Day of a thousand 'vites

The law of Lafferty land dictates that during the winter, the Lafferty crew will be huddled within the confines of our four walls. We will have no plans. Nothing to do to occupy our days except keeping warm and trying to find ways to entertain two small girls. Then, winter slowly recedes and gives spring a chance to creep in. (As I write this, it is 45 degrees, cloudy and rainy, so spring is moving at the pace of schizophrenic turtle -- cold, cold, warm, cold, hot, cold, cold, warm, cold again.) With spring attempting to make its debut, the law stops belonging to Lafferty land, and starts belonging to Murphy. Some form of Murphy's Law that is. Because, it seems, Murphy's Law would dictate that all things that could possibly happen, will take place on one day, preferably at the same time. So it was in our household on April 30th.

Throughout the last month or two, we've been receiving invitations to many a various thing. I know, you're probably thinking I sound pretty annoying bragging about all these invitations. I'm not, I swear. Remember, for almost all of winter, we are stuck at home inside with nothing to do. Plus, I can't really brag, because truth be told, I never did receive my invite for the Royal Wedding. And, I checked my mail every day. Sometimes twice a day. Some might call it delusional. I prefer the term optimistic.

Well, back to the invitations that did come in the mail. It seems unlikely, but true: They all landed on April 30th. At the final tally, we had plans or invitations for two races, one baby shower, one birthday party, and two weddings. In one day. Really? How is that statistically possible? Considering I never made it past Math for Jocks in college, I guess I'm not really qualified to comment on statistical probabilities. But it sure seems highly unlikely. Unless you're dealing with Murphy's Law. Which, evidently we are.

Have you heard the theory about introverts and extroverts? The theory goes that being an extrovert or introvert doesn't have anything to do with how much you enjoy being around other people, but more about where you draw your energy. I love being around people, but it tires me out, and I definitely need down time to recharge. Cory: he thrives on being around people and doing things. The more he does, the more energized he is. If you can see where the slight detour in the post is leading: Cory thought we could do it all. I was less sure. Finally, after laying it all out, and reminding Cory that we owned neither a time machine nor a vehicle that could instantly transport us from one place to the next, Cory was forced to admit that we could not do everything on one day. And, we would even have to split up, each of us attending certain things separately.

So, without further ado: photographic proof of our insanely busy day.

First up, was the Run for Mercy. A 5K/10K race that raises money for Oceans of Mercy. Cory brought the girls out, and I ran the 10K.

Clearly, the hard work of watching me run made Charlotte very thirsty.

Charlotte and her friend Olivia were having fun playing with Tessa in the stroller. Both Olivia and Tessa's moms ran the 5K race.

Molly got to run in the Kids' Fun Run.

This is right before Molly burst into tears after being trampled by the bigger boys in the race.

Sarah and I ran our little behinds off and were rewarded with medals! 2nd and 3rd place in our age group. Yes, now that I'm 30, Sarah and I are in the same age group. We are now direct competitors.

Despite the tearful breakdown, Molly did earn her very own medal.

We didn't get pictures of the baby shower and first wedding of the day. Next up, was Cory's race. The Martini Mile. I did not attend this race, as I was attending the baby shower. It was a relay race with four team members, each running one mile.

Cory getting passed the baton by Jason.

Nikki passing along the baton to Quinten. She would probably hate this picture, but she doesn't read my blog, so she'll never know it's up here. I'm evil like that.

Cory didn't get to stay to enjoy all of the post-race vodka (it was Martini Mile, afterall), because we had to get ready for the last event of the day. Mike and Paula's wedding. Between the race, the baby shower, and the wedding, I had three outfit changes. I felt like Molly on a regular day, constantly changing clothes. She did help me get dressed for the wedding, though. She told me I looked 'very stylish.' Not sure how a 3-year-old envisions stylish, but I'll take it.

Cory and I all gussied up. For parents, a night out without kids, dressed up, with free wine and dancing is pretty much the equivalent of going to Vegas or Monte Carlo for normal people. Those adorable paper dolls we're holding are the happy couple.

I used to work with Mike, so his wedding was like attending an class reunion, only with ex-coworkers instead of ex-classmates. This is me with Monica.

And, this is me with Becca. If you'll notice, I did not wear a hat or fascinator a la Royal Wedding. But, I did get as close as I could without appearing totally insane. A leather flower headband. I loved it.

So, it is now Sunday night. I had a fabulous time at everything I attended. But, back to the whole introvert/extrovert conversation. I am exhausted. Does anyone want to watch two little girls tomorrow so I can sleep all day. No? You sure? Ah, well, it was worth a shot.



PS. Big thank yous and shout outs to Leigh and my mom who watched the girls at various times throughout the day so we could attend everything.