For the third Thursday in a row, I spent the evening hanging out and eating dinner with my parents. While I'm sure for most of you this is no big deal because you either a) have a decent relationship with your parents and eating dinner and spending time with them is nothing out of the norm for you or b) couldn't care less about your own relationship with your parents, let alone someone elses.... this happens to be a semi-big deal for me, given my relationship with my parents in the past. At this point, I have pretty much become that stereotypical person that ends up moving out of their parents house because they can't seem to get along with them and then after living on their own for a while, become increasingly close to their parents.
Yes, that is me....and if you asked me a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago what my relationship with my parents would be like, I certainly wouldn't have been able to come up with anything like this.
Anyways...
I drove over to my parents house tonight thinking that we'd be making our monthly trip to Costco for bulk paper products, cases of water and juice, and economy sized buckets of scoopable kitty litter (because sophie sure has become a little shit machine [as Tom loves to call her.]) Instead, when my dad came up the stairs with his Players Club Card for the MGM Grand casino, I knew our trip to Costco was out the window. My mom immediately grabbed her "casino purse" and players club card and out the door we went. Since I'm a day away from payday, my parents had to spot me some money, so we had to make a quick stop at the atm....and then we were off.
I did not come home a winner tonight. At least not in the monetary sense. However, I did have a pretty fun time with my parents....and I'd like to think they had fun too. I have to say I enjoy seeing my mom smile, instead of being so stressed out from her job and my dad. And, it was kind of nice to be able to spend time with my dad and not have to worry about him blowing up at anyone. He was actually pretty cool the whole night. He stood behind me at the slot machines cheering me on and asked me how I was doing if he was on his own machine. He even sat next to me and talked to me during dinner when we ate at the fabulous buffet. I couldn't believe that one....
It was a fun night...and I just felt the need to document it. You know, since it doesn't happen all that often. I just wish Steph didn't have classes on Thursday nights so all four of us could go out and have fun (now that she's 21 hehehe)