I Still Have It in Me

It has been a long time since I stayed up (willingly) until 3 in the morning.  This past Saturday was our annual Labor Day picnic.  We normally invite all of our neighbors and friends.  It is a chance for everyone to get together before school officially begins.

The job of inviting everyone falls to me.  I just use Evite.  It makes it easier since guests respond directly on the site and its free.  Usually the party falls on Labor Day weekend. In case you didn't know, Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September.   When I scheduled the party, I had just glanced at the calendar and saw the last weekend in August and planned the party then.

Apparently, I need to go back to school to learn how to read a calendar.  Today is a Monday but it isn't Labor Day nor is it the first of September.  It is August 31st.  It all worked out though since many people who couldn't normally come were able to.  In fact, many of our guests seemed to prefer having it before Labor Day weekend.  It is officially an End of Summer Barbecue now rather than a Labor Day Weekend Barbeque.

I did many things I don't try to do to often including staying up to three am, eating all kinds of gluttonous food (okay, I have been indulging a little more than usual considering this is our third party in the span of one week), talking for hours about things other than my children (although they sometimes were featured prominently in the conversation), and being a little wild and crazy.

Wild and crazy?  Me.  Okay, I wasn't that wild and crazy seeing as how I didn't willingly jump into a freezing cold pool fully clothed at midnight.  No, I had my husband to thank for pushing me in at the encouragement of everyone else.    Of course, I did push him in first.  It was our next door neighbor who was the first to cannonball in.  It just escalated from there.  People were joking about jumping in.  Most of the adults didn't have swimsuits though so they just jumped in with their clothes on. 

It may have seemed like a good idea at the time but after the first 10 seconds, teeth were chattering.  It has started cooling down here at night to around 50 degrees.  Amazingly, I didn't lose my flip flops when I hit the water.  I was completely soaked (including my sweatshirt since I was already cold) since I went underwater when I first got thrown in.  It was a good thing it was in the shallow end since I am not a good swimmer.

The rest of the party was by the fire pit since most of us were soaked.  It didn't break up until three am.  I don't think I stayed up that late in years just talking and having fun.  No little ones with fevers, vomiting, teething, or tempers to soothe in the night.  No, they were sound asleep in their beds upstairs while all the shenanigans were going on outside.

It was a little thing, a midnight swim, maybe a little irresponsible but it was oh, so funny. It has been awhile since I have laughed quite so hard.