Happy New Year!

Last night we went on a "triple date" with my sisters and their husbands. Marla, Julie, and I are all 15 months apart and live within half an hour of each other. We went through school together, milked cows with Dad and went to the same college together, dated our husbands at pretty much the same time, and are raising our kids together. You'd think we see a lot of each other, but "stuff" gets in the way and that is sadly not the case. In fact, our New Year's Eve dinner together was the first time we'd all gone out together in at least 20 years!

We went to the the Potosi Brewing Company restaurant, which was overflowing with customers. We were seated at a table next to the Brew Cave, which proved to be a great historical, private spot. The events coordinator was kind enough to offer us an interesting history of the cave and early means of refrigerating the beer. We learned that the cypress table we were dining at was constructed from the original beer holding tanks which were brought into the cave in the 1850s. I should have taken a picture under the tablecloth!

One of these days I will have to dig up a picture of the six of us from the late 80s. It was Christmastime during our college years, and Mom had given us matching Lands End rugbys with our names monogrammed into them. The guys' shirts were striped, and the girls had matching solid colors (burgundy, teal, and blue, I think). It was probably the only picture taken of the six of us since last night. Anyway, here we are, 20-some years and 14 kids later!

It was so fun to talk and laugh among our sisters and brothers, sans kids. (My sisters were admiring the ice cream spoons so much that Paul asked the waitress if they counted spoons every night!) Meanwhile the kids were having a pretty bang-up time themselves back at our house, playing board games, painting nails, and shooting Nerf guns. Shae was so upset when we arrived home; she even ran upstairs crying that her night of fun was over!

But fear not, my daughter, for the night was still young! The party continued back in Platteville at Julie and Mike's house. More cousins were added to the equation, exponentially increasing the intensity of the Nerf fight and the fun factor. Mark and I slipped downtown to a wedding reception for about half an hour, making it back in time to watch Dick Clark ring in the New Year an hour early over in Times Square. It was the first time our kids stayed up till eleven to watch the ball drop, and they were STOKED to get in on the toasting. (Sparkling cider, of course) Julie made a delectable French silk pie (to top off an outstanding meal at the Brewery--the Good Ol Potosi burger and sweet potato fries were superb), and we rang in the New Year with cheers and good wishes.


We weren't very sensible last night. I mean, we didn't get out of the restaurant till 9:00 p.m. BEDTIME usually!! Who packs up their kids and drives somewhere at 9:00 p.m.? Not us, usually.


But last night we suspended practicality and went for spontaneity. Certainly not the sensible thing to do, but who is promised tomorrow? And who knows if we'd ever get the chance to ring in the new year with this company ever again?


So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.--Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)