MDO

Had another Mom's Day Out. It started off with our four-family garage sale. My goal was to get rid of all the stuff I don't want to move. If it didn't sell, it was bound for the Goodwill drop-off. By mid-morning, we closed up shop because of the heat (and because we had better things to do) and the guys made a quick trip to unload the leftover junk at the donation spot. It wasn't the highest-grossing sale we've ever had, but just as satisfying as any. Here is my happy list of things I'll never see again:

*Kevin's ancient golf clubs
*All my unworn clothing
*Our old jogging stroller
*Two unused baby gates
*The rocking chair I bought at a garage sale and sanded but never painted
*Two artificial Christmas trees
*Our pet fish
*Some unused toys

Ahhhhhhhh! It is so nice to get rid of stuff. And all our proceeds went to the Poor Box at church, so it was for a worthy cause.

After the sale, and a long, cool shower, I left to meet my friend for lunch. We chose BJ's. On previous MDOs, I've dined solo on seafood at an outdoor patio; shared Vietnamese food with a friend in a little hut off Eastern Avenue; and munched In & Out Burger from the Drive Thru in Kevin's Ford Explorer. So you can see my experiences are diverse.

At BJ's, I requested a booth, and they put us up in a gigantic semi-circle with a good view of the largest TV screen in the place. This enabled us to eat our fish & chips and drink our beer with a view of World Cup Soccer. Did you hear me right? Doesn't that sound more like a guy's day out than a mom's? I think that's why we liked it so much. And we sat there for three long, beautiful hours. We discussed faith, parenting, current events, and education - stopping only to try to catch the vital moments in the soccer game which the US eventually lost to Ghana, sadly.

This MDO turned into a joint venture, and I enjoyed that. I needed a friend with me more than I needed solitude this time. So before the end of the day, we meandered through Target, Trader Joe's, and The District (for a long stop at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) before landing at Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's new movie Knight and Day. I finished up with a late-night grocery spree and went home to my husband.