One of the best things about having friends whom you love and are comfortable with is the fact that you can visit their homes on a holiday weekend and feel like you are spending that holiday with family. The kids and I were fortunate to have that experience this weekend; spending Easter at my girlfriend, Jules', home with her and her family and; while it wasn't a typical holiday for any of us, thanks to that whole "spending most of our time on a volleyball court" thing; it was still a lot of fun. Especially for the kids.
This is the Man-Cub and The Teenager with Jules' two daughters and the son of Tee, one of our other college roommates. The kids spent a wild Saturday evening, running around Jules' neighborhood and bonding in the way that only children can.
While they were doing that, the adults were bonding in the way that only we can; over wine. I mean, naturally.
Easter Sunday found us all going our separate ways for more volleyball games in different locations throughout town (me and Jules) and for Easter activities with family (Tee), but, not before the bunny had a chance to drop baskets full of sweets for everyone, including The Teenager, who was staying at a nearby hotel with her volleyball team.
In addition to her ginormous basket of dental decay; The Teenager got to search for eggs, courtesy of one of the other team moms who made a point of getting up at the crack of dawn to hide the eggs in the hotel parking lot for the girls to find before leaving for their games. I give her a lot of credit for that because it was really quite chilly and the girls had to be to the gym by 8:00 to referee the first game of the day. That's some Easter dedication, right there.
While the teens were occupied with egg hunts and line judging, the Man-Cub and I went for breakfast at Denny's, where, I earned the Mom of the Year award for letting the Cub have a chocolate shake (Ha! moving in on your territory, Pod People!).
It was at that breakfast that the Cub gently informed me that he knew the truth about the Easter Bunny and that I could relax in my efforts to keep the myth alive. Like I said, he was gentle, but, damn; I was still heartbroken. My last baby, all grown up and shit.
I may have indulged in a chocolate treat of my own, just to soothe the ache. Maybe more than one.
Of course, being in the Town of My Alma Mater went a long way in soothing my soul, as well. Not to mention the fact that The Teenager is pretty convinced that she, too, wants to attend school there after she graduates (SQUEE!).
To that end, we toured the campus in between games (her team got to play at the college on Sunday) and I regaled the children with tales of my youth and the crazy things that The Girls and I got up to during our tenure at the school. To their credit, neither child reminded me that they have heard these stories five million times before nor did they roll their eyes at me (when I was watching).
That was their Easter gift to me, no doubt.
And, you know, hopefully they won't notice that I raided their Easter baskets when they weren't looking.
Because that was my gift to myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment