So Jonah was here for nearly a week, which was fabulous. We, of course, have missed each other greatly, and it was so nice to just spend time with him. He got here on Sunday, so I missed church because I had to pick him up. After going straight home for some much-needed lovin', we went to Smith's grocery store to pick up some food for Jonah and to Fed Ex Kinkos to send something to an acquaintance of Jonah's. Having not typically shopped on Sundays, it was kind of unusual to see how dead everything was and how different the shopping crowd was. It actually looked liked Sunday would be a good day to do grocery shopping.
After our trip to the stores, we went to IHOP for breakfast, and then I had to get ready to do two shows that night. Jonah had only had an hour of sleep, so he went to bed, and I later learned that he hadn't gotten up until about 7:00 PM (it's unusual for Jonah to sleep that long).
After my shows we talked and did other things :-)
Monday we had lunch with my mom and an old friend of mine who has wanted to get to know Jonah better, at Mimi's Cafe, which I highly recommend. It was a really nice lunch and was great catching up.
After we got home, Jonah and I tried to fix a broken sprinkler in my mom's sprinkler system. We were not successful, unfortunately. Looks like we may have to call someone. Jonah also pruned my mom's rose bush and helped cut down the remainder of an apple tree my mom had had cut down. After we did that we went to some antique stores Jonah wanted to see (not my thing, but he enjoys it) and we stopped by Lowe's to get some stump killer for the remains of the apple tree. Then we came home and relaxed until it was time for bed.
Tuesday we picked up a cake at Sam's Club that I had ordered for Jonah and my nephew's birthday (which coincidentally fall on the same day). It was chocolate cake with cream filling, decorated with purple and yellow flowers. I thought it looked really good. Then we went to Ikea, a store Jonah wanted to go to because they don't have an Ikea in Las Vegas. We hung around there for a while, and Jonah also bought some knobs for our kitchen cabinets at home. We also ate at Ikea (they have pretty good food). Then we went to Target to get an iron for my mom and look at other things and also got some stuff at Smith's for a party. Then we took a nice nap at home and when we woke up we went to a "Christmas in July" party hosted by my cousin and her husband. It was so much fun. They have a really beautiful home up in the Avenues in Salt Lake City. It had a swimming pool and a great view of the valley. I have a feeling it's out of their price range and that they are struggling to make the mortgage payments.
Anyway, it was a nice chance for my extended family and Jonah to get to know one another better. Everyone was so kind to him and welcoming. I spent much of the time swimming with my niece and her cousin. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jonah, my nephew, and another cousin (whose birthday was also on the same day). There was good food, and it was nice to see my relatives. We normally get together at Christmas (we have as long as I've been alive), but as families get bigger and obligations to see other family members get more prominent, we've decided to stop doing it and do something like this every year instead. While I am sad to see the Christmas tradition go, I think in the long run this new idea will be more practical for everyone and allow us to spend more quality time together.
After the party, we dropped my mom off at home, and Jonah and I went to see the latest Harry Potter movie (it was the only movie showing that late). As Jonah has never read any of the books or seen any of the movies, he was quite lost. I wasn't, but I still felt disappointed as I always do. The movies will just never be as good as the books, and that's that.
Wednesday Jonah and I took my mom to the zoo. We had to look for my mom's keys, which she thought she had misplaced (but actually I had inadvertently put them in my pocket the night before (since I had been driving us to the party)). I love animals, so the zoo was a lot of fun. I think Jonah enjoyed it, too. He kept telling us about the crappy zoo Las Vegas has (in fact there was just a news story about it and how the animals are suffering abuse there).
After a very fun time at the zoo, we went to a cupcake bakery because Jonah wanted to get the cast members of my show cupcakes for his birthday (that is exactly Jonah's personality to a T and one of the reasons I admire him so much). We also stopped by the cemetery (which was very close by) and briefly visited my dad and my grandma and grandpa's graves. I rarely visit the cemetery. I find it somewhat pointless. But it was nice to see the grave sites again.
After a nap, Jonah came with me to my show, which he had seen two times previously. It was a good crowd, and his cupcakes were a great hit with my cast. After the show we went to a nearby gay bar to do some promotion for the show (well, I went to do promotion; Jonah just came). I don't normally go to bars, gay or straight, but I was impressed with how nice this one was (and I told Jonah, "You are the cutest one here, but there sure is a lot of 'cute' wandering around." My cast performed a few songs, and Jonah actually won a gift card and a trinket in a raffle they were having (I wish he had won the free night at the fancy hotel instead). The whole bar sang "Happy Birthday" to Jonah, too. While I was eager to get home (a party-er I am not), I did have fun, and I think Jonah did, too.
Thursday Jonah and I went up to the University of Utah bookstore. Jonah wanted to buy a book called "Pets With Tourettes" for one of my cast members. Not my sense of humor, but it was big hit with the cast that night. He also bought another humorous book for one of his friends in Vegas. After the bookstore we went to pick up my paycheck and deposited it in the bank. We also took care of some business involving our joint account so we can have our house payment automatically deducted from our account each month. We also visited some more antique stores and tried to pay a visit to my cousin at her art studio, but she wasn't in. We also went to a sheet music store and had a late lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (on National Cheesecake Day, no less; I didn't even know there was such a thing and actually started making up words and music to a "National Cheesecake Anthem." Wish I could remember them now. They were moderately funny.)
Jonah wanted to go to Jo Ann's craft store so he could buy supplies so he could alter and hem up my mom's new temple dress for her. At the store, Jonah was grabbing stuff and handing it to me. A woman near us said to Jonah, "Oh, your wife must have sent you here." I rolled my eyes in a good-natured way that she was oblivious that we were together. It made me laugh that she didn't have a clue even after Jonah explained he was a dresser and costumer. She truly didn't have a clue we were gay. Funny. I thought it was pretty obvious.
I went to my show while Jonah hemmed my mom's dress. Many of my cast members talked about what a great guy Jonah was and how much they liked him. They said I was very lucky to have him. I agreed.
When I got home, my mom and Jonah both said they had had a really nice talk, and my mom was very complimentary about the work he'd done on her temple dress (although Jonah, being the perfectionist he is, was not as pleased with his own work). I jokingly said that my mom should tell all the sisters at the temple that her gay son-in-law hemmed her dress for her. She rolled her eyes and said she didn't think that would go over too well (although she did say she tells everybody that all her kids are married, that I live in Vegas, and that I'm an actor. She said she'll let them figure out the rest on their own.)
Friday was the day Jonah had to go back home. We were both sad about it. Jonah and I went to a fabric store and to a place called Savers where I got a really good deal on some used books. My mom took us out to Chuck-A-Rama, where we had a nice chat. Jonah and I dropped my mom off at home, and Jonah and she said goodbye. Then Jonah and I went over to Deseret Industries because Jonah wanted to look around. Then I drove him up State Street to the Capitol Building and behind it so he could see the valley from up high. Then I took him to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. Jonah's flight was delayed an hour, too, so he was at the airport for a long time unfortunately. But he barely made it home in time for work
We miss each other already. I have a potential job offer teaching acting and musical theatre at a local college. Many things about the job are very appealing to me, and I'm seeing if I can work it out financially because with my house payment, rent in the town where the college is, and the low salary I'm being offered, I'm not sure if it will be worth it or not. Jonah has been very supportive, but it means being away from him for at least four more months, and I was looking forward to spending some time with him. Still a job offer in my chosen field does beat unemployment, I think. I haven't decided what I'm doing yet. I'll let you know.
My show ends in a couple of weeks. I will miss the cast a lot, and I will miss doing the show.
Anyway, that's it for now.
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