Then to the movie. The one we really wanted to go see together was The Other Boleyn Girl but that’s neither in mainstream theaters anymore (at least here) nor in the cheaper “expired” movies theater. So C picked Made of Honor because apparently, she loves Patrick Dempsey. Seeing the commercials for this movie, it’s not necessarily one I’d have wanted to see, but I rather enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun. Both of us decided it was predictable, but still pretty good.

From there, home, because, yes, we’re old and have to get to bed early. :P That and I had to get up at 6 this morning. But it was really nice having a night out and away even if it was “just” dinner and a movie. We’re watching that cheaper theater, hoping The Other Boleyn Girl will show up there soon.

Here’s why:

Yeah, I’m so mean. He was hungry and I took advantage of it by offering him a lemon which he took without hesitation. Oh, and don’t worry, that knife he has is as dull as… well some of you. (HAHA :P) Plus we took it away as soon as the video cuts off. Just so you know, I don’t let my kid run around and play with knives…

This was yesterday after church, we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Then after that, it seemed like we drove around all day. We had had a head start, too, since I finished editing about an hour earlier than normal. (Yay me!) We took the long way towards home and then drove out the even longer way and ended up at Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area.

Now, unless you’re into skeet shooting and deer hunting during the appropriate season, there’s not much at Magnolia Hollow. I don’t even think they have any bathrooms. But there is a little walking trail we took. Thank goodness it’s paved as somehow we were already both up to our knees in mud. I have no idea how that happened. How do you drive around with the windows up and end up covered in mud? I guess it just jumps on you when you get in and out of the Jeep. Because, you know, by the end of the day the Jeep looked like this – at left – times about four.

But anyway. We took that little walking trail, in the cold, to the lookout over the river. Here before you is a little island called Schmidt Island. Just farmland. Say “hello” to Illinois, too.

Oh, and here’s some ice.

After all that, on the spur of the moment, Steve decided he wanted to go bowling. We ended up next to this couple who’d had more beer and cigarettes than I’m sure they needed, but they were nice. We finished out two games before they did, and they’d started first. You know, they had to stop and kiss between each turn. lol. We both sucked the first time around, I won 110 to 101, but then again, the second time wasn’t so great either, he beat me 158 to 133.

I got several strikes, though, so, you know, that was cool. :) I, however, blame my gutter balls on my crazy thumbs. They’re huge and they bend back flat. I’d take a picture, but, it would probably gross you all out. :P

We ate at our second favorite Chinese restaurant tonight. For some reason, Elijah freaks out whenever we go there and refuses to eat and crabs and whines the whole time. I don’t know what his problem is.

While we were eating, an old man and his wife came in. He was haunched over and had a cane. He started barking! He was barking at Elijah, who, of course, had his back to him. He was not paying any attention. Steve and I were trying to smile. It was kind of funny, but moreso when Elijah noticed the man. He turned around and looked at him for a second, then laughed and smiled and growled back… long and low.

The man wanted to know what Elijah’s name was – and you know, I feel really weird when strange people I don’t know ask me what my kid’s name is when they really have no reason to, but I told him. “Elijah,” I said. “What?” he said. We repeated it, someone behind me said, “that’s a good name.” Then the man said, “well my name’s ‘Caliga.’” What were we supposed to do but laugh like it was the funniest thing we’d ever heard? Elijah lost interest and turned around to the table again. The whole time, the man’s wife was just mortified, she kept calling him by name (I can’t remember it now) and saying, “come on!”

The man’s wife finally got him to move on and they were seated at a table diagonal from us, next to two ladies who where there when we got there, but were further from us. I heard him say to the younger, “Hello! And how are you?”

Steve got up to get some food from the buffet and while he was gone, Elijah suddenly let out a little whiney “whaaaa-haaa-haaa.” Nothing serious, just a whiner. The man, now seated, answered back, without turning around, with a large growl type of sound. Elijah spun around as fast as he could with a huge smile on his face and growled back… really loudly.

You know, my kid counts. In English. And Spanish. (Thank you, Dora the Explorer.) And maybe, I discovered tonight, the only way to get him to eat is to line up about five pieces of food and count them. I did this with some fried okra, to try and keep him from screaming while we finished our meal. He then counted them himself then grabbed #2 and popped it in his mouth.

He started chewing and Steve and I looked at each other, hopeful that maybe he’d eat something for supper after all. Steve said skeptically, “you know, that’s okra in there?” Of course I knew it. His grandma (Steve’s mom) gives it to him all the time and he eats it. Of course, I have come to the conclusion that he must be trying to score brownie points because apparently all I can get that kid to eat besides sweets and cereal is Spam and cheese and the like. Do not even mention the word “whale” in this kid’s presence. Or French Fry.

Anyway, my hopes were all dashed as this strange look came over his face. He started gagging – and really, it’s quite funny now – but then it was kind of scary – but now I realize he was not actually choking, but putting on an “ew gross” show. He spit that stuff everywhere, and though I caught most in a napkin, some landed on his pants. He then freaked out about that and tried frantically to get it off of him and on to the floor. He’s like that. A clean natured child at heart, I think. Did I ever tell you about the time the lightning bug was on my hand and he freaked? Yeah he hit my hand until it flew off. Then it landed on his… and then he really freaked out.

