Cheaper By The Quartet. Yeah.

I wanted to let you guys know that Ginny has become bored enough to begin writing online again. I won’t promise daily updates or anything, but if you want to hear about what it’s like to recover from a major car accident from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, there’s the place to go.

My parents have seriously overbooked themselves this weekend. Tomorrow night they’re supposed to go volunteer at bingo for one of the booster clubs they’re in (my sisters play three JV or varsity sports), which is from like 5 until 11 or so, and they’ve also volunteered to work at the after-prom party, which is actually kind of funny since no one in my family is actually GOING to prom this year. They volunteered last year too, and again – no one in my family went to prom. Sam is a junior this year so she could go, but she’s not down with dances and dressing up and stuff so she decided to skip it. And yeah, my parents are kind of Those Parents. But in a mostly good way, I think. They’re pretty popular with the kids.

So yeah, bingo and the after-prom party. In addition to that, Jamie has a softball double header and has been invited to a birthday party, and I think Sam has to work, and someone has to be with Ginny at all times. Sammi’s car has been fixed, so she should be okay getting herself where she needs to be, but we’re going to have to be a little creative to get everyone else set.

I don’t know how we did it when I was in high school. Between my junior and senior years, here’s what was going on in my family:

• Marching band – Ginny and I both did that. (3 afternoons a week, plus every other Friday night and some Saturdays in the fall)

• Volleyball – me, and Ginny did it one of those years too. (every afternoon, plus games on most Tuesdays and Thursdays in the winter)

• Soccer – me. (every afternoon plus games, all spring)

• Tee ball/Softball – Sammi and Jamie, and I think Ginny did it one year. (a few nights a week in the spring, plus games on weekends – and they were on two teams)

• Basketball – Sammi and Jamie. (same as above, except in the winter)

• Forensics/speech team – me. (weekends in the spring)

• Symphonic band/chorus – me and Ginny. (concerts a few times a year)

Oh, and I had a job, too. And I don’t even think I’ve remembered all the stuff we were doing then. My parents had at least one kid in the elementary, middle, and high schools. The middle and high schools were fifteen minutes east of our house, and my mom worked 45 minutes in the opposite direction. The activity bus didn’t run every day of the week, and I didn’t have a car until partway through my senior year.

They had these crazy orchestrations of rides and drop-off times and pick-up times and spending a certain number of innings at one game before driving a half-hour to another one, or meeting so-and-so halfway to trade kids or bring equipment or whatever. And for the most part, we always ended up where we needed to be.

Lesson: Don’t have four kids. Or, if you insist on having four kids, don’t let them do any extracurricular activities. Well-rounded kids are hell!

Actually, my parents are incredible.

Things had settled down somewhat with Ginny and I “grown-up,” even though we’ve both been living at home. Between Ginny, Mom, Dad, and me, we could always work out rides and stuff whenever needed.

It’s been a little crazier lately, though, with Ginny out of commission and Sam without her car for a few months. When Sam didn’t have the car, we really only had two drivers at any given time, and that’s just not enough in my family. Now that she has her car fixed she can shuttle herself around town a little better, but it can still get complicated sometimes – especially this weekend.

But we’ll get it all worked out. We always do.

I hope your weekends are wonderful, and less busy than ours will be!