Funny Guy Friday... Awwwk... warrrd...

    Funny Guy Friday is written each week by my husband Mark. So... I married a funny guy...
    Meet the awkward family. At least that is what my kids think about us this week.
    A couple of weeks ago, Matthew got invited to his buddy Ethan's birthday party. Cheryl took the call and advised Matthew that they would probably play a little poker and take a dip in the pool.  Made sense because last year they played poker for lollipops. Matthew went happily, in flip flops and shorts, carrying his bathing suit and towel. Notice that he did not have a present. Oops, I thought Cheryl had gotten it... She thought I had.
    Matthew returned a bit upset because it was not a poker and pool party; it was an air soft gun battle party. The other kids were decked out in their camouflage and dark ninja outfits. Matthew was an easy target with his white legs, and he had trouble running for cover in his flip flops.
    It was awkward... Plus... I did not have a gift!
    Welcome to the awkward family, Matthew.
    Then, last week, we were out of eggs. There is a market right down the street, within walking distance. Cheryl sent Matthew out on his bike to fetch a dozen. Noah wanted to join him, but had just recently learned to ride, so this was not a good idea. Noah was disappointed and let his feelings be known. Cheryl ushered him out of the house to work off some of his extra energy, to look for some great nature find for his discovery notebook. Off he went.
    About five minutes later, Noah walked back through the door with a dozen eggs. Cheryl asked where Matthew was, and Noah replied that he had not yet returned. This begged the question, Where did you get these eggs?
    I went to Miss Betsy's house and asked if I could buy some eggs from her. 
    Noah! You can't do that!
    What? Why not? I had twenty dollars. I told her I would pay!  
    Cheryl went up the street and returned the eggs and apologized. Miss Betsy was very kind and told Cheryl that it was not a big deal and pointed out that we have borrowed stuff before. Cheryl agreed but pointed out that we would never offer to pay!  Awwwk...warrrd!
    Then on Sunday morning, we managed to make it to the 9:35 Mass. Problem is that it started at 9:30. The church was packed, but the usher dutifully walked down the middle aisle looking for five seats together. Surprisingly, he waived us down to the third row.
    Once we made it down to the front, we noticed that there was not a lot of room, so we stood and stared at the pews while the first reading got underway. No room for five. We quickly decided we'd have to sit some behind the others... three in the third row and two in the fourth.
    Isn't it always the case, the people at the end of the pew never just scoot down, they hold their ground and make you maneuver around their knees like you're on an obstacle course. What made it worse this time was that I knew the couple that refused to yield. For a brief moment we had the problem of deciding who would sit with whom. By this time, we were halfway through the responsorial psalm.
    Once we took our seats and got situated, with the boys in front of the girls, I got a tap on the shoulder. This was way too early for the sign of the peace. Wait... this was no sign of the peace. The couple on the aisle had had a change of heart, I guess. They were offering to switch seats so the five of us could once again be reunited.
    I was caught off guard and did not immediately react. Then my friend said this was a one time offer, either move or sit down, but hurry up! Now there we were, Matthew, Noah and I, along with my friend and his wife were the only five people standing in the entire church. Fortunately, we were not sitting near the front in........the.......third.......or......fourth......row.  Awkward!
    Then on Tuesday night, Matthew had his first CCD class. We made a conscious decision to be early for the first week of class. We were so proud that we all had gotten into the car with an incredibly early start that we went in with Matthew and pointed out to the CCD coordinator that we were early.
    She was shocked, and mentioned that this was probably the first and last time we would be on time. Heck no! I assured her, We are on top of it this year. We were so happy that we went out and got ourselves a drink and a bite to eat. My brother joined us and we had a great time.
    Then at 9 o'clock, I got a text... it is 8:55 where r u?  
    What?! This couldn't be! Cheryl assured me that pick-up was at 9 pm sharp, and we were right around the corner. I had that panicky look on my face, and Cheryl said, You know, pick-up might be 8:45!  
    What? We had made such a big deal about being early and you mixed up the times! When we arrived back at the church, there was Matthew, his friend Ethan, and one of the teachers sitting on the curb waiting for us. Awkward!
    I mentioned to Ethan that it was nice of him to sit and wait with Matthew. Ethan said it was no problem. Besides, he thought that he might be able to pick up his birthday gift! Fortunately, we are on top of stuff like that and had it wrapped and ready.
   That is how the Awkward family rolls!!!!