We haven’t had dinner with the Crumps in 2 weeks.  I say this to explain my lack of posting.  My husband and I have dined with Mr. Crump twice since Easter.  The Mrs has been out of town or unavailable.  Now while I could still post about our dinner’s with dad, they are never as juicy as when his mom is involved.  Not sure why that is, but the sparks rarely fly when only his dad is around.  Perhaps this Wednesday we will get back on schedule.

So hold onto your beanies!  

I suppose better late, than not at all…. 

Easter lunch was yummy.  My husband and I first attended church with my mother.  Not the most exciting worship service, but I do enjoy seeing the people I grew up with.  After the service we headed to Lakeside Country Club for lunch with the Crumps and my mother Haun.  We had a short wait, and were then seated.  The last two years the Crumps made reservations for us to sit in the main ballroom, but this year my husband’s mom decided she would rather be in the main lobby area which has a lovely view of the golf course and pond.  Now while this location should have been great, my husband felt the need to explain to his mom how shocked he was at her choice to have us seated there and how the ballroom is WAY better.  A short bicker ensued, but soon ended after his mother explained this was her favorite spot at the club and I gave him the “please stop now” look!  We are not suppose to argue on Easter for Christ sake :)

Our 5 month old son started to get fussy, so it wasn’t the calm and relaxing lunch that we had planned for. But all in all the day was great and the company is always enjoyable.  Mrs Crump sent home a nice treat basket for my daughter, and also gave my mother a small gift as well.

So, maybe next year it will be back to the ballroom.

April 4, 2012

Alright here we go!

Last night I had dinner with the Crumps.  It was of course Wednesday!  Momma, Pappa, my hubby and baby Crump.  I came home from work, and it was right back out the door for a 6:30 dinner at Pappas Seafood.  Love that seafood! To start things off right we were 20 minutes late meeting his parents, who thankfully didn’t seem to mind since some lady who apparently knew me, but whom I was clueless about recognizing, was sitting at our table chatting it up when we arrived.  She went on and on for several minutes about how cute our baby was, and how our recent wedding was a smash (all the while, we were standing).  I thanked this mysterious women and she eventually allowed us to sit down, at our table, in our chairs…hmf!  The waiter was prompt and before long we were slurping down drinks and chomping on oysters on the ½ shell, and boiled shrimp.  Note, that neither of which I care to put in my mouth.  This sentiment is also felt by father Crump.  So he and I just watched as momma and hubby Crump smothered them in horseradish and cocktail sauce.

Dinner started off with a bang early as my husband asked his mother about resolving a financial obligation she had previously agreed to handle for him.  She fired back that she had never said any such thing.  This of course didn’t go over well and in true Crump fashion sparked a verbal lashing from my husband to his mother.  Now in most families, children would never dream of barking back at their parents in such a manner, but these are the Crumps, and the Crumps like to vent their dislikes or frustrations so to clear the air and bring about harmony once again. Painful as it is for the bystander, or daughter-in-law, it is just how they do things. And while I’ve been exposed to this type of family dynamic for almost 3 years I still find myself squirming while it’s going on.  Or at times a good chuckle when I look over and see father Crump shaking his head in sarcastic disbelief. 

Baby Crump didn’t seem to like it either, and started to get fussy in his car seat.  So he got a pass to come out and play, and we passed him around the table to keep him entertained.  He finally landed in momma Crumps lap and that is where he sat through most of dinner. 

After the meals were done, baby was passed to his father who decided it would be fun to entertain the tables around us with a spontaneous table dance from baby Crump.  So up on the table top he went to shake his rumpus, against his will.  But when you are 5 months old you aren’t too worried about these things and so the giggles and smiles from strangers and passerby’s bring a smile to your face.  Once baby Crump came down from the table top he was propped on his dads shoulder for some relaxation.  But apparently he was a little more shaken and stirred than normal and felt it a good time to relieve his stomach pressure all down daddy’s back, chair, and the floor.  Now while the table dance was cute, the patrons who were in direct line of receiving his stomach contents were not so excited.  They quickly darted and squirmed to be sure and miss the projection.  Thankfully, they were in the clear and I took baby Crump to the lobby for some distraction to counter his boredom with the whole situation.

The evening ended with the usual, “did you valet your car son?”  And the typical response of yes, but I don’t have any cash.  OK, here’s 5 bucks.  We gave our hugs and said our goodbyes and I relaxed, relieved that no one had left dinner prematurely because of an overheated argument.

Until next time…(Sunday, Easter lunch with the Crumps and my mother, Haun)

Time to play catch up!  I’ve been having dinner with the Crumps for almost 3 years now.  Typically they occur on Wednesday nights because my daughter from my previous marriage goes to her dad's that day, and we found it easier to run around without her while we were dating.

I first met my now husband in June of 2009.  I guess I could start there, since although I told him we should not have dinner on our first date we did in fact end up at a restaurant!  I had not dated for over 9 years and so my nerves were too shot to eat anything.  He however, was cool and calm and had no problem eating the multiple plates of appetizers he ordered for us.  A kind gesture, but not one I was ready to consume for fear I might lose the tasty treats all over the floor.  So I kept my stomach empty.  I remember the first dinner date because it was also my sister’s birthday. I also remember his phone ringing, and it being his mom.  He didn’t initially answer the call but since I had gone all day and not said happy birthday to my sister, and because I needed to call my daughter to tell her good night we decided to take a “phone call” break.  Now a lot of people would find that rude behavior, but considering the circumstances we made the exception.  So, while I called my sister and daughter he called his mother. I found this a little odd (because I would never call my mom during a date) but since he only had nice things to say, yes about me, I decided it was cool.  We wrapped up dinner and headed to a bar in the area where we met up with some of his friends, and I called up some of mine to come and check him out.  The night ended too soon, and we said our goodbyes.  He commented that I was a good kisser, so I thought to myself he will call again for sure!  I was right…and so almost 3 years later here we are happily married, with a new house, a baby, and a daughter who is 11.

Since there is no way for my mind to recall all the amusement that has occurred at dinner over these past 3 years, I’m just going to start fresh as a new member of the Crump family.