Bride's Room Revisited
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 8:36PM I have been in some weird and awkward places. I’m in another one. Last night I settled in, alone, at a house intended for use as a retreat and event center, focusing primarily on weddings. Yep, I slept in the Bride’s dressing room. So appropriate for those of us who just completed the study, “Attending the Bride of Christ”, but I digress…
The advertisement for the location says it is decorated with stunning antiques, and is filled with rich character and charm. Very true. It is also filled with white candles and white flower bouquets and white candle stands and lovely wooden chairs with velveteen brocade seats. Out back is “8+ wooded acres” of cedars. Out front is a lovely fenced yard separating the house from the road. The kitchen is stocked with dishes and a tea kettle, which made it nice this morning when I heated up some water to make some (delicate shudder) instant coffee to go with my cold cereal. It kinda feels like being at a very fancy summer camp or a very solitary women’s (woman’s) retreat.
I came here instead of sleeping on a sofa at the very busy house of my friend. I thought I would miss the early morning hustle and bustle of getting a house full of children off to school and get a chance to sleep in. I haven’t been sleeping well for a week or two as hacking up a lung all night long isn’t too restful. At any rate, I got here in the dark of night and discovered that, although the adjoining powder room had electricity, the bedroom didn’t. There was also no radio (forget television) in the room and for someone who is used to sleeping with background noise, but is now alone in a very dark, unfamiliar retreat center/house, that’s uncomfortable. I scouted around and discovered a small stereo system in the kitchen around the corner. I found a station that plays contemporary Christian music and cranked up the volume…there! All that was left to do was to go to sleep….but it was really dark and I don’t even have pepper spray with me, much less my gun (anyone who has ever been a cop will wonder why…I have no concealed permit in this state), so I did the reasonable thing and turned the bathroom light on! Why? I have no idea. I’m not afraid or paranoid of the dark. I understand a bathroom light will not offer more protection than the locks on both doors accessing the house. Still, it felt good and I was able to finish my daily reading (I’m in the book of Job). I adjusted the mattress setting on the Sleep Number Bed control , fluffed the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
I woke up at 6:30 a.m., looked at my watch, told myself that sleeping in was not defined as waking up at any hour before 9 a.m. and went back to sleep—until just prior to 7:30 a.m. when the loud pounding on the other side of the wall from my head strangely woke me. I wasn’t aware that when my friend mentioned the cement flooring still needed to be poured for the indoor chapel (converting the garage), that meant it was to be completed this morning. To be fair, once I found her on the phone, she didn’t know either; I figure it’s just one more example of God’s sense of humor! Anyway, the previous night I had stopped to get the aforementioned instant coffee, milk and cereal to have an easy breakfast. I decided I should get up and get dressed (before some construction worker came in to use restroom or something—that’s the awkward part) and enjoy my leisurely breakfast before going out into the real world to find an internet connection and better phone reception.
I had just poured the boiling water into my recycled Dutch Bros. cardboard coffee cup when I looked at the window and noticed a large truck backing into position outside the “chapel”. I opened the door and asked the guys if my vehicle was in their way. The presumed crew leader said that he forgot he was going to ask me about that. Turns out the rig, which I saw on closer inspection was a cement truck, was going to be off-loading cement and I was about to be blocked in for about an hour to an hour and a half. He asked me if I wanted to move immediately, but I had just poured the milk on my cereal and I saw no other space to park, so I said I could stay.
A little over one hour into it, they faked me out when the truck left. But it, or its twin, returned quickly, presumably with another load of concrete, and I was blocked in again. I finished some writing I needed to do, polished off another cup of coffee, took a phone call (complete with static and dropped words), made a phone call (better reception that time, score!) and now, two and ½ hours later…the truck just drove off…I better move quick before it returns!
Reader Comments (3)
Sounds, as if you had quite the night! The house sounds very pretty, cozy, and at the same time a little awkward but interesting.... I love reading your adventures... they so capture my attention!
sounds like a cute place to be, I bet some company would have been nice though. we missed u last night.
Lucky you! Sounds like an awesome place to go!!! I would love to see this place you are talking about, i agree with Erin the way you write is captivating and totally keeps my attention, its like im right along with you