It had been a busy day for me. I am helping with a stake production and we held auditions that morning and afternoon. Then we had scheduled youth video interviews later in the afternoon, also for the production. When I returned home, I made some texts reminding ward choir members of our early morning rehearsal that would take place the next morning. I went over to the home where the group was having dinner and snapped a few pictures then Matthew and I attended the General Women's Broadcast. I loved seeing the girls in the Homecoming group enter the building to watch the Broadcast wearing their modest and beautiful dresses. After the Broadcast, the group went to the dance and I headed home. I made an omelet and toast for Matthew and I and then I practiced the song that the choir would be singing in church. I remember looking at the clock at 10 o'clock and I thought that it would be OK if I sat down and watched the news with Matthew until 10:30 at which time I would get up, clean up the kitchen, and get things ready for the group of kids that would be coming over at 11:15 after the dance. I had gone to the store the day before and purchased items to make french bread pizzas, smoothies, and ice cream sundaes. At 10:15 we heard some noises out front and Matthew got up to check and announced, "They are here". I quickly answered, "No, they are not here. The dance does not end until 11!" Only, they were at my house--an hour earlier then expected. The dance ended at 10, not 11, and in walked a crowd of hungry kids to a kitchen with the lights out, the omelet dishes on the counter, no fragrant candle lit, no cups and plates out, no food ready, and a woman scurrying around the kitchen. It is tougher to make things in the kitchen when you have a group of kids surrounding the counter. I needed a cutting board, a knife, paper plates, cups, etc., and I had to ask people to move out of the way so I could open each drawer. Matthew helped me quickly make pizzas and smoothies, and then we got out the ice cream sundae fixings. I assume that Matthew knows where things are in the kitchen and how to do things the way I want them done, and in my haste, I was bossy and impatient with him and I apologized afterwards.
What was I thinking not checking the dance ticket Logan had purchased to confirm the ending time of the dance? What was I thinking sitting down to watch the news before I had everything all ready?
In the grand scheme of things, this really doesn't matter. The kids were fed. They visited while they waited and they probably did not notice the dirty dishes, but I learned a few lessons:
#1--I am really hard on myself. I have expectations of how an event is going to be and this event did not go as planned and I beat myself up over this. I am not mad about the dance ending earlier than I had expected--I am only mad at myself for sitting down before the preparations were complete.
#2--I need to be better at laughing at myself and I need to be more flexible. My routine and preparation each day can be an asset, or it can be a burden and a whip.
#3--I need to focus on the good things that happened, and not the bad. Yes, I was late on the preparations, but the joy of the evening was seeing them all together and hearing them play games, visit and laugh.
They were very appreciative and I smiled as if everything had gone as planned.
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