But it was such a nice day, can you really blame me?

Yesterday was the first truly nice day of the year. It was sunny and warm and springlike. It was the kind of day where you absolutely cannot spend one unnecessary moment inside and must go out. So as soon as my daughter and I returned home yesterday, I called a friend to see if she and her kids wanted to walk to a park "downtown" so we could get some exercise and enjoy the day. I further suggested that once the kids had tired themselves out on the playground, we could then walk to a chocolate cafe in town for some treats before we walked back home. She told me that, in fact, she and another friend had already talked about going out for a walk, so this would be the perfect solution. You might be wondering why I phrased "downtown" the way I did. It's because our "downtown" is really only about six city blocks in size. We have only one skyscraper, which isn't really a skyscraper. It just looks like a skyscraper in comparison to all the other buildings "downtown." Anyway, our neighborhood is only a few blocks from "downtown," which makes it a pretty quick trip.

Anyway, getting back to the story, we all walk to the park with the kids and watch them play while we stand around and chat and it's all pretty good. A really lovely day, to say the least. After being there for about 45 minutes, I look at my watch and see that it's 4:15 and remember that my daughter has a dentist appointment at 4:30. I immediately scream for her to come over and tell her we have got to run, and I mean run, home to get the car so we can make it to the dentist. I apologize to my friends for the hasty retreat and then my daughter and I take off like a couple of bats out of hell to get back home. As we're running, running through the streets toget home, my daughter tells me she can't make it. I tell her she must. She tells me to carry her on my back and I tell I can't. I tell her I believe in her and she's got it in her to run the rest of the way home. Amazingly, she believes me and we jump in the car and take off. Luckily, I have water with me, so we guzzle the stuff. I don't even have time to brush her teeth. Miraculously, we walk into the dentist's office at 4:30, exactly. I check in panting like a dog trapped in a locked car on a hot day and tell the receptionist that we've literally run to get there on time and could I please have a toothbrush and some toothpaste to quickly clean my daughter's teeth before she sees the dentist. The receptionist very graciously gives me both and directs me to the restroom. As soon as we get into the restroom, I look at the toothpaste sample she's given me. It's cinammon. I know this will not got down well with the child because, despite being a quarter Korean, she really can't take spicy foods or flavors. She asks me what type of toothpaste it is and I tell her. I tell her she's not going to like it, but we don't have any choice at the moment. I start brushing her teeth and she immediately goes into her "it burns, oh how it burns" routine. But, she sticks with it. I'm really glad to say when she really needs to do something, she normally bucks up and takes it on the chin. When we come out of the bathroom, she explains how that was "the hottest thing she's ever had in her mouth." I thank her for being a good trooper. The good news, she doesn't have any cavities.