Overnight Clara got fussy and we ended up letting her sleep between us. Given I hadn’t really seen her in about a week, and given I don’t worry much about setting bad habits when we’re traveling, I actually enjoyed it. She flops around in her sleep and ends up cuddling against me and it’s very sweet.
Even though we were up by 7 or so (because of Clara) we dawdled. I had brought a chocolate chip Costco muffin with me the night before and Clara and I shared that while we slowly woke up. She was very excited about it—much sweeter than the normal breakfast she would get.
We didn’t get to Dad’s until around 8:30. I figured no one would be up before then anyway. It was wonderful to find that Dad had preset the coffee maker to brew early so it was ready to go when we got there, along with a bunch of empty coffee cups and spoons. What a thoughtful host.
Not long after the Wolks arrived and Jill got up. Soon Henry was there too. He had arrived late the night before. He showed up with donuts from one of the highest rated shops in town. So classic Henry—like we need more food! But it was very thoughtful and they were delicious. The kids were happy about them but no less than the adults.
While there was some down time, Julie and I sat together and worked on our respective laptops for a while. That hour or so ended up being all the paid work I did while I was there but hey, it was more than zero hours, which is what I had planned on. I worked on a website project for JAF which has actually been kind of fun. I like creative projects. Julie and I shared donuts and coffee between us and it reminded me of Lady and the Tramp.
We hung around the house as the other adults slowly got up. It was sweet to see how Zoey and Malcolm are with Clara. Zoey is very gentle and attentive. Malcolm just sometimes follows Clara around repeatedly saying “Cla-wa” to her, and Clara just looks at him cautiously, haha.
Once everyone was up we got ready and went up to the ranch. I rode in the truck with Dad driving and fellow passengers Denny, Clara, and Clark. Clara was so tired by then she fell asleep before we’d even pulled away from the curb and she slept all the way there. It was perfect. At some point I had Dad listen to “The Truth About Love” by Pink, and when it was over he asked me to replay it, which is just about the highest praise for a song Dad could give. #winning
I was pretty tired when we got there though. Clara woke up and I hung out with her and Neil while Neil tried to set up the DOOM computers and Jack dirt biked. When Jack got back he took her and I took a solid hour nap in the ranch upstairs living room, totally out. It felt great.
After we got back we got ready to go out for girls’ and guys’ nights. The guys (Dad, Neil, Everett, Jack, Denny, Bryon, and Henry) went to some bar, and the girls (Jill, me, Julie, Ellen, and Jennifer) went to Jose’s to sit on the patio and drink and eat cheesy Mexican food. And Ms. Kristen stayed home with the kids, which I have to remember isn’t as overwhelming as it sounds because the older ones don’t need a lot of supervision and Sola even helps with the younger ones.
So we sat and chatted about who knows what—mostly I remember Julie and Jennifer talking about nursing experiences. I had Sangria and a quesadilla and enjoyed not counting calories. It got a little rainy so we moved it inside and talked for about how differently women view C-sections and other medicine from each other. Julie left to go put her kids to bed but the rest of us stayed and drank and talked. At some point I told Jennifer about how close I use to be to Jack’s brother and how well I get along with my in-laws now and how strange but happy it all is.
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| I forgot to take any pics during Girls Night but fortunately I got this hilarious video still. |
Sometime around then all the guys showed up very suddenly and tried to take our drinks. Apparently they had planned to appear, drink all our alcohol, and leave. I joked with Everett that it was all a ruse to cover for the fact that they couldn’t stand one evening without us and wanted to see us, him especially. Their plan was foiled, however, because we had all finished all our drinks and weren’t going to stay much longer anyway. Jack gave me a kiss and almost as suddenly, they all left for a cigar bar.
Jill decided to go with them and the rest of us went back to Dad’s. Ellen went with me to take Clara back to the Air B’n’B for bed. She read Clara books and we all hung out for a while.
At one point I went to use the bathroom and couldn’t get the door back open. I’m so glad Ellen was there because she was able to stay with Clara while we tried to figure it out. I was going to climb out the bathroom window but it doesn’t actually open all the way and I couldn’t fit. Eventually I gave up and called Jack and just said “Hey—I have a problem.” I was touched by how he was immediately concerned (even though it wasn’t an emergency or anything). I told him what happened and he and Dad left the cigar bar to come get me out.
The door knob was completely loose and useless and at first Dad was going to tighten it. Then he realized it actually wasn’t even attached to a latch—the door wasn’t latched at all, it was just really stuck because it had too much paint. So he kicked it open and voila. Either way I was grateful to them for dropping everything and coming and helping me. I was also grateful I had my phone with me so I could just scroll FB while I waited for them. I was also (still) grateful Ellen was around to take care of Clara in the mean time, otherwise it would’ve been a much more serious problem.
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| Ellen getting ready to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to Clara. |
Once I was out Ellen went back across the street and Clara and I went to bed. Jack came home much later, happy and smelling of cigars. He was kind enough to shower before coming to bed though. Sounds like they had an absolute blast drinking and playing foosball.
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