A Brief Road Trip

I don’t think any Snicketts-by-blood girl is a true fan of bridal showers. Rose dodged this one, an afternoon plane ticket to Pensacola Beach. However, we are fortunate that this particular bridal shower in question was thrown for our cousin, Blessing, who made it clear that shower games were not required. There was literal applause.

Anyway, Mom, Carrie-Bri, and Irish-Rose picked me up at 9:30 for the 86-minute drive to Columbia, most of which time we spent lauding St. Louis and the Cardinals and all their glories. We’re as bad as Texans.

So, while Blessing unraveled all her gifts destined for far-off Australian shores, once her visa was cleared, we snacked on crepes and strawberry water, three sisters trying not to talk too much about baseball while Mom commented on the various packaging of the presents.

“Oh, I love polka dot bags! They’re so cheerful!”

Sometimes we girls wonder – where did we come from?

Because my boys were at the Silverspoon’s that afternoon, Carrie and I had some unfinished business in preparation for Tuesday’s game in particular. Finally on our third sporting goods store, we found them, the few remaining available Kelly t-shirts in the whole city no doubt. Slapped with “sale” stickers. So were Craig’s. So sad. Carrie took one, and Adams, and filled out an order form for Descalso’s.

While the clerk processed the order, she turned back to me with her explanation, “Retail therapy.”

No joke. This week has been the pits.

Anyway, nothing like a winner to soften things a little. We joined the boys at the Silverspoon’s where there was an overnight guest – a programmer from a farm in Quincy, Illinois, who could not have reminded us more of our cousin, Jashub, blonde ponytail included. He learned more about the game of baseball from our running commentary while we enjoyed a dinner of grilled chicken, guacamole, chips, and baked beans. Francis texted me from the game, probably behind a stack of cheeseburgers. Rose sent me video of an angry crab at the beach. And, of course, Puck spent the night and displayed his latest garage sale finds: jars of beads and prisms.

All in a hard days’ work.