A weekend with the Tanners

A couple of weekends ago my parents came to see me in Springfield. Mom and Dad had not been up to see me in a while, so I was excited for them to come up. My parents are very busy people and rarely just "cut loose" so when they come I try to show them a good time.

We started off with a dinner at Olive Garden. (One of my Dad's favorite places in the world. DO NOT get him started about the soup and salad deal-- I mean it. He feels very strongly about it) Next, we headed next door to K-mart. I do not remember why we originally went there, but it quickly turned into a ridiculous adventure. At some point we were walking around and Mom mentioned that she wanted to find a new lamp shade for the lamps in their living room. If you have ever seen the lamps/lampshades you would agree that this is an excellent idea. So, we start looking at the shades and Mom is debating between two so I offer a "helpful" piece of advice. Just try to put them on your head and which ever one looks better is the winner since you will be wearing it the next time you have a drunken party. ** Side note: I honestly joke about these things with my very Godly parents, they know I am joking, and I think they enjoy it a litte** So, I promptly plop one on my head and start dancing around. The next thing I know my Mom plops one on her head and is dancing around to the Abba Song "Dancing Queen"  We are laughing and dancing and then when I take the lampshade off of my head I realize that there is an old lady who just took a picture of us with her camera phone. OOPSIE!

The following pictures were taken shortly after the lampshade incident. My parents have a reputation for being rather serious, but they are very funny and when well fed and tired they really act up-- and I like that a LOT!