Easter Crazies

Now, as you may (or, more probably, may not) recall, Thanksgiving is my family's holiday. Turkey, pie, football - almost a religious experience in the hands of my father.

You know what that means, right? That's right. My in-laws get Easter. An actual religious experience.

This year, Easter is going to be particularly nutty. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Normally, we'd do a little resting and relaxing, and head down to my in-laws house for some quality grandparent spoiling. But, just like everything else in my life (Ticker: Fine. Bull Riding Book: Half done), "normal" is relative. In addition to being Good Friday, tomorrow is also my hubby's birthday.

But wait! There's more! Next week is some big, fancy-pants board meeting at my hubby's company, and they want numbers - lots of numbers - to talk about. So, tomorrow - on his birthday - on Good Friday - he's going to work. No in-law love, no rest, no relaxation. Just another day at the office. As Saturday will be as well.

I'm doing my part to make him feel better about his drudgery. I'm going to take my kid down to my Gram's for lunch. I love my Gram. Lots. And she's still a force to reckon with at 94. But sometimes, that reckoning can take a lot out of a guy. So he's going to go to work, confident that it could be worse, and I'm going to Gram's.

I'm hoping - HOPING - to make it to my in-laws' at some point before bedtime on Saturday. It's Easter, dang it. If my mother-in-law doesn't get the chance to send my kid into fits of giggles by savagely devouring Peeps, I'm not sure the world will continue spinning on its axis. (You should see her. She's an animal!)(In the best way possible!)

Another change we'll be making this year involves church. Now, I know that for most people, Easter is a church-given. Non-negotiable.

I am not 'church' people. Never have been, probably never will be. I search for the wonder of a Higher Power in the beauty of a blooming magnolia, the joy in my kid's giggling, and the hope in the letters we get from the young Filipino girl we sponsor. I don't do church. I do faith and spirituality, but not church.

Luckily, my in-laws like me anyway.

The last time we dropped our kid off with them for a Mom-and-Dad break, they took him to church, which is totally fine. And you know what? He liked it! Who knew a three year old would enjoy services? Every time we drove past a church here at home, we heard about going to church with Grandma and Grandpa.

So, this year, I decided we'd go with my in-laws to Easter service. Why not, right? It's only one of the most important Christian holidays around. And it's good that he knows there's more to the holiday than Peeps.

So we'll get there late, go to church, eat steak (no, I don't know why. That's just what the in-laws are fixing, and I'm gonna eat them!), and come home.

It's going to be an especially crazy version of the holiday this year. But that's okay. As long as we get to do it, it will all work out.

Happy Easter!