Weekend Warriors

The weather was gorgeous this week so we've been out and about in our new chariot. On Saturday afternoon Lucy and I took a walk to deliver packages and pick up a few groceries in our double jogging stroller. It is so liberating to be able to get out with both kids, even though in this case Ben and Andy were out golfing so it was just us girls. I commented to Andy how I felt like I was in Boston again: back in my element, cruising around with nothing but my two feet to get me where I want to go.

There's a story behind our purchase of the BOB stroller: I hadn't bought a double stroller up to this point because I figured Ben is too big for most and I couldn't find one I liked that had the right combination of function, style, and compactness in the right price range. Meanwhile, I've been stir crazy since having Lucy since I could never go on walks with both kids so I'd have to do it sporadically in the afternoons if Lucy woke up early from a nap and before Ben got home from kindergarten.

During a long walk in South Carolina with one of my girlfriends, I came to the realization that I just needed to bite the bullet and get a double stroller as an investment in my sanity. So the day after I got home from my trip I started looking on Craigslist and found a few strollers I was interested in. The BOBs come highly recommended, but are a little pricey, so I called one of the two local stores that carry them just to see if we could give one a test drive and see if Ben would fit. As luck would have it, they were having a moving sale and their one remaining double stroller was on sale for 40% off, so I told him to hold it for us. We picked Ben up off the bus and were at the store an hour later. It just fits in our trunk and I love it. The bright orange fabric makes me happy.

On Friday night we had a date night swap and Ben got to play "dress ups" with his good friend Julia and her little sister Audrey. The girls were great sports since there is not a princess dress or girly acoutrement to be found in our costume box. The most sought-after accessory of the night: The light saber.

On Saturday afternoon I volunteered to help set up and serve a luncheon for 100 LDS missionaries in our area. We spent an hour arranging the food and pouring water before the troops arrived.

The calm before the storm...

The meal consisted of the typical Mormon fare: Ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and salad.

Oh, and don't forget the hundreds of pieces of cake for dessert. Talk about the paradox of choice.
I took home one of those huge gooey dark chocolate pieces on the second tier of the rolling cart. Yum.

You'd think this many young men and women would eat like an army, but there was a mindboggling amount of food left. The dessert tables didn't even look like they'd been touched and I actually heard more than one elder say he didn't want seconds or any cake because he was on a diet. Come again?

The best part of it all was getting to hang out with these lovely ladies.

To cap off the weekend, Andy and I went on a dinner date with some of our good friends. A great night full of tasty food (a crostini, apple, honey, and pecorino cheese appetizer and The Chocolate Cafe for dessert) and interesting conversation. After three months of trying to schedule a night out together, we finally made it work. Definitely worth the wait.