Quite A Character

For weeks now, I've had a blank social calendar. Not much going on. No invites for any member of the family. And then--BLAMMO! It feels like everything in the world all converges on one day.

Next Saturday, we have been invited to:

Run in the first 5K that's ever taken place in our neighborhood with proceeds benefitting our church;

Attend a "cream cheese party" (yes, I am serious) hosted by a friend in which participants sample holiday goodies made out of a certain brand of cream cheese which in turn showers the partiers with freebies and product coupons;

Attend the fifth birthday party of the daughter of our dear friends in Louisville;

Eat dinner at Jason's boss's house; and...

Watch our own lovely daughter make her dramatic debut in her school drama club's musical (Grade School Musical: Beyond The No Character Zone!)

Unfortunately the timing and importance of the last item trumps everything earlier in the list except for the 5K, which is the thing I would most like to have a really good reason not to do. (Oh, let's be honest: dinner with the boss is worse.) I mean, I like to run, but this is November, and running in gloves and a scarf isn't so much on my list of favorite activities. (Though I have been known to jog on Turkey Day morning just to have an excuse to carb-load later in the day.)

The kid and her drama club have been practicing for weeks now. Ains does not have a speaking part, but is part of the ensemble, and so far as I can tell is exceedingly dedicated to being in the chorus line. At random times this weekend I caught her back in her room with her practice CD for the show playing while she goes over her moves.

"Ahhh! Wait, I messed that up!" I would hear her say, and she would backtrack and make sure her hands were in the air at the appropriate musical cue. She's quite serious about all this. I have no idea where she gets either her perfectionism or her desire to be on stage.

We have a full week of daily after-school dress rehearsals in front of us which may quell some of her enthusiasm, but I can't help but think that the drama bug has bitten and once she hits all of her cues and hears the applause Saturday it's going to be a done deal: she'll be a drama diva for life.

Which means a lot more weekends spent watching grade school musicals.

If you've ever had the privilege of watching young kids attempt to sing and act, you know that even dinner with the boss might be a better gameplan for a November Saturday night.