Every weekend from here on out is busy starting with the one after Thanksgiving and I’m not even a “black Friday” participant. The weekend after Thanksgiving Day is reserved for making ginger bread houses, followed by a Thanksgiving meal with my husband’s family. Then life starts roaring down the other side of the roller coaster from there.
This year I’ll take my daughters to see the PNB’s Nutcracker for the first time. It’s the farewell season for the Maurice Sendak sets. I saw it when I was in college the year it came out; it seems only fitting for my daughters to see it the year it’s leaving.
There is also the plethora of other things to attend: Our favorite band, Erwilian’s annual Christmas concert; my husband’s car club’s Christmas dinner; his cousin’s party to see the Christmas ship. Plus there is almond roca to make, pack, and dole out, as well as the grandmothers’ yearly family calendar to put together.
It’s an exhausting schedule to say the least; one in which I feel blessed to have because it means we have friends and family with whom to celebrate this joyous season. My issue isn’t with all the holiday events, it’s the addition of other activities I resent.
I have jury duty – again. I’ve never known anyone who has been called to jury duty as many times as me. This will be the sixth or seventh time in the 22 years I’ve been married. It will be the 4th time I’ve actually served.
The years when my children were young, I was excused because, being a stay-at-home mom, I did not have a budget for daycare. However, the second one I served on, my children were toddlers and my mother was living with us at the time. I have to say it was one of the worst experiences of my life. It was a flashback of unproductive, company meetings I thought I had escaped by becoming a stay-at-home mom.
I know people who have said jury duty was the best experience of their lives and they’re now “besties” (BFFs, bosom buddies, compadres) with all the people they served. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever.
God willing, when I call in on Sunday night there will be no cases for the next morning.
They say jury duty is selected randomly. I don’t buy it. I know people who are in their 60s and have only been called once if at all. I think it’s like answering surveys, once you reply to one, they have your number and you become inundated with surveys; both phone and mail.
During one of the breaks at the first jury I served on, I called my doctor’s office to get test results. I found out I was indeed pregnant with my first daughter. It was happy news, and although this wasn’t the time of my worst experience on jury duty, it is a strong memory that has marked one of my jury experiences.
I think it’s only fair, since I found out I was pregnant with my oldest daughter on my first jury duty service and I’m taking that now almost-20-year old to see the last performance of the Maurice Sendak Nutcracker, this should be my last time on jury duty. I’m pretty sure the courts won’t see my side of it, but I’ve surely made it to the bottom of the roller coaster by now.
So to end on a happier note, here are Erwilian’s Christmas concert dates:
Sunday 12/7 – 2:00-3:00 – Kent Library (free)
Saturday 12/13 – 1:00-2:30 – Covington Library (free)
Saturday 12/20 – 7:00-9:30 – First EPC, 19800 108th Ave SE, Kent, WA 98055 – $15, online sales only, erwilian.com
Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. She is hoping she’s heading up the other side of the roller coaster very soon. You can also read more of her writing and her daily blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com or on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.” Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Lifestyles section.
