The Aftermath

All this talk about the plunge when in fact the real fun is in the aftermath: our visit to Uncle Scott and Auntie Adie's house. It's tradition. . .in fact I am officially making it official that we will forever after go to Uncle Scott and Aunt Adie's house to jacuzzi, have ribs and play tennis forever more--it's in the books, set in stone, after the plunge, forever more. We all know that is the only reason Will got out of bed that morning, and Richard for that matter as well: Will for the jacuzzi, and Richard couldn't wait to watch the Rose Bowl with Dan and Scott. Adie promised to have the jacuzzi ready for us when we got there.

On the way we stopped at Room and Board to see if they had anything left over from their once a year clearance sale. Another part of the tradition. They get rid of all their floor models and clearance items at unbelievable prices the day after Christmas. As the weeks wane the prices keep dropping. But as was expected most of the items were gone. However they did have some great pieces, if we were in need of pieces, since I am not working we definately don't need pieces.

Once we arrive at Scott and Adie's and my boisterous group bangs on the door and they are greeted with open arms and triumphant cheers from Auntie Adie, we snack on some food and prepare for the jacuzzi. The water temp is 100 and is steamy just the way we wanted it. The kids were only in but for a few minutes before dares began to surface. . ."Emma, I will give you this quarter if you jump in the pool." The pool is not heated mind you and is probably in the 50s. Emma thinks about it for about 2 seconds and agrees. You see she is not fazed by cold, in fact she seems to thrive on it, plus she is motivated by money. Up she hops and drops in the pool like a little torpedo with her toes pointed toward the bottom. It doesn't take her long to get out, but she happily returns to the jacuzzi where the rest of us stew to recieve her pay.

"I want to get a quarter. Can I get a quarter?" Will enthusiastically calls as he ascends from the jacuzzi.

"Of course you will get a quarter."

"Don't worry Will, I won't push you in like last year." The same dare was posed last year and William, unsuspecting at the time, and not planning on entering the pool was pushed in by Lily. His shriek still rang in our memories as he hopped out of the pool literally as quickly as he had fallen in, the look on is face was complete terror and pain. He cried as he clambered back into the jacuzzi for comfort. Now, Will was going to do it on his own. He stood at the edge of the pool looking in, gaining courage, waiting for that perfect moment of serenity when he could make the choice to take the plunge. . . when Owen snuck out of the jacuzzi and pushed him in giggling. Instant replay from the year before--same shriek, same look, same rapid, super hero speed exit from the water, only this time it was Owen's name that spilled from his lips like a sad song on a violin as he came to my arms for comfort. We all laughed. Will took it bravely, although he did not like it one bit. I don't know if this will play out as part of the tradition or not, we will have to see.

Well before I knew it all the kids were jumping from the side into the pool. They started out close to the steps where they could get out easy but as the dares increased or as their bodies began to numb, they moved further from the steps to the center of the pool. Emma kept hopping in and recalculating what I owed her. I think she might have gotten up to $6 dollars or something. That girl is driven when it comes to money.

Lily, who always has a load of fun ideas, gathered the two foam rafts and began to make a boat where they could move around the pool without getting in the water. She would take passengers and use the pool cleaner pole as a paddle. She did a great job maneuvering her makeshift boat and I knew I needed to take her to the Island of the Blue Dolphins where she could really show off her talents.

After much coaxing Owen finally got on the boat and let Lily take him for a little Ride. Chloe, Aunt Adie's labrador, was ever watchful of the kids. look at the concern in her eyes. After we sat stewing for an indefinite period of time we all got out and got our cozies on. Time for dinner. Richard was in charge of the ribs and the were delicious.

Thanks Scott and Adie for your wonderful hospitality and for always welcoming us into your home. We love you.