"How I spent my Holiday Weekend"

For a long, holiday weekend that started out with very few plans I ended up really tired by Monday. The weekend actually started on Thursday with Zac's command picnic. Lots of sun, lots of heat, and lots of fun talking to people. The heat alone would have been enough to wipe me out, but I also spent a good bit of time playing with a friend's two-year-old daughter. She's a little Energizer Bunny, that one. After the picnic we spent the rest of day picking up and setting up our new couch. (Our first "grown-up" furniture! No more college-life-relics or hand-me-downs!) Moving the old stuff out of the living room, cleaning the room, moving the new stuff into the living room and cleaning up again wore us out further so we spent the remainder of the evening breaking in the couch by watching movies.

Friday evening Zac and I played racquetball. Afterwards, despite being in our workout gear and looking (and smelling) like we just spent an hour in an oven, we decided to meet up with Ken over at Hideaway for a beer. We figured it was just after 9pm so no one would really be there to critique our appearance, and Ken had mentioned he wanted to be out of there by 10pm. Ken was already feeling pretty festive by the time we got there. Being the mature, responsible person that he is, Ken had a designated driver lined up to bring him to and from the bar that night. (A perk of having a night-owl 19-year-old neighbor who is willing to shuttle people around for $.) I decided I'd be Zac's DD for the night so Zac could throw a few back with Ken.

Ken sent his DD a text message at 9:30 requesting an pick-up extension until 10:30, instead of 10. As the evening progressed, and the boys enjoyed their lagers, the text messages from Ken to his DD kept flowing every half-hour or so - "How about 11?" "11:30 ok?" and finally "You had might as well just come over here because it is going to be a late night." Ken's DD arrive around midnight to join me in consuming non-alcoholic beverages and laughing at Ken and Zac. The two of them were having a grand time.

Of course as Hideaway was filling up with people throughout the night, Zac's and my appearance stood out more and more. All the guys and gals were there dressed to impress and we . . . were not. We were dressed to play racquetball. It made me feel mildly awkward. Zac, bless his heart, was beyond caring.

At 12:45, I was tired. I was on my fifth water and despite the thumping music and bustling atmosphere I was about ready to fall asleep. I convinced Zac that it was time to go so we headed home. When I got to the car I realized I was starving. We had had supper around five, and now it was almost 1:00am. My body called attention to the fact that another meal was in order. So I did what I haven't done in a very long time - I stopped at a Taco Bell after 1:00am. I ordered us a few soft tacos and inhaled them as soon as we got in the house. We climbed into bed without spending much time digesting. Why?

Because the alarm was going to go off in five hours so we could go diving with Ken. Yeesh.

Yes, Saturday morning we were going diving at a new location. I checked the surf report before we left. It said 2-4 feet, so I was already a little reluctant to go as we piled into the car and headed out towards our destination. The surf had been 2-4 at Electric Beach the last time I had trouble. When we got to our dive sight, we met up with Ken and the other members of our group. I surveyed the water and decided that I wasn't comfortable going in right then. I told Zac and Ken that I'd stay back and let them try it out. If they came back thinking that the conditions were good I'd join them for the second dive. While they dove I relaxed with a book, which requires much less energy than diving.

The boys came back about an hour later and I could tell from their demeanor that the dive wasn't fun. They filled me in: the current was tough, the waves were tough, visibility wasn't great, they didn't see much exciting wildlife, etc. They decided a second dive wasn't in the cards for them either, so we ended up packing up our stuff and heading home. We dropped off my rental gear, ran to the store to get some brownie mix and made it home around 1:00 or so.

I whipped up the brownies and threw them in the oven. Zac was hoping for an afternoon nap, but we were supposed to be going down to Honolulu to a friend's house for a 4th of July picnic and fireworks viewing in a couple of hours. (The brownies being our contribution to the picnic.) We cleaned up Zac's diving gear, took showers, got ready and by that point Ken was already at our house ready to carpool into Honolulu. At least I got to casually read by the beach that morning, so I was a little rested. Both boys looked like they were not going to make it through the night without nodding off.

The picnic was fun, the company was entertaining, the fireworks were spectacular. It really was one of the best firework displays I had ever seen. And viewing it from a condo on the 26th floor was fantastic. As all of the guests waited for traffic to dissipate, sure enough, Ken and Zac zonked out for naps.

It was a solid weekend, but exhausting. Now it's time to buckle down and get some work done.