Weddings, Work, and Sore Abs

Preston taking off Charley's sock. I wish I had it on video!

Well, it's official. Wedding weekend is over. My dad's wedding, that is... Not mine! Ha!  It was so much fun, but if I'm totally honest, I am a little relieved that it's over. The reception was at my dad's house, and lots of family and friends came to celebrate, including my sister and her family, and two of my aunts. They all stayed at my dad's house, which meant everybody was out of their routine, and confined to one general location. Except for Charley and me, that is. It was nice to go home to a quiet house at the end of every evening, but Charley and I spent much of our weekend commuting between our house and my dad's house, because we didn't want to miss out on family time and activities! Let me start from the beginning....

Charley doing Preston's makeup.

Friday night, as I mentioned in a previous blog, everybody was in town, and Charley and I went over to visit after my long day at work. It was great to see everyone, but my students had worn me out. I was much more social on Saturday! Saturday morning, I got up bright and early and went over to my dad's house, where they were already starting to prepare for the evening festivities. My sister, her husband, and I took the kids to the park, so they could burn off some energy. They really are funny to watch play together. My nephew Preston is so much like my sister, and Charley is so much like me. At one point over the weekend, Charley came storming into the living room, stating, "I am NOT HAPPY with Preston right now." Ha! Sounds familiar... I imagine it's like deja vu to my parents, when they watch the kids play together. Anyway, after the park, Charley and I went and ran some errands, while my sister and her family went to lunch with some friends of theirs. Charley and I ended up looking through several stores for a cardigan to go with her "fancy dress," but we didn't have any luck. In the process, however, we found another adorable dress, and decided that would be her "wedding dress." She loved getting dolled up like a princess, before we went back to my dad's for the reception. I was told to be at my dad's house promptly at 4:00. Apparently, we were going to toast the marriage at that time. I was there, the toast was great....but the champagne? Unfortunately, it had gone bad. It was awful. As everybody took their sips of champagne, we all made the exact same expression. And it wasn't good. I felt bad, because I know there was meaning behind the toast, but it was also one of those laughable moments, that came along at the worst possible time. If nothing else, it lightened the mood and the anticipation of 40 guests that would arrive an hour later.

When guests began to show up, the fun really got started. I talked to some lifelong family friends, and had a chance to catch up. I had an amusing conversation with several of my dad's male friends about how I've learned, particularly as a mom, that I will do absolutely anything to avoid a second trip to the car, and I can carry more objects at once than I ever thought possible. I described a recent trip to the airport, when I was carrying Charley (who was sleeping), a carseat, two back packs, a purse.... It was miserable. But oddly enough, it's a frequent occurrence. One man, Brian, suggested I make a big hat the next time I go through the airport, and store the carseat and backpacks in there. "It's a million dollar idea!" he exclaimed. I realize now, that the concept was probably more amusing due to the two glasses of wine I had consumed, and the dozen that he had... But we were laughing it up! It was fun. I also had a chance to talk with one of my dad's neighbors, who was also a single mom (her daughter is now my age). She was so sweet, and just said, "Your little girl is SO smart. You're doing an amazing job. Nobody understands what it's like to do it on their own, especially with little ones, unless they've been there. But I've been there. And you're an incredible mom." I know it wasn't intentional, but she nearly made me cry. My family is very supportive and affirming of my parenting abilities, but there are times when I question if I'm doing things right with Charley. It was nice to have a complete outsider interject with a totally unbiased opinion.

Seems like a safe place to hang...

On a similar note, I had several family friends volunteer to babysit Charley. One in particular, Joe, a long-time friend who has two grown daughters of his own, has been fascinated by Charley since he met her. He jokes that she'll be graduating high school by the age of 10, and defending her doctoral dissertation by the time she's 16. He said, "If you ever go out of town, I'll take her. For up to a week! I don't know if I could go beyond that, but I'll take her for a week!" When I told Fran, his longtime partner what he had volunteered for, she was a little bit surprised at what he'd signed them up for. She laughed, and agreed to the task. Her daughter, Emily, who is really more like a cousin than a family friend, also volunteered to  babysit. For two hours. "I really just want to watch Frozen," she admitted. I told all of them not to sign up for something they're not prepared to follow through with, because I'll take them up on their offers! It was just nice to know that my support system extends beyond my family and closest friends.

On Sunday, I went to work at 9. It's a good thing I didn't stay at my dad's for all hours of the night, because I would've been like a zombie on Sunday morning. But it was actually a pretty easy coaching day, because my mom took Charley to the zoo with my older sister and her family. That meant I could focus 100% on my private lessons! After my regular lessons, I hung out at the gym for a little bit for a staff meeting. I'm in the gym so infrequently now, that I generally only see the same people every week, and I miss out on seeing many of my co-workers. It was nice to catch up and touch base about what's going on in the gym. After that, it was more family time, and finally an evening at home. It's now Tuesday, and I'm still worn out from the weekend. But it was wonderful!

***Totally Random: I did standing back tucks on Sunday. A lot of them. For some reason, I seem to kill myself with back tucks every once in awhile, to the point that it hurts to laugh or sneeze. You'd think I would've learned after the first time that it's not a good idea to kill myself doing back tucks, when I haven't worked out in awhile. But, no. I continue to make the same mistake. At the very least, I've seen it as an inspiration to get my butt back in the gym. I've got my workouts planned for the next 30 days. If you see me, and I'm eating something sugary or carb-filled, ask me how my workouts are going! Ha! Have a great week!