Is it any surprise I'm hoarse?!

This is what happens when I ask my friends to stop posing and do something silly. This was the best they could do. We're getting old.

For those of you who whom really know me, I have something unbelievable to tell you. I slept until 8:00 a.m. today. That might not seem like a big deal, but I have slept on a geriatric schedule most of my life. The fact that I was tired enough to sleep past 5:30 a.m. is a good indicator of our extended weekend.

The kids and I left for Illinois on Wednesday four hours later than I planned to leave. Long and boring story, but it included two trips to the Ford garage and a looooong trip to Costco. We finally got to my grandma’s house in time for dinner. Nana was pacing the floor convinced we were in a ditch, broken down by the side of the road, kidnapped, or caught in some horrible combination of all three.

Thursday I took the kids to Holiday World. All of us were giddy for the first hour. Then we were hot, sick of crowds, and hungry. This is the trifecta that always puts me over the edge. It was a matter of time. I lost it around noon; after we were stuck on the octopus ride 20 feet in the air, lying on our backs, facing the sun. I needed air conditioning and the only restaurant in the place with a/c was crowded and noisy, which is what I didn’t need. In a sad reversal of rolls, my kids were patient and calm as I had a meltdown. The water park was much more fun, but it was insanely crowded. The kids had a great time and didn’t let my adult temper tantrum ruin their day. Aside from the wave pool and the log flume, the biggest hit of the day were the free soft drinks. I lost count after Alex’s fifth root beer, but I’m guessing he finished a keg.

Friday, I left the kids in my grandma’s capable hands and prayed my mom wouldn’t be late getting to her house. I headed to Olney for the start of Girls’ Weekend. I met my friend Jamie for lunch, and played with her adorable seven month old son, Bo. (Amazingly, I left my camera in the car, but you can find lots of pictures of Jamie and her family here.)

After I left Jamie, I hit Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of last minute sundries. I also bought a swimming suit cover-up that would make Mrs. Roper swoon, an Olney Tigers t-shirt for Alex, and a ballet Barbie from the clearance aisle. I didn’t realize what an impulse buyer I am. I did not however, manage to buy what I originally went in to purchase. In my defense, they don’t sell swim noodles in August. They have to make room for Halloween candy.

I stopped by to see Baby Reece and Caroline, Jennifer’s little ones before I fully immersed myself in a weekend with grown-ups. Caroline is a riot and has the best tan I’ve ever seen. Reece is smiling and cooing. Obviously, he’s a genius. Who coos at 10 weeks?!

We finally hit our cabin and docked our boat. I was near panic because I some how got elected to drive the boat. I think it’s because I grew up on the water, but I was mostly eating Cheetos and drinking RC. I wasn’t paying attention to the mechanics of boating. Luckily, we can talk Michelle B. into about anything and she took over. She was a fine captain and I was comfortable in my roll of skipper. I happily tied up the boat and took care of the anchor.

Have you ever seen Summer Rental with John Candy?

Slowly, everyone rolled into the cabin and we had a great weekend of catching up, eating great food, and floating around the lake. Michelle surprised us with a yoga instructor and she conducted a class that had to be worse than a room full of eight graders. I was unable to keep my composure and laughed 90% of the time. My silent laugh usually winds up being more disruptive than my regular laugh, so my efforts to stifle myself were useless.

Should anything happen to the USA synchoranized swimming team, we have it covered.

Michelle made us a soundtrack for the weekend.

We all slept too little, and played harder than we’re probably used to, but it’s always a rejuvenating weekend. I always talk too much and annoy even myself, so I don’t know how these girls put up with me. My kids love it because I’m too hoarse to yell. I’m already looking forward to next year.

My parents met me in Olney with the kids, and before we left town we stopped by Sommer’s parents’ house. This family has one of the neatest homes I’ve ever seen. The house itself is beautiful and has amazing details, but their land is what is truly amazing. They have a pool that my kids were in within five minutes of pulling into the driveway, a treehouse that rivals Swiss Family Robinson’s, and trails through the forest next to the house. Sommer’s dad, Blaine, has cleared I don’t know how many miles of trails and built little bridges throughout. The man should really work for Disney. He took us on a Gator ride down “Rattlesnake Road” and into “Alligator Alley,” where he has staged little vignettes that convinced my six year old we were in potential danger. I told Sommer there really isn’t any reason for her to ever make the trip to Disney World and that’s saying something coming from me.