Look at you, you have a baby…in a bar…

Sweet Home Alabama – Look At You

Yes, going back to my southern roots I did play out that scene from Sweet Home Alabama last Friday. As Lurlynn. Not Melanie. Truth be told. There were several differences though:

• I was dressed snappier than Lurlynn
• It wasn’t really a bar bar
• It was during the day. It started out during the day.
• We don’t regularly take our children to drinking establishments and just hang out. Wait, we don’t regularly go to drinking establishments.

Now here’s the whole truth:

We were at the “Club” for Du’s farewell ceremony. This began at a respectable 3pm. It did however take place in the bar area of the “Club” because of a double booking of the “Club”. Fortunately at 3pm our farewell party was the only party wanting to use that part of the “Club”, but it didn’t stay that way for long.

Du’s boss, we’ll call him “The Colonel”, had ordered the hors d’oeuvres, a massive cake and had opened a tab for everyone there at the moment. People must have smelled the free food and drink because they kept popping their heads in during the whole ceremony. Like there still isn’t work to be done on a Friday afternoon before quittin’ time (if you know what profession Du’s in you know both answers…email me, I’ll tell you). His speeches about each departee were eloquent, motivating, honoring, and best of all, short. This was good for various reasons.

One–people did keep popping their heads in wondering when we’d be done so they could use the room for what it was intended. Two–kids were actually  invited to this event, which means Ashlyn was there. Is that enough said? No? Let’s make it a little bit clearer. Ashlyn is the girl that is either really happy or really upset. She is the girl that I thought would take a nap on the 13 minute drive to the “Club” so she’d be refreshed and at her best, but instead decided to miraculously stay awake on that 13 minute drive. She is the girl that tends to get spastic right before she crashes when she’s tired in public. Need we revisit the plane episode? So spastic Ashlyn was garnering some of the attention “The Colonel” should have been getting during his speeches. I hope he doesn’t remember that when it comes time to write Du’s promotion recommendation…

So, the official ceremony ends and we’re free to mingle. In rush the multitude of bar goers who begin chowing down on the free food and cake. I think The Colonel closed his tab before any damage could be done.

All in all it was a fun and uneventful afternoon/evening (unlike the movie). Reagan enjoyed playing crud with another child who was “in the bar” too. And Ashlynactually spent most of the time passed out in her stroller. I think it actually was better that she stayed awake on the drive over. It didn’t look as red-neckish to have her sleeping in the stroller off in a corner instead of writhing in my arms knocking peoples’ drinks out of their hands.

We did manage to leave a sippie cup and a pink Barbie cell phone on one of the tables in the bar. Having to go claim a sippie and a Barbie cell phone from the “Club” was less embarrassing than expected. Seeing that it was the lunch hour there was no one in there to give us a hard time and make us buy a round for breaking “Club” etiquette.

Well, if that’s the only time my life will play out like a movie then I’m lucky. Right?