In the resort area where we were staying, there is a large
outdoor swimming pool. The groundskeepers assured Mike and Jenn that 87 degrees
was the current pool water temperature; they added that no one was using the
pool lately. Well, yeah, it was 47 degrees outside. Buck said there was no way
the pool is kept that warm, because there is no steam rolling off the water.
Oh, and it was raining!
Buck, Jenn, and I opened a beach umbrella and huddled
underneath it with some dry pool towels on our lounge chairs. The kids managed
to play for nearly an hour before Caelan couldn’t take it and requested a
return trip to the big house for a hot shower. Buck ran her home the two
blocks, then came back for me and the boys. They were shivering in the rain as
they tried to dry off enough to get into the van. I’m surprised they weren’t
steaming!
Two problems we’d had with the house—a beeping fire detector
(in Jess’s room) and a backed up shower (in Mike and Jenn’s bathroom). We’d
seen a plumbing truck driving in circles around the neighborhood the entire
time we were at the pool. Figuring his GPS was as confused as ours had been, we
were still surprised that he’d not found the house by the time we got back to
it. Buck finally offered to take a run at the shower, and using a butter knife
to pop up the drain cover at least got the water out of the shower’s base.
Eventually, the plumber did show up, but by then most everyone was ready to
head into town for some last minute shopping. Our family, Miguel, and the baby
stayed back at the house until we were due to meet for dinner. We weren’t sure
what to do about the plumber, but he finished up whatever he was doing at just
the same time we were heading out the door.
Our dinner that evening was provided by Mike and Jenn. We met
them (still in the rain) at a tiny burger shop near where we’d eaten lunch
earlier in the week. Liberty Burger was voted the best burger in town last year.
Our party took half the available seating! But oh man was that burger good! I
got sweet potato fries, which sometimes are eh, but here were yummmmm. Upon
seeing his burger land on the table in front of him, Brennen said, “What is it
with people sticking knives through their burgers around here?” Sure enough,
the trend in the mountainous western states is to hold a burger together with a
steak knife through the top instead of using a toothpick.
Of course, back at the big house, we were going to need some
dessert! So, the girls made a second round of the much-requested chocolate chip
cookies which had somehow disappeared earlier in the week :) While Mike and
Jenn and Buck and I talked (as loudly as we could) about how we’d met, our
wedding timelines, and other life stories, the younger set were absolutely
bursting with noise playing Farkle again and the a slap-jack version of
Scattergories. Nikki and Jess were wiping tears from their eyes, they were
laughing so hard.
Somehow all that energy rolled our way into a hilarious game
of charades. First it was just the kids. Then a couple of adults accidentally
guessed correctly (for me it was the PBS kids shows, I’d sit quietly waiting
for someone to catch on, but when your kid is scratching their armpits and then
looking thoughtful, you know they’re acting out Curious George). So, I’d guess and then it would be my turn to act.
Buck was being helpful by looking up charade prompts on his cell phone. One of
the best was when Miguel turned into a t-rex and lurked after A’s blue car—Jurassic Park :) Buck also provided
Miguel with The Little Mermaid; his
rock pose and flick of imaginary red hair was epic. Nikki might have won the
night with her movie title. She picked up S, sat her in the corner of the room,
and then shook her head and wagged her finger, “No, no!” I got it right away, Dirty Dancing—“Nobody puts Baby in a
corner.” So funny! Even Mike got in on the fun, doing a little wax on, wax off
and crane pose for Karate Kid.
We had a great time, and our kids proved themselves to be enthusiastic charades actors. It was hard to go to bed that night, because we were having so much fun. But, the next morning we had a loooong drive back to the Dakotas, so we climbed into our previously set out pjs, made sure our driving outfits were complete and organized on the window ledge, and zipped all our suitcases into a neatly stacked, ready-to-go pile.
We had a great time, and our kids proved themselves to be enthusiastic charades actors. It was hard to go to bed that night, because we were having so much fun. But, the next morning we had a loooong drive back to the Dakotas, so we climbed into our previously set out pjs, made sure our driving outfits were complete and organized on the window ledge, and zipped all our suitcases into a neatly stacked, ready-to-go pile.
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