Labor Day Weekend: Time Portals and Emergency Room Visits

Well, Labor Day weekend was pretty interesting.  I'd been looking forward to having Adler spend some time with my grandparents for a while and also had a surprise for my old band buddies in Fayetteville, what ensued over the weekend can only be described as a bit exhausting...

Friday evening kicked off with a flight to Fayetteville, AR.  We landed right around 7:45 and my Dad picked us up for the 45 minute drive to Fort Smith, where my grandparents live.  We got there and Adler proceeded to play with cars for a while, laying on his back and letting them drive off the mountain (his belly).  He was super excited to see all of the toy cars that Jean & Wally have from years of being grand parents.  After we got him to bed we weighed the option to go BACK to Fayetteville and see my old band (now called Boom! Kinetic) play at Grub's (college bar where b-side played a bunch).  I decided that I would regret not going and Kristine (Super Wife of The Year!!!) opted to go with me.  We left the house at 10:35 and made it to Grub's a little after 11 pm (keep in mind that it's really 12pm Atlanta time).  I hadn't told the guys that I was even in town, so we just walked right up to the stage in the middle of the song and waited for their reaction.  It was priceless.  They were totally surprised and it was just awesome to see them play.  At one point in the show they even threw cash money out into the crowd. It was insane...even to the point where I was a bit concerned that Kristine would get pushed/bumped/or whatever.

Beyond just seeing those guys, all of a sudden I ran into almost everyone that I played tennis with at Arkansas!  Oscar, Magnus, Tiago, Eddie, and Drew Dees were all there and it was great to see them.  Then I saw a bunch of old friends that I knew from being in the band. It was like Mr. Popular time or something...sort of surreal.  

Kristine and I had a great time dancing together and watching the male cheerleader pole dance (there's no actual pole), but he found a way to do it...gross, but hilarious.  All in all, a great night.

With a stop at Taco Bell on the way home, we were full and ready for some sleep. Got in bed at 3am (4am ATL time) and then Adler was up at 5!!!  wha...(insert scratching record sound here).  Of course, since Kristine was 1) pregnant and 2) the wife of the year who put up with being out that late...I got up with him and prayed for the opportunity to sleep later.  That really never came because my Dad and I went with my Uncle, Aunt and cousin BACK to Fayetteville on Saturday to watch the Razorbacks squeak by with a win against Western Illinois.  "Who is Western Illinois?" you might ask...they are the "Leathernecks" silly.  Of course you know who I'm talking about. ;)  It was embarrasing, and might be a strong sign of a long year to come as a HOG fan.

We got back that evening and I finally found some sleep, this time at around 12 or so...Adler did decide to wake up early again...and I was excited about it. :(  But on this day, it was because he wasn't feeling well.  Throughout the day he just wanted his Mommy to hold him, didn't want to eat and had a fluctuating temperature. When it finally reached 105, we took off for the ER.  It was 7pm and dinner was on the table...my Aunt and Uncle are both doctors, so fortunately for us, we got the best treatment possible. no waiting, lots of attention, etc.  I'm so thankful that they were there to help.  Adler ended up with just a random viral infection and started to feel better the next day.  

Monday morning, my Dad and I headed to the Cherokee casino.  This is where I planned to win enough money to buy the car of my dreams (insert scratching record again)...after getting beat down by a little old lady black jack dealer I realized that those dreams were crushed.  We headed back to the house licking our wounds and packed to head to the airport.  We did stop by our first house in Fayetteville to show Adler (he wasn't very excited).

The flight back home was the smoothest part of the trip...took off on time, Adler sat contently in my lap, watching Cars on DVD, we got off the flight and had our bags come off the belt first, headed to the car and drove home.  It was good to close the garage and be back in our dwelling after such an exhausting week.  So now it's Thursday and I'm feeling fairly back to normal.

Thanks to Jean, Wall, David, Terry and Dad for all your help this weekend...we'll look forward to a more pleasant visit next time.