Lost n found

Much of yesterday was lost to a migraine. Either that or a seizure/brain tumor/CVA/meningitis combo. (Ask Dr. Neurotic - no symptom too small...). While lying down in the dark, whimpering, waiting for the meds to kick in it was brought to my attention for the zillionth time that we are all ultimately powerless, and the only thing that helps you pretend to ride it out is the strength of your friends. Many thanks to my dear friends Tracey and Greg for helping out in a pinch, but well beyond the call of duty... I owe you big time! I really don't know what I would have done to keep my head from splitting open, with whiny children underfoot. Bob had a recording session that they scheduled months ago, so we were really in a bind. I rarely am that incapacitated by anything, but I still have my gift for timing.

I'm not sure if it's common post-migraine, but today things look .... different. My perspective is off, things seem closer, brighter, surreal. Sort of like when you're a kid on vacation then you go home after a couple of weeks and the counters are a weird height and the cat seems unfamiliar.

Just to push our luck, we went to the Minnesota Zoo today. With the entire population of Minneapolis. I can't believe there are that many people in the metro area, and every one of them was at the exhibits. I'm not big on crowds, so I was getting a tad snappish. And stayed that way. For hours. It's the unholy combo of way too many people in an enclosed space, and kids with zero appreciation for the flow of pedestrian traffic. They get caught up in eddies and currents and vanish from sight in two seconds flat... One runs, the other dawdles, and I wind up yelling for both of them. It's like herding cats. I hear myself calling them, hollering, lecturing and I just cringe. Oh my God I've turned into THAT MOM that you overhear in the grocery store, looking haggard and completely out of patience, with the unmistakable tone of voice that screams "Intervention!". The one you simultaneously feel sorry for and superior to. Yup. Judge not...

The end result: I'm exhausted and they're still bouncing off the walls.

In case you're keeping score, that's 2 weeks of spring break, complete with 2 jaunts to the zoo, 2 movies, one all-day at the waterpark, one giant playdate, 2 excursions to the sinkhole in da hood, and 3 dinner parties. Two lunches out, three forays to the cafe, four trips to the park, etc.

I wonder why I got the migraine...

Anyhow - my point is that I haven't exactly cut back on spending, and we did our share of propping up the economy for the week. But we're emphasizing the experience, rather than the souvenirs. And the only tangibles I have to show for it - a bunch of pictures to upload, a few new freckles, and two Happy Meal toys. Not a bad haul.

Not bad at all.