SpiritQuest 2008

Dear Diary,

This weekend I went to my first SpiritQuest.  It was Friday night thru Sunday afternoon out in Cochoton on a farm(flowers, trees, old house, a big barn with no animals).  I slept in a bunkhouse in a barn for two nights.  The 60 acres were very pictureresque.  And I fell for someone…

It started after work on Friday.  I wanted to leave as soon as I got home to my carpool pal.  Of course my mother had to take me to a shoe sale at Dillards before I was supposed to leave.  So I’m a little late to start, but we do leave and get there after dark after over 1hr drive.  We eventually found the house and they were at the bonfire eating smores and hot dogs  So we sit down and enjoy ourself for a while.  Then I got settled on the floor in the bunkhouse.  They had the A/C on and it was cold that night anyways, so it was a learning experience for me for next year.

Saturday morning brought breakfast outside.  We had cereal, fruit, and toast with homemade jellies.  It was great!  Then our hosts announced they were driving a few miles away to an annual Amish auction and anyone was welcome to tag along.  We got two cars full and arrived at the Amish farm.  They were selling cheese, ice cream…and pizza!  I was surprised at the pizza, and their ice cream was the BOMB  We stayed there around 45 mins.  I bought some candies they had packaged like gummi worms and cinnamon jellybeans.  When  we returned to the farm  registered and then ate lunch.  Lunch was made up of BBQ chicken, soup, and other awesome foods.  It was then that I began talking to a newcomer to our chruch named Don.  His belly is a little bigger than mine, had just died his hair with some blond, and found out about the retreat through Charlie’s Calendar, the calendar from Gay People’s Chronicle, a LGBT Ohio newspaper.  He is a cook and has a cute, boyish face.  His eyes were a beautiful steel grey.  I started diggin’ him.

Our group walked down the path after eating lunch and split up into two groups.  One did the Labyrinth Walk, on did the "Web of Creation".  I did the walk first, and tried to always walk next to Don.  He was started to grow on me.  The path was mostly clear, and I was glad I was wearing long pants out there, because they warned us of poison ivy.  So anyway, it was a nice walk, and after we circled round and was back in the circle of chairs in which we started, we talked for a while.  Then we did the Web of Creation, which is torn fabric made up of 4 colors.  There were 5 circles, and we layed the web by tying on my fabric.  It was a beautiful thing in the end.  that didn’t take as long as their schedule said so we got to sit back down in our circle of chairs.  I got to thinking about talking the walk again, hoping Don would follow.  I got up and said I was walking again, and walked away.  However, Don didn’t follow me.  This kinda’ got my hopes down.  About 4:15 we wrapped it up and then had some free time for ourselves.  It was such a beautiful and sunny day out that I wanted to get some sun.  I walked away from the outdoor kitchen where we all ate our meals, and down to the little lake where they had a Chinese tea house on the water.  I took my shirt off there and read a book.  It was warm and peaceful.  After a little while I walked back up to the outdoor kitchen.  Now that I think about it, THIS meal was the BBQ chicken.  Lunch was tuna salad, bologna salad, or peanut butter and jelly sandwhices.  All our meals had Amish bread with them.  After dinner we had a Drumming Circle.  I got the small, homemade drum, and Don sat next to me with bells.  It was fun getting down with the drums and watching the beautiful pink and blue sunset.  Reminded me of the cotton candy ice cream the served at Hiram’s MIller Hall.

After the drumming we walked back up near the house and got to sit by another bonfire for a while and had some cake because there were several birthdays in the group and we almost ate all 4 cakes.  There were all different and wonderful.  As I was eating I heard a loud BANG, and then turned around.  They were setting of Fireworks for us!  It was a great way to end the day and I sat with Don there until the smoke really started getting to me.  I told Don I was going to go for a walk back down where the lake was.  This time he followed.  They had small tealights lit down the path in glass jars.  Don and I talked as we walked, and then came the blow.  He is 40 yrs old, though I didn’t think he looked it.  I’m 27.  We still talked about ourselves as we got nearer to the lake.  When we got there I looked up at the country sky full of stars.  The anticipation of the sparks between us was intense.  Finally as he was talking I turned around and backed into him as he put his arms around me.  *Sigh, it felt so nice, and we talked and looked at the stars together.  The others musta’ noticed we were gone.  Another retreater, Dan, came down near where we were looking fot his folding chair.  We helped him look for it, and he didn’t find it and gave up.  When he left, we got a chance to kiss for a bit.  He’s a big kid like me, and such a sweetheart.

Is this why God put in my mind to definately go to Spirit Quest this year?  Is he testing me in some way?  I’ve always had a thing for age differences when it came to dating and whatnot.  Did the Lord put Don there to maybe rethink?  I’m not sure, but I don’t think I’m changing my position yet.

After a while we walked back ot the bonfire, hand in hand.  I figure, we all need some lovin’ sometime, and maybe this was what I needed apart from all the past weeks trying to get guys to come over and play with me.  We talked late on into the night.  I left and went to bed at 12:30.

Sunday(this morning) I finally wanted to change all my clothes and brush my teeth.  After all the food and sugar I’ve had, I should have brushed them a while ago.  So I unfortuantely tied up the bathroom for a while in the house and a line had formed since.  One of our hosts knocked just to see if there was someone in the restroom.  Apparently some people and used it and the left the door closed.  When I first got in the house I didn’t see Don, but when I came out of the restroom he was there.  We’ve been hiding our boyish playing while others were around, but I think I felt a small pat on the butt as I entered the kitchen in the house.  There was a welcome to day ritual, then breakfast.  He’s(Don) is a cook and he volunteered to help them with breakfast that morning.  He made some of the French Toast we had.  Then after breakfast it was my turn to help and clean-up afterwards.  I stared off cleaning the dishes, but soon helped with drying while another lady washed them.  We had church service afterwards.  I didn’t get to sit next to Don at first, but then after we split into smaller groups,

I put my chair next to his.  We shared our booklet together.  As people were walking back to the outdoor kitchen, Don was walking a short distance behind.  At one point I looked back and saw him tearing off a Queen Anne’s Lace flower.  He caught up to Dan, Susan, and I and handed me the flower, saying it was for me.  I didn’t know what to say except Thank You.  Now I look back on it, it was one of the sweetest gestures I’ve gotten.  He’s making me fall for him, and it might be working.  Before leaving to go back home, he gave me his number to call.  I rode back with J the way home, and we stopped at McDonald’s for Ice Cream on the way back.  It was nice.  I closed my eyes and memories of Don came back to me, and I couldn’t help but smile.  One of my favorites is seeing bonfire light flickering on his face and him smiling at me.  I tried calling him when I got home to tell him I made it safely, but it was long-distance for me and now I’m going to have to buy a calling card tomorrow.