I was all ready to ride with Pressley when she ditched me for Russell and Helen's son, Benjamin. (And so it begins....) So, I rode in a car with Corin and Evan. Pressley and I had ridden together during our big day of fun a few days before, so I got over it pretty quickly.
A new addition to the Pink Pig this year (or at least new to us) is the costumed character of Priscilla the Pig that kids can have their picture made with. When P and I went to the mall on Thursday, she had her picture made with Priscilla, but the kind folks at the Pig wanted $24 for me to take it home. Ummmm, no thanks. So, imagine my delight when we found Priscilla out of her photo booth and available to pose for pictures that we could take for free. And, Evan was with us this time, so I am SO glad I didn't take the bait for the $24 photo of Pressley alone.
(Pressley also sat on Santa's lap on Thursday, though she had told the Macy's ladies she would most certainly not. I almost caved to the unconscionable price of that photo - also $24 - to mark the occasion, but again, without Evan in it, I just couldn't justify it.)
After the excitement of riding the Pig, we were tasked with figuring out the dinner option. In past years, when we've done this on a Monday night, the food court seems like a perfectly acceptable option, but I believe I was not alone in feeling like the food court was just sloppy seconds for a Friday night dinner. We called our favorite Mexican restaurant to see if they could seat 24 of us for dinner, and were not at all surprised when they said no. But, undaunted, we decided to stop by the California Pizza Kitchen on our way to the food court just to see. We were all amazed when the hostesses put their heads together and figured out a way to seat us. Not in an hour or so, but immediately.
The older kids (4 and up) got their very own kids' booth, which thrilled them, and the rest of us all sat together at one big long table. It was a surprisingly low-stress event for the first hour or so, and luckily, when kids started to lose patience, we got our checks quickly and got the heck out of dodge. It was lovely really to be able to sit and talk with friends over dinner. We feel so very blessed to have such a large Sunday school class of people with whom we genuinely enjoy spending time. Parenting is so much easier when you can share your struggles and victories with folks who share your values.
1 comment:
I love how the pictures at the top all have a pink cast. At first I thought it was a sepia tone on your camera, then I realized it was pig reflection.
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