Dinner, Pool and Pie

And so begins the 21st year in this journey called life with Matt.

How did the 20th year end? My dear husband made dinner for the little peeps, or chillins as I like to call them, while I went to Jazzercise. After class I picked up 4 of the 6 to take them to dance rehearsal at church. While they danced I played and laughed with the wonderful wadies of Waumba. We even rehearsed some dances and play-acting. Then it was home to shower and get ready for a night on the town.

Matt had chosen a local eatery we had never been to before. Sam's Restaurant located in the Monarch Hotel is an intimate venue, or it was this evening. We were the only people there when we arrived. The service was fast and friendly and the food was delicious.

After dining we went to our favorite place to unwind and shoot some pool. (I realize that I left out the name of the place. This is so you do not feel encouraged to frequent our little haunt and take up the good pool table leaving us to wait for a table or play on a table whose pockets fall out when you sink a shot, not that that happens very often.) We had fun and enjoyed eavesdropping on the conversation at the next table over. Simple phrases, which when taken out of context are suggestive, are perfectly suited to a pool hall.

"Nice rack!"
"I need a longer stick."

We finished up our hour and decided to go on the hunt for a piece of grasshopper pie. My mom used to make the most devine grasshopper pie and I could think of nothing I would enjoy more for dessert on St. Patrick's Day. It may not be as apropos as, perhaps, Irish coffee but I don't drink coffee. The game was afoot! Now, maybe it is the fact that the main ingredient in grasshopper pie is not grasshoppers but liqueur that makes it hard to come by in your typical pie shoppe. I guess we could have gone searching in bars but I didn't want to open that can of worms. Since narry a piece of this creme de menthe dream in a graham cracker crust could be found we settled for a slice of peanut butter chocolate silk pie. Yu-uh-um-MEE!

As we sat there devouring our slice of pie I asked Matt what he would have thought if twenty years ago someone had told him that in 20 years he would be living in Portland, Oregon with a wife and six children, driving around in a school bus. He says he could imagine the wife part but not the rest of it. If someone had suggested this same scenario (minus the wife and plus a husband) to me 20 years ago not only would I have believed it possible, I would have done a little happy dance!

I know some women are happy to have their careers, with or without spouses or children. But as for me and my life-long aspirations I think God has placed me where I have always wanted to be. So I didn't become a Broadway star or a singing, veterinarian nun. I have the starring role in my family's hearts for now. It's been a good run - Twenty years so far! - with no sign of a closing night in the near future.

Forget the awards and accolades with the big banquet. I'm content with my dinner, pool and pie.