Week #9 - Mommy Break #9: "Turn Down for What"
It's a new month! That means a new set of Mommy Breaks! I kicked off the month with a really great time!
As exhausting as motherhood can be, every blue moon I also get reminded that in addition to my children wearing me out, I am no "spring chicken" and am really approaching a new decade. This week's mommy break was a faithful reminder of just that when I attended a bachelorette party for a dear friend of mine. I was super excited about the bachelorette party... open bar of cocktails, great company, rooftop bars.
Our first stop was Aire at the Hyatt Centric, a really nice spot in the heart of the loop. Great ambiance, great views and great food. After a few "Monroe Mules" and appetizers, we transitioned to the London House. Many of the girls in our party were smart enough to pack flip flops to give their feet a break. Not me! I was naive enough to believe that I didn't need to be too comfortable because we were just going to uber everywhere. So not only did I not pack flip flops, I didn't even choose a purse that would be conducive to carrying some with me. I would regret this whole line of reasoning in about an hour. We arrived at London House to be greeted by a pretty extensive waiting line. Fortunately, one of the girls who was in our party knew the door man and allowed us to circumvent the line completely to a reserved area of the lounge. Can you say "favor"? AT this point of the evening it is about 12:30AM and I am feeling great, not a mommy worry in site. In fact, if someone had even alluded to wrapping up the evening I would have channeled my inner Lil Jon and yelled "Turn Down For What?"
We are concluding a couple of rounds of "Never Have I Ever", more moscow mules and a celebratory lemon drop shot when we all come to consensus that it is too early (2:00AM) to end the evening and we should find a club to end it on a dancing note. One of the party members offers an idea to WALK to a club to do just that. She reassured everyone that it was a short walk and not worth taking a cab or an uber (Says the girl with the comfortable flats). I slip on my shoes and if my feet could talk they would have said "What do you think you are doing?". I decide to suck it up and start the walk. At this point, my feet pretty much feel like they are ready to commit suicide. We get separated from the other half of the group and decide to sit down and wait for them to catch up.
SIDE BAR: I quickly remember the golden rule that when your feet hurt, you never stop for an extensive amount of time and you dare not take off your shoes until you get to your final destination because that may be the end.
Fast forward 20 minutes later, and we reconnect with our missing girls, and start the other half of the walk. At this point, I resemble a person who has had too much to drink. Not because I was that inebriated but because I could not walk and needed my girlfriends shoulder for support. As we rounded the corner to a popular club area, we are surrounded by security guards, armed plained clothes offers and droves of drunk people. It was in this very moment that I had my reality check for the evening: NICOLE YOU ARE TOO OLD FOR THIS, YOU ARE NOT 22 ANYMORE. It was quite hilarious because all of us looked at each other simultaneously and declared the evening was over. So not only did we just walk a half a mile to go dance, we don't dance, and my feet are pretty much dancing off of me.
