weekend maneuvers

as much as I detest their commander in chief I am quite fond of the troops. Esp. the Army Reserve guys that had fun with my kids & my dogs yesterday. We went up to visit my folks yesterday and on the way home from Frankenmuth (which is the closest city you dear reader might recognize...my parents actually live in a turn of the century farmhouse in Reese.

Ya know what let's get real here...Make the mitten...okay... the base of your thumb? The bottom of Saginaw Bay?? yeah right there) So we are coming home after a lovely day...we were trapped in a very slow moving spot of southbound US 23. I had noticed on the way up that right around Whitmore Lake (another small Michigan city you may not recognize) the traffic was not moving, or at best--inching along slowly. So I was prepared--we had paper towels for doggy barf and water and strawberries and if I could plan on it being hot and boring...maybe I could avoid cranky? Picture me actively channeling any zen I could grasp onto, driving the Bug (a stick with stoopid knee) and two papa-tired kids and two crazy little dogs. When we intersect with a HUGE convoy of military vehicles. I think they were Army guys...but they mighta been Marines--who cares?? They were so sweet. They were smiling and waving with the kids and they let me hop scotch around them--moving up my little clown car past the stinky semi trucks and half a house on wheels. I can imagine how goofy we looked singing at the top of our lungs to all of our favorite TMBG and BNL songs and then the LOST mix tape we made--and the dogs trying to get out of the car; because if it stops it's time to get out right?? For some reason (maybe all the cheese my dad fed them?) The dogs decided to fart every 15 minutes or so. Seriously it took 40 minutes to travel from Brighton (hey! a third little town you have never heard of!) past Whitmore Lake. ARRRGH. The fun peeps in the convoy made the time pass a lot faster. Well how bored can you be flirting with the military guys and alternately waving doggie fart out of sunroof!! We counted three female drivers amongst the convoy and lots of "Cartman" sunglasses so we had fun saying "RESPECT MY AUTHOR A TIE". Didn't see a single weapon anywhere either. That was a relief because then Zoli could interact with them, admire them, without the guns involved.
We made it to Izzy's piano lesson in A2 on time. Mission accomplished.