Good Night and Good Luck May Have Sounded Better

I would be totally lying if I said I had the best luck ever, but the funny part in saying that is that I actually don't believe in luck. I just know that God is in control of all situations, and when yucky things happen, it's not because I'm having particularly bad luck; it just means that God is giving me a situation in which He wants to see how well I can handle it. So with that in mind, I begin telling you of the situations that arose that caused this sudden realization.

I don't know how many times Mardi and I said the phrase "Bad Luck" tonight. It got old each time it came out of my mouth. My good friend, Mardi, and I headed out for our second date (it's a joke between us, we don't have boys in our life, significant ones anyway, so every time we hang out is another addition to our dates...) and the original plan was to eat dinner and see a movie. DO NOT go to the movies right now because I promise there is NOTHING showing that is even worth the drive. Our intentions were to see "When a Stranger Calls" at Opry Mills so we could eat inside the mall before the movie. Less driving and better idea... so it seemed. So we didn't buy tickets beforehand which is a good thing now panning out the whole evening, and we headed to Tony Romas, Macaroni Grill, TGIFridays, AND Chilis only to find that all of the restaurants had over 45 minute waits, not that this was a problem until we remembered the movie would be playing at 9:25. It was 8:10 at this point. Point #1 in which the phrase "Bad Luck" was used.

We ate at Johnny Rockets, no wait, but definitely no service. We waited over 10 for someone to get our drinks. Another 10 for her to bring them. Another 10 for the "real" waitress to come take our orders. We then waited 15 minutes for the food, and when it came, it was only HALF of what we ordered. Special. Mardi orders a milkshake that was pretty much just milk. I mean, seriously, where WAS the ice cream?! The last straw came when she was supposed to be getting us refills. 10 minutes later and my mouth dry as a cotton ball, still no drink or even ice to suck on. Point #2 in which the phrase "Bad Luck" was used.

It's 9:45 at this point, and we realize we MAY be able to still catch the movie, well, that was until we realized the Revolution for the ... Well, let's just say there were about 10 million cops watching in the Cinema area trying to maintain the crowds. No fighting, just a scary situation when you're surrounded by unfamiliarity and no way of getting to the ticket line. Needless to say, there was no way we would be seeing a movie at Opry Mills. Point #3 in which the phrase "Bad Luck" was used.

So we headed back to good old Goodlettsville, and I nonchantly mentioned we should stop by Rivergate 8 movie theatre to see if anything was playing late. WOW, some good luck may come in at this point because "Good Night and Good Luck" was playing. Mardi had mentioned wanting to see it. I'm not sure she would admit to wanting to see it now. WOW. It was awful. I've never once left a movie before it ended. Mardi was asleep, I was irritated, $8.25 later I still had no popcorn and the worse case of "Bad Movie Syndrome" I had ever seen. We left about 20 minutes into the movie. Point #4 in which the phrase "Bad Luck" was used.

The funny part about all of it is that I can sit here and complain about how awful it was but never once stop to thank God for the opportunities He placed in front of us tonight. Mardi didn't have to call and want to go out. We didn't have to enjoy each others' company. So many things could have been worse, but as I look back on it now, tonight will be a memory of Mardi and myself I will never forget. It's only true friends that can have the most horrific night out ever and walk away from it feeling like it was the best time they have ever had. Thank you, Mardi, for your company and your smile even in the worst of times. And thank you, Lord, for the opportunities to live my life everyday. I'm so blessed to even say "Bad Luck" because it's amazing to me that God gives me a choice to make that bad situation a good one...