Three families conveyed at my friend Marcus house on Saturday. Usually when we all get together adventures ensue. Today was really no different. As the boys, ages 11 to 17 began playing football, Dan and I stood watching, wondering if we were going to get to play. A short time later, we joined our respective teams. A short time after that, we were both sore and breathing like we had just run a marathon.
The next activity consisted of Marcus throwing a hula hoop in the air and us trying to throw a football through it. The kids each wanted to try. I proclaim to my wife that ‘I didn’t want to take turns’. I hear her respond and say, “I know Mitch.”
After the hula hoop, Dan’s son Nate was talking about ‘bombs’ he had made out of vinegar and baking soda strategically placed in a plastic bottle. I encouraged him to make one. The first one sprung a leak and didn’t do anything. The next one took many trials of throwing it on the ground, hitting it with a baseball bat (when I hit the bottle it flew into the side of the neighbor’s house, thankfully she wasn’t home). I pick the bottle up and it is quite frankly as hard as stone. Alex places it on a fence post and barely strikes the bottle and we hear a deafening explosion (not really but it sounds cooler that way). I watch the bottle fly at least 30 feet straight up. Upon inspecting the bottle, the bottom was cracked and basically worked like a rocket. Alex was covered in vinegar and said he got some in his mouth. Which I found extremely funny because it happened to Alex.
This wasn’t a picture out of a Norman Rockwell painting for sure.
If you think about it, maybe it was. I can’t see Rockwell painting a picture of vinegar bombs, but I can see a picture of the friendships, the companionship, and the camaraderie. Reasons we all continue to get together.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Moving
First off, let me say that I hate moving. All of the lifting and grunting and swearing, trying to get items down a flight of stairs. I just absolutely hate it. I realized with this move was that I’m not 30 anymore. I tire out a lot easier and faster then I used to. Getting older stinks. I think I took a break every three and a half minutes.
The adventure started on a Friday morning in August as my friend Dan and I drove to Owatonna to get the U-Haul truck. As I walked out to the truck my jaw dropped. This was the biggest U-Haul I had ever freaking seen. As I was pulling away from it’s parking spot, I happen to glance in the passenger side rear view mirror and realized I was about to scrape the truck next to me. Oh crap, this is going to be a long day. I call my wife and tell her how big the truck is. She says, “You told me to get the biggest one they had.” I didn’t realize it was an 18 wheeler (o.k. so it wasn’t but it sure seemed like it).
By the time we got to the old house it was about noon. Fearing I might die of starvation, myself, Dan, and my stepson Landen went to get some lunch (I left the truck at home). Upon returning, we joked that when my wife calls we will tell her that we were going to start loading right after our next beer, which I would have calmly informed her would be my sixth. After the tears of laughter were wiped away, we decided to get to work.
We worked steadily until about ten pm that night. Dan left about 4:30 but my other friend Marcus and his girlfriend Heidi stopped by to help. Marcus just kind of stood around proclaiming his awesomeness at everything but I did manage to convince him to pick up a box or two.
The thing with moving is that when you think you are almost done, you realize you are not even close. What was difficult about this move was much of our items in our garage was going into storage as there is no room in an apartment for bikes, camping gear etc. I had to try and save the last few yards of truck space for these things since we had to unload them first. My wife and I thought we should try load the deep freeze that night but didn’t want it to be unplugged on a truck all night long. With a stroke of genius I thought we could use an extension cord and plug the freezer, while in the truck. The deep freeze motor whirred with excitement.
By this time the only thing left in the house was a few mattresses and a tv (we still had cable), and my ps3. That night I slept very little.
Dan arrived the next day with his son Nate to help us. The last time I saw Nate he was maybe 13 or 14. He is now 17 and practically a full grown man. We set out for our destination chugging along in my 18 wheeler. I didn’t want to run the air conditioner as it will use more gas that I will have to pay for. By the time we arrived, sweat is pouring down my face. I ask Dan if he likes my ‘rig’ to which he says ‘yeth, yeth I do’.
My friend Melissa was watching the three girls for a few days which was a big relief as I couldn’t imagine moving with a one year old running around. About an hour after we started unloading, Melissa brought the girls to where we were. I missed them like crazy. As we continued to work and unload, Kendra and Kaylie said they wanted to help. It was a steamy hot day but thankfully there was a breeze. Kaylie helped for quite a while but took several breaks to help her mom put stuff away. Kendra, all five years old and 35 pounds worked like a Clydesdale. She would grab something she could carry and run to the door, drop it off and run back. After some time, her face started turning red from the heat and the work. I say to Ken, “Honey, you look like you are roasting, why don’t you get a drink of water and sit inside where it’s cool for a while?”
Kendra says, “But I want to help my daddy.”
Suddenly I feel like I’m 30 again.
The adventure started on a Friday morning in August as my friend Dan and I drove to Owatonna to get the U-Haul truck. As I walked out to the truck my jaw dropped. This was the biggest U-Haul I had ever freaking seen. As I was pulling away from it’s parking spot, I happen to glance in the passenger side rear view mirror and realized I was about to scrape the truck next to me. Oh crap, this is going to be a long day. I call my wife and tell her how big the truck is. She says, “You told me to get the biggest one they had.” I didn’t realize it was an 18 wheeler (o.k. so it wasn’t but it sure seemed like it).
By the time we got to the old house it was about noon. Fearing I might die of starvation, myself, Dan, and my stepson Landen went to get some lunch (I left the truck at home). Upon returning, we joked that when my wife calls we will tell her that we were going to start loading right after our next beer, which I would have calmly informed her would be my sixth. After the tears of laughter were wiped away, we decided to get to work.
We worked steadily until about ten pm that night. Dan left about 4:30 but my other friend Marcus and his girlfriend Heidi stopped by to help. Marcus just kind of stood around proclaiming his awesomeness at everything but I did manage to convince him to pick up a box or two.
The thing with moving is that when you think you are almost done, you realize you are not even close. What was difficult about this move was much of our items in our garage was going into storage as there is no room in an apartment for bikes, camping gear etc. I had to try and save the last few yards of truck space for these things since we had to unload them first. My wife and I thought we should try load the deep freeze that night but didn’t want it to be unplugged on a truck all night long. With a stroke of genius I thought we could use an extension cord and plug the freezer, while in the truck. The deep freeze motor whirred with excitement.
By this time the only thing left in the house was a few mattresses and a tv (we still had cable), and my ps3. That night I slept very little.
Dan arrived the next day with his son Nate to help us. The last time I saw Nate he was maybe 13 or 14. He is now 17 and practically a full grown man. We set out for our destination chugging along in my 18 wheeler. I didn’t want to run the air conditioner as it will use more gas that I will have to pay for. By the time we arrived, sweat is pouring down my face. I ask Dan if he likes my ‘rig’ to which he says ‘yeth, yeth I do’.
My friend Melissa was watching the three girls for a few days which was a big relief as I couldn’t imagine moving with a one year old running around. About an hour after we started unloading, Melissa brought the girls to where we were. I missed them like crazy. As we continued to work and unload, Kendra and Kaylie said they wanted to help. It was a steamy hot day but thankfully there was a breeze. Kaylie helped for quite a while but took several breaks to help her mom put stuff away. Kendra, all five years old and 35 pounds worked like a Clydesdale. She would grab something she could carry and run to the door, drop it off and run back. After some time, her face started turning red from the heat and the work. I say to Ken, “Honey, you look like you are roasting, why don’t you get a drink of water and sit inside where it’s cool for a while?”
Kendra says, “But I want to help my daddy.”
Suddenly I feel like I’m 30 again.
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