Right in front of me- close enough that I could practically see the sweat dripping off their greasy hair- were three of the biggest legends that Rock and Roll has ever produced- three people who the world thought they'd never see play together again. Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff Mckagan- the core group of the band Guns N' Roses, were live on stage, and I was there to see it. To add one more cliche' to a paragraph already full of them- it was epic.
How did this happen? Well, I'm not totally sure. I think it began with a conversation on Thursday when a patient mentioned that he had a couple of tickets available. Before I knew what was happening, my team was looking at the schedule and figuring out how they could get me off early the next day. A quick phone call to Rachel confirmed that we could get a reliable sitter for the kids who could pick them up from their day camp and spend the night with them (Serious thanks here to Hannah, a college student who has been a wonderful nanny on the days that Rachel works). And that was that.
Less than twenty four hours later Rachel and I were on our way to Seattle, floor level tickets in hand for the most awesome concert I could possibly have imagined- The original Guns N' Roses, with Alice In Chains opening for them. Wow. Two of my favorite bands ever. I don't think it actually hit me until they were all up front during the song November Rain, and Slash was in the middle of his solo, and I had the distinct thought- "I am here, and this is actually happening." Surreal is probably the best word that comes to mind.
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| Here's when we first got there. The arrow is where our seats are. |
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| Looking backwards. By the time the show started, every seat in the stadium was filled. That is a lot of people. |
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| It's almost starting |
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| Ah Yeah- this was well worth the effort. Woah. |
*****
When we got back into town the next day, the kids were awesome and let Rachel and me take naps to catch up on some much-needed sleep. That evening they all surprised me with a birthday party. One of my favorite presents was a back-country cook set for two. I know, it seems weird, but those who are interested in alpine climbing or ultralight backpacking will appreciate this.
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| Red solo cup for comparison |
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| This stuff all nests inside, including the stove and fuel. Now that's pretty neat. |
*****
The next afternoon (after I played in my band and realized how much I wasn't Slash), it was Jackson's turn to go to Silverwood with Rachel. It has been really fun going on these one-on-one outings with the kids. Meanwhile, the rest of the family and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the lake.
As I've been putting this post together I had the same thought that I have almost every week. That thought is "wow- we are pretty busy."
It is definitely true that we do a lot of stuff, and there isn't a whole lot of down-time in our home. That's just how we roll, I guess. But even as I had that thought, it didn't feel quite right to me. The word "busy" seems to imply a sort of desperation or frantic running around to get stuff done. If anything, this is the exact opposite of our lifestyle. It is rare that we feel pressured to do anything, and there are plenty of times that we choose to stay home rather than participate in whatever activity presents itself at the moment.
I also love coming together every night with Rachel after the kids are in bed. We usually sit on the deck with the sunset, maybe with a couple of appetizers or something that we threw together, and just talk the night away. This end-of-the-day winding-down has become almost routine for us, and I think of it as one of the most important things we do.
For all these reasons, it seems odd for me to think of ourselves as "busy." Maybe it's just that we would usually rather be doing something than nothing. And I can't even begin to describe how much easier it is to handle five young children when there is a purpose or direction to the activities we are a part of. For this reason, rather than "busy," a more accurate description of our lifestyle might be "actively engaged in life." I like the sound of that much better, even if it does seem a little cheesy.
Either way- it's a good way to be. It works well for us.
Have a good week!
*****
Here's a few other things we did during the week:
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| Parent's night at the kids' day camp |
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| Rachel's outing with her "Moms that Rock" group |
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| Rock climbing with me and the three older kids. They are starting to learn how to belay each other. Evelyn does a pretty good job on her own (with close supervision, of course). Addy and Jack still need a little help with the rope work, but they are fearless on the rock. It was a fun afternoon. |
*****
It is definitely true that we do a lot of stuff, and there isn't a whole lot of down-time in our home. That's just how we roll, I guess. But even as I had that thought, it didn't feel quite right to me. The word "busy" seems to imply a sort of desperation or frantic running around to get stuff done. If anything, this is the exact opposite of our lifestyle. It is rare that we feel pressured to do anything, and there are plenty of times that we choose to stay home rather than participate in whatever activity presents itself at the moment.
I also love coming together every night with Rachel after the kids are in bed. We usually sit on the deck with the sunset, maybe with a couple of appetizers or something that we threw together, and just talk the night away. This end-of-the-day winding-down has become almost routine for us, and I think of it as one of the most important things we do.
For all these reasons, it seems odd for me to think of ourselves as "busy." Maybe it's just that we would usually rather be doing something than nothing. And I can't even begin to describe how much easier it is to handle five young children when there is a purpose or direction to the activities we are a part of. For this reason, rather than "busy," a more accurate description of our lifestyle might be "actively engaged in life." I like the sound of that much better, even if it does seem a little cheesy.
Either way- it's a good way to be. It works well for us.
*****
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