Campfyre Stories

On Friday I woke up at 6 and worked until 4.  Spawn had a birthday party to attend from 6-10 (pm), so I figured this would be my best chance to hit the Happy Breakup/Lark Fest party I was invited to.  Spawn was supposed to call when he was on his way home, so I would know when I had to leave the party.

So I got a haircut, went home, cooked some good food to drink on and headed over to the "party" around 8.

Where it hadn’t really started.

I hung out for a while, eventually they tapped the kegs, and every so often I would suggest that I should probably go.  Every time I was convinced to stay.  When I hadn’t heard from Spawn by 11:30, I decided to call his father.  Spawn answered the phone:

FG: Hi, what happened?  Are you still at the party?
Spawn: No, you were asleep when I got home, so I decided to spend the night at my dad’s.  Didn’t you get my note?
FG: What note?
Spawn:  I left it on the table.
FG:  When?
Spawn:  When I got home.  Around 10:30.
FG: Honey, I’ve been gone since 8.  Well, when are you coming home tomorrow??
Spawn:  *sigh*  It’s IN my note.
FG:  Yes, the note on the table that I haven’t seen, because I’ve been gone since 8.
Spawn:  Oh yeah…  I’ll be home around noon or 1.

So I was free for the night, no kid, no curfew, no worries.  After a several more pints, several more unsuccessful attempts at leaving and many, many hours of conversation and drinking, I finally stumbled home around 3am.

And passed the fuck out.

The next morning, I was awoken by my mortal enemy, morning, when my stepfather called to tell me he was bringing me his car and I would be driving him home.  Dragged my sorry ass out of bed, made the nastiest pot of coffee I EVER had and went to bring him home.  I also picked up Spawn and we went out running errands.

Came home and immediately went to Lark Fest, where I realized that I’m getting too old for this shit, while Spawn is not quite old enough yet.  Every year I find that I can only stay for a shorter period of time than I could the year before.  At this point, I think that Lark Fest serves to remind me why I like Tulip Fest.

We stopped back into the party, but it was during an intermission.  I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to make it back, since there was still a lot more going on that night, but we made another appearance, stayed for a minute and went home.

I took an hour nap, then made dinner, then got in the car and drove an hour to Saratoga, where Cavanaugh and Kavanaugh were (finally) playing Caffe Lena (after their first scheduling was cancelled due to snow and took 6 months to reschedule).

Shortly before we got to Saratoga, my phone started ringing.  I knew I was already popular for the weekend, but this was getting ridiculous.  Conveying messages through Spawn of "Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow" didn’t stop the calls from coming in.  THEN the text messages started.

"Come drink with me"

"I’m in Saratoga."

"So?  Come drink with me."

My presence was requested BACK at the same damned party I had already been to twice.  But I had a show to see, and it was WONDERFUL.  We stuck around for a little while, mingling with the people around us, one of whom I know from Falcon Ridge and don’t get to see very often.  However, we were back on the road around 11, which got us home around midnight.

I parked the car and didn’t even go in the house, opting instead to head straight for the party.  I knew that once I got home I wasn’t leaving again, because the entire weekend and limited sleep was starting to catch up with me.

Now it was REALLY a party.  Someone had recruited a bachelorette party to come to this party and that made for some interesting moments.  The kegs were finished shortly after my arrival and I had a chance to put some faces to names I had heard many times before.

I took some shit for having a curfew imposed upon me by my teenage son, but I started making my way out with enough time to be home by 2.  However, I got caught up smoking cigarettes and shooting the breeze with a couple of the fellas on the stoop.  I didn’t know that Spawn actually got worried enough about me to call and find out "Where is my mother?  She was supposed to be home 10 minutes ago!"  Heh.

He, however, kept me up until 3am after I did get home (around 2:30, about a half-hour late).  He was full of energy and had plenty of things to say as I worked very hard at not falling asleep at the kitchen table.  I finally got to bed, only to be woken up at the crack of noon the next day.

But I was done.  I was an old lady.  I didn’t get dressed and I didn’t leave the house.  I was productive, but also spent a lot of time reading or just plain sitting.  I went to bed before 10.

And now I get to start another work week.  Because next weekend there’s going to be more parties afoot.