Parents Gone Wild
(Thursday night update: Check out the new photos I just added tonight! I’m also glad to report I am winning the battle against my headache, thanks to some new prescriptions. Thanks, Doctor P!)
I will start by stating the obvious to any of you who’ve read this blog regularly: I adore my kids.
I consider myself a very attached, involved, doting mom, who genuinely gets a thrill out of things like making spaghetti and meatballs out of play-doh, watching t-ball games where base-runners go the wrong way around, cuddling a kid who’s scared of thunder, and reading “Calvin and Hobbes” for the 999th time.
I’ve wanted to be a mom as long as I could remember, and could not wait to start a family once Ian and I got married 7 years ago.
BUT…
I admit - an occasional afternoon or evening without them…can be nothing short of heavenly.
Just like Saturday night was.
With Ian out of town (teaching at band camp!) and our super-nanny throwing a killer popcorn party for the kids at home, I linked up with 4 ADULT friends for a hilarious and beautiful night out at Symphony on the Prairie.
The two couples I went with (yep - I was the fifth wheel) had never met, but as I suspected, hit it off in a heartbeat.
Dean (a music teacher in Avon and Ian’s college roomate from the University of Illinois) provided comic relief all night, and his wife Adrianna wore a 
perma-grin.
Here’s a self-portrait of Adrianna and I - love that blue sky!
The other couple, my church friends Eric and Andrea, had been kid-free all weekend thanks to doting grandparents. I lost count of how many times Andrea stopped to look around with this stunned and blissful look on her face, “I am having…the nicest….weekend!!”
Here’s Eric showing off his favorite pair of sunglasses, which he insists were in style when he first got them. Here’s what he emailed today after realizing he’s finally LOST these precious relics (much to the delight of Andrea)
Eric: The shades were circa 1994, and yes, sadly, they’ve gone to sunglasses heaven. I feel almost EXACTLY as Tom Hanks’ character did in “Cast Away” when he lost Wilson. I’ve been working on a tribute to them (and to what was, according to my best estimate, one of the 25-longest relationships in my life).
Eric, I say just thank the heavens we had a few final tribute photos of your favorite shades, including this precious 
photo suitable for framing. Stunning (although I think I’ll stick to my pink and brown ones from now on). I will look forward to reading your tribute once you’ve pulled yourself together enough to write it.
Anyway, looking back on this evening, I can’t remember exactly what was said that was so funny, but I know there were several times when I had to choke back loud cackles, worried I’d be tossed out of the Symphony event by some humorless prairie security guard (probably in period dress).
We sent Ian several phone-photos and messages from our heavenly night, trying to explain why exactly we were having such great fun. Was it the gorgeous weather? The no-kids factor? The seductive Italian music? The tempting spread of food covering our blanket on the lawn? The witty and wild conversation? The bottles of red and bottles of white that kept getting uncorked? (That seemed a probable answer, but too simple)
I think it was a perfect combination of the right people, in the right place, at the right time, getting a much-needed break from the world of sippy cups, Disney movies and goldfish crackers.
And don’t the kids always look a little more precious when you’ve had a few minutes to miss them?
Fellow parents - I’d love to hear your stories of “escapes” if you care to share!
Thanks for reading -
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Weds evening update: I am home from work early with yet another post-operation headache/migraine (I’m not exactly sure where you draw the line, but this feels like my head is in a vice and I can’t concentrate on much besides the pain). These things are absolutely awful! Some days I’m fine, others are a losing battle. Today it is absolutely kicking my you-know-what.
Friends in blog-land, I’d love some suggestions on remedies or medications that have helped any of you survive killer headaches.
And - many thanks to Todd for covering for me tonight and “reading for two”. It is great to work with someone who’s always got your back!
Trish
Welll, I may not be a parent, but I thought that I might add a twist by telling my ‘escapes’ from being a devoted barista. Making grande lattes and iced venti white mocha day after day can be stressful (being sarcastic here he he he). Every now and again, I get the weekend off and I’m usually chillaxin’ (yes, its my special new that I created and frequently use on my facebook status) with my boyfriend (whenever he’s in town) or some of my church and college friends.
So, one weekend, me and a few friends (Saliha, Candis, Brittany (or B. White as we call her, I have a ton of friends named Brittany), and LC (not the LC from the Hills… if anyone else is reading this) decided to just chill and have a girls day out. First, we all met at the movies and saw the Love Guru, which just has to be the WORST MOVIE EVER!!!! I was afraid if we were going to be kicked out because we talked and laughed so loud. Then after that came fun at Jillian’s. There we created quite the audience when I fell as I was getting ready to bowl. B. White had said something funny that I couldn’t contain my composure as I was getting ready to bowl.
Finally, the highlight of the day. We all went to Cracker Barrel and eat, well the restaurant we had stopped at had a group of people and we had to wait for about 25 mins before we were seated. So we sat in those rocking chairs that are outside and Saliha wanted to ‘dramatize’ my fall at Jillian’s. So, I recorded Saliha rocking back and forth when, well she rocked a little to far and fell back. Now remember, there was a semi-large group waiting as well, and they saw Saliha’s fall. My friends were laughing the whole time as well as some curious bystanders. Of course, I uploaded Saliha’s fall on Youtube and Facebook where we posted comments.
I enjoy spending time with my longtime friends. Saliha still lives here, but Candis, B. White and LC all attend college somewhere else. Having all 5 of us at the same is special (and also creates memorable moments.)