In fact, in his fat-less state, I'm wondering how much collapse time he's going to need after the marathon. After my marathon (please stifle your yawns) 15 years ago, I had a nice lunch with everyone afterwards and then slept for four hours. With so many different demands on his time, Dave doesn't exactly have that luxury. Actually, Joe had a great idea about how Dave can use his marathon time most effectively: He's going to be running 26 miles anyway; he might as well do some errands along the way. (Cue the picture of Dave crossing the finish line carrying Trader Joe's and CVS bags.)
So on Sunday after the race we're going out to lunch and then everyone will come over for cake. Plus Elizabeth, who we can count on to participate in just about any adventure, is running the marathon too, so if she can drag herself over here she'll join in the cake-eating. Oh, and I'm going to make sure that it's extra high-calorie cake so that all of our intrepid runners can put some meat back on their bones.
If I talk about how great it is to have Mom and Dad here, it will sound like I am exaggerating. But try to imagine being able to have two weeks where you have two of your favorite people in the world with you at all times serving as helpers, confidants, and consultants. For example, last week I decided, somewhat out of the blue, to start a real garden in our backyard, where I had done some half-hearted plantings last spring. I also decided to start a little compost pile. Who knows why I haven't done it before. But all of a sudden I am filling up my compost bin daily, and I have two of the world's foremost compost experts at the ready. Mom points out - and I have to agree - that it is strangely exciting to watch the little pail fill up. Anyway, so I dug out our little garden area last week, and today they came with me to Home Depot to buy soil amendments and a new compost container for outside. We bought 88 cents' worth of seeds from the 99 Cents store (which is actually a lot of seeds) and I am now ready to have the most beautiful beans, melons, carrots, squash, and herbs in town - thanks to my expert consultants.
Odd little aside: Zach seemed bothered when he heard me calling my mom "Mom" earlier today. "Mommy, that is Grandma Joan," he told me. "You are you."
Luke is just a bundle of little surprises lately. My parents got him a copy of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and although it's just a level or two above what he's been reading lately, he's happily engaged in it (and Dave and Dad both love reading it to him, which is great). Also yesterday we all went over to the second-hand bookstore and Luke picked out a book on World War II, a book on castles, and a book on the Titanic. Yes, he is completely immersed (so to speak) in the story of the Titanic right now. Go figure.
This morning (continued after I wrote too long last night) we were all involved in the neighborhood 5K fun run for the school. Luke made the surprising decision to run rather than help at the water station, so he and I ran the race while Dave and Zach and my parents served as safety monitors at stations along the course. Amazingly, most of the other kindergarteners we knew were running too. And amazingly, they all (including Luke) made it 3.1 miles to the end of the course.
Of course, Luke took on the voice of someone 50 years his senior by complaining most of the way through the run/walk ("You know, my back is starting to hurt..." "I have this pain in my ribs..." "My knees are sore..." and by the end: "This fun run is not so much fun!"). But he made it to the finish line, got a medal, enjoyed some gelato, and then went on to play a great t-ball game and play at the park with his friends afterwards, so I'm pretty sure he'll survive. And if Dave makes it through tomorrow with flying colors, which I'm sure he will, we'll all have something to celebrate.
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