Friday, March 12, 2010

Bring On The Bubonic Plague

This Easter is shaping up to be a fun one for me.

My husband has tickets to the first game at Target Field (the brand new home of the Twins) for their exhibition against the Cardinals, which is my husband's favorite team. He mentioned that he had these tickets and that we were going to go, along with a friend of his from St. Louis.

He neglected to mention that he didn't have tickets for the wee ones (although with a night game on Friday, that would be a trick anyway). And he neglected to mention that this was Easter weekend. Once I found out those two facts, I started hemming and hawing - and we love our baseball (and football and hockey) around here, especially in person.

Easter is a holiday weekend. It's for families. The wee ones want the Easter Bunny to bring their baskets, and I want to be with them to celebrate. We sort of agreed that we'd drive up sans children on Friday and then drive home Saturday immediately following the game. That's a lot more driving than I want to do, but it worked.

Then we got The Call.

In February, my husband's younger brother announced he was getting married. Considering that he's eleven years younger than my husband and had already been engaged once and had it broken off, forgetting the fact that he's made a lot of life choices that I certainly hope the wee ones never do, we didn't put too much stock into it.

Then we heard that they were planning to get married quickly (and no, not for that reason). They didn't have a date, but considering that my husband coaches in the spring and is either at or hosting tournaments most weekends in spring, he was fearful of what the date would be.

We finally heard from my MIL that the date did not coincide with any coaching commitments. Not only did it not coincide with any of the coaching dates, but we weren't invited to the wedding. No one was. They were getting married in Vegas and then holding a reception later.

The reception? Yeah... the Saturday night before Easter. Good-bye first Twins game. Oh, and the reception is going to be held about forty miles east of where my in-laws live.

Now we have a problem:

There is a reception that starts at the wee ones' bedtime in a city where we have no childcare on the night before Easter. The wee ones are invited to the reception, but I am sure there will be behavior there that I just don't want them exposed to.

The only good news? My husband got it and agreed with me one hundred percent.

But how do you say that you aren't going to your brother-in-law's wedding because it just doesn't work with your schedule? That just isn't going to fly.

My husband's aunt offered to let us use her babysitter for the evening. Buuuuut someone I've never met watching the wee ones in a city they don't know well while we are almost an hour away just doesn't quite sit well with either of us.

So we noodled and noodled on it. (Fortunately, the reception invitation hadn't come while we were thinking.) My husband finally suggested that I might become deathly ill on the Thursday before the reception, which would preclude me from coming. And maybe the wee ones will start to come down with it, too. (Sadly, you can see the impact of how we was brought up in the fact that missing Easter with the wee ones doesn't seem to faze him.)

And now I'm the bad sister-in-law hoping that I get sick. Or rather, planning to get sick. Then again, my husband didn't sell his baseball tickets for the weekend until we got the text last night from Vegas from his brother in law stating that "The deed is done."

14 comments:

Kori March 12, 2010 at 3:16 PM  

So. You must not be worried that they read your blog? :)

septembermom March 12, 2010 at 6:24 PM  

That's lousy timing. I would probably pull the sick card too. You're in a tough situation.

Hyacynth March 12, 2010 at 8:51 PM  

What about those fabulous parents of yours? And then a late-night Starbucks run so you can get home the same night and then an early-morning espresso run so you can do Easter with the little ones? No? So it's strep? Oh, that's terrible. I hope you feel better soon after you end up catching. ;)

Pop and Ice March 12, 2010 at 10:36 PM  

Ack. It's always worthwhile to try to attend and be supportive of family events. I would try to work it out because you've got years to hear about how you didn't make the reception. I agree about the bad timing and all and I think it's GREAT your hubby supports your concerns. That's not usual or a given. So consider yourself a lucky girl.

Unknown March 12, 2010 at 11:37 PM  

I have a brother akin to your brother-in-law. The worst thing is that two out of his three kids have grown up to be the same.

Good luck on the trip.

WeaselMomma March 13, 2010 at 6:09 AM  

Oh, the drama!
Enjoy your flu.

Claudya Martinez March 13, 2010 at 3:55 PM  

I hate those kinds of situations. They make you feel pulled in different directions.

Michelle March 13, 2010 at 4:38 PM  

Kori - Umm no. This is why it's nice to have a blog that no one knows I write ;)

Kelly - It's bad timing and just bad geography. If we lived closer then five and a half hours away, we could pull it off, but... not on Easter.

Hyacynth - Ummm thinking about what time it would be when we left the reception? Yeah, you wouldn't want to see me the next day. And my husband doesn't want to run out on his parents on Easter like that, which I get.

Carol Lynne - Oh I do try to be supportive of family events. And I know I'm lucky to be able to have a husband who gets that holidays with children are important - and that his brother will have a reception where children shouldn't be. It isn't the wedding itself (they went to Vegas and specifically uninvited family), so I'm not missing that, which would definitely be a bigger deal. I'll see him soon enough and pass along my congrats then.

Dan - You have no idea how much I fear him procreating.

WeaselMomma - At least I know I'll never have to worry about this with my sister who just flat out will never get married ;)

Unknown Mami - Yep, and unfortunately, my wee ones are going to win that battle every single time.

Pat March 13, 2010 at 10:37 PM  

Well, it sounds like you'll be able to miss the reception without too much angst. I have a brother-in-law probably not too different from yours, though my bil is 6 yrs older than my husband, so he'd already been married and divorced long before I met him, and was living with his girfriend when we met. When they got married we were in Europe traveling, so missed it. I know you will continue to protect your wee ones from negative influences.

Anonymous March 15, 2010 at 2:07 PM  

Will you run away and marry me?! My sister is getting married in August, and is assuming that all 3 of my children will be in her wedding - which is at 6:30 on a Saturday night. It is, in her words, going to be an adults-only, evening out for all of her friends (meaning they are going to be expected to leave their children at home.) She and her fiance have had several domestic disputes involving the police, routinely abuse drugs and engage in risky sexual behavior (please don't ask how I know this), and have promised time and time again to come see my kids, only to bail repeatedly. I wish it were enough for me to get sick to get out of the whole ordeal!

What a bummer that you are going to have to miss the game, but it will be fun to celebrate Easter with the kids.

Michelle March 15, 2010 at 9:30 PM  

Nichole - Oh no, no I think I do need to ask how you know about the risky behavior part. Yikes! Can you beg off with your kids? Honestly that young in a wedding is just asking for it (which I think you recognize already). Good luck!

Michelle March 15, 2010 at 9:32 PM  

Pat - I will. I know for my family, it's the right thing to do. I would like to attend, but ... this isn't something that will work unfortunately.

Melisa Wells March 16, 2010 at 6:27 AM  

Yikes.Here's hoping you have a speedy recovery, right after you "get sick"!

Michelle March 26, 2010 at 9:57 PM  

Melisa - Umm yeah. I've heard that the recovery isn't too bad. Generally within an hour or so of the remainder of the party heading out on the road trip. We'll see....

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