Yesterday started out with a sweltering hour and a half walk with the fishdog. It was awesome…except for the last 10 mins. I was half-past ready to be home by then. Yesterday’s walk was brought to you by the following cans: 3 Bud Light, 3 Coors Light, 2 Miller Highlife, 1 Keystone, 1 Budweiser, and 1 Miller Lite bottle.

We came home and I spoke with Grant and confirmed we’d come to Memphis for dinner, etc. I made my handy dandy prepaid reservation via Travelocity, got the confirmation, took a shower, and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean.

What a great movie. Wow. Loved it. Want to see it again. Gina was right, the music is phenomenal. (Yes, I know…it should be…but still…I’m amazed when I hear something so powerful and appropriate)

We take the kids to their friends’ house after the movie, go home, pack, and hit the road for Memphis. We made it there in great time. Things were looking good.

Until I walked into the hotel and tried to get my room. “I’m sorry, we have no record of your reservation and we’re overbooked. You’ll have to stay somewhere else tonight.”

Wrong answer.

I explained very clearly that I was sorry they had overbooked but that I had a reservation, a confirmation (which I showed him) and I would be staying at this hotel. I didn’t care if it was a closet with a cot in it…

Keith was my guy (thank all that’s holy) and he was so nice. His boss wasn’t(boo; hiss). I explained to Keith that I would stand at the reservation desk until they had a cancellation and then I would take that room. I sent Mark to the bar and I waited. I never once lost my head and I never said anything ugly or condescending. I hate it when people do that. I told them that I understood their circumstances but that I also knew that somebody would cancel and I wanted to be first in line for that room.

Keith smiled at me–a very sweet smile and he said, “Okay, ma’am, give me a moment.”

The lobby was full of people trying to check in. I watched as Keith offered them a free night at another hotel, just to free up some space. He managed to get 10 people to accept. He came back to me, took my slip of paper, entered my information and gave me a room at half price. I only paid $50 for the room.

The night was looking up.

We meet up with all the coaches and meet some new ones, grab our boys and take them to eat at The Butcher Shop. Mercy it was a good steak…though the lads were a little disappointed they didn’t offer Fries..only baked potato.

I realized after we got to the restaurant, I left my ID back at the hotel. Now, I may be 37 but I still get carded quite often. As a matter of fact, the reason I realized I’d left my ID was that I had ordered a pitcher of beer for dinner and our wonderful waitress, Edwina, carded me. (she really was wonderful. She put up with a lot of “banter” from the lads and she played along.)

We call Karl back at the hotel and ask him to please go to the front desk. I call the front desk and speak to my new best friend, Keith. I explain what happened and ask him to please give Karl a key to my room so he can grab my ID. Keith says no problem. He remembers me and will gladly help out. I hang up thinking problem solved.

Karl calls back and says that my new worst enemy, Keith’s boss, nixed the plan. I utter a few choice words because now we have to drive the 20 mins back to the hotel to fetch my ID.

It was okay because we really didn’t miss out on anything since Beale Street is open all night long. We go to Silky O’Sullivan’s first, and order this bucket of poison. It’s called “The Diver”, and it’s the most foul thing I’ve ever tasted. They mix this concoction of beer, some liquors and I think grenadine in a giant bucket and throw in about a dozen straws for the world to share. I tasted it for the story, then quickly ordered a beer.

We didn’t stay there long because it was quite dead and frankly, all the birds were too tall for the lads. Apparently they like their women a little on the shorter side of Amazon.

So, we headed down the street to Alfred’s. Now, that was a party.

We met up with some of the other coaches from the Oxford camp, Karl and Nizzy, as well as some of the new guys. We all danced non-stop until we left between 3:30 and 4:00. We picked up two extra lads (Capt’n and Luke; great guys, btw) since Fishdog was the Designated Driver and we had the mom-mobile. They were all starved so we took them straight to Steak and Shake where we had a late night/early morning snack. My vanilla malt rocked!

Finally, I got to sleep sometime between 5 and 6 this morning. I’m working on about 1 and a half hours of “kip” as the lads say. I haven’t done that in years.

Of course, throughout the night, the lads took every opportunity to remind me how young they were at certain times in my life. It was quite annoying…I have to say. I’m not really old enough to be Grant’s mom. Technically, I could be Si’s….but frankly, I don’t think of myself as old enough…so from now on, I’m going to think of myself as their older, wiser, and much better looking sister. 🙂

“C’mon mum, you love the banter,” they kept saying.

I thought so, until I became the subject of said banter. LOL (not true. I love the banter. All of it. Well most of it. Except for the untrue banter which they will never banter about again…)

It was great fun. We said goodbye this morning, all of us moving quite sluggishly. Grant will be near Mobile, AL this week and Si will be only 40 mins from us…so we’ll get to see him later on this week.

Now, I’m dead tired. I’m hitting the bed for some much needed rest. We rockstars need our kip, you know.