FONDUE TURNS INTO FUNDUE

"I don't know why they call it fondue, they should call it *fun*due, cause it sure is fun!" - Kitty Forman, That 70's Show

It's 5:15am, Sunday September 26, 2021. TODAY, for those of you that will read this blog momentarily. This isn't the way Shannon and I normally construct our blogs. There's more order put into the process. It's one of the things we do now. Blog preparation finds its place among many other structured bits and slices of our week. But not this time.

The truth is we had a great idea when planning the blogs for this month. One that we couldn't wait to start publishing this week. We still will, but the order of this month will have to adjust. We've come to accept adjustment as a part of blended family life. Not because we're lazy or tired or unprepared. OK, sometimes that's why we adjust, but this occasion wasn't one of them.

Originally, this past weekend was meant to be spent in Drumheller with my folks. A little 'hotel with a waterslide and a handful of sights to see so the grandparents can have some time with their granddaughters' weekend. It was a weekend all parties involved were looking forward to. Heartbreakingly, situations beyond our control forced us as a group to kybosh the trip.

My wife, being who she is, feels it's her responsibility to fill the gap that's left by unfulfilled plans. So yesterday, last minute, after a pancake and bacon breakfast, we loaded up and headed to a corn maze. It was a blast. The kids had fun exploring the maze and then checking out the farm animals and old tractors. The big kid in me especially liked the tractors. All in all, a good way to get our technology-driven kids out of the house and into the fresh air as a family for a few hours.

The evening that followed was spent enjoying a fondue dinner. Steak, chicken, shrimp, tofu, and veggies cooked in a hot boiling broth followed by a chocolate fondue of marshmallows and fruit. Delicious and also spur of the moment. Fondue is, by all means, a social event in and of itself. So far the day spent together as a family, was a massive success. It was very *fun*due.

By this point, even with the last-minute plans of the day, we were still on track. There's still time to construct and publish the blog even if it is a little close to the deadline. The only other commitment I had to uphold last evening was an action-adventure movie with our oldest (which I still carried out). No problem. Not my first rodeo.

Now I can't speak for all pre-teen/early teen girls but there is a certain kind of magic that can happen when our four are together. It's this magic that takes my time hostage. Our girls can be like any other girls their age, wrapped up in whatever cool distraction there is at the moment. But yesterday was a day in which they were each other's distraction for most of it. Laughing, goofing off, and playful teasing. To top it all off, the Westanderveltson Sisters' had an impromptu dance party.

It's hard not to get involved when our girls decide to start cutting some rug out of the blue. Dancing and laughing and shouting (not singing) along to their favorite artists and songs of the day. The parents shuffling in a handful of songs they danced and laughed and shouted along to as well.

Music is an amazing way to activate the time machine of memories. Memories of before we were blended, before we were married, and before we became parents. But also memories we've made along the way. Memories like the dress my wife wore one particular evening on our honeymoon. Memories like an embarrassing but laughable situation shared between two of the girls. Sometimes these situations are revealed to the parents for the first time.

These dance parties can eat up a considerable amount of time but we always come away from them more connected as a whole. We see and understand one another a little more. We see the admiration our girls have for one another and they see the admiration my wife and I share.

So maybe this blog is a little impromptu. It's a bit past the deadline. It's not as carefully thought out and planned as the others. But it's a real-life snapshot of who we are. As committed as we are to our bi-weekly communication with you all, we're even more committed to our family. The events of yesterday will most likely be talked about in a future dance party. Another memory that is forever locked securely in the time machine.

As busy as life can get, don't be afraid sometimes to just let it happen. No plan. No timeline. Just the freedom to let be what will be. Let your kids see you in a different light. Be vulnerable. Be transparent. Be real.

Take it from us, some of the greatest experiences you will have with the ones you love are the ones that just happen.

Keep dancin'.

Mike - The Herdfather