June 18, 2006 by Amy

Happy Early Father’s Day to Papa!

Today was a much better day than yesterday.

First of all, we all woke up in a good mood. Normally one of us (always Mommy or Daddy, as Zozo is always in a good mood when she wakes up) gets up on the wrong side of the bed. But today, I guess we were both determined to make this day better than yesterday.

M ran up to our favorite bakery and bought us some moon doughnuts, a strudel/cheesecake type thingy, and some other assorted doughnuts. He got there and saw a sign that said, “No charges under $10.” Not knowing whether he’d be purchasing $10 worth of baked goods, he checked his wallet and found too little cash. Planning to run up to the bank, he walked back out to the car, holding a car door open for a woman juggling her own box of doughnuts and a stollen along the way. He’s like that…always stopping to help others. The woman’s husband, sitting in the driver’s seat, called out, “Sir, are you a little short on cash?” M said, “Excuse me?” The gentleman said, “I saw you checking your wallet and then leave the bakery without buying anything and I thought you might be a little short on cash. I’d like to offer you a little friendly neighborhood ‘loan.'”

M thanked this kind stranger and assured him that he was fine. Isn’t that just the coolest thing? Stuff like that totally reaffirms my faith in humanity.

After I graduated from The World’s Finest School of Journalism, M and I drove a U-Haul truck full of my furniture to Oklahoma for him to use. Mom had made signs for the back of the truck stating that I had just graduated and that we were newly engaged, which were very cool. I completely forgot about the signs shortly after leaving Columbia. We picked up M’s car at the Oklahoma City airport and he was following me (I drove the truck) to Duncan. There are quite a few toll highways between Ok City and Duncan, and tolls are, of course, heavier on large vehicles like moving trucks.

I pulled up to a toll booth behind a sedan and waited for my turn. The sedan had whipped around me pulling up to the toll, and I thought I understood why. Those U-Haul trucks take awhile to get back up to speed and I hate to be stuck behind one when it’s accelerating from a dead stop, too. When I pulled up to pay, the attendant told me that the people in the sedan had paid my toll, and said to tell me, “Congratulations!”

There are people like this scattered throughout the world, and I’m so glad there are. I wish I was more like them. To all those good, kind people out there, thank you. You make up for the rest of us idiots.

So anyway, M came home from the bakery and we hung out with Zoe for a bit before Stef and her parents, Lee and Ellie, came by. Stef had just flown in and they came straight from the airport. We had a blast just hanging out and chatting, and playing with Zozo. Stef had dared me to bring up Hot Girl, her current crush and softball team pitcher, in front of Ellie, and you know I can’t turn down a dare. I believe it took me approximately five minutes to work it into the conversation, thank you very much. Next time I’m gonna make it a bet and collect on it. Anyway, many thanks to Lee and Ellie for sharing their already too-short weekend with their daughter with me.

After they left we loaded up the car and headed to Drewe’s to pick up dessert for today at Grammy and Papa’s. We celebrated Father’s Day today with Papa, and had a nice time. Grammy made an awesome dinner of baked mostaccioli (pronounced “musk-a-cho-lee” in our house) and a Rich ‘n Charlie’s salad, complete with garlic bread. It rocked. Papa, in between fanatically skimming the pool for some mysterious white fluffy thingys, helped Joey and Zoe swim, and then quickly cleared everyone from the pool when a storm rolled in. I think it was a lovely day, despite the sad news from yesterday.

Zozo started getting a bit fussy, so we re-packed the car (traveling with a small child takes amazing trunk packing skills, at which M excels, thankfully) and left, going to the dealer to pick up my mom-mobile, which now has a new alternator, an oil change, and a wash, and for less money than originally quoted!

Back home, where we played with Zoe some more, and let the baby oil work its magic on her cradle cap before her bath. She splashed all over the place again, and tried hard to drown her two rubber duckies, and generally had a great time. Then it was time for her nite-nite ba-ba, and tons of kisses from Mommy and Daddy before bedtime.

Now M is hanging out in the library and I’m blogging away, and all is right in the world again. It’s getting late, and I know my 20 lb. alarm clock isn’t planning on letting me sleep in tomorrow, so I’ll be signing off. Besides, I have to dump some images from today into the Mac, get them formatted, and post them here before retiring. Y’all are lucky I really like this blogging business.

Here is a photograph of Papa, Joey and Grandma G taken last Christmas. I’m having trouble getting my hands on digital images of Grandma, but Beans came through and sent me this one. (Thank you, Beano!)

We miss you Grandma. Thank you for all your love, kindness and generosity.