So, well, maybe that’s not the best way to get him to eat, after all.

Meanwhile, the old man is still chatting with the young girl next to his table. From this conversation, even I learned all about her. She does have a boyfriend. She’s going to our local community college in the fall. She wants to be a nurse. She wants to work at this big popular hospital in St. Louis. Etc. I’m just glad he didn’t ask her about her sex life.

Finally, they brought our check. I sent Steve to pay with the debit card so we could get out of there. I opened my fortune cookie to find, “Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time.”

And then, because he never eats them anyway, I opened Steve’s. There was no fortune. What’s that mean anyway?

And that, my dears, was one very long half an hour out of my life. Time is indeed, precious. But what is the truth in this? Kids will drive you mad. And so will old men who think they’re funny.

We dropped E off with Steve’s parents and went to a neighboring town for supper. This supper was by invitation only at a restaurant that Steve has been working at for about two and a half months now. I am proud to say that Steve did almost all of the electrical work in that 1.something or other million dollar building.

So they’ve closed down the old building and have already moved in to the new and tonight was a pre-opening night for the people who worked on it and their families and members of the owner’s church.

That place was PACKED. And it’s a big place, too. We waited about a half an hour before we finally got a seat.

It’s a BBQ place, so it’s not like it was fancy, but they have some of the best food EVER. And it was all on the house, I was amazed. Ribs and everything. We were SO full when we left, I thought I would burst. Of course, we still left a heafty tip.

I cannot imagine how much it cost to feed all of those people, though. That’s amazing. The owners are – obviously – really cool, though. There was one day that Steve had to work late there and the owner felt so bad that he gave him two gift certificates, so we will be back before long with those. The place is very popular, too, they do 8 to $10,000 each day.

But it was also nice to have a meal without the screaming banshee of mine. ;-)

For those of you who haven’t known me long enough, I worked at Hardee’s for almost two and a half years. I hate that place, but it’s actually where I’ve met some really good friends.

We used to do some crazy things…

I remember when I first started… I was hired by a guy named T, he was gay, so I was the only nightshift girl at the time. Well, maybe that’s not the reason, but I was the only girl on nightshift.

So anyway, T was a total hardass when I first started, for like the first two weeks. But after he realized that I wasn’t going to just quit on him right away, he loosened up.

One time, and I hadn’t been there very long, I came up on frontline from the back, getting something I guess, and this huge guy, a Marine, D totally caught me by surprise and freaking flipped me over! Right there behind the counter. Only when he did, he didn’t lift me high enough and my head hit on the floor. I sat there on the floor, dazed, and T comes up from the back and my first though is, “Oh, he’s going to yell at me for sitting on the floor.” But instead, he helps me up and says, “Are they being mean to you?” I was relieved that he was being nice instead of yelling at me, but now I look back and think, why the heck didn’t he yell at anyone else? Maybe it goes back to the fact that he was gay. Hmmmm…

Then there was the time G went into the bathroom, now mind you, G had a short leg, I don’t know why, he just did, so he kinda limped when he walked. Anyway, after a few minutes in goes D with a cup of cold water. The rest of us are just standing there like, “what?” And suddenly he runs outta there pulling everything behind him he can, “trashcan” “ice cream machine” cause he’s being chased by G. Who was also pretty dang fast when he’d had ice water dumped on him in the bathroom.

B always used to spray me down with the hose, crazy guy. But one time, I came around the corner just as he was about to be sprayed by P from the sink. B didn’t know I was there and does this “ta-da” move and the water went straight through his “ta-da” arms into my face. Blah.

Then there was the time B scared the @#$% outta me and Karebear. We were looking for him for some reason, I don’t know why… but we ended up on frontline and I bent down from behind the counter to look under the first booth/table out in the dining room. Just then, he jumps up from right in front of me, in front of the counter and screams at us. AAAAAAAHHHHHHH

My nickname given to me by F, the greatest manager in the whole world, was Flower. No one really thought anything about it and he made me a nametag that said it. I was wearing it one night and someone asked me if it was my real name. He said no, that was just a nickname he gave me. They asked why, and he said, “Flower… because she’s my little blooming idiot.” I can’t help but crack up every time I think of that. But really, I wasn’t the stupid one around there though…

At one point we had this girl named R… In the middle of a rush, she holds up a chicken leg in the tongs and exlaims, “Is this a leg?” The whole place just stopped dead.

Ah and of course, the millions of times that we threw open the door of the chicken warmer just as B was coming around the corner with his hands full. Haha.

HAHAHA – or the time the air conditioner started dripping and filled a ceiling tile full of water and it started to drip and as Gf went to pull the trashcan under it, it fell on him! It was so gross!

No one liked Gf, he was too much in your personal space. He got fired for sexual harrassment later. Course he shoulda gotten fired for calling you up at 5am and asking you to come in while calling you a superstar.

Oh man, I could go on all night, but my hands are starting to hurt and too many people are messaging me. Maybe I’ll flashback to Hardee’s again sometime. :-)