Picture it:

April 2007, it’s Saturday and I’m at work. I have just been told that I can leave early if I want. I want! I had to be in at 6:00 am that means that my alarm went off at 4:20am. I have to look good for those early morning home improvement shoppers. I know you care about the extra effort I give to be pretty when your looking for power tools or purchasing enough insecticide to poison every bug this side of the Mississippi. I know that what is waiting for me is something that others only dream of. It’s so amazing that I still can’t believe it was here in my home a dream come true .I told everyone I could about how great my evening was going to be. I took the early out and headed home.

I arrived excited to see things being brought into the house. Ok so her car was parked a bit over and that made it a bit difficult to pull in to the garage but who cares this night was to be one of the best nights ever. I helped them in with the packages and gave a quick tour of my kitchen then realized my children were home. Why are you home? I asked. Plans were changed because of the cold weather but they assured me that they were leaving soon. My son wanted us to see the final results of his history movie so we delighted in the bad acting and the lame jokes. I then changed cloths and started to think about what I wanted to do first. I was relieved to see my wonderful children go with their aunt for the rest of the evening. I stared to watch a movie while a flourish of pots and pans and ingredients began to drowned out the sound of my movie. Who cares I am being cooked for. As I settled in thinking movie, then bath, then a nap until it’s ready I was asked to dash off to the store for baking powder that is once they decided that it was powder not soda that they needed. No big deal a quick in and out then back to the movie that was changed to music while I was gone. New plan play with new ring tones on my phone I could add a song just incase you call hmmmm Amarillo By Morning is on this thing but it’s the wrong version I’m a Chris LeDoux fan so never mind that one. I settle down on the sofa and think about taking that bath. I guess after I go to the store for bread because they’ve eaten half the loaf while cooking plus the olive bread isn’t rising. I arrive at the bakery to find that they have no olive bread so I purchase a baguet and cheese bread. I also grabbed an ice tea so as not to drink too much diet soda, something I need to give up.

Now that bath tub is calling to me. . . no that’s my husband’s ring tone. We forgot the ham and it must come from the natural foods market on 91st . I battle the traffic and head that way. Relax a good meal waits. I crank up the radio and talk to the gas gauge. I’m on red and still have several blocks to go.

I can’t find this place on the corner so I call. On the corner. On the corner. You can repeat it several times and still not make it so. Catty corner from. . . .south east . . .it closes soon . .It’s right there on the corner. . . . .Hurry . . . . I drilled them as to what things are around it and they were clueless. The strip mall . . . .Why on this earth do we have so darn many strip malls? Finally I give up on them and pull in to survey the land. There it is NOT on the corner. I rush in to find that the only ham they have is shaved and that won’t do. I’m asked to buy a pound of Sunday Bacon. I then look around, I have earned a treat, something that says thanks for giving up your bath to rush around for them. I purchase some energy tea. I’ll try it tomorrow. I now am in need of gas. I stopped to fill up then call them to be sure that they are set much to my relief they were. Ihave squeezed my car in and out of the garage five times. Thank goodness no one needs new paint.

I had to remind them to check the cake, it was a bit over cooked. I had to help grill the steaks and shrimp. Somewhere in the mix I folded laundry. I also did the dishes. Lots of dishes.

Watching a movie with friends -great fun.
Listening to your husband and a friend cook -funny
Cooking with friends- wonderful

A meal fit for a queen- who cares- it's about the love
Running all over town- a pain
Spending time on the sofa taking to a dear friend about religion and aging parents while your spouses look up tattoos on line.
Priceless.

I love my kitchen because of nights like that. I love my friends because he can sit with me and tell me about his mom and I can talk about my dad. Because I can talk about the way I believe and he can give me his opinion, a valued one. . . as our spouses think of ways to poke ink into their skin.