Holiday Recap: Extreme Egg Hunting

March 14, 2008

Forgive me for bragging, but I'm pretty much the best egg-hunt planner in the whole entire universe. If you come to my house for Easter you won't find some lame-o setup with eggs dumped all over the lawn, and chocolate bunnies tucked neatly into the bushes. Oh no my friends, at my house you'll find obstacles...big ones.

Yesterday it took a ladder, a screwdriver, a shovel, some work gloves, two helpers, and one hour to construct my masterpiece. Then, after I put all of the tools back in the barn, I let the adults out of the holding pen, discussed the boundaries, and the hunt was on.

Ten or so grown-ups--ranging in age from twenty-one to ninety years--emerged from the kitchen, and paused in the driveway to do a visual scan of the yard. For the first ten seconds, there was silence. My aunts, uncles, and cousins just stood in the yard grasping the handles of their plastic grocery bags, wearing expressions of utter confusion.

Finally, my Aunt piped up. "Amy," she gently laughed. "How are we supposed to get the eggs off the top of the barn? And out of the tops of the trees?!"

I just shrugged my shoulders and happily replied, "That's the fun part. Now get to it!"
"No cheating," I added, as they reluctantly scampered off if a dozen different directions.

I watched with a great sense of satisfaction as a Mormon missionary shimmied up a tree in his formal suit and tie, as my mother cautiously batted at at the gutters with a seven-foot stick, and as the other Mormon missionary (remember, they always come in sets of two) risked electrocution by trying to dismantle an outdoor lighting fixture without the help of tools.

My proudest moment, however, came when my Uncle Bill spotted three candy-filled treasures on the dashboard of my little Toyota station wagon. He tried all four doors, but found each one to be locked---mmmm, too bad. As a last ditch effort he went for the tailgate, and *pop*, it opened right up. Without hesitation, my white-haired uncle crawled through the way back, over the car seat, and stretched his arm just far enough to grab those eggs. His face was distortedly pressed up against the window and he was barely maintaining his balance, but Uncle Bill still paused to give me a thumbs-up through the very foggy glass.

Now that's the kind of spirit and stick-to-itiveness I was hoping for yesterday afternoon.
All in all, it was a wonderful day with the family. Now that the cuts and bruises from Sunday's event have been tended to, I can move on to planning bigger and better events--like James's third birthday party. If you're lucky enough to score an invitation, be sure to plan ahead--it's a BYOH (bring your own helmet) kind of party.

17 comments:

Laura said...

That sounds so fun! I miss egg hunting, but it seems to be frowned upon to do an egg hunt with six year olds and push them out of my way.

Brianna said...

You put the rest of us to shame! Do you hire out your mad skills to those of us who wish we had your adventurous spirit?!

AMiller said...

How fun!! Just thought I would comment because there didn't seem to be enough people who thought that your egg hunt would be awesome.

brooke said...

That. Is. Awesome.
You are the coolest.

chattypatra said...

I've never been to an egg hunt because it wasn't part of my culture growing up. Boy, I'd love to go to one next year!(hint, hint)

jjstringham said...

Where are the pictures?!? I totally wish I would've been invited.

Heather said...

Can't wait to hear about James' bday party. A pinata is about as risky as we get--and Olivia even thinks that is dangerrrrrrrrrrous (she says it just like that). Can't believe they are going to be 3!

Grandma said...

Where was I when the car hunt took place?...maybe trying to fashion my egg spear from that stick..it didn't work very well!

Patti said...

You should apply to create the challenges on a reality show like Survivor, Big Brother or Amazing Race! SOunds like it was a blast!

Mel said...

wow I wish I could have been there. Now I need a way to get to Maine for that 3rd birthday party. I have my helmet all picked out!

Katie A said...

I have to say that I am not even a little surprised. I remember your father hanging stuffed animals from the trees in CT and informing us (college graduates) that we needed to get them down without the use of any tools or aids. I see where you get it.
"Use your superhero powers" he said. And before you knew it there were grown men climbing high into trees.

Classic!

Michelle Glauser said...

I love the description. The best I can tell you is that I pulled my chocolate bunny out of a pond, a girl shimmied up a tree to get hers, and there was one that was broken and had dog poo nearby.

Bahston Beans said...

Good thing I wasn't there. I may have cracked your window to get those eggs!

Minnie said...

You are hysterical!

We did something similar, thought no where near as "athletic."

Good for you

Jillybean said...

Love it!
I usually just let the kids hide their own eggs.
Net year, I'll hide the eggs the way you did. The kids will be busy for hours! I might even have time for a nap.

Candis said...

Together we could do some egg damage! Ian & I headed a guys vs girls egg hunt. Oooooh the fun we would have had with you! Easter trip to New England 2009!

P.O.M. said...

Hilarious. Your family sounds so fun!