Last Weekend

Last weekend, J went to a conference in San Diego.

I know. When he first told me last fall that there was an organization which had both invited him to a conference in San Diego in January AND was planning to pay for all of his expenses for said conference, I started crying. Because in that instant all I wanted was to go to San Diego in January. (This must have been during the first brutal cold snap in November. I was out of sorts). 

Fortunately I am capable of being quite happy for him while being rather sad for myself. However, as last weekend approached I was having a rough time parenting and teaching and managing tempers and wills and such (mine AND those belonging to people-under-12). I also gave myself food poisoning (Save the jokes: too soon). Combined with total cabin fever and the outside temperatures bottoming out, I quailed at the thought of the weekend of solo parenting ahead of me. Dust and ashes.

People were praying for me. J asked his parents to pray for me, who asked his sister pray for me, who said she would--but (I paraphrase her here) sometimes when you get asked to pray, maybe you also should actually do something about it.

So she called Thursday night and invited us all up for the weekend (all but J, of course, because he was going to San Diego). ALL FIVE OF US. 

Friday morning I said yes. We made plans. She let me know that she was also keeping three other children for friends of hers. 10 kids in the house with single digits outside? Okay. If she was up for it, I was.

She let me know that sickness had come to her house that morning: fever and cough and grumpiness. 

I considered for a bit, then decided to go anyway. I mean, we wouldn't get sick until next week. Deal with it then. Besides, the kids had been crossing their fingers and legs and eyes and arms that we would go up to Argyle. I was not prepared to deal with the fallout of disappointing on that, and I was looking forward to it myself! 

 We loaded up with all of our cold weather gear and headed out. This was my first solo overnight trip with four children. We drove four straight hours without stopping once. Because they are awesome. When they are strapped down with seat belts.

I know I am overusing italics. Because when you talk to yourself in a car for hours on end, that's how you differentiate between yourselves. I may not have recovered yet.

We had a fantastic time. Chili, pizza, wine, screen time, snow angels, hot buttered rum. On Saturday it was too cold to play outside, so we drove over to Saratoga Springs to let the kids run around inside a mall. (All of you shoppers at the Wilton Mall last weekend: You're welcome.)

Three kids inside the helicopter. Three.

Indoor Playgrounds!

Pixie.

Sunday we drove back home through the rain, staying just ahead of freezing temperatures and ice the whole way. We didn't stop once. And we were all sane and enjoying one another and happy: flourishing instead of slogging through with clenched hands and teeth. 

Snow on the trampoline=awesome sauce.

What a tremendous gift. Thanks so much, MacK's!

In spite of the fact that J was the one in CA in January, he was the one who was jealous. It was a little strange to have him running on the beach while we were tromping through the snow--and we were glad to all be back together again.