I've been a self-proclaimed makeup addict for a few years now. I do bridal makeup at a local salon, I own enough makeup for five people, and I just have so much fun with it.
In the days before Luke, I really loved to do elaborate eyeshadow looks, but with a toddler on the loose, I don't get much time for that. Most of the time, I find myself doing a quick look. These are the products that I wear almost every day:
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. This stuff is basically amazing. It creates a perfect canvas for your foundation or powder, while evening out your skin tone (I use the lavendar!). I can't begin to describe how silky my face feels with this on. The foundation or powder just glides right on after this, and you don't have to worry about it settling or clumping anywhere on your face.
MAC Select Tint. This is a tinted moisturizer. I have pretty good skin, so I don't need anything heavy. This evens out your skin tone without caking or making it look as though you have on loads of foundation. It's lightweight, and the SPF is always good!
Bronzer. I like to have just a touch of bronzer on my cheeks and forehead for a little added color and glow. Super easy to sweep on, especially helpful in the winter months! And I have to admit, I love how aesthetically pleasing this giant bronzer is.
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks. These are, without a doubt, my favorite makeup item. I love shimmer bricks because they're a multi-use product. A sweep on the cheekbones makes your skin glow, AND you can use the strips individually as eye shadow. When you're in a hurry, these are great! When i was pregnant, I was always complimented on my glowing skin, but I'm pretty sure it was the shimmer brick doing the glowing, not me.
DiorShow mascara. I have wimpy eyelashes, so I need this mascara! This is the best mascara I've ever used. My lashes look so long and full. Definitely worth the price.
Tendertone lip balm. These are great for quick looks, because they add just a hint of color and shine to your lips. Plus, they smell great and protect from the sun.
And if I have a few extra minutes, Gel eyeliner. Once I started using this, I threw out all of my stick eyeliners. It's so easy to put this on with a thin brush, and it does not budge! I wore this when I was in labor, and at the end of my 20 hour long, natural labor (most of which was spent in water or with a wet washcloth on my head), my midwife asked if my eyeliner was tattooed on because it did not budge the entire time. If that's not a product testimony, I don't know what is!
So, there you go, the beauty products I cannot live without. What are your holy grail products? Or are you one of those lucky women who can just dash out of the house without even a touch of makeup?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Check it!
First, take a few minutes to bask in the beautiful glow of my super sweet new blog design. Christy of Ruby & Roja designed my blog in a way that is so totally me. What's amazing about that is that I didn't give her much to go off of, just that I like pinks, bright colors, and abstract flower designs. That was pretty much it! Yet she managed to come back with a grouping of pictures and quickly designed this awesome header (or pimped my blog, if you will). I cannot say enough about how great is! Please check out their site and take a look at the amazing work they do.
In other noteworthy moments in my life, I got together with my friend Katie today. Katie is my oldest friend, in that I've known her since first grade. Pretty amazing to be someone's friend for 20 years! We first met on the playground. She had a broken leg, and I felt a little bad that she couldn't run around like everyone else, so I went and talked to her. This is momentous because my 1st grade self was pretty shy (and really, my 26 year old self can still be pretty shy). We became fast friends and spent most of the next two years together. Unfortunately, the summer before 3rd grade, they redistricted elementary schools. Katie and I were originally supposed to go to the new school, but I was placed into the Honors program, which meant that I remained at the same school. We kept in touch and still did things together for awhile, but really, without email and all the quick hookups kids have now, it was hard to keep in touch.
Over the years, we didn't have very many classes together, until Senior year Speech class. We were told to partner up with someone we didn't regularly hang with and interview them. Katie and I ended up sitting together, although our interview was really more catching up, because we knew each other's families SO well. And all those reasons why we were friends so many years ago? They all came rushing back to us. Katie and I started hanging out quite a bit after that. We both went down to IU together and would share rides back and forth from home to school. It's amazing to look at her and think, "I have known you for longer than I've known any non-relatives." While I regret all the years of friendship we missed out on, I am thankful to have made many more years since then.
Katie is so special to me. She's an incredibly talented individual (all of my friends have some serious talent, which makes me feel pretty pathetic!). Katie quilts, wonderfully so. A few nights before my wedding, she came over with a beautiful quilt she'd made for us. Her quilt is the only inspiration I have to make the bed in the mornings. Luke is also lucky enough to have a Katie quilt, which is bright, fun, and decorated with monkeys.
Shortly after I got pregnant with Luke, Katie moved to Minnesota. This means that I no longer get to see Katie whenever I feel like it, so being with her has become even more special.
Today, Katie and I went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth, both of us admitting that while it's not generally cool to like Brendan Frasier's "acting," we both do. Katie may be one of the few people who knows just how many times I've seen Encino Man or that I went to see The Mummy the DAY it was released. Today's movie featured Brendan Frasier in 3D! After the movie, Katie and I went to Sephora, where I bought many things that I needed. Katie would never point out that actually, I need more makeup like I need a hole in the head, which is why she's a good partner in crime.
