"Three Days in Brillion"

I'm back in Milwaukee. My visit with Kelli up north was wonderful, even if shorter than I would have liked. I went up by bus (Greyhound) on Friday, stayed Saturday, and hopped the bus back down here earlier today. Short, but wonderful.

On Friday, I left Milwaukee around 11am, and arrived at the makeshift Manitowoc bus terminal (aka, a gas station) around 12:30pm. Since Kelli was still teaching over in Brillion (20 miles to the west), I had about 4 hours to kill before she was able to come pick me up. Thankfully the bus "terminal" was in a commercial area, so I had lunch and spent about two and a half hours in the nearby Arby's restaurant, and then walked over to the nearby Starbucks where I spent the remainder of my wait. I did get a lot of work, reading, and brainstorming done, though, so in the end, everything worked out pretty well.

After Kelli met up with me at Starbucks (our predetermined meeting place), we made our way to a local restaurant. Most of her faculty were meeting us there for dinner in celebration of our engagement. When one of them discovered that my birthday had been on the 18th, he informed the wait staff, they sang "Happy Birthday", and I found myself enjoying a slice of warm chocolate brownie with a candle in it. Very tasty. And, as I've been told, a rather blush-inducing moment too.

After dinner, Kelli, myself, and the three other teacher couples went to one of their houses, and played board games into the evening. Fun was had by all, and teasing was aplenty. By the time Kelli and I left, I had gained six new friends.

That evening, back at Kelli's place, the two of us hung out for a while until it was time to head off to bed. As a teacher, Kelli has a reputation to uphold, so I wasn't able to stay the night on her couch. However, the principal of her school (one of the faculty members at dinner) graciously invited me to sleep in his guest room. So, come bedtime, Kelli dropped me off at his house across town, and I drifted off to sleep in no time.

On Saturday, Kelli had a school meeting to attend, so after she picked me up from the principal's house, I was on my own at her apartment. Three hours later, she returned home, we hung out for the rest of the day, watched a movie, and by the evening I was on my way back to the principal's house (Kelli wasn't feeling well, so she let me drive -- she's very protective of her car).

After another restful night, I drove back to Kelli's place, got ready for church, and headed the few blocks over to Bible class and Sunday service. I met a few more wonderful people, explored a bit more of the school, and then returned home to Kelli's place. After brunch at one of the few restaurants in town ("Mom's" for those of you who live up there), Kelli and I returned to the Manitowoc bus "terminal". When the southbound bus pulled in, I bid a fond farewell (I hate leaving that girl), and an hour and a half later was back down here in Milwaukee.

Another two hours later -- thanks to city bus schedules and waiting at freezing bus stops -- I was home again, my second weekend in Brillion now a happy memory. Next Kelli/Jon weekend visit? As of yet, unplanned. Although, there is a weekend in Chicago (a Christmas gift from my brother), and a Jeff Dunham concert in Madison upcoming in the next few months. So, we shall see.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:47 PM  I   I  0 comments