Call Me Irresponsible

Last week was the first week of classes and I did a great job showing up and getting back into a scholarly frame of mind. But then conference weekend hit, and S-Boogie's spring break, and my routine has been all out of whack. Plus my parents came to town on Saturday evening and left today, so I've just been throwing responsibility out the window and skipping class like a crazy freshman.

My mom and dad flew in on Saturday evening; we stopped by Ikea on the way to the airport because the kids were so excited to see them and I knew waiting around our house would be torture. Thankfully Mr. Fob and I made it out of the store without spending too much money, and we all got a yummy dinner that I didn't have to cook. My parents called to inform us of their arrival right after we had left the store and were on our way to the airport to get them, so our timing was excellent. Sunday we watched conference and feasted. First we had a yummy brunch of crepes with a variety of fillings, and then for dinner I made salmon cakes with mango salsa. I love having people come visit so I can cook fun things for them to eat. After conference in the afternoon we drove out to a nearby wetland area to walk around and look at birds. It was a bit warmer than I had expected, but we saw many interesting birds, bugs, and plants. Sunday night we also had a family home evening together and ate delicious Florida Pie for our treat. Oh, and after the kids were in bed we played Scrabble and I actually managed to beat Mr. Fob for once.

Monday was a low-key day and I did manage to go to both my classes like a responsible student. The kids also spent some time on the playground with Grandma and Grandpa and did fun Easter crafts with Grandma. We ran a few errands and had an afternoon treat at the frozen yogurt store. My parents spoiled us by doing things like washing our car, making us dinner, and buying us fresh flowers. It's nice to be spoiled. Tuesday was our big, long crazy day. We got up early and headed down to the Jelly Belly factory, because if you don't get there early you have to wait in line for a very long time. The kids were fascinated by all the cool machines and loved their free jellybean samples. We've done the tour a few times and so far it hasn't gotten old. After that we drove down to Oakland to go to a cool space center/planetarium. Along the way we stopped for lunch, and I made a poor choice of exit that yielded few good restaurant options. We drove around for a while before deciding on IHOP, which was a bad idea because the service was lousy and food was mediocre. We finally made it to the planetarium and had a great time. There were exhibits to look at, things to play with (even a real microscope), and cool movies to watch. The kids loved it. After that we spent almost an hour driving in circles around Oakland because I thought it would be easy to stop by and see the temple, but hadn't brought a good enough map. Thankfully we eventually found it, and at that moment the rain stopped and the clouds parted (literally) and we got a gorgeous view of San Francisco and the bay. It was worth the detour. That was also the point where I realized I would not make it home for my evening class and that I didn't care (even though the class is only once a week). Then today I skipped my other class in order to eat In-n-Out on the way to the airport to see my parents off.

I do feel a bit guilty about skipping classes, especially the one that is only once a week. But I also believe in finding balance in our lives and that sometimes it is more important to create memories with the ones you love. I didn't get a chance to listen to a lot of conference this weekend, but I did hear a lot that spoke to me about choosing priorities and taking advantage of opportunities to strengthen family ties. I don't plan to make blatant irresponsibility a habit this quarter, but yesterday and today it was worth it.