Kim and Ryan!

Vaccines means visitors! We saw Kim and Ryan after almost a year away. 

Maybe I should have expected it, but I didn't: They brought Christmas/Birthday presents for Shane.

There were LEGOs, a fossil kit with a "real dinosaur poop specimen," and a triceratops themed Nerf blaster.

Shane was happily blasting away while the adults talked. Eventually, Shane remembered Ryan had Pokemon Go and that became the new obsession.

We decided to go to Luv'n Oven for lunch. I've wanted to visit based on the name alone, but it wasn't Carrie's cup of tea. Well, Carrie wasn't there and Kim liked hamburgers, so that's where we went! Adventure is out there! 

I didn't think to bring a mask for Shane, but probably should have. I don't typically wear one now that I don't have to. Kim and Ryan had multiples hanging from the rear view mirror and selected theirs before going in. They've been vaccinated like I have, but they choose to keep wearing them. Ryan had a little gripper he could use to open doors or anything he wanted to avoid contact with.

At this point, I started to think in the background about returning back to normal after a pandemic. I was thinking in general, but, also, assessed that Kim and Ryan were less comfortable than I was about the state of things. 

Only then that got turned on its head when they offered to stay and eat at the restaurant. 

I'd assumed we'd eat outside or (most likely) get the food to go. I don't think I'd eaten in a restaurant yet (and I'd have to scour the blog or my memory to prove otherwise). I'd entered the restaurant thinking I was less worried than them because they were masked and then they immediately offered to do something that my mask-less self was less comfortable with than they were.

Go figure.

It was a good lesson in that everyone can be concerned about a general thing (Stay healthy, flattening the curve, and be conscientious of those around us) while the actual specifics can vary wildly. 

I didn't say all this aloud, but I mentioned that I was wondering what it would be like when everyone went back without being exposed to many germs for so long. "Will we all get sick with common colds and the like since we're not used to it anymore?"

"I don't think that will be a problem," Kim replied. "I worked at home for three years and didn't have any trouble transitioning back to an office."

Food for thought and conversation while we ate.

Kim and Ryan were still up for some exploration and Shane desperately wanted to catch more Pokémon, so we drove into Scottsville.

Shane and Ryan ran to the top of the hill near the soccer fields to look at the trains while on the hunt.

The hill was too steep for Kim's liking, so we came down. We were on our way when we heard an inbound train. Someone spotted a path with an easier slope to the top and we turned around. Shane and Ryan took off running!

You can tell Ryan and I were more interested in the train.

After the train passed, it was back down the hill. Ryan used a side-shuffling crab technique (while making Zoidberg noises).

"You call that a crab walk?" Shane said. "I'll show you a crab walk!"

No Kims were hurt falling and rolling down the hill.

It was back home to talk and play with LEGOs and a Nerf gun after our outdoor adventure. We all needed air conditioning.

I didn't mean to, but I liked the expression I caught on Kim. Let's zoom in.

If Kim and Ryan do decide to have kids, she's going to have a killer "Mom face" for when assessing if a story is true or not!

Carrie came home somewhere in this range. She'd driven with Barbara into MD to look at a horse as a possible free, help-and-then-resell project. It was supposed to be a fun trip, but turned out to be a 'heartbreaking one.' The horse had been given a year off to heal, but was severely lame and the owners didn't recognize it (Barbara leaned over to Carrie and said, "I'm not pro, but he seems really off!"). Carrie ended up being the one to tell them the truth they didn't want to hear instead of playing with a big horse with a Lord of the Rings inspired name.

With all the pictures I take, you'd have thought I'd have taken some. There weren't even bad ones on my phone to pass over. I guess I realized Carrie was in no mood for her picture to be taken.

We all sat down to rest, talk, and enjoy company. When it was all said and done, the visit lasted nearly 6 hours! But all fun things must come to an end. Kim and Ryan got on the road around 7 PM.

Shane and I will probably head there way at some point before summer ends. It felt good to re-establish contact.

Shane got to work on the fossil dig right after they left. They're skilled at figuring out gifts that he'd like. Shane wasn't content with the pace of the brush and moved outside to use archaeology unapproved brute force techniques.

He was pumped about the replica tooth held within! He brought it inside to show Carrie and me. 

"Wait a minute...," I said. "What's that all over your shirt?"

Shane's first reaction: To start dusting himself off onto the floor (Notice the handprint on the couch, too?). 

This is why we never have a totally clean house. We threw him back outside to clean off.