First Family Vacation: Thursday

Marlene has a fun day planned, and it starts with breakfast at her place just down the road. Her house is lovely, and I get to meet her son Jacob, who is five, for the first time. Jarrah is instantly smitten with him, and the refrain "Where Jacob gone?" could emblazon her t-shirts by the end of the trip. Sadly, it's one of her first encounters with unrequited love, since at five Jacob has little use for a grasping two-year-old who paws his toys with peanut-butter hands and copies every move he makes. Luckily (and her current ego-less state is a joy and marvel to me) she either doesn't notice or doesn't care that she's been spurned, and adores him anyway. He's a beautiful boy and smart as a whip, and it's incredible to finally see him in action. After a leisurely catch-up (a hallmark of all our get-togethers over the years, though this is the first one interrupted periodically by parental refereeing) we head back to Columbus for a scheduled visit to CoSi, the Columbus Science Museum, which turns out to be like the eighth wonder of the world. Even the lobby blows our minds, as there is a cyclist on a tight rope high above our heads who turns out to be an ordinary museum patron. Jarrah and I spent many an hour at Kidsville in our science museum in San Diego, but it seems like a bus station waiting room compared to KidSpace at CoSi, which has like ten rooms and looks like a city designed by Roald Dahl. We have so much fun, and even enjoy our lunch in their cafe. And Jarrah is in heaven because she can chase Jacob everywhere he goes.

When CoSi closes (I honestly felt I could have spent another hour at least--no Museum Head to speak of!) we head to Udipi, a vegetarian South Indian cafe that is one of Marlene's favorites. There, we finally meet James, her adorable fiance, and many of his family members who have come to town for the nuptials. We eat all kinds of delicacies that we haven't tried before, and try to overlook that Jarrah, who has gone without a nap for the second day in a row, is so tender-hearted from tiredness that just tasting a bite of spicy food is making her burst into tears. She sleeps a bit on the way home, and is in better spirits for the arrival of our first college babysitter, Bridget, who is straight out of central casting with her peachy cheeks and blonde bob. She is a total pro, too, and David and I head to the Cherry Valley bar for a "casual gathering" with more of Marlene's friends, another lovely evening. Jarrah is snoozing hard when we return, and Bridget is a total bargain. Sweet. Jarrah sleeps much better this time, and so do we.