gettin' over it, the weather, that is

where does the phrase "under the weather" come from? when did it come to refer to someone being sick? these are questions i googled the other day and got some answers. i don't want you to think i named my site: "ill". when i was in highschool, the office lady, upon receiving my longwinded explanation for why i had been out-sick, would take my excuse form, and in big red marker, would write: I L L over what had been written. she was bored by excuses. she just wanted to know: sick? yes or no.

i thought of under the weather, because, simply and literally, i am UNDER it, the weather, every day. the clouds form a low ceiling, and i am under them. what i am trying to do: is get over it already. i got a chance to get literally OVER it this weekend...

for how much i complain about the gray, i really don't actually mind the rain. i like the sounds that come with rain: the slurping of tires as they drive past my window, the patter of raindrops on windows, and the tinny pings on the roof i don't get to hear anymore because we have no roof above our heads...just our neighbor, snoring.

we experienced extreme rain as only the east coast can pelt out, this weekend on our whirlwind visit to pennsylvania for a friend's weddding. while still in the air, we flew over storms for the last half of our trip, and francis got to see the black night sky light up as if a giant flash-bulb had gone off, lightning illuminating the clouds as far as the eye could see. he said it looked like bombs were going off. he was thrown into full-on war mode, and proceeded to shoot down the nazi's for the rest of the flight. when we landed, we were in the lull of a tropical-like storm, complete with the humid 70 degree heat. i stepped outside the airport and gasped, and quickly peeled off my wool cardigan and tweed raincoat, quickly down to a t-shirt.





my parents picked us up, and we drove into downtown philly to drop greg off with the boys, where the bachelor party was in full swing. it was midnight, and the city was alive with people. my dad commented that he hasn't been to philly in awhile, that he should really come down some day...and he took us on the "scenic route" thru historic downtown, past independence hall, past the art museum and it's famous steps from "Rocky". he pulled over and asked francis if he wanted to run up the steps. i thought he might, but he didn't want to. maybe the dark? maybe too tired?

we got back to my parents, and ended up not getting to bed til 3am. (greg didn't get in til 5!) it's not actually so bad in the evenings, since they're 3 hours ahead. it's the mornings that feel like death...where 9am is really 6am...and "sleeping in" til 10 is still earlier than i get up for school! our morning hours were all we had for friends and family, from 11-3, (the rehearsal being at 3 and the wedding at 5 the next day) so we got up, coffeed up, and had nice frazzled rushed squeezed visits with friends and my parents and my two sisters.

friday, the day of rehearsal, torrential downpoured all morning, but was still very warm! just a t-shirt and rainboots! (i had checked the weather before hand, and had brought my boots). but by the time we were decorating the barn, most of the rain was gone for the day, only to come back strong once we got back home! saturday, it was sunny: our friends karen and kevin got married at sunset...in lancaster, at a historic little site, with a big barn, decorated with christmas tree lights, and lanterns, and bundles of fall leaves. it was truly beautiful. we danced the night away, courtesy of kris k, and then husband and wife rode away on a motorcycle, by candlelight, her white dress flowing, glowing in the night...

back at my parents, we had a houseful of friends crashing after the wedding. we had a bonfire out in the orchard, awake again til 3am. boys and fire make very happy companions! it was a fine time... another long leisurely breakfast in the tearoom next morning, with multiple pots of coffee, and donuts, and eggs, and sausages...

so soon we had to depart, too short was our visit.

we are home now, back to work and school on monday was a bit rough. slowly getting back to our real life. (i posted some new pics from our trip on my flickr.) for being only a weekend excursion, it felt like a week. it is good to be home tho, i guess even in the rain...