Or...HOW CAN I POSSIBLY NAP NOW????
Honestly, I had so many expectations for this party. As laid back as I was about the whole trip in general, I was most nervous about this particular event. Would we get to do everything I wanted? Would we be able to see the fireworks? The parade? The Headless Horseman?
In short, would the weather be good?
This was one of my biggest fears. I tried not to think about it, but I won't deny I was worried. I was so worried, I refused to watch the weather. I did not even want to know, that's how worried I was. TK was so the opposite of calm about this.
But I was also very, very excited. I tried to nap. I swear. DH did. DS didn't. He mostly laid in bed, sort of pretending to sleep, sort of not pretending to watch cartoons. We tried to get him to nap, but he really wasn't interested. That's the funny part. If we were out, walking around in the parks, and he was in his stroller, he was out like a light! If we went back to the room to have him nap, he was just wired!
Ah well.
So DH would be the only member of our party who got any amount of rest that afternoon, although he CLAIMS he didn't really get any sleep. Um, dude. I saw your eyes closed and you were practically snoring.
So I sat, and read part of the Twilight Series, and the little nut watched TV, and DH slept. Most likely dreaming about his costume. Who knows.
Eventually, when I couldn't take it anymore, I went to Roaring Forks and got an early dinner for whoever wanted it. I was aiming for optimal toddler happiness, if there was no nap, at least we'd have a full belly!
DS was actually really excited to get dressed up like a pirate. I think more than half the fun for him was that we were dressing up as well. He knew DH was going to be Jack Sparrow and I was going to be Elizabeth, and that he was a PIRATE! And he was excited. It was great to watch, and I got some really cute pictures of him in the room.
DH's costume took FOREVER. Never, ever, ever underestimate the amount of time and effort that it takes my dear, sweet husband to put on that glorious pirate costume.
Seriously.
It was like waiting for Britney Spears to regain some modicum of diginity. NoOopsIDidItAgain.
Which I should be used to. Not just Britney Spears, I mean the costume. And which does, without fail, annoy me to no end. Even though I know it takes that long I still get antsy. Worried. I hate feeling like I'm missing something, or that I'm going to be late. And my DH runs perpetually late. For everything. I think it's genetic. It comes from his mother's side.
Anyway, it felt like forever.
And forever was approximately
an hour and a half. Yup, you read that right. And it deserves the bold font. Because there's a lot of work that goes into the costume. And the makeup. And the hair. Head scarf, placement of beads, attachment of fake hair to normal hair, etc, etc, etc.
It's a PRO-CESS.
It's a good thing he looks so hot afterwards. And I swear ladies, he could have that whole get up on but once he puts on the eye-liner, oh, he is Jack Sparrow. He so is. I don't even want to get into the looks my husband received that night. But I will. That's later.
Now my costume? You would think perhaps, being the only female present that I would take the longest to assemble?
Nope.
Brush my hair, put on makeup, remember from last year it's better to put on the shoes before the dress (don't ask), dress, zip, VOILA! Presto, chango, TK becomes Elizabeth. And a sporting good one, if I do say so myself. All in all, takes me about fifteen to twenty mintues tops.
However, there's a key to all this. And that's the fact that I can't get dressed until DH is done. Because I help him. With the various accoutrements. And once I put that dress on, I have very, very limited mobility in my arms. As in I couldn't completely cross them in front of my chest and hug myself, that kind of limitation. So suffice it to say, my dress, is the last thing that goes on. (Let's keep it clean, shall we...there was a toddler present, folks.

)
When we were FINALLY ready, with all of us looking our dang pirate best

, and ready with phrases about rum and not allowing that kind of talk, we made our way out of the room and towards the buses.
And it began. A barrage of compliments so wonderful, that I fairly glowed with pride. Most of them are for my husband, I'll admit. But there were a fair few who actually complimented me. What a pretty dress I had, how nicely I looked. I won't lie. It's a rush. It's the rush that reminds me of theater, and acting, and the way you feel right before opening night.
In short, it feels good.
Up next - Our Arrival