't sleep much on the way back, but they were incredibly good for such a long ride. I was very impressed!
Well, that's pretty much the tale of our trip to New Hampshire. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. I'm going to have to get off here and try for some sleep if I expect to do anything constructive tomorrow.
posted by VA girl at 12:15 AM
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