Balls and Vans

Dan and I went to the Winter Ball at St. Stephen's last night, which was a fund-raiser sort of thing involving dinner, dancing, and a silent auction. It was for parents and staff and friends of the school, and also for the middle and high schoolers. We got babysitters (yes it takes more than one to do my job) for the evening and I had a ton of fun! There was food and line dancing and free alcohol (something about the school not getting its liquor license in time) and dance competitions for the twist and swing dancing for which all teachers and their wives were required to participate (I have never been so grateful for the dance lessons we took right before we got married!). The pastor can actually really dance well, but even funnier was the sight of a homeschooling mom of 7 out leading the line dancing better than most of those people that get paid at those country bar/line-dancing type places. The gym was decorated in true prom style, everyone was dressed to the hilt (although I, like Jaime, opted for the warmer and less-dressed-up mode). The students came with their families, and danced with each other and with siblings and parents. The nicest thing was that people kept asking us to sit with them. I throw this in there so you all know that I am actually quite popular and not at all the geek you all so erroneously assume me to be. AND Dan and I weren't the first ones dismissed from the swing dancing contest.

Still looking for a van. I have of course decided that I want what is not possible. Ben K. can understand how this works, I am sure, since he has gone shopping with me in the past. I look around, I get this ideal in my head of what I want, I see something close to what I want but not quite, I discover that nobody actually makes exactly what I want, and I purchase nothing. Well, Dan and I have decided to see if five car seats will actually fit in our minivan, comfort or no. I drove two Sprinter vans and I hated it and everything else larger than a minivan gets about 10 miles to the gallon, so if there is any way we can keep the minivan we are going to do it.

Elena is way into buying a new van. She asked at dinner today if we were going to buy a new van tomorrow. I told her that no, we weren't. "But tomorrow afternoon, Mom?" she asked. "No," I responded firmly, "not tomorrow at all." "Oh," she said, "afternoon, then." Dan and I just looked at each other and broke out laughing. I can't wait to see what happens when she gets married.