Shane and I made our first road trip to NOVA of the year. I almost typed "in over a year," but we did a quick drive-through last December.
We almost didn't go. It's a drive, and the day I'd set up with Matt happened to be the same day as our pool's ice cream social. How does it happen that opportunities always overlap!?
But we did. It was probably the best chance to see Matt over the summer. He was giving Renee the morning off and offered to meet up at a park.
We arrived first and proceeded to check out the equipment. Shane found the climbing wall easy to conquer, so I suggested he tackle it laterally to up the difficulty.
Afterwards, Shane went to find the largest collection of kids possible to join.
He's social like that.
And Matt's generous.
Matt arrived with Duck Donuts as a special surprise! He'd been running a little late, because he stopped to help someone jump their car in the parking lot.
Matt takes the boys most Fridays to give Renee a break.
His expressions nearly broke my camera. I somehow caught him making a face in every donut photo.
Shane didn't want to stop at one donut. He had no choice and lamented it the rest of our stay. I didn't want to start at one donut, but I did.
The kids aren't in the same age brackets, so the trip was more about playing in the same area than playing together.
Matt had to keep a close eye on Graham since nothing child proof lives up to the name when dealing with a sufficiently talented (or untalented) child.
Everyone was fairly happy just to be at a playground.
At least, Graham was. The older boys took a little bit to sort each other out. While we had been at the beach together, they'd run in different circles.
Aiden discovered he could throw wood chips at Shane. Aiden thought it hilarious, but Shane wasn't a fan.
Shane wanted to play chase with Aiden and made some zombie noises. Shane thought it entertaining, but Aiden thought it was scary.
What followed was multiple repetitions of "Aiden throws wood chips, Shane roars, and Aiden cries."
Shane acted annoyed, but I think he secretly enjoyed it.
For example, Shane "wanted to be left alone" for a little bit, but look where he went to "be alone."
If you can't tell, he's underneath the merry-go-round Aiden and Graham happened to be at (and they were there before Shane went to "be alone").
It was a hot day and we packed up to go to Matt's after playing. Our last visit to Matt and Renee's house was a year and a half ago.
Shane put on a "too cool" act. He brought in the Splatoon book I'd given him for the car ride and "just wanted to read." Aiden and Graham couldn't get enough of him.
Shane got no sympathy from Matt or me.
"Remember all those times I 'just wanted to read,' and you wouldn't leave me alone?" I asked.
Because those happen every day.
And if the boys weren't bothering Shane, they were bothering Matt, so tough luck, Shane! Your sacrifice was for the good of the group!
And if Shane didn't want to make the sacrifice to entertain his cousins, Matt was happy to help.
To help 'sacrifice Shane.'
Which I found entertaining, so really it helped everyone.
Thanks, Shane! We knew you loved it no matter what you said.
By that point, Graham had become attached to Renee's leg. She made the boys peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.
Shane and I said our goodbyes, so that the kids could have their nap time.
Then it was time for the big gamble for the trip: To see John.
John's been distant since COVID hit. He was in a rough spot before and it's seemed to have gotten worse. He'd stopped communicating with less than a week turn around, so I had no idea if he'd be at work or home.
We stopped by his work first, because I figured it was safer ground to tread than to surprise his mom.
I'd budgeted extra time to hunt down to John if he wasn't at work, but we got lucky. He was there!
John and I talked for a while, but I didn't want to push him too far to stress him out. Plus, he was working. My goal was to reestablish communication, and that happened. I wanted John to know I thought he was valuable and I'd seek him out even if he went quiet.
And hopefully, we'll see him again before summer ends (maybe even next week!).
Our success left us with a small problem, though. I'd budgeted time to hunt John down if he was hard to find, and Jama wasn't available until 4 PM.
So.....we had to fill some time.
Shane and I started by going to GameStop to look at used Switch games.
Switch games hold their value surprisingly well. I was hoping to find a few dirt cheap used games of decent enough quality, but nothing approached what I'd considered impulse buying range.
The trip plus negotiating where to get dinner helped us kill enough time before going to Jama's at least.
She'd left her key at the front desk for us to let ourselves in while she played Bridge. Shane immediately hit the candy bowl.
"Can I have more?" he asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
So Shane played with Jama's reading light and magnifying lens. I wasn't sure if I was more worried he'd light the chair on fire or stomp so much Jama's neighbor below, Francine, complained.
Jama arrived at 4:08 PM. "Give me a kiss!"
Jama was happy to see me, too! I got a hug and then, word for word, she said, "You got your haircut! It look so goo...oh, POOP!"
My hair moved Jama to potty humor.
It was glorious.
I offered to let my hair down to show Jama how long it really was. Her response was predictable.
As was her next move to offer Shane some treats! She had frozen Twinkies.
We stayed for a little bit to talk and watch some Family Feud, but had to say our farewells before long. We had somewhere to be in Scottsville and it was rush hour on a Friday in NOVA. Maps told me there were wrecks on my primary and backup routes out.
But we didn't say goodbye for long. Jama called to tell me I'd forgotten my phone. Since I answered her call, that didn't make since. We figured out it was Shane's Game Boy 2DS.
I sent him on his own to grab it. Jama probably gave him more candy and told him not to tell me.
It was a parking lot getting onto I66, but we eventually got to 29. Shane wanted Wawa for dinner, because he loves their chicken tenders and mac and cheese. I tried a hamburger and it was better than expected.
We were in a rush, because there was an ice cream social at the pool from 7-9 PM (It seems fun events can only be scheduled in pairs). Without traffic, we would've gone home first to change. Running late, we asked Carrie to meet us at the pool.
Shane changed in the back of the car and rushed to see the ice cream.
The initial rush had passed, but he got his sugar rush!
Then it was off to play. The party was well attended for Scottsville.
Shane tried to join a soccer game. When there weren't enough kids, he walked up to the volleyball game and announced, "I'm playing!"
We stayed for almost an hour. I was beat, it was getting late, and everyone started to clear out.
It was a full, fun day.
In previous summers, I feel like we'd have visited NOVA several times already (and probably stayed the night). I hope to head north again before work starts, but time seems to be slipping away quickly.
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