We had the will, but not the power

        It's mid-morning and I need to run an errand to Walgreens to pick up some pictures.  I get this grand idea that me and the kids should bike/walk there for some exercise.  We've made this trip before, and I guess it was fine. No bad memories come to mind.  So we all agree, grab a little bottle of water and after 4 more "just one more thing" runs inside the house we hit the road.  Elijah out first on his bike, Lydia next with her training wheels, and then me and Lanie bringing up the rear while I push her trike. 
       About 5 minutes in and after we've had to stop at least 3 times for water breaks, hurting helmets, and because Lydia fears steep driveways without help, we decide to stop at the gas station merely a block from the house.  It's not looking good.   We grab some gatorade, fuel up and start back out.  I swear, it is over 100 degrees as we piddle down the sidewalk.  I think about all the people who drove by and thought, "Who is that crazy lady with all those kids?"  Elijah would sprint ahead only to sit and wait.  Lydia would lag behind because her tires were close to flat only to cry for me to come back and help and Lanie wanted to stop each time she saw a flower.  It was not a leisurely walk for the faint of heart. 
       Thirty-six minutes and forty-two seconds later (I set the stopwatch) we were at Walgreens, sweaty, sticky, and thirsty.  Before we hit the glory of the AC, I was calling Kenny to "please pick us up!"  While I think me and Elijah could have made the trip home, I wasn't about to make it with the girls.  By the time everyone picked out a snack and I got my pictures, Kenny was there loading the bikes and laughing, at me.  And this was only funny because when I was in college, Tina and I made this mistake a lot.  We had pretty lofty goals of walking an hour across highway bridges, up hills, and over railroad tracks all for the sake of adventure and exercise only to realize we were totally crazy and could no way walk back up that hill or over that highway to get home.   But, we could always find some sweet thing to come and pick us up. We were very persuasive.
      Our plans were indeed great. Our will was strong.  But reality was never our strong suit.  And apparently I've learned nothing in the past eighteen years.