And now from our men's auxiliary group...

One night my sons came home from having dinner out with Daddy -- a treat! -- and could hardly wait to tell me the news. "Mommy! Guess what? Daddy took us to a bar!"

After I picked myself up off the floor, my husband sheepishly explained. He had taken them out to eat at an inexpensive Mexican restaurant, not realizing that the place didn't take credit cards. Of course they didn't take checks, either, and he didn't have enough cash on him to cover the bill. He asked somewhat frantically if there was an ATM anywhere nearby, and they told him he could find one across the street at, of course, the bar.

Fortunately, the machine was right at the entrance, so my kids couldn't see or hear anything anyway. But they were enchanted at the idea of having been in a real live bar. And I felt terrific at the thought of them telling all their friends just that.