Hello...my name is Cori and I'm insane! I let my husband talk me into crazy things...but the average person doesn't realize that it's crazy until they're in the middle of the 'activity'. I guess love really is blind, because I should have seen this one coming.
At dinner time on this, the last day of the year, my dear husband decides it's time he confess a story to the children that dates back to the bygone era of his childhood. The kids sit spellbound. They love stories of Daddy when he was a little boy. Surprisingly, in all our years of marriage, I'd never heard this story. That tells me he must have been saving it for some special occasion. Unbeknownst to me, tonight was the occasion.
Once upon a time, as the story goes, when Daddy was just a wee little lad of 10 years of age, his brother (two years younger) and him were left home with a babysitter one fateful New Year's Eve night as his Mom went to a party for grown-ups. Evidently, the sitter was "super cool" and let the boys stay up all night. When the clock struck twelve, do you know what the babysitter proposed they all do?
Before I tell you, it's important that the reader know the location of this blessed event was in Marshall, Minnesota. This is an extremely cold climate this time of year and snow is a frequent visitor. That being said, do you know what they still did?
They ran around their apartment complex solely in their underwear and socks. As the story goes, there was a foot of snow to traverse through, but that only seemed to energize their midnight trek.
In response to this delightful little story, the kids laughed and talked about how fun it would be to play in snow (with proper attire, of course). They asked if Daddy was cold and if his Mommy knew about it. That's when he proposed a new tradition for our little family. With the scene already set and the kids eager for excitement he non-chalantly suggests we go on a little midnight walk when the clock strikes twelve.
I couldn't say 'no' even if I wanted to. The momentum and excitement of Daddy's story left the kids thirsty for adventure of their own. I figured no one would even stay awake that long anyways, so I cast my vote in favor of the escapade, even though it already had enough votes to win without mine. I wasn't about to be the lone practical one.
Chloe and Bennett (who both took naps earlier in the day), are still wide-eyed at 11:45pm. Gavin is dozing off and Chuck and I are singing "Edelweiss" as we watch "The Sound of Music". We figured a 3 hour movie would help keep us all awake. So, 5 minutes before midnight, we all donned our bathrobes and slippers and braved the 40 degree weather as we dared to be the first people in the neighborhood to be at the park on the first day of the new year.
Thus is how this wonderful, new year began for us. I can't help but think we've just begun another crazy tradition. I'm also thinking our neighbors might find us a bit 'odd'. But there you have it, the insanity and excitement that has come to dominate our little corner of the globe. I could probably accurately hypothesize that absolutely no one else in the entire world was walking to the park at midnight on New Year's Eve as part of their celebratory process.
