Off to Crownsville we went, all giddy with the expectation of crossing off items on our personal 'Renaissance To Do list". Sailor wanted to eat a turkey leg or two, Pixy wanted her hair braided, Banshee wanted to take a picture with Queen Katherine, and I wanted to look at getting some new shoes for my pregnant-sized feet. (Yes, they are all kinds of swollen now.) It was exciting to know that this year, the girls would really get to enjoy the whole thing and take part in it.
We decided to get both girls' hair braided and then immediately off for a ride on the elephants. The girls looked like two cute Renaissance maidens with their hair in braids and escorted for a ride by their father. Nevermind that the ride actually lasted all of one minute--they were on an elephant for goodness sake! It was nice to catch the Sailor smiling from ear to ear, as he bounced along on the elephant's back. We all needed this break from the craziness in our lives (the move is only a week away. Did I mention it is the same week as the first week of school? Yeah.)
From there, we went off to grab some lunch, after a quick stop at the Reptile Museum. The girls got to hold a snake and pet it: "Ooh, you're a nice girl, aren't you snaky?" Yes, that really did come out of my children's mouths. The snake's handler was very impressed by their bravery, to which he was told, "We've wanted a snake for a long time, but we just don't have the room at home." Really? Fill me in on the exact moment I said that, girls? Lunch was lots of fun, as we ate at a table with some revelers dressed in their renaissance gear. They were so into their roles, that it was interesting to see how the girls interacted with them. I have to say that they did well for their first time hearing and interpreting Renaissance speech. Go girls!
That was a couple things taken off our personal lists, just a couple more to go! We caught a couple shows, bought some magic wands for the girls, and I got to look at shoes. I swear the only shoe that I have been able to tolerate during pregnancy, is made at a store in the Renn Fair. Medieval Moccasins makes the most comfortable shoes ever! I use them all year round and honestly, it is time for a new pair, as my maroon shoes are a little lighter in color. They still look great but come on! I can so use another pair. I looked at all the colors and couldn't make a decision, but this gives me a chance to go out to the Fair again. HAHA!
I didn't get to revel in my plan too long, as I looked down and saw that my three year old was not smiling and not happy. Great! This experience has been too much for her, despite the fair not being too overcrowded or noisy. I looked at the Sailor and saw that he had noticed too. We all stopped our walk so we could ask Banshee what was wrong. As she put it, very simply "We haven't seen Queen Katherine to take a picture with her yet." After a promise that we wouldn't leave without finding her, we kept walking through the grounds(which promise you a workout) to take in the sights. Finally, as we were nearing the entrance...our salvation! King Henry and Queen Katherine were standing right in front of us inviting the children to come take pictures. "Banshee!! Look!! There they are!", Pixy shouted. The girls ran to the wonderful actors and curtsied, to which I received kudos on teaching them courtly manners. Yeah, baby! I rock!! They took their picture and the day was saved. I want to say that the Sailor and I high-fived 80s style, but I am sure he is going to deny everything, so I will just say that we were happy that all had turned out well.
In the car, after a requisite visit to the Privies, we all shared our simple joy of the day; a new routine since Banshee attended Kennedy Krieger. Sailor said, "My simple joys were that I got to eat yummy food and spend lots of QT (quality time) with all of you." Pixy said, "My simple joy was getting an elephant ride with Banshee and sharing a frozen lemonade." Banshee said, " My simple joy was everything today. It was special." Finally, when it came my turn to share, I wasn't sure that I knew what my simple joy was. The whole day had been wonderful! The weather was perfect, the crowd was great, we got to check off our to-dos while at the fair...I honestly didn't know what it was. As we drove home, I kept mulling things over and looking for my simple joy of the day. I didn't find it until we were on our driveway. "Eureka! I know what my simple joy is!", I called out. "My simple joy is that all day today, we were all smiling and happy. No tears, no sadness, no tiredness....just pure and simple joy." The car was extremely quiet. I looked back and....everyone had fallen asleep. Go figure! That's ok though, I know what my simple joy for today was and it is just fine. But if they ask me tomorrow what it is, I am going to say getting hit on by that saucy knight, hands down! Yes! Mama wins this round!
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