If It Hops Like a Frog...
This past weekend was absolutely wonderful! We went to the wedding of a dear friend of C.'s from high school. The ceremony was held in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The kids stayed here in town (not alone, Dear God. We value the house more than that!), the dog was safely deposited at my MIL's and we were free to escape the usual responsibilities and "to do" lists that we ignore every other weekend.
We got a later start than planned. Now let me preface by saying that I am a very good driver. Knock on the wood-toned pressboard that serves as my desk, I have not received a moving violation nor been involved in a serious accident in over 13 years. And I wasn't even the driver in the accident, so I don't really count that one either. The plan was to leave as soon as my early afternoon class let out. C. took the day off and he headed to get the oil changed in the truck. I set off to school in my car, with the 2 week old tires mind you, and promptly had a flat. Luckily my tires were under warranty, and even luckier, C. happened to be on his way home and saw me on the road. We quickly switched vehicles, I made it to class and C. took my car to get a new tire.
3 hours and 45 minutes later the tire was finally replaced. All was well and we finally got on the road. Despite the late start and the usual tunnel traffic, we still made excellent time. The 5 and a half hour drive actually flew, despite 2 stops. We wondered out loud why this was? Then it hit us. It was quiet when we stopped talking. There was no fighting or screaming coming from the back seat. No objects being thrown through the air. No kicking of the seats. No flailing bodies. No pushing and shoving and grabbing of CDs. No whining, no whispering and plotting. The kids were at home! Ah Ha! We've confirmed something else that makes our marriage work. Separate vacations!
I mentioned my excellent driving record earlier because it came up in conversation during our trip up. C. couldn't understand why that tire just blew like that. In fact, C. who is very non-confrontational (remember I'm the bad cop?) was very angry with the tire dealer. He was concerned that the blown tire put his beloved wife in danger. He questioned the quality of the tires and the quality of the work when they were put on. "How," he wanted to know, "can I be sure my wife will be safe with this new tire that is exactly the same as the obviously defective one?" Awww... my man was standing up to protect me. He related this conversation with the tire guy to me, then he asked me why in the world I thought that tire just blew like it did. Of course I answered him truthfully, "Well Duh, I did hit the curb silly." You should have seen his face. Apparently I forgot to mention that little detail to him in my hurry to get to class. Oops. I'm not sure exactly how it happened. Something about lighting my cigarette and a good song on the radio that I wanted to turn up (Oh I LOVE that one!). I guess all that coincided with the 90-degree curve on my road. At least I wasn't going very fast. C. has now threatened to get me curb feelers for Christmas. Good thing he has a sense of humor.
So the wedding was gorgeous. It was held in this small one room church, built in 1880, which sits back in the woods off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The reception was held at the visitor's center in the same park. The building was very rustic with hard wood flooring and a real wood exterior (kind of like a log cabin). A roaring fire greeted us and a Blue Grass band completed the theme. No, none of us are Blue Grass junkies, but this band was fantastic and it was perfect for a fall harvest wedding in the mountains.
One of the groomsmen and his wife brought their small children. They were not only incredibly well behaved, but also as cute as they can be. Me, being a mother, of course talked quite a bit with The Wife (TW). Their kids, one of each flavor like us, are 3 and 5. The younger child is this precious little girl who looked so gorgeous in her pink tulle and satin dress. The boy wore a kilt. TW related to me that the kids are always really well behaved, but yet the little one occasionally exhibited a bit of an attitude. HA!! Sister you have NO IDEA!
C. and I discussed this phenomenon on the trip home Sunday morning. How do they go from being so cute and sweet to raging heathens at war who test every fiber of your patience? C. has a theory and I think it is a viable one. He says it is like the old frog in the boiling water story. If you throw a frog in boiling water, it immediately jumps out. BUT, if you put the frog in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it, the frog will happily sit there and boil to death.
You see, my friends. Parents are the frogs.
We got a later start than planned. Now let me preface by saying that I am a very good driver. Knock on the wood-toned pressboard that serves as my desk, I have not received a moving violation nor been involved in a serious accident in over 13 years. And I wasn't even the driver in the accident, so I don't really count that one either. The plan was to leave as soon as my early afternoon class let out. C. took the day off and he headed to get the oil changed in the truck. I set off to school in my car, with the 2 week old tires mind you, and promptly had a flat. Luckily my tires were under warranty, and even luckier, C. happened to be on his way home and saw me on the road. We quickly switched vehicles, I made it to class and C. took my car to get a new tire.
3 hours and 45 minutes later the tire was finally replaced. All was well and we finally got on the road. Despite the late start and the usual tunnel traffic, we still made excellent time. The 5 and a half hour drive actually flew, despite 2 stops. We wondered out loud why this was? Then it hit us. It was quiet when we stopped talking. There was no fighting or screaming coming from the back seat. No objects being thrown through the air. No kicking of the seats. No flailing bodies. No pushing and shoving and grabbing of CDs. No whining, no whispering and plotting. The kids were at home! Ah Ha! We've confirmed something else that makes our marriage work. Separate vacations!
I mentioned my excellent driving record earlier because it came up in conversation during our trip up. C. couldn't understand why that tire just blew like that. In fact, C. who is very non-confrontational (remember I'm the bad cop?) was very angry with the tire dealer. He was concerned that the blown tire put his beloved wife in danger. He questioned the quality of the tires and the quality of the work when they were put on. "How," he wanted to know, "can I be sure my wife will be safe with this new tire that is exactly the same as the obviously defective one?" Awww... my man was standing up to protect me. He related this conversation with the tire guy to me, then he asked me why in the world I thought that tire just blew like it did. Of course I answered him truthfully, "Well Duh, I did hit the curb silly." You should have seen his face. Apparently I forgot to mention that little detail to him in my hurry to get to class. Oops. I'm not sure exactly how it happened. Something about lighting my cigarette and a good song on the radio that I wanted to turn up (Oh I LOVE that one!). I guess all that coincided with the 90-degree curve on my road. At least I wasn't going very fast. C. has now threatened to get me curb feelers for Christmas. Good thing he has a sense of humor.
So the wedding was gorgeous. It was held in this small one room church, built in 1880, which sits back in the woods off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The reception was held at the visitor's center in the same park. The building was very rustic with hard wood flooring and a real wood exterior (kind of like a log cabin). A roaring fire greeted us and a Blue Grass band completed the theme. No, none of us are Blue Grass junkies, but this band was fantastic and it was perfect for a fall harvest wedding in the mountains.
One of the groomsmen and his wife brought their small children. They were not only incredibly well behaved, but also as cute as they can be. Me, being a mother, of course talked quite a bit with The Wife (TW). Their kids, one of each flavor like us, are 3 and 5. The younger child is this precious little girl who looked so gorgeous in her pink tulle and satin dress. The boy wore a kilt. TW related to me that the kids are always really well behaved, but yet the little one occasionally exhibited a bit of an attitude. HA!! Sister you have NO IDEA!
C. and I discussed this phenomenon on the trip home Sunday morning. How do they go from being so cute and sweet to raging heathens at war who test every fiber of your patience? C. has a theory and I think it is a viable one. He says it is like the old frog in the boiling water story. If you throw a frog in boiling water, it immediately jumps out. BUT, if you put the frog in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it, the frog will happily sit there and boil to death.
You see, my friends. Parents are the frogs.
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