Jessica Moe

Well, Sunday was the last day of our long weekend and since we weren’t really able to do anything knock-your socks off fun this weekend (like mountain climbing or dirt bike riding) because Issa was feeling super poopie (the head cold thingie took over on Saturday and he spent most of the day on the sofa with his boo-boo face on, with the exception of going out to dinner with some friends from Issa’s work)….I decided that I was going to make the man get a little fresh air and sun since he is confined to his office all week and since it would undoubtedly make him feel better.

So, Saturday night we planned that on Sunday we would go to breakfast and wing it for the most part….we woke up early, and Issa decided that he wanted to get a run in first, since he was feeling better.  I agreed to accompany him to the gym, and while we were in there he got roped into watching Wimbledon.  I took my time getting ready as the game went on and on…it was actually quite exciting…but before I knew it we had spent most of the day indoors and then we went to brunch and that, too, was indoors…

Next on the agenda we were going to see the Hulk, but since the sun was still out, I decided that I would rather check out Irvine Park in the city of Orange. I had heard about it being pretty fun, but I didn’t know anything about it really and then as I was flipping through our Entertainment book, I found some coupons for paddle boats and bicycle rentals…and I delicately approached Issa with the notion. 

Well, he wasn’t happy and he right away began to complain. He was upset that I had thrown a wrench in his idea of how the day would go and he protested up a storm, but being the excellent and supportive husband that he is, he stifled his irritation and begrudgingly navigated the car in the direction of the park. Mind you, he didn’t speak the entire time….and trust me, when he saw that he had to pay 5.00 to enter the park he nearly lost it.  Once we were in the park, though, we had to work together and find a parking space because it was CR-OW-DED. That got him talking….

Then, I decided that to loosen him up, I would buy us two tickets on the old fashioned train that takes you around the whole park…he rolled his eyes and I was a little nervous that it wasn’t going to go well. “What if this is a bust?,” I thought to myself….but I slapped on my excited face and as soon as the miniature choo-choo rolled in and we boarded…he was like a different person.  The soothing ride, the breeze, the conductors jokes…he instantly softened and I was soo happy. 

With a cooperative hubby, I decided to ramp up the fun and rent a bike…a bike built for two…side-by-side….ohhh yeaaah.  Like a sport, Mr. Man hopped on and away we went, for an hour…up hill and down hills…seemed like more ups than downs, and we had a blast.

I can’t tell you how awesome it was to see him happy. It was such a nice departure from our usual local activities….and more than that, it felt so good to work together…to use all of our strength together and pedal ourselves up the hills….to know that when the hills got too steep, he would jump off and push while I would steer and pedal….and to know that there is no way I would take that steep hill soo fast with no brakes unless he was there, and I could be confident that in addition to making me brave, he would also keep me safe. 

By the end of the hour, even though it was late afternoon, we were both sweaty, hot, and sore and exhausted…and ready to cool off.   You will recall that Issa had been initially upset that we weren’t going to go and see The Hulk, we decided that there wasn’t any reason that we couldn’t.  Plus, I had promised him a frozen coke if he would just be a good boy–hee hee…..so we rushed to the mall, and caught an earlyish showing…The movie was so-so…but the company was FANTASTIC.

All in all it was a very good day, and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to spend time with Mr. Grumpy Pants. MWAH!