Weekends seem longer now that we’re the parents of a toddler. So much is going on and we fill naptime with so many busy “catch up” activities, that it’s hard to post individually about each and every adventure. This weekend was no different.
Saturday morning saw us rising early (7:00!) so we could get U2 tickets. Our elaborate plan involved getting everyone dressed and in the car by 8:00 so that we could be at a remote Publix location soon thereafter to secure our place in line for the 9:00 on-sale. Unfortunately, we fell 15 minutes behind in leaving and the construction of 285 slowed us even more. We got to the TicketMaster line after straws had been drawn, securing the 10th place in line. Still, we remained confident that we’d get tickets this time, since we’d failed miserably (through lack of effort) last weekend.
The first few people made their transactions quickly, but by the fourth or fifth in line things had slowed considerably. By 9:05 it seemed that there were no multiple seats available in the 100 or 200 sections of Philips Arena. By 9:10 when we placed our order there were no seats together in the 300s or 400s either. Jenn and I ended up purchasing tickets for two separate sections, both in the 300s. We could have had closer seats, but we didn’t feel like spending a grand total of $350 for one, two-hour concert, even if it is U2.
While that isn’t the outcome we’d hoped for, we still got tickets and we still had fun plans for the remainder of the day. Our neighbors had let us know about a city-sponsored Easter Egg hunt going on at a park nearby and we made plans to attend. We parked the car at 9:55, direct from our U2 purchase, and before the big rush of people. The park was overcast and cool and filled with parents of young children.
We were able to pet some farm animals and snap some cute pictures before the hunt begun. The event was well-attended but not that well-planned. The kids were split into 5-and-under and 6-and-up, but we thought they should have been didvided into 3 groups, with a special emphasis on little ones Rae’s age, but we’re biased. Also, the park staff didn’t do the greatest job of opening the gates onto the baseball field (where the eggs were hidden in plain view on the muddy ground), resulting in a stampede of children and parents and Rae without any eggs. Luckily our neighbor’s daughter, Audrey, was kind enough to share some of her haul.
After the hunt, we let Rae do some jumping in one of those inflatable, castle-styled trampolines. She didn’t do much jumping, but she did get bounced around by the other kids. She really seemed to enjoy herself as she made her way around the interior. We tried our best to capture the experience, with me filming far too long and Jenn trying to coax Rae into better picture range to snap a shot and possibly wipe her runny nose.
The whole morning was filled with lots of fun and fellowship as everyone got to hang out with friends and co-workers. Jenn and I got to see many or our neighbors and my co-worker Bill, and Raelyn got to see a classmate from school and all the neighborhood children. We left tired and un-ice-creamed: Bruster’s ran out of free samples before we could satisfy our jones. We had to run to IHOP for stuffed crepes and pancakes just to get it out of our system. Our meal there marked the second time in a week that Rae sat in a booster seat instead of a highchair. We think this may be the way things work out for a long time to come.
Ultimately, Saturday ran a much slower course in the afternoon. 2/3 of us took naps (sorry, Jenn) and we got absolutely no house work done. We spent much of the evening hanging out in the bed and just being a family together. We ate boxy comfort food (hello, shells and cheese & corn dogs) and were basically bizarro versions of our early-Saturday selves. It felt good to spend all day together, both busy and lazy.
I’ve written enough here to make my hand cramp. I’d write about Sunday now, but we’ve still got a lot of time and anything can happen. It’s gorgeous, Rae and Jenn are gorgeous and I’m keen to step away from the computer. I hope everyone enjoys their weekends, not just this one but every weekend, as much as we do.