A Moment

A couple of weeks ago, Jude, J.P. and I went to visit University School of Nashville (USN), a private school near our house that's on our list of possible schools for him to attend next year for kindergarten.  It would be a comfortable place for him, I think, as Jude and I know a few people who work at USN and J.P. has several friends in school there.  He'd need to be accepted, of course, which we won't know about until the first of the year.

Anyway, as we were touring the school and looking at the kindergarten classrooms and cubbies, J.P. suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.  "That's Victoria's cubbie," he said.  I looked inside it and, sure enough, there was a photograph of Victoria stuck on the wall inside the cubbie, above a girls' coat, books, etc.

(By way of explanation, Victoria was J.P.'s best friend at Children's House last year.  They played together on the playground every morning and afternoon.  For the most part, they were inseparable.  At times, they were like an old married couple.  In a argument one day, then back together the next day.  Victoria matriculated to USN this fall and J.P., who is a year younger, stayed at Children's House for K-Club.)

As J.P. stared into Victoria's cubbie, I saw a kindergarten class approaching in an orderly line.  I noticed Victoria walking in the line, so I called her name.  She looked up at me, then saw J.P. as he turned around.  Without saying a word, Victoria bolted from her place in line, ran to J.P., and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  J.P. didn't know what to do, but he hugged back.

Still without saying a word, Victoria let J.P. go and ran back to her place in line.  J.P. just stood there, stunned, and watched her bet back in line and walk into her classroom.  Jude and I exchanged a look and watched J.P. as he slowly came out of his reverie. 

It was "a moment." 

As we watched Victoria and J.P. hugging, time stood still, just briefly.  Everything else melted away and it was just Victoria and J.P.  In life, "moments" like that don't come along very often.  I'm not sure I knew a 5 1/2 year old could have a "moment," but J.P. sure did.  And I was there to witness it.

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A couple of days later, Jude picked up J.P. at Children's House after school.  When he got in her Honda Pilot, she asked him how his day went.  By the way he was acting, Jude could tell he hadn't had a good day. 

"What's wrong?" Jude asked.

"Alice said she won't be my friend anymore," J.P. replied.  "Why," Jude inquired?

Apparently, Alice came up to J.P. on the playground earlier that day and announced to him that he was going to marry her.  If he refused, she wasn't going to be his friend anymore. 

"I can't," J.P. said.  "I'm going to marry Victoria."  Continuing, J.P. said "you can be a bridesmaid."  That didn't sit well with Alice, of course, and she stormed off.  Women start this kind of stuff early, don't they?

Later, the children were lined up, waiting to go back inside the building, when Alice walked angrily up to J.P.

"John Patrick," Alice said, "you've got two choices.  Marry me (first choice) or my great grandfather will kill you." (second choice)  Again, women start this kind of stuff early.

J.P. took Alice literally, as is his way.  He was scared.  When Jude asked him if he really believed Alice's great grandfather would kill him, he responded "yes."  "Why?" Jude asked.  "Because he was in the war," J.P. explained.

Priceless.

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I am going to tell that story at J.P.'s rehearsal dinner, the night before he gets married.  And I am going to laugh as hard then as I did the night Jude told it to me.



Leaf Party Photos

The White family (or part of it).  

Jimdad, Joe and Great.

Matthew, Kaitlyn and J.P.

David Walker and Baby Margaret.

Baby Margaret, in action.

Finn Baines, loving the leaves.

Roseann and Jordan Maikis.  Roseann delivered J.P. and Joe, and Jude and I will be forever grateful to her for that.  As good of a doctor as she is (and she's damn good), she's a better person.

J.P.

Finn.

Joe.

The World Famous Leaf Party

It came and it went, too quickly as always.  The World Famous Leaf Party.

Troy, Cyndi and the kids (Wolf, Scout and Finn) arrived mid-afternoon Friday from Neptune Beach, Florida (by way of Atlanta).  I was tied up at work, but Jude, J.P. and Joe took them to the Nashville Zoo, where the highlight of the afternoon was petting the kangaroos.

Friday night, Cyndi and Scout drove down to Franklin to see friends.  Troy and I picked up dinner at Edley's Barbecue for the gang, then Troy left to pick up Wolf at the airport.  Wolf flew in from Jacksonville, as he was part of the homecoming court at his middle school Friday evening (as if I didn't already feel old enough).  Troy and Wolf drove to Franklin, as well, and Jude and I put J.P. and Finn to bed together on the floor in J.P.'s room on a pile of blankets, sleeping bags and pillows.  They loved it.

Saturday morning, we all went to J.P.'s basketball game at First Presbyterian Church.  He scored the first basket of his nascent basketball career on the first play of the game.  It was pretty awesome, except for the fact he somehow managed to poke himself in the eye in the process of hitting the bucket.  So, as I was clapping and cheering, he was crying.  It was kind of like when it starts to rain while the sun is shining.  In the end, the "Green Lightning Machine" won it's third game of the season to push our record to 3-0, as I remained undefeated in my career as a basketball coach.

We ran errands, rushed home and completed last minute preparations for the World Famous Leaf Party.  Our home was a beehive of activity, as Jude and Cyndi directed the rest of us in setting out the food, chairs, tables, etc.  Soon our friends and family (and their kids) arrived and the Leaf Party began in earnest.  As the kids waded into the giant pile of leaves in our front yard, the adults watched and chatted amiably.  The weather was exquisite and the Leaf Party went off without a hitch.

Late Saturday afternoon, Troy and I took the kids (sans Joe) to Rose Park.  As late afternoon turned to early evening, we played soccer and threw the frisbee.  It was especially fun when we played soccer with a large blue exercise ball that's been bouncing around my yard and garage for close to a decade (I literally don't know where it came from).  After we got home, Cyndi and I picked up dinner from Chago's Cantina and after we ate, we called in an early night and went to bed.

This morning, Cyndi and I went for a 3-mile punishment run/walk, finishing at Bongo Java, as is our custom.  Jude and Troy brought the kids down and we had a family breakfast together at my home away from home.  We went back to Rose Park for more soccer, frisbee and playground playing (for Joe), then returned home so the Baines could pack and prepare to leave.

As always, we all were a bit melancholy as I took the traditional Baines family photograph on our front porch.  J.P. and Finn, in particular, were sad and shed tears as we said our goodbyes.  Cyndi texted us a few minutes after they left, just to let us know Finn was crying and said she wanted to move here and live with us.  We felt the same way.

Another Leaf Party Weekend in the books.  It passed too quickly, but it reminded us how lucky we are to have such old and dear friends as Troy, Cyndi, Wolf, Scout and Finn.