TIRED. CAN'T. KEEP. UP.

My seventy year old mother is kicking my butt! She complains that she is tired, but she keeps going like the Energizer bunny!

We picked her up at the train station late. For some reason she opted to take the last train, arriving at 7:30 pm. Oh yeah, it's because she WORKED that morning! As I was unable to attend her fancy pants birthday celebration we decided that we would take her out to dinner when she came to visit as a substitute.

The dinner was a disaster. The service was pretty awful, and after NOT getting some things we ordered and waiting over an hour for our food it arrived COLD. I was so disappointed that I asked to speak to the manager. Then we had to wait for her as well. I very calmly described my disappointment and stated just the facts, including having to wait what seemed an unreasonable time for her own arrival. She apologized, but not before telling me how busy she was on the phone, and then offered to comp our meal. That was nice, but it let me feeling guilty, and now we couldn't really count it as "taking Mom out to dinner".

The next morning she gone when I got up. We looked around for her and found her down the road. She had gone for a WALK! And now she was ready to go out to breakfast. We headed down to our favorite breakfast spot where she can get a HUGE order of Eggs Benedict for $5. (I had hash, because I know you are all waiting with bated breath!)

Mom wanted to head up to the famous New Balance Tent Sale for some cheap sneaks. She ended up buying some of the most expensive sneakers I have EVER seen. Even with the tent sale combined with 20% off they cost more than 2 1/2 times what she normally pays! She claims they are the most supportive shoes she has ever worn, the Cadillac of sneakers.

I also went way over budget to buy myself a pair of running shoes. I didn't give into the complaints from children who wanted sneakers even though they had several new pairs at home, nor to my internal financial filter. I didn't buy the cheapest pair available, and I didn't even flinch at the price. I can't wait to go running in them. They are some snazzy shoes.

Gary wanted to drive by the auction house to see if it was on the market yet, and Mom wanted to drive by a little resort that I had told her about. It's for sale for a mere half a million. We had stopped there and walked the grounds a bit right before the auction; it really is a beautiful place.


See?

By now I was feeling the effects of running all day, but the kids wanted to stop at the museum. We have been attempting to get there for many years and something always gets in our way so we all decided just to stop in for a few minutes. Talk about a hidden gem. This museum, that I had always though of as a little dinky sweet place had the most extensive collection of ocean life, wildlife, birds, and rocks and minerals. It was mind blowing. The Maine State Museum is one of our favorite places to visit; this museum puts them to shame!

The kids and I wanted to spend more time there, so I asked if there were any volunteer opportunities and spend the next half hour hearing about all the work they would let the kids do and all the skills they would be willing to teach them. I wish I could remember them all, but they included preservation, grant writing, archiving, tours, research, organizing art, outreach, etc. She mentioned several volunteers who had gone on to do great things with the skills they had learned there, including one man who started volunteering when he was only 10!

Then it was time to eat again of course. We chose our favorite "kids eat cheap" place and had a great meal. It seemed like a good time to celebrate Mom's birthday, so we had them bring out dessert while singing to her. The look on her face was priceless!

Then there was the obligatory stop at CVS, but that goes without saying, right?

My mother has MORE energy now that at any other point in her life, since I've known her anyway. I can't keep up. Now she wants to go out to breakfast and then shopping for a new bag!