Aside from being special to me, Katie is just plain special. Katie is a NICU nurse, and she's one of those rare people who has TRULY found her calling. You just know that she loves what she does and that she's amazing at it. Katie takes time to scrapbook special name cards for all of the babies in the NICU. And when the unthinkable happens and a baby is lost, Katie makes a quilt for his/her parents. I don't know how she does it, but she does it, and she does it well. Katie has told me before that parents will pull her aside to tell her that they can always tell when she has been on shift, because their baby will be in a calmer mood. And I believe it, I really do. Luke warms up to Katie faster than any of my other friends. The first time he saw her, he looked at her, giggled, and held out his arms.
Katie and I, before the movie. Please admire my beautiful flowers! But please ignore the weeds growing up from under porch (remember, we're dirty hippies that don't like to use chemicals.I'm sure the porch weeds cause the mayor many sleepless nights.)
These are our 3D glasses. The glasses had a warning on the side that said "These are not meant to be worn as sunglasses." Judging by how totally stylish they are, you can see that many people would have to fight the urge to use them as sunglasses, as Katie and I clearly did.
In other noteworthy moments in my life, I got together with my friend Katie today. Katie is my oldest friend, in that I've known her since first grade. Pretty amazing to be someone's friend for 20 years! We first met on the playground. She had a broken leg, and I felt a little bad that she couldn't run around like everyone else, so I went and talked to her. This is momentous because my 1st grade self was pretty shy (and really, my 26 year old self can still be pretty shy). We became fast friends and spent most of the next two years together. Unfortunately, the summer before 3rd grade, they redistricted elementary schools. Katie and I were originally supposed to go to the new school, but I was placed into the Honors program, which meant that I remained at the same school. We kept in touch and still did things together for awhile, but really, without email and all the quick hookups kids have now, it was hard to keep in touch.
Over the years, we didn't have very many classes together, until Senior year Speech class. We were told to partner up with someone we didn't regularly hang with and interview them. Katie and I ended up sitting together, although our interview was really more catching up, because we knew each other's families SO well. And all those reasons why we were friends so many years ago? They all came rushing back to us. Katie and I started hanging out quite a bit after that. We both went down to IU together and would share rides back and forth from home to school. It's amazing to look at her and think, "I have known you for longer than I've known any non-relatives." While I regret all the years of friendship we missed out on, I am thankful to have made many more years since then.
Katie is so special to me. She's an incredibly talented individual (all of my friends have some serious talent, which makes me feel pretty pathetic!). Katie quilts, wonderfully so. A few nights before my wedding, she came over with a beautiful quilt she'd made for us. Her quilt is the only inspiration I have to make the bed in the mornings. Luke is also lucky enough to have a Katie quilt, which is bright, fun, and decorated with monkeys.
Shortly after I got pregnant with Luke, Katie moved to Minnesota. This means that I no longer get to see Katie whenever I feel like it, so being with her has become even more special.
Today, Katie and I went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth, both of us admitting that while it's not generally cool to like Brendan Frasier's "acting," we both do. Katie may be one of the few people who knows just how many times I've seen Encino Man or that I went to see The Mummy the DAY it was released. Today's movie featured Brendan Frasier in 3D! After the movie, Katie and I went to Sephora, where I bought many things that I needed. Katie would never point out that actually, I need more makeup like I need a hole in the head, which is why she's a good partner in crime.
Aside from being special to me, Katie is just plain special. Katie is a NICU nurse, and she's one of those rare people who has TRULY found her calling. You just know that she loves what she does and that she's amazing at it. Katie takes time to scrapbook special name cards for all of the babies in the NICU. And when the unthinkable happens and a baby is lost, Katie makes a quilt for his/her parents. I don't know how she does it, but she does it, and she does it well. Katie has told me before that parents will pull her aside to tell her that they can always tell when she has been on shift, because their baby will be in a calmer mood. And I believe it, I really do. Luke warms up to Katie faster than any of my other friends. The first time he saw her, he looked at her, giggled, and held out his arms.
Katie and I, before the movie. Please admire my beautiful flowers! But please ignore the weeds growing up from under porch (remember, we're dirty hippies that don't like to use chemicals.I'm sure the porch weeds cause the mayor many sleepless nights.)
These are our 3D glasses. The glasses had a warning on the side that said "These are not meant to be worn as sunglasses." Judging by how totally stylish they are, you can see that many people would have to fight the urge to use them as sunglasses, as Katie and I clearly did.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Neighbors: Can't live with 'em and...
Yeah, I basically just can't live with 'em. If the past three years have taught me anything, it's that I'm not cut out for subdivision living. At least, not this subdivision.
