The Non-Essential Adventures of D'Art

Tonight my wife was supposed to go to the movies with her friend Amy.  It was billed as a “girls night.” I was instructed that I got a night with the kids while she hit the town.  OK, maybe not the town, but the AMC.  So I was just hanging out in my finest “do nothing, sit around the house” clothes when our friend Dawn arrived.  I said something to Kellie along the lines of, “Hey Dawn’s here,  she must have just stopped by on her way home from work.”  Kellie smiled.  After some chit chat with Dawn, Kellie looked at me and told me to get dressed. 

Surprise.  It’s Date Night!  It would be me that she was going out with tonight, and not Amy.  Dawn was our evening babysitter.  WHAT?!?!  I was blindsided.  I LOVE MY WIFE!  She’s the best!

She makes me smile.  She challenges me to dream.  She is my love.  She is amazing.  She is my best friend.  She is patient.  She is gentle.  She is loved.  She is beautiful.  She is sexy.  She is mine.  She is a a mother.  She is a daughter.  She is passionate.  She is brilliant.  She is awesome.  She is understanding.  She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  And I love her with everything that is within me.    She is incredible.

Friday afternoon, I received word that my parents had been involved in a Motorcycle accident.  It appears that an elderly lady was making an illegal left turn.  My dad wasn’t able to avoid the collision so his Motorcycle hit her car at about 45mph.  The impact threw both my parents off the bike and knocked them unconscious.  Thankfully they were both wearing their helmets. 

My mom was treated and released from the Hospital with some bumps and bruises and a pretty nasty case of road rash on her elbow.  She’ll be just fine, but it’s going to take some time, she is still pretty sore, and rightly so.  

My dad was admitted to the Hospital, and spent a couple of days in the ICU.  He’s going to be alright, but he is battling a ruptured spleen and a bad concussion.  He has been moved to a non-ICU room and is doing better as of last report.  I know he’ll be fine because before we left he quipped, “At least now I can get that new Motorcycle I’ve been wanting.”  Same ole’ dad, same bad humor.

Nine years ago today, I somehow found my way right into the middle of a divine miracle. I witnessed something that nine years later still blows my mind. On August 28th, 1999. Kellie Smith said “I do.” To ME!! If that doesn’t qualify as a modern miracle, I’m not sure I can believe in miracles.

Thanks you Kellie for nine incredible years. I love you.

We don’t get to the movies much as a family.  In fact the last movie that we went to see in a movie theater as a family was Cars.  And that was because it was at the dollar theater. Movies are just to expensive.  With the money it takes to buy tickets, drinks and popcorn, I could have paid for 2 years of Community College!

 Just a couple of weeks ago Kellie was out of town and the kids were at my parents house, I didn’t have to work, so I headed to the Regal Cinemas.  I was going to catch The Dark Knight.  I went early in the day, as not to waste an entire day off.  I remember standing in line at 2:30 waiting to buy a ticket.  The next showing was at 3:05, no problem.  It was then I noticed that the “Matinee” pricing stopped at 3:00.  WHAT?!?!  What a ripoff!  I left the line.  And still haven’t seen The Dark Knight. 

I say all of that to say this.  Today we were walking by our local AMC theater and out of curiosity I wanted to see what was playing.  Wall-E!  Sweet, the kids would love that.  Now I’m not sure if this applies to all AMC theaters but our theater pricing is $5 all day Monday through Thursday and until 4pm on Friday.  I was blown away.  So for $20 our whole family watched Wall-E toady.

Goodbye Regal, Hello AMC.