Cottage party and missing Alison

Another cottage party has come and gone. This one was, for me, more mixed than many have been.

I utterly appreciate how many people helped make everything go smoothly -- from volunteering for and doing meals, through bringing back-up supplies, organizing and doing dishes, to helping with the cleanup and close-down of the cottage. All of that made running this weekend far less work than it has been in the past, and I'm looking forward to next year.

I got out rock climbing on Friday, which was good, and got in a few games. I didn't get nearly as much gaming, climbing, or other activities in as I'd hoped, though, as I started getting sick (sore throat, low energy) on Saturday afternoon, and spent much of Sunday alternating between organizing to leave, and recovering from those little expenditures of energy.

I didn't truly realize, though, until this weekend that ragnhildr was gone. The cottage is where I've spent the most time with her, done the most things with her, and apparently where I miss her most. I broke down crying a couple times over the weekend. She is much missed. I can't imagine how hard it was for con_girl and foms. All my love and sympathy to them for what must of been a really difficult emotional ride this weekend.