A fantastic Furler adventure

The snow is falling outside, Dad is traveling again (Florida this time), Mom is taking a nap, and I'm trying to manage my self-imposed stress while drinking my 18th cup of coffee today. Mom thinks it is funny how I don't have a job, but I tend to work a lot more than most people: getting reading to teach, getting ready to take classes, reading hundreds of pages with my writing groups, trying to finish paperwork and training to teach online, and reading and writing my own fun stuff. It's good, but it feels like a juggling act right now.
Except when I can escape on my little trips. Going to visit the Furlers is like going to visit my other family. I know them and their extended family and their lives and their habits almost as well as I know my family's. It's strange the way Sue apologizes that they ordered Chinese or pizza for dinner, and I don't expect anything less.
Sue and Al asked me if I wanted to go into New York to visit the twins, and I wanted to laugh. Of course I want to see the twins. Of course I want to see Laura and Corbett. Of course I want to see Sarah and Kyle.
So, off we went: we had a great photo op in the lobby with Santa and the twins in the lobby (see pictures below), and then Sue watched them while the rest of us went for pizza. We visited the Whitney, and Sue and Sarah and I did our best to avoid the mile and a half walk in the thirty degree weather. Then, in the evening, we sat around trying to decide what to do for dinner, and the most entertaining conversation commenced. Al wanted to go to the fish and chips place in Brooklyn, someone vetoed because this was too far away, Laura thought that Sarah and I should figure something out, Corbett vetoed because he thought that Sarah and I didn't know the options, Al thought that we could decide something, Kyle and Corbett debated between Mexican and Italian and a couple of other things. This whole thing was pretty hilarious.
Sunday was at Sparta Evangelical Free Church. I saw the Scherlachers, the Schuberts, the Landruds, the Biggs, the Colliers, and plenty of others that have married names I do not recall--all send greetings to the McGrail family. Then, at the Jefferson Diner (voted best in NJ, but I still vote it as 2nd to the Sparta Diner), we ran into the Bensons who said to send a big hello to Mandy.
Monday and Tuesday, Sue and I hung out during the day, and at night, Sue and Al and Sarah and Kyle and I went out for dinner (surprise! Boonton has great sushi). I made Sue drive me down to Dover, wanting to relive some moments of shopping at the flea market and the Salvation Army there. Instead, we went for Mexican soup. Then we went shopping at some outlets, and Sue decided that I'm a worse shopper than she is. I'm a little proud of this.
Tuesday, Sue and I went to Lafayette Village (see pictures below).
Wednesday, I tried to say goodbye to Sue and Al. As I'm writing all of this, I'm missing all the funny details that I miss so much about them. Sue has this uncanny ability to make me feel interesting and smart and awesome. Al plans these fantastic and hilarious adventures that feel like capricious celebrations of the weekend and family while balancing a cup of boiling tea with one hand, reprogramming his new GPS with his thumbs, and driving along curvy 517 at the same time. Laura represents this tall, glamorous, other bossy sister that I had, and the other older sister who could make me feel so good and funny and interesting, like Sue. Sarah has this window into my youth that shows different times, like in Sharonsville when Mandy was Dr. Brown, Laura ran the town library, and I turned the lights out at "night" to deliver presents to the town. I was in my own little world then. Things haven't really changed much.
Then, I was off to visit Em and Logan. They are sort of like me: still in school, still working out the life plan around some incredibly lofty goals, and surrounded by nieces and nephews. We have an understanding. And Em greeted me with a huge hug, a Cajun soup, and a warm bed.
Hospitality is a common thread in this McGurfur clan. Miss you all.