My step-daughter’s baby shower was last weekend. I loaded my car with the gifts from my mom, who couldn’t make it, along with my baby present. Then I picked up my mother-in-law from her house and added her gift to the pile in my backseat. We were on track to arrive five to ten minutes early. I should have known better.
In true Margarite fashion, I got lost. I typed the address in to my car’s navigation system before I left my mother-in-law’s and followed the directions. I should have printed a paper map. I usually print one, but I decided I didn’t need it this time.
My navigation system, which I named Elizabeth, is original to my 2013 Dodge. It has led me astray a few times before, but it’s normally good at getting me where I need to go.
Elizabeth took me to a country road that ended at a farm with a gate that said, “Private Property, Do Not Enter.” My mother-in-law, confused by my stopping in the middle of the road, asked, “Can’t you just drive through the gate?”
The answer was no. We were on the wrong road, and I wasn’t about to drive up to someone’s house when it’s clearly posted they don’t want unexpected company. Here in Missouri, we take those signs seriously.
I called my step-daughter, and she had her significant other give me directions once I’d turned around and come to a road he knew. When I finally arrived at the baby shower, the lady who owns the property to which Elizabeth had led me was there.
We chatted about a variety of things. She said that saw me sitting in the middle of the road and knew I was lost. She had no idea I was heading the same place she was, though. Long gone are the times when someone would stop and ask if a person was lost.
From visiting with her, I learned there was once a road that went through her property, connecting to the country road I needed, but it was removed along with a low-water bridge approximately thirty years ago. Why my seven-year-old navigation system thought the road was still there is beyond me.
Thankfully, we weren’t the last guests to arrive. We were able to find good seats in the living room and were even in time for the games. I poured the two of us glasses of fancy water, and we commenced to enjoy ourselves as much as we could in a room full of strangers. I even won the “Get to Know Everyone” game.
My step-daughter received a plethora of fabulous gifts for my future grandson. He’s going to the best dressed and warmest baby west of the Mississippi when he arrives next month. I lost count of the cute little outfits and cozy blankets she unwrapped.
One gift really got my attention. She received a portable highchair, which everyone present agreed would be handy. I’ve never seen one of those, and it looked like it should work out well.
Our hostess, one of my future grandson’s grandmothers, had the most efficient system for the gift unwrapping I’ve ever seen. She ran that party like a well-oiled machine. She assigned people to various tasks prior to the party, and they were all ready to do their part when the time came.
My step-daughter sat in the recliner opening the presents while our hostess stood beside her holding a trash bag for the wrapping paper. Once the gift was open, the wrapping went in the bag, and our hostess handed it to her daughter, who in turn recorded what the gift was and who it was from, and then handed it off to one of the runners.
The runners were kids at the baby shower who were tasked with moving the gifts from the living room to one of the bedrooms. They took turns and kept the gift train moving. By the end of the event, there wasn’t a single stray scrap of paper or a ribbon to be seen.
I think everyone had a great time, and my step-daughter received some much needed baby items. She was given most of the things for which she had registered, which will save her a great deal of time and money.
Now, all we have to do is wait for that little boy to arrive. He’ll be my third grandchild and my second grandson. Being Nana is the best job in the world!
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