Zack got up Saturday morning, planning on going to the Twins game.  He hopped on his bike and took off for downtown.  On the way, he got a phone call from Cary, Logan and Hootie, who said they would love to join him.  Zack adjusted his original plan and headed for Katie's house, where he could stash his bike, meet the rest of the guys and take the bus down to the field.  They all had a blast, thanks to our friend who got them tickets.

Meanwhile, Margy, Katie, Grandma and I took two cars full of kids down to lake Calhoun, where the plan was to rent canoes and have fun. 

Before I left the house, Jay and I discussed chicken wing logistics.  Anyone out there who thinks chicken wings are the easiest of dinners to cook has never tried to do ten pounds for the 4th of July on the afternoon of the 3rd while at a ball game.  I was going to be paddling merrily away the afternoon and Jay thought he'd like to be at the Twins game for a while and how hot should the oven be and how long would they need to cook and could I possibly stop by the house after boating to check on them and perhaps turn off the oven before heading to Grandma's for dinner? 

Of course I could!  Plan of action agreed upon, I took off for the lake.

The sky was blue, the sun was hot, we were all covered in sunscreen and ready to paddle only to be told that boats weren't being rented out that day because the wind was too high.

It didn't help any that some poor soul had drowned over at Thomas beach, on the other side of the lake the day before.  Safety, people.  Safety!

So we stood there in the hot sun and high wind, trying to decide what to do with the whole afternoon and seven kids.  Easy!  We'd go to the municipal pool a couple of miles up the road.  Unlike the beach, it has water slides, diving boards, shoots and lounge chairs.

Plan B was totally workable.

In fact, I think it was much better.  The ladies set up towels in the grass beneath a tree and the kids took off, never to be seen again (til it was time to go), which was probably a lot more fun than trying to paddle a canoe in gale force winds.  Grandma didn't want to swim so she called her fella and had him pick her up out front.

Margy and Katie and I were so enjoying the afternoon that we made a plan for the evening; pizza and a movie for the kids downstairs at my house and dinner and V Mars for us, upstairs.  Margy has just begun season 2 and it's fun to rewatch with her.  I've gone from being an addict to being a pusher. 

Then we got a call from MJ.  She was planning on going to see a band (the Hold Steady) tonight and originally, Margy was going to go with her.  Margy had been unable to get tickets for her aspiring rock star teenagers so had decided to give up her ticket.  Problems arose when no one else was available.  So Katie, who had developed a desire to go out while lying under the tree by the pool, offered to go with MJ to the show.  Which meant she had to leave the pool early.  We packed up our stuff only to remember that we actually had two cars with us.  This was great news, as half the kids weren't ready to leave yet.  Katie left in one car with Alex and Meg (Alex had to leave because she's MJ's babysitter.  Meg didn't want to stay if Alex was going.)  Margy and I were more than happy to flop back into the grass and tell the younger kids we could stay till closing time if they wanted! 

Everyone was happy.

Plan B was working like a charm.

Lying under the tree, Margy and I came up with another plan.  We'd call Grandma and Grandpa and invite them out to dinner.  We'd dump the kids at my house with pizza, but instead of hanging out with them, we'd all go somewhere in the neighborhood to eat.  There are many, many nice restaurants around here and Margy never, ever gets a chance to see Mom and Dad without a million other people around.  So we called them and set up a new plan.  We'd call them again when we got the kids back to my house and had a chance to put on some non swim related clothes.

On my way back to my house, Jay called.

"How are the wings?" he wanted to know.

"You mean the wings that have been cooking for the last seven hours because I forgot all about them?" I replied.  "God only knows."

There's usually a hitch in Plan B.

I got to my house, relieved that there wasn't smoke pouring out of the windows.  I ran in the back door, to be greeted by the smell of delicious, not burnt chicken wings.  I tore open the oven door and there they were; looking so perfect I wanted to take a picture!

I called Jay back and told him all was well and he said "Good thing I turned them down to 200 before I left the house!"

Yes.  Good thing.

I told Jay that Margy and I were taking Mom and Dad out for dinner and he suggested that he cook for us all at our house.  I explained to him that a large part of the plan was getting away from the kids, which doesn't work so well when they're inside and we're just out on the deck.  So, he quickly came up with a plan to meet us at Famous Dave's.  A quick round of calls got everyone's approval on that plan. 

Margy and I took showers and put on clean clothes.  After her shower, Margy discovered that she'd lost her undies.  Since she's not really the type to go commando in a sundress (not anymore, any way) it was fortunate that Josie just happened to have an unopened package of underwear on hand.  Margy offered her an enormous bribe for a pair of new undies.  Disaster averted.

Dad came to pick us up and we headed toward the restaurant.

Two blocks from our house, we saw Zack, on his bike, zip past us on his way home.

This made us wonder where all the cousins who had been at the game with him were.  So Margy called her boys.  They were at Katie's house, where Zack had stashed his bike.  He had apparently said to them "See ya at my house!"  and taken off, never considering that one of them lives in St. Paul and the other two in Denver. None of them know they way from Katie's house to mine.  Zack is one of those people who, if he's driven a route once, can always find his way, so directions are something that he forgets other people, (most people ) need.

We stopped at Katie's house, where Katie no longer was, having headed off to the show earlier.  The boys didn't fit in the car with all  of us, so Grandma suggested that herself, Margy and I all get out and wait at Katie's while Grandpa drove the boys to my house then come back, get us and continue on our way to dinner.  We ladies piled out of the car and onto the chairs in Katie's front yard.

Dad took off. 

We were chatting in the front yard when the door opened and Mike came out, surprised to find us all camped in his front yard.  We hadn't known he was home!  He hadn't known what was going on either and was surprised to hear voices in the yard.  The poor guy must've wondered what the heck he had to do to get rid of us.  Soon, Dad was back and we left Mike alone. 

At Dave's, we were met not only by Jay but by the lovely Mr. Curry and a friend.

We had a lovely dinner and no one ruined their clothes with barbecue sauce.

Margy and I got back to my house early enough to watch two eps of V Mars.

Moral of the story; flexibility is a key ingredient in having a good time.

 

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