Putting my Foot Down - Book Club Night

This is a woman's post. 

Tonight my 'girls' and I have our monthly book club meeting.  What I should say, is the girls get together once a month and I come if other duties aren't calling - like anything kid related or ranch related or part-time job related. 


So here's the deal.  The book club meets 1x a month.  That is it.  One night a month.  Three hours tops if you count drive time.  Three glorious hours to be away.  And it's scheduled.  Now, if any of those other distractions come into play, and they are scheduled before book club, then fine.  I'm your girl.  I'm your loyal mom/wife/employee/volunteer.  Or, I'm your door mat.  I have not figured out yet which category I really fall into. 

(You do know where I am going with this, aren't you?  My fingers are typing faster and my heartbeat is going faster, too!)

So. It's been a while since I made book club night - due to those above listed distractions and other obligations.

So, last Thursday one of the girls emailed me with the meeting deets (she was vacationing in South Carolina at the time - and sharing the hurricane watch), and I responded that yes, I would love to go, and since the dinner theme (aka we are really a food/wine group disguised as a book club!) this time is Mexican, that I would bring fresh garden tomatoes with fresh garden basil, and sheep's feta cheese all smothered in balsamic vinegar.  That was last Thursday. And no other distractions were in the way!

So... last night, about 8pm, I was in bed and the phone rang (yes, 8pm.  it was a rough day).  My daughter came into the room and told me it was the soccer coach saying the kids have a scrimmage tonight (Tuesday) with another school at 5pm.  Totally unscheduled and not an official game.  More of a 'practice' before their first game this coming Saturday.  BTW, we still did not have the official game schedule - I had to pick it up in town today. 

I told my daughter that I could not drive, because I had a meeting at the school for work, followed by book club night, and to tell her dad that he would have to take them  (why yes, my kids do have another parent for crying out loud!!!!!)  or they would have to carpool via another parent. BTW, Mr. Sexton was in the living room, and she could have told him before coming and waking me.  But sigh.. that is how my dysfunctional  family rolls. 

So.. this morning at the breakfast table, we have a family meeting.  I share my schedule - calendar in hand, and my daughter shares what my husband remarked last night.  That book club is not a priority and I should cancel my plans! I stomped on the 'we are Sunday driving and chit chatting' brakes... and put it into 'road rage' gear.

So - in a not so controlled manner, aka, high pitched woman's voice that we are all so famous for, and talking fast, I shared how book club is 1x a month, that tonight's scrimmage was not scheduled,  and scheduled and I have already adjusted my schedule a million times to accomodate everyone else and tonight is MY night AFTER a meeting, and AFTER driving back and forth to the school to get the kids so they could get chores done so they could go to the game and that last week I missed a work meeting due to schedules for the ranch and this week I am doing the same darn thing again because someone else is too darn busy! (this paragraph would be in all-caps, but I really don't want to shout at all of you.. you get the message..)

Ever see blood boil?  That was me.  I.hit.my.limit.

Needless to say, my husband will be taking the kids to and from the scrimmage game tonight.  And, cooking dinner.  But, that my friends, is another story.

By the way, the book I am reading?  Eat.Pray.Love.  You know, the one where the gal take's her life back?

I 'might' have gotten a little inspired from the book...

So.. anyway.  No doubt some of you are in shock to be listening to my 'real life' story.
These things happen.  And I apologize for offending any of you.

But gosh it feels good to share!
(remember, I am isolated, and on a ranch, so I tend to get lonely with my own thoughts).
Thanks for listening...