As I put my head d pm down on the pillow, a joint sigh of relief was heard in the bedroom.“Well, we made it there and back,” I said.“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” John answered.We had just returned from taking our seven children plus Patrick’s friend, Tommy, on a five-day trip to Washington, D.C., for my sister’s wedding.I’ve been told that I’m and Occasion Person, someone who makes every occasion an Occasion. Certainly a family wedding qualified as an occasion to make and Occasion.My expectations for this trip were very high. I had planned and plotted each detail for over a month. I wanted the trip to be fun, educational, and most of all memorable. I wanted things to run smoothly.Every day for weeks before, I had conversations with Johnny and Mike about their behavior , particularly in church, so they wouldn't spoil Mary Pat's wedding, Crabbing and hanging onto Mom were not allowed.I had a picture in my mind of how everyone should dress for every event. I even wrote a list of who would wear what when.You're right. Things didn't go quite as I had planned.But all in all, things went as smoothly as you could expect for two adults who spent the whole trip counting to nice. (Our original eight companions were increased to nine on the second day, when Omaha cousin Molly joined our entourage.)The event the children most likely will remember is the aroma of the plane trip, when air sickness became a popular in-flight pastime.On the takeoff, Peter, the baby, had a takeoff of his own, which landed all over me. Colleen performed on both takeoff and landing, but she managed to hit the air sickness receptacle provided by the airlines.Patrick wasn't so lucky. Or maybe I should say 2-year-old Mike wasn't.As we began out descent into Washington, Patrick, who was holding Mike, plopped down in an empty seat to have a better view of the monuments.The nice gentleman in the adjoining seat engaged Patrick in a conversation."Do you plan on seeing all the sights while you are in Washington?""Yes," Patrick said. "I just hope I feel better when I get there.""Oh, I hope you do, too. There's so much to see."Patrick agreed, and then immediately deposited his in-flight snack all over himself and Mike, creating a crown effect on Mike's hair.Mike probably felt like a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he maintained his composure. He promptly fell asleep after the steward gingerly set him back in his seat for the landing.Maureen especially will remember everyone getting back to the hotel from sightseeing a mere 40 minutes before it was time to leave for the wedding.After a rapid round of baths, shampoos and hair-drying, we discovered that Maureen had gum stuck on both of her ears and in her hair.After unsuccessfully trying to comb it out, I tried pulling it out. That resulted in a hunk of hair in my hand, a lot of tears on Maureen's face, and a wad of gum still in her hair.
I sent Colleen off to get scissors from one of my sisters who was also staying in the hotel. She came back with nail clippers, which worked just as well.
After that crisis. I was hurriedly attempting to curl Maureen's hair when I burned her forehead with the curling iron. At that point, I decided that gum looked just fine on her.
Many scenes will always stand out in my memory: Mary Pat entering the church, looking radiant and beautiful in the dress my mother wore 41 years before; all my three brothers and four sisters at the reception; the thrill Machaela felt at the Smithsonian Institution when she saw the ruby shoes Dorothy wore in "The Wizard of Oz"; my family standing at the Jefferson Memorial while John read and explained Thomas Jefferson's words on freedom and liberty inscribed on the marble.
I've been wanting to buy new dining room chairs for a long time. Maybe if we hadn't taken this trip I could have purchased them.
But instead of chairs, I have all my memories. I know I can't sit on memories, but I can hold them in my heart. And if throughout their lives my children feel a time tinge of joy each time our visit to Washington is reminisced, it will have been worthwhile.
May 22, 1985
I sent Colleen off to get scissors from one of my sisters who was also staying in the hotel. She came back with nail clippers, which worked just as well.
After that crisis. I was hurriedly attempting to curl Maureen's hair when I burned her forehead with the curling iron. At that point, I decided that gum looked just fine on her.
Many scenes will always stand out in my memory: Mary Pat entering the church, looking radiant and beautiful in the dress my mother wore 41 years before; all my three brothers and four sisters at the reception; the thrill Machaela felt at the Smithsonian Institution when she saw the ruby shoes Dorothy wore in "The Wizard of Oz"; my family standing at the Jefferson Memorial while John read and explained Thomas Jefferson's words on freedom and liberty inscribed on the marble.
I've been wanting to buy new dining room chairs for a long time. Maybe if we hadn't taken this trip I could have purchased them.
But instead of chairs, I have all my memories. I know I can't sit on memories, but I can hold them in my heart. And if throughout their lives my children feel a time tinge of joy each time our visit to Washington is reminisced, it will have been worthwhile.
May 22, 1985
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