Hey, y'all -
No two ways about it: This deployment stinks. Some days are better than others, so while I have some free time today, I thought I'd give thanks to some of the people who have made it a little more bearable.
Part One: My parents.
Peg and Tex came to visit us in March. They flew into Spokane and we spent a few days exploring the downtown area, and going to the Discovery Museum.
^ This is when Peg Peg held up the X-ray in the pretend vet clinic and said, "Looks like your dog's leg was shattered when he was hit by that truck, and I can't guarantee he'll make it," and I was reminded that it's not always the best idea to play Let's-pretend medical clinic with a real-life nurse. They won't sugarcoat your hypothetical dog's imaginary condition.
Their timing was perfect on this trip, because some girlfriends and I had tickets to see Eric Church in concert in Spokane, and your grandparents were able to babysit you at the hotel so I could go to the show. On St. Patrick's Day.
Y'all. I am not proud of my behavior that night, but here's a life lesson to tuck away in your back pocket for when you're of legal age:
IF you're going out with your friends to a country concert on St. Patrick's Day and there's even the remote possibility that you will imbibe more than your share, try NOT to promise your children on the way out the door that you will take them to Chuck E. Cheese's the next morning. Because boy will that come back to haunt you.
...but here is why - even with the headache and the blinking lights and the hell of other people's children, I still laugh every time I think about this trip to Chuck E Cheese's:
My mama will tell you she hates that place. It's just a petri dish with pizza, etc. etc. But I bought $20 in tokens, and divided them up in cups for each of you to have an equal share. I asked Peg Peg to hold Hagen's cup of tokens for a second because he seemed to be content to crawl around in the play structure. I thought I heard Peg Peg say, "Laney, let's try skee ball" as they walked away. Fifteen minutes later, Hagen was tired of the slide and we went in search of his grandparents with the tokens. We found Peg Peg by the skee ball machine, draped in a paper boa of hundreds of prize tickets, holding an empty token cup. "Things just got out of hand," she said. Indeed.
We drove them back to Missoula, and stopped on the way at what passes for an authentic Mexican restaurant in northern Idaho.
Like all southerners, Peg Peg gets cold the second she gets north of Nashville or west of Amarillo, so she had to warm her hands in the steam of her fajitas.
Back home, they helped me with all kinds of house projects (remind me to do a before and after house post later) and tackled some of the things I'd been putting off for years. For example, I have a big basket in the corner of my bedroom I call "Brooke's Home For Wayward Socks" that I stuff with all the solo socks that come out of the dryer. Peg Peg actually dumped that thing out and sorted it.
Even with all the domestic projects, Peg Peg and Laney still found time to go shopping. I don't know which one of y'all is worse, but it's so nice when you each have someone to enable:
Towards the end of their visit, we took your grandparents to a kid's birthday party.
It was nice that Peg Peg was on hand to console Hagen about his questionable pinata skills.
Because I work from home, with your dad gone I can go days without having a real conversation with another grown-up. Just having the folks around to talk to was a huge help.
...and the 128 pairs of socks Peg Peg put together is nothing to sneeze at.
Thanks for coming and perking us up!
Love,
Mom
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