A very looooooooong weekend

At least this week has definitively proven that extreme levels of stress will not kill you.

My final Chinese test was last Thursday. Obviously a stressing experience. And it went well, and I got the score I needed (plus a bit extra on reading), and that should be a happy thing, and it is, but let me just say, the test was really just as unpleasant as I could have imagined. I sort of perversely ENJOYED the language tests I took during A-100, but nothing was on the line then. This one just left me rushing through the final paragraphs of the articles I was reading trying to make the whole ordeal end sooner.

And then, of course, there was the 45-MINUTE wait for my score. Goody.

But finally it was over, and Thursday night we saw Bridesmaids (which rocked! I kind of want to recount the entire movie to you all, but maybe you should just go see it yourselves) before meeting up with George and Annalise for beer and dessert at Fireworks, which continues to have obscenely good desserts.

And the next day continued well with delicious sandwiches at Earl's with Lady Andrea and Sir Jack. But then that evening it took a turn for the worse, in that I had to fly.

My aversion (illogical) has been documented here before (ad nauseum). We won't go back into it, but suffice to say it didn't brighten my day. Nor did the fact that our flight was 1.5 hours delayed due to weather. Nor did the fact that when we got to Boston, so did, like, a gazillion other people whose flights had also been delayed due to storms right outside Boston.

But finally, just before midnight, we were on our way in our rental car. There was rain and fog but little traffic, and we had almost made it to our hotel in Lexington, MA (near my brother's graduation), when I got into a tangle with some wildlife.

I.e. I hit a deer, my first accident ever, and it was pretty traumatic, though I was proud of myself for staying pretty calm (a husband who shall not be named, on the other hand, was screaming bloody murder). We were literally less than half a mile from our hotel at that point. Curses.

So between phone calls and mental trauma and jitters and a terribly, terribly uncomfortable mattress (Aloft Hotels, I'm looking at you), we really got almost no sleep that night.

My brother's graduation was great nonetheless--I enjoyed seeing him pass this milestone, and his school seemed like a very nice place. And then we zipped over to another part of Massachusetts for Lizz and Giselle's insanely beautiful wedding. Just lovely.

So that day, despite some nagging exhaustion issues, was pretty successful.

But the next day we spent ages looking for parking in Cambridge, got terribly lost trying to find the airport/car rental place, and discovered James had left his messenger bag with all his Chinese books he needs to study in advance of his test on Friday in my mom's car, which was, by that point, back in New Jersey. At this rate, we figured, the plane was probably going to crash.

Thankfully, it didn't. But Jetblue did lose our luggage. Another win! Plus we got the only two seats on the plane with broken TV sets.

Today, all is looking up. Our suitcase was delivered to us safe and sound, after a jolly foray to San Jose (do you know the way to San Jose? A place I have never been, but now my luggage has). I am at peace.

Let's hope we can say the same for the deer.