Erie, PA!

Fact # 1: Erie is the farthest west that I have ever traveled in the US. Sad, right?

Fact # 2: Traveling to Erie was a lot of fun!

Nathan, Sarah, and I left on Friday morning around 8, picked up Lisa a little down the road, and were on our way soon thereafter. In the parking lot where we found Lisa, we also saw Mr. Buswell, a violin teacher who taught at Gordon and who just so happens to be a rather famous, internationally-renowned soloist. Exciting!


We didn't stop and say hi though, because we may or may not have been running slightly behind schedule. 9 hours and lots of toll booths later, we made it to Erie, where we met Andrew and other family members too. In my opinion, roadtrips with good friends are great, even when you're really overtired.

The next day was Andrew's 21st birthday! Happy birthday, Andrew! We celebrated first by going to a rehearsal for the Christmas service/concert the next day, but then with Chipotle-style "wraps," Funfetti cake sans frosting, ice cream, wine, and a movie later that evening. Yay!

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning, worked on our puzzle in the afternoon, and then went to the service/concert at night. Playing at the service/concert was actually the point of going to Erie, but it was only one of the many highlights of the trip. Fact # 3: this church is gorgeous. Here's the view from the oboist's chair...


As previously stated, Christmas concerts like this one are what make Christmas truly Christmasy for me. This one was no different. How wonderful it is to have the opportunity to play glorious music (which, as musicians, is what we like to do best) to celebrate the birth of Christ. Moreover, it's a collaborative effort, and something that is deeply meaningful to everyone present. We looked fancy in our concert dress too! Fact # 4: my friends are super, and I love them all dearly.


Post-concert, we went out to birthday dinner at a hibachi restaurant. It was so cool! They cooked the food in front of us, and it tasted delicious!



They gave Andrew some fried ice cream for his birthday, which was a little weird.


Finally, the next morning we finished our puzzle (Lisa, Sarah, and Andrew did most of the work, but Nathan and I helped too), ate a little breakfast, and went on our way.



Now we're all back on the East coast (or in Vermont...which has no coastline), but it was a lovely, lovely trip. Let's do it again sometime.