My parents are both planners. We rarely ever take a vacation that hasn't been scheduled and on the calendar for months in advance. Sometimes, I practice this long term planning as well. This past weekend, however, I decided to shed my inhibitions and take a fairly spontaneous trip home. This visit was not without purpose, for I sought to surprise my best friend for her birthday.
For the majority of my life, I have spent time with three of my best friends, Annie, Rosie, & Jessie (aka the ie's), on each of our respecitive birthdays. Whether it be a big celebration or a simple meal at someone's home, we always make time for each other on our birthdays. This year it seemed as though all of that must change. With the four of us away at college, we were not able to be together on my birthday. While I was disappointed to be without my ie's, I understood that they would've been there if they could. However, I decided I did not want this to become a pattern for all of us.
When I heard that Rosie was going to be making the trip to Winona to visit Annie & Jessie for Annie's birthday celebration, I realized I needed to be there as well. The next thing I knew, I had a bus ticket booked for Minneapolis in three days. Although I looked forward to my trip all week, I still procrastinated the packing portion of it and had to rush to make my bus on Friday. Eight hours later, I found myself hugging my sister on Minnesota soil. I enjoyed a brief night at home, getting to sleep in my own bed and use our clean shower, before trying to make the most of my time there. I ran errands and even got to catch up with my good friend Maddie, which were both on my to-do list.
Then came the fun part. Rosie and I took the two and a half hour road trip to Winona on Saturday afternoon. We passed the time by talking, laughing, jamming out to some music, and just genuinely enjoying each other's company. Once we arrived in 'Nona, we reunited with Jessie to get ready for the evening and catch up with her. When the time came, we headed over to Annie's birthday bash. The look on her face when I walked in the door made me completely forget about the time and money I had spent in order to be there. Her surprised reaction and immediate excitement made it all worth it. The night was over before I knew it, and although our time spent together was very limited, I enjoyed every minute of it.
The next morning, I boarded my train to Chicago and headed back to reality. While I spent nearly as much time traveling as I did in Minnesota, and I only got to see my family for about ten minutes, I still couldn't have asked for a better weekend at home.
The ie's reunited in Winona :)
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