i went to the V.S.T.E. conference in roanoke sunday, monday and tuesday and stayed with my old friends tom and cindy. the conference is rotated between roanoke and virginia beach, so i get to stay with tom and cindy every other year. this year they had added an addition on to their house, which was fabulous! we had a great time catching up, and i am always reminded that when i am with them, i am relaxed. that doesn't seem to happen everywhere unfortunately. i actually did sleep for the two nights i was there.
the conference was ok, nothing special. i gave my presentation to a grand total of 4 people, which didn't seem like it was worth it, but maybe it was. at least those 4 really must have been interested. i packed up and left around noon and decided to take the back roads home instead of the dreaded interstate.
i listened to several cd's from church on the way back, and i decided in appomattox to get off and take the 2 lanes home. it was a cool, crisp day, with a lot of wind, but things were bright and clean and i appreciated where i was and what i was doing. i was reminded how many times i took this route 30 years ago when i came home for weekends from college, and how much the road has changed. only once did i do the back route from appomattox. usually we just went to amelia and my parents came up to pam's house and picked me up. this time i was actually traversing the road and looking at things.
i went past the historical park where the civil war ended and made a mental note that it might be the place to visit with austin, maybe over spring break. i also noticed that there were still places where there is nothing but trees and fields, with few inhabitants. it is still hilly up there, and i enjoyed the sense of being "rural" and then slowly reemerging back into the hub-bub of richmond. i wasn't in a hurry, and that was the best part of it. i didn't feel like i had to be anywhere, and somehow being on the interstate subconciously i think makes you feel that you need to get home quick.
i was ready to be home when i got there, but i went outside and fed my ducks and sort of walked around with my ipod stuck in my ears listening to more of the church music. i have tried to keep this feeling going over the last couple of days, which is to say that i have continued to listen to the music and take my walks with the ducks and just sit outside when i can. i like the calm. being back in school has made me aggitated, and i don't much like that at all.
it goes to show, i guess, that you can carve out a little peace and sunshine when you think about it. everyone should try and capture those little moments when you can.
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