MMmmmmm.....

Just wanted to wish you Happy National Pancake Day! We, of course, celebrated with a trip to our local IHOP. A free shortstack for each guest along with a suggestion that you consider donating to the Children's Miracle Network. We have a few locations to choose from and we had to pick Coleman up from school at 8 p.m. (he had been there since I dropped him off at 7:45 a.m. - middle school has a lot to offer, and it is a lot of fun, but somedays are way too long) so we narrowed it down to 2. The one closest to the school is really small and has a funny smell. It is not in the best part of town, but tends to not generally be crowded (probably for the reasons I just mentioned). Then there is the bigger location that is newer and in the mall area, so generally pretty busy. We decide to go with a possible wait at the busier location over taking our life and our health into our own hands. The place is packed as it would be on free pancake night - but with college students. We were not thinking about the local University and all of the starving students there for free pancakes. It was pretty funny - they all ordered the free pancakes and a water. I remember those days all too well!

There is a funny story about the way this all started. In trying to find a variety of soft foods for Sam, I decided we would have pancakes for dinner last Tuesday night. The kids came home from school and were so excited because someone in Coleman's class had told them it was National Pancake Day. I thought it was really coincidental that I was already planning on making pancakes. That was also Nubbin Day so we decided that instead of making pancakes, we would go out and get some. We show up to IHOP (really not somewhere we regularly go, contrary to the past week) and I jokingly remarked that the parking lot was really empty for Nat'l Pancake Day. I really thought that it was just one of those random holidays that you only know about if you have a free Hallmark pocket calendar. We get to the table and see the sign about free pancakes and think "Bonus! Everybody is stupid but us - we are here at IHOP on Nat'l Pancake Day and we get free pancakes.......But wait, Robbie what is it that you are reading? The 12th? No, it can't be." But yes it was - we were a week early for this National Holiday. So then and there we swore to brave the crowds and celebrate for the 2nd week in a row. Honestly, you would think we have all the time in the world, the way we galavant around from IHOP to IHOP. We ate our shortstack, donated to a good cause, and I hope you will join us next year!