See, I grew up in the "country," which meant that while we had neighbors, they lived on the other side of the cornfield. You saw your neighbors when you wanted to see them, not say, when you were trying to quickly slip out back to hang cloth diapers on the clothesline, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and no bra. This is, of course, purely a hypothetical situation.
Unfortunately, we live next door to a man I'll call The Mayor. The mayor knows EVERYONE who lives on our street and in the surrounding blocks. Not only does he know them, but he wants to share every tidbit of information he has about them. This makes me uncomfortable for two reasons: 1) I don't care, and 2) if he's telling us about other people, I'm certain he's telling these other people about us. ("Can you believe it? Outside at noon, no bra on, and putting some sort of diapers on a clothesline. I know, who even HAS a clothesline anymore!?") The mayor would like us to live in a perfect Utopia, where the grass is an unnatural shade of green, and there are no weeds. Not even a lone piece of clover. Sadly for the mayor, his next door neighbor married my dirty hippie self who would never dream of letting ChemLawn within our property line.
To appease the mayor, we did use an organic weedkiller on the lawn this year, but he was still so offended by the few dots of yellow dandelions on our lawn that he offered to buy us ChemLawn. Oh yes, he thought the only reason that we didn't treat our lawn was because we apparently couldn't afford the $50. Ignoring the obvious fact that if we were truly that destitute, one would think he'd be more concerned with the welfare of our CHILD, Shane explained (for the zillionth time) that, no, we feel it is not environmentally sound to slather our lawn with something that has CHEMICAL in the name. The mayor was still confused by this, as he lives his life for mowing his lawn at least three times a week, in perfect crosshatch patterns, with nary a stray piece of grass growing in the cracks of his driveway. The mayor once told us that he planted bushes in the front yard to block the view of the pickup truck of the man across the street. A few weeks later, he planted a bush directly opposite our driveway. We don't have a garage, so I'm terribly sorry that I've yet to purchase an invisibility cloak to block my apparently offensive car!
Now, let's talk about our lawn. Yes, it's not free of dandelions and clovers (both of which I think are pretty, but clearly, I don't base my self-worth on how green my grass is), but it's always cut short, I have a lot of flowers planted, we mulch, and weed. As sweet as I think it would be to have a meadow full of wildflowers in the front yard, I realize that idea fits about as well in a subdivision as I do.
So, what would I like out of a neighbor? If I'm in the front yard, I think that's fair game for smiling, waving, and engaging in brief small talk. If I'm in the back yard, a brief wave is nice, but that's about it. Luckily, our house borders a cornfield, so there's no one beyond the fence, but the ever oppressive force of the mayor always seems to be RIGHT THERE. I tend to realize that I probably am in the minority, and it's not that I wouldn't love to have a good friend living in the neighborhood, but I don't like the complete nosiness or concern over the state of my LAWN.
My absolute favorite neighbor is the man across the street who always waves and says hi, but leaves it at that. Okay, the truth is, he's my favorite neighbor because he once saw me leaving for Honors Night in a black dress, then the next day, told Shane that I looked very sharp, but really I do appreciate the polite distance. So, my dream neighbor? Waves, says hi, compliments my smokin' hotness. Is that too much to ask?
I do always remind myself that people out there have neighbors who are much, much worse. I also remind myself that we're lucky to have the cornfield behind us. And finally, I remind myself that in four years, our mortgage will be paid, and hopefully the housing market will have stabilized. Then, we can look into selling this house, and moving on to greener, neighborless pastures, where I can rock the braless t-shirt look all I want. Not that I would ever do such a thing, of course.
See, I grew up in the "country," which meant that while we had neighbors, they lived on the other side of the cornfield. You saw your neighbors when you wanted to see them, not say, when you were trying to quickly slip out back to hang cloth diapers on the clothesline, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and no bra. This is, of course, purely a hypothetical situation.
Unfortunately, we live next door to a man I'll call The Mayor. The mayor knows EVERYONE who lives on our street and in the surrounding blocks. Not only does he know them, but he wants to share every tidbit of information he has about them. This makes me uncomfortable for two reasons: 1) I don't care, and 2) if he's telling us about other people, I'm certain he's telling these other people about us. ("Can you believe it? Outside at noon, no bra on, and putting some sort of diapers on a clothesline. I know, who even HAS a clothesline anymore!?") The mayor would like us to live in a perfect Utopia, where the grass is an unnatural shade of green, and there are no weeds. Not even a lone piece of clover. Sadly for the mayor, his next door neighbor married my dirty hippie self who would never dream of letting ChemLawn within our property line.
To appease the mayor, we did use an organic weedkiller on the lawn this year, but he was still so offended by the few dots of yellow dandelions on our lawn that he offered to buy us ChemLawn. Oh yes, he thought the only reason that we didn't treat our lawn was because we apparently couldn't afford the $50. Ignoring the obvious fact that if we were truly that destitute, one would think he'd be more concerned with the welfare of our CHILD, Shane explained (for the zillionth time) that, no, we feel it is not environmentally sound to slather our lawn with something that has CHEMICAL in the name. The mayor was still confused by this, as he lives his life for mowing his lawn at least three times a week, in perfect crosshatch patterns, with nary a stray piece of grass growing in the cracks of his driveway. The mayor once told us that he planted bushes in the front yard to block the view of the pickup truck of the man across the street. A few weeks later, he planted a bush directly opposite our driveway. We don't have a garage, so I'm terribly sorry that I've yet to purchase an invisibility cloak to block my apparently offensive car!
Now, let's talk about our lawn. Yes, it's not free of dandelions and clovers (both of which I think are pretty, but clearly, I don't base my self-worth on how green my grass is), but it's always cut short, I have a lot of flowers planted, we mulch, and weed. As sweet as I think it would be to have a meadow full of wildflowers in the front yard, I realize that idea fits about as well in a subdivision as I do.
So, what would I like out of a neighbor? If I'm in the front yard, I think that's fair game for smiling, waving, and engaging in brief small talk. If I'm in the back yard, a brief wave is nice, but that's about it. Luckily, our house borders a cornfield, so there's no one beyond the fence, but the ever oppressive force of the mayor always seems to be RIGHT THERE. I tend to realize that I probably am in the minority, and it's not that I wouldn't love to have a good friend living in the neighborhood, but I don't like the complete nosiness or concern over the state of my LAWN.
My absolute favorite neighbor is the man across the street who always waves and says hi, but leaves it at that. Okay, the truth is, he's my favorite neighbor because he once saw me leaving for Honors Night in a black dress, then the next day, told Shane that I looked very sharp, but really I do appreciate the polite distance. So, my dream neighbor? Waves, says hi, compliments my smokin' hotness. Is that too much to ask?
I do always remind myself that people out there have neighbors who are much, much worse. I also remind myself that we're lucky to have the cornfield behind us. And finally, I remind myself that in four years, our mortgage will be paid, and hopefully the housing market will have stabilized. Then, we can look into selling this house, and moving on to greener, neighborless pastures, where I can rock the braless t-shirt look all I want. Not that I would ever do such a thing, of course.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The grumpies
Luke woke up with a major case of the grumpies today, which means that no matter what we do, he whines. And cries. And acts generally disatisfied with life. We thought a change of scenery would help, so we rode our bikes to a local restaurant for breakfast. No go there, as our normally well-behaved child threw everything on the floor. We came home, and attempted to play, but Luke had several meltdowns, the biggest when I wouldn't let him destroy an entire roll of toilet paper.
He just went down for a nap, and not a moment to soon. My head is pounding, and I'm wondering if anyone else would like to be the mama today? These days are so hard because Luke isn't quite yet at the level of communication where he can explain to me what's wrong, where he can tell me what I can do to help.
But let's talk about the boy when he's not a grumple, shall we? Because those are the times that I love being the mama, and thankfully, those times are much more frequent than today! I suppose that with all the fun we've been having lately, really SO much fun, that we're about due for an off day.
What have we been up to lately? We went to the fair, and even though my husband and I generally like to avoid fairs, we had a good time. Luke loved all the animals, and he loved fair food. He ate some of Papa's gyro, some of Mommy and Daddy's tamales, and some of Mommy's elephant ear.
After the fair, we went to the playground by our house.
On another day, we went to Daddy's favorite rib restaurant (is it more appropriate to say joint? shack? when you're talking about ribs?), Smokey's. Luke thought pulled pork was about the best thing he'd ever eaten!
After eating, we went to the beach, where Luke learned how to bury himself in the sand.
Luke climbed a sand dune
And, more importantly, learned how much fun it is to run down the dunes!
I'm going to take advantage of naptime by hanging diapers out to dry, then crashing on the couch with a book. And crossing my fingers that when he wakes up, the grumpies are all gone. And if they're not, well, I need to look no further than these photos to remember all the non-grumpy times we've had lately!
He just went down for a nap, and not a moment to soon. My head is pounding, and I'm wondering if anyone else would like to be the mama today? These days are so hard because Luke isn't quite yet at the level of communication where he can explain to me what's wrong, where he can tell me what I can do to help.
But let's talk about the boy when he's not a grumple, shall we? Because those are the times that I love being the mama, and thankfully, those times are much more frequent than today! I suppose that with all the fun we've been having lately, really SO much fun, that we're about due for an off day.
What have we been up to lately? We went to the fair, and even though my husband and I generally like to avoid fairs, we had a good time. Luke loved all the animals, and he loved fair food. He ate some of Papa's gyro, some of Mommy and Daddy's tamