Tuesday, March 14, 2006

but i’ve been to oklahoma

This past weekend, I was the main course in Crazy Surprise 2006… I’ve never been part of such an elaborate surprise, and it was a blast.

So, what is Crazy Surprise 2006? Well, I’d love to make it an annual event (hmmm), but this year, it consisted of me flying to Oklahoma, where I surprised my younger sister in the middle of her choir tour. Oh yeah. We got her good.

A thorough explanation:

So, the Sunday before, my mom called with the awesome idea: Adrienne was on choir tour (for her spring break), her choir is amazing, and they’d be in Oklahoma the next weekend. Would I (an older sister a time zone away, notorious for having a major work load) be able to come hear their concert?

Didn’t sound possible, and most weeks I would have said: Ooh. I would love to go see her, but I’m swamped. But this weekend, I had just seen a movie that featured a road trip right at the end, and I was itching to get away for awhile. So I said yes, absolutely, sign me up. Frequent flyer miles got me from Grand Rapids to Cincinnati to Oklahoma City on Saturday—I read my senior seminar assignments on the planes and at the airports. My parents were waiting for me at the OKC airport, (they drove out the day before), and I landed in time for lunch. (Yes, it had been a very early morning!)

It was so nice to see them both—it had been a month and a half since I’d seen them last. So we talked and ate, and I got caught up on pictures from Christmas and the beginning of the year. I also took a nap, back at the hotel: fell asleep facedown on an essay about tradition in literature. (Oops.) But around 4:45—over twelve hours after I got up that morning!—we drove to the church that Adrienne’s choir would be arriving at, and we poked around and waited… until the tour bus pulled up, and a stream of semi-sleepy students climbed out. I stood near the door, grinning like an idiot, and she saw me and freaked out… we laughed, we cried…

You get the idea.

But it was really awesome, and SO good to see her. I love that kid. We watched her concert and hung out with her that night, and then followed the choir through two different church services and lunch before saying goodbye on Sunday afternoon. Then Mom and Dad and I had a little time together before my flight back to Cincinnati and then Grand Rapids. Whew!

So it was a surreal weekend—going from chilly GR to an eighty-degree Oklahoma City. But I think it was exactly what I needed, even though I had to scramble to prep for a midterm this morning (eek!). There’s just something about family.

One last story: So Sunday night, I was sitting by my carry-on, outside of the GR airport. Kim was on her way to pick me up, and I was worn out from the traveling and excitement. A young security guard kept checking on me, making sure I was okay, that someone was coming for me. I wasn’t feeling especially talkative, and when he asked me if I need to use his cell phone, I smiled politely and said (purely by accident!!) that one sentence you should NEVER say to an airport security guard:

“That’s okay; I’m armed.”

Jenn!! What were you thinking?? I’m lucky I didn’t get shot. But I was holding out my cell at the same time, and he didn’t bat an eye, just said Okay and kept pacing.

Sheesh. Proof of what a tired brain will make you say…—jl

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 03/14 at 11:04 PM
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