Thank God for the Purple Ribbon

I've mentioned before that weird things happen to me. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I can usually find the humor in stressful situations so that I can laugh to keep from crying. Eric and I laugh at ourselves a lot. A few things have happened to me that I am dying to share with you, but just can't get up the nerve. Nothing major. Just funny little stories, but I'm afraid if you don't know us well, you won't think it's at all funny, and then maybe .... judgment will overflow!! :) Just can't take the judgment, people. I'm a wimp like that.

Anyway, last night was Family Night at our house. Now, usually on Family Night, NO ONE is allowed to join and we aren't allowed to answer the phones or the door. It usually entails renting a movie, playing silly games like musical chairs and Hullabaloo and then ends with E. camping out in a small tent on our bedroom floor.

Last night, we had such nice weather, we decided to go to a park instead. When we go to this park, we stop for pizza on the way and take it with us to eat while there. Afterwards, we get ice cream.

Our friends, we'll call them Treasure and T., called to see what we were doing. Family Night hadn't officially started, so I answered the phone. They are in the process of looking for a new home. They have to be out of there's in a month, so they are stressed out to say the least. So, I broke a Family Night rule.

I invited them to come along.

I seriously didn't think they would want to spend their evening with us chasing our children around a park (their children are grown). But, they did.

After chasing our kids with pizza while they're sliding down a slide, putting the first band-aid on O.'s new blister on her foot, asking some trashy-mouth teenagers to 'watch their mouths' until we got into our car, driving to Sonic and choosing to eat outside instead of the van because the atmosphere would be less stressful, yelling into the speaker what each person wanted while at the same time yelling to each other, "What was that you wanted again?" and O. fell again and cut her knee on the concrete (band aid #2) and E. crying because she didn't think we were ordering her an orange slush, I looked at T. and said, "You will think twice before you spend your Friday night with us again". She said, "Are you kidding? When I need to laugh, this is what I do. Being with you guys is pure entertainment".

And, so it is, I guess. We're a regular freak show. :)

Have I mentioned that any time my children get hurt with the simplest paper cut or scrape, Eric FREAKS OUT. Seriously, I have to calm him down while I'm calming the kids down.

I guess being with us would cause anyone to forget their stress. Mainly because they get to laugh at ours.

But, you know, my friend has been a source of my stress at times. Let me share....

Eric and I were packing to go to the beach about a month ago. While brushing my teeth, he comes into the bathroom holding some p*antie*s out in front of him and saying, "Deidre, whose are these?"

Now, let me stop here and say that I completely trust my husband. But, suddenly, I found myself thinking, "Oh no, here it comes". He had just come home from a business trip. I very calmly answered, "I don't know, Eric, whose are they????"

Because when you play certain things out in your mind and you know they aren't your p*antie*s and you know your husband has been away and even though he is very honest and trustworthy and it really doesn't make any sense, for all practical reasons, why would there be another woman's p*antie*s in your husband's suitcase? There really isn't immediate answers that come to a tired and frazzled wife at 11:30 at night.

The conversation went on....

Eric: "I can tell you right now I have no idea."

Me: (still calm) "Eric, you need to think and be honest. Whose are they?"

Eric: "I don't know, but when I just found them in the suitcase, I didn't want to just come and throw them in the trash because then I knew you would suspect something."

Me: (did I mention I am tired and frazzled at this point?) "Suspect what? What could I suspect?"

Eric: (starts laughing, which makes me angry) "I can't explain it, but I don't know where these p*antie*s came from."

I put my tootbrush away and go into the bedroom to face the facts. I look at the suitcase and see a purple ribbon tied to the handle. (Eric is thanking God for the purple ribbon!) I burst out laughing because I remember the ribbon.

My friend, T. borrowed our suitcase when we all went to New York City last Labor Day. We hadn't used this suitcase since, so they were her p*antie*s.

Eric and I had a good laugh and then I called my friend.

I said, "Why are your p*antie*s in my husband's suitcase????" :)