I have a dear friend in Olympia, WA. (Hello, dear friend!) I went out to visit him over my spring break. I plan to head his way again for a month this summer. He's coming here for Memorial Day weekend. We talk on the phone almost every night, which is wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule. (Three hours worth of time zones, as it turns out, is a big difference.)

Last weekend, he went on a trip for a few days and was out of cellular range. When he returned to the land of reception, he informed me that his work for the week had been cancelled and that he was considering heading out to see me for the weekend, seeing as he was already traveling and had a hankering to keep going.

And so he appeared here Wednesday evening and stayed on until Saturday around dinner time. There's nothing like a spontaneous visit to make a girl feel special/wanted/all warm and tingly.

I got a (totally unwarranted!) parking ticket when I picked him up, but it was worth it. I took him to work with me Thursday, where I deposited him in the pre-primary room so he could play with the two-year-olds; he lives with a one-year-old and seemed a bit out of his league hanging out with my fifth graders. I took Friday off, which blurred into Saturday. We went to my favorite Korean restaurant. We sampled too many things at my favorite bakery. We read aloud from The Hero and the Crown for hours on end. (I have been reading it to him over the phone for a few weeks, but in person is always better.) We walked a lot. We had dinner with my parents, who talked politics with him while my eyes glazed over.

I deposited him at the airport yesterday, and it was a funny sort of farewell. I was sad to see him go, but he's coming right back on Friday.

I had been planning to spend this weekend getting my room and house ready to receive him, but then he was here early. I told him he should imagine his two visits to my home as a before and after piece. Immediately after dropping him off, I ran errands I have been meaning to run, and I fell upon my half-finished home projects with gusto. At last, I have dyed those things I meant to dye, put away those things I meant to put away, found a rug, bought a box fan for my window, etc. There's nothing like the promise of company to get the house in order. Maybe I'll even take pictures soon so that you, dear reader, can also enjoy the fruits of my labor.