Unexpected

Does an adventure in life ever roll upon you, and suddenly, you feel yourself dreading what should be such a fun excursion because of unforeseen circumstances? Rainy weather for a wedding…little ones not feeling well before a party…an appliance break-down before a big get-together? Yesterday presented itself as just such an occasion for me…

Halloween. I have to tell you I was actually super excited. The girls are at such f.u.n. ages. Of course, it fell at the very end of our first week back into real-world chaos. Preschool, work, meetings, party-planning…just the normal craziness of every momma’s daily schedule. Missing out on Miss O’s preschool party was a h.u.g.e. bummer (and that’s putting it lightly). Yet, with 10ish hours of sleep under my belt from the past two nights, I was determined to make yesterday a fabulous day for our three precious sweeties.

And then I woke up. Pouring rain. Forty-five degrees. Blustering winds. Ugh. So much for making it an amazing day to remember. The girls started their day with a little surprise from some friendly ghosts who visited the during the night of Halloween Eve. And, then, excitement begaaaaan! I felt my attitude shift. They could care less about the rain. Their eagerness shattered my disappointment into a million tiny pieces!

Before I knew it, we were rushing out the door so that this momma could make it to work. As an elementary teacher. To hold on for the ride that the rest of the day was about to present. Friday afternoon…of Halloween…indoor recess…end-of-the-day party…what, no full moon?!…all of which could only add up to…one fun-filled stretch of teacher insanity. I had no clue what to expect from the time with my kiddos at school. I braced myself for hours of redirection, behavior warnings and exhaustion. But you know what, they were a.m.a.z.i.n.g! It was honestly a teacher’s dream-come-true on a day like that. Because, oh friends, I have been there. And done that. (Yes, my wonderful teacher friends…I know you are nodding. You know.)

Finally… the work day ended, I made it to pick up my sweet babes, and off we headed…home. To become princessesified. To fill the house with glitter. And ballroom-worthy shoe-stomping. Dance parties and sugar-inspired giggles. But first…potty breaks, dinner, diaper changes. You know, the “not fun” stuff. There were tears. Yup. “I don’t neeeeeeed to go potty” screams and “I’m noooooot hungry” cries. But we made it. Everyone pottied. Everyone changed. And there we had it…three beautiful princess, dressed-to-the-nines for all our family and friends to see.

This was one night that I couldn’t be happier not to live in a neighborhood. Sometimes driving on Halloween really stinks…rounds-upon-rounds of seatbelt buckling…in-and-out-of-the-car-shuffling…“Are we there yet?” whining…but last night, oh what a blessing it was. Because as we pulled out of the driveway, you would have thought we were in mid-December. Thirty-three degrees. Wind blowing every remaining leaf away from its bare tree branch. And snow. Yes, sweet friends. It snowed.

But that didn’t stop us. We had the best. time. ever. With amazing friends and family welcoming us into the warmness and coziness of their beautiful homes. Just pure, genuine fun. Bagfuls handfuls-of-candy, stuffed-coyote-petting, Cinderella-music-box-watching, just chillin’-in-the-entryway– with-tears-streaming-down-our-giggling-faces, “it’s-a-reunion!” evening of fun.

It was as if God had used last night as a reward. A special treat for the late-nights-rolling-into-five-hours-of-sleep-and-here-we-go-again-mornings of the week behind us now. As if to whisper into my ear…”Hey my faithful one; I know you worked hard this week, and I know your heart was broken by missing your little babe’s party, but you better believe I had something special planned to make it up to you. I hope you enjoyed it.” Because things always have a way of working themselves out. And even more, God has an incredible way of filling in those little holes in our heart. With something even more special than we could have imagined. And last night was just that for me.