This phenomenon rarely occurs - but I love it when it does. I am talking about a day that lasts so long and is so fulfilling that it seems like two days have passed in 24 hours.
Same group, different membership - we have friends in town. Many of them, in fact. Which means a different Spouses' Club.
To introduce a different group of friends (all college friends of Melissa's), let me start with Faith and Michael since their picture is enclosed. Faith and Michael have been married for 7 years. They are the closest friends we have living an alternative/unconventional lifestyle. Faith and Michael lived in Austin several years ago and we saw them way too rarely. They moved to Florida for a couple of years and we didn't see them at all. Two years ago, they moved to Dallas and we see them more often, but not enough. I enjoy making fun of Michael for 1) being an Aggie and 2) once espousing open content for All Things Normal who now is an office manager in a 9-5 setting, owns a flat-screen tv contained within a mortgaged house situated in a neighborhood governed by a Home Owner's Association, and his wife drives a convertible. And all this during a Republican administration.
Sybil and Terrence have been married 3 years. Terrence spent time in the military and is finishing up an engineering degree. They have been living in College Station the past several years and are moving to Dallas in a few months. This is the couple voted Most Likely To Be Seen At a $500 Per Ticket Charity Ball. Sybil is the social butterfly; she's not comfortable unless she's organizing a get-together at Dave & Busters (which was Friday night) or a dinner for 12 including friends she hasn't seen in 10 years (which was Saturday night). Terrence is a patient and understanding husband. In March, he'll also be a patient and understanding father.
Stephanie was Melissa's roommate when we first started dating. I broke them up. From the beginning, Stephanie made me feel welcome. So welcome, in fact, that she didn't mind dinner for two quickly becoming a trio. Soon after we got engaged, she also got engaged - to her college boyfriend and then moved to Bandera after they got married. She and Chris have been married for 4 years and are expecting their first child in January.
Tracy is our house guest for the weekend. She and her husband, Jeremy, got married two years ago; they live in Conroe. Tracy's a pharmacist and her husband is a 3L interning in the DA's office. Tracy is to have their child in April. She's the quiet one of the bunch, even though their wedding was the only one whose post-reception celebration featured an electronic bull.
To wrap up Friday night, we spent it at Dave & Busters. It was extremely therapeutic in that it stroked my fragile ego. After Melissa challenged me to a game of Galaga, I had the game of my life. I got 102K points even though I never doubled-up my fighter plane. To be fair, she waxed me in Centipede and may have edged me out in Trivial Pursuit. Additionally, Stephanie's 13 year old nephew told me I'm the best basketball shooter he's ever seen in his entire life - I made sure he repeated that in front of my wife.
Saturday afternoon, we headed to Faith and Michael's to pass time in the pool. In a blink of an eye, conversations that once centered around the common follies of collegiate youthhood have changed to conversations of baby names and property taxes. Later that evening, we reconvened at Truluck's, our favorite seafood restaurant in Dallas. After a 2 1/2 hour dinner, we came home and immediately fell asleep. As such, today has been a lazy morning, catching up on cooking shows and flipping between The Aviator and ESPN Classics re-airing the 2005 BCS Championship. Amazing how I still get a little nervous watching that last fourth down.
The rest of the day is open. Since yesterday was two days packed into one, I'm considering today a freebie; I'm not letting the grill and the ice cream maker off that easy though.
But as I look back at yesterday, I'm more thankful for the players than the events themselves.
