This is a rare, rare Wednesday because I saw my entire family today. (Well, you know, Mom, Dad, Chappy, Patty, Mike, Tiffany, Tyler–the usuals. Not the extended family.)

See, first, Dad had a golf outing down near Atlantic City somewhere and was leaving at 5:30 this morning, so he was going to be gone all day.

Then, Tiffany called Mom to ask if she wanted to go see the King Tut exhibit in New York–the one Mom’s been talking about for months. She’s wanted to see the King Tut exhibit since it rolled through NY the first time around back around 1979. And the date Tiffany picked? Today. And, oh yeah, Mike, her dad, my brother-in-law was going to. (This is the point that caused shock and amazement among most of us because Mike likes New York City about as much as I do.)

So, that meant two things. One, poor Chappy was going to be home alone ALL day and, Two, the house would be empty.

I did exactly what you’d expect me to do … I took the day off from work. I mean, really, the house to myself for a whole day? How could I resist?

I was thinking, though … I didn’t know what time Mom, Tiffany, and Mike would be getting home from the city, but it seemed wrong to send them home without feeding them. They would be tired and hot, and anyway, I’d want to hear about their days so … I told Mom I’d make something flexible for supper. Something that would be ready to serve whenever they got here.

But then it occurred to me that I never really get to do stuff with my sister, or spend time just with her, and she usually sees Mom on Wednesdays. So, I sent her an email and (1) invited her to come visit, or (2) come visit and bring Tyler and we could all have supper together … even Dad, if he was home from golf in time.

She and Tyler had an errand down in Point Pleasant (down the shore), so she said they’d go down there to get Tyler’s bike and come back here afterward, probably around 2:30. I was thrilled and immediately started thinking about what to make for supper. It had to be something that I could have ready to go before they got here, and ultimately I decided on deli sandwiches and homemade salads. I ran out to the grocery store this morning before Mom left to pick up the necessary stuff, and after they left, mixed together some potato salad and a huge bowl of macaroni salad. (I never should have cooked the whole box of elbow macaroni; I don’t know what I was thinking.) I also sliced up the strawberries I bought, baked a quick, plain cake to serve with them, and whipped some stabilized whipped cream–all of which was in the refrigerator by 1:00, and I was beat!

I sat and read with Chappy for a while. He, incidentally, was having a great day. Sure, both his grandparents were out, but he had his Mom home on a work day AND he’d seen Tiffany and Mike when they came to pick up Mom.

I even added about 500 words to my book. Not a huge amount, I grant you, but better than nothing.

Then … Patty called around noon and said they were running late. At 2:10 Dad called to say he was leaving the golf course and expected to be home in about two and a half hours. 2:15, Tiffany called to say they were in New Jersey and on their way home, so the three from the New York Adventure were the first to arrive. They were all tired, but had a wonderful time, though Mike was tired enough and trying so very hard to keep his eyelids politely open, we sent him downstairs to Dad’s recliner for a nap.

About 4:00, Patty and Tyler arrived, and about five-ten minutes later, Dad did. They were all very tired and seemed very hot and very, very glad to get out of their respective cars. They must have been almost side-by-side on the Garden State Parkway for most of the drive home, they arrived so close together.

Chappy wore himself out saying hello to everyone and making sure they all knew how happy, happy, happy he was to see them. (Because saying hello is one of his favorite things EVER. If he could figure out how to say hello in a properly enthusiastic manner while eating at the same time, he’d be the happiest dog in the world.)

Everybody enjoyed dinner … though we ended up with a LOT of leftover macaroni salad. Not everybody wanted the cake I’d made, either, but being hot and tired will do that to your appetite, so no hard feelings. And meanwhile, everyone is tired–including me. I may not have put the miles in that everyone else did today, but I still got a lot done.

Maybe going to work tomorrow and sitting at my desk isn’t such a bad idea, after all.

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