This past weekend, Dave was at a swim meet all weekend long.  One of the major drawbacks to the teacher-coaching gig, is that 1 to 2 times per month, Dave is gone for huge lengths of time at a swim meet.  Like 10-12 hours per day.  It is a drain on me at home.  After going all week being “on” with the kids, it is absolutely brutal to go all weekend with no husband, only to face another week. 

During the  swim meet three weeks ago, I finally hit the wall at 3pm on Sunday.  Every time I walked out of the room – -even to pee — I burst into tears.  My texts to him started to take on a fatalist tone, “Someone is not going to make it if you do not get home soon!”   “Did you get my last text?”  “H.E.L.P.!“  Finally, I made that desperate wife phone call  that I am pretty sure we all have made at least once and begged him to come home and, luckily, he was able to duck out an hour early.  An hour that certainly saved my life and maybe even the life of a child or two.

So, prior to this meet, I tried to be a bit more proactive.  My first approach was to call Grandma Bloo and get her over here!  Then we made plans.  To LEAVE the house.  For a hermit-turned-recluse like me, it was a big moment. To consider taking all 5 kids out to lunch and… TO THE PARK… well, lets just say, the excitement was darn near brain-shattering.  And clearly I would not try this alone.  But, with Grandma in tow, I thought I had a fighting chance. Plus, she was buying.

When the sun comes out in the Seattle area it matters little what the actual TEMPERATURE is.  The thermometer can read 33 degrees, but if it is SUNNY we walk outside with sunglasses and coats slung over our arms.  I have seen bikinis in 50-degree weather because of the brilliant sun (I do not don a bikini even in 90 degree weather, FYI).  And when the actual temperature climbs past the magical marker of 60 degrees, the whole city goes WILD.

Saturday was one of those days.

First stop: KIDD VALLEY for some perfect hamburgers.

If you have never had a KIDD VALLEY hamburger, get thee to an airport and fly thee to Seattle.  It is worth it.  Warning,  you will have to set your feminist sensibilites aside. 

Never been a big fan of putting a scantily clad girl atop a piece of meat…. but, when said piece of meat is a KIDD VALLEY hamburger. I am willing to overlook it.  So are my kids.  In fact, I just might put one of my kids on top of that hamburger if it meant getting one for free (that’s a free hamburger, not a free kid… which doesn’t exist).

Lily eating delicious hamburger!

 Of course we brought kid #5 along and she got to eat her very first french fry… ah, she makes me so proud.

Emme and her First French Fry

 Second Stop: Houghton Beach Park

Is this just not the MOST glorious place to put a park!?!??!  That’s Lake Washington in the background.  Oh, and  ya see those big heavy winter coats that Izzy and Lily are wearing? … yeah, those are about to come off… in a hurry!

Kids at Houghton

Lily and Ty at Houghton

I think I am a Pacific Northwest SNOB, because this is the best place to live…ever…  I think I am gonna have to buy Lily some new jeans,though,… her legs are getting so dang long!

Walking along the dock

Even Emme got in on the action and had fun people watching from the safety of her stroller.

Emme People Watching

All in all, a DARN good day.  Way better than crying in the bathroom and praying that your husband will come home an hour early. 

And, in true northwest style, the rain was back on Sunday.  And then Grandma Bloo went back home.  And Emme didn’t nap. And with two hours to go until hubbie came home, I started counting the seconds.  And pricing pizza for dinner. 

The next swim meet?  In three weeks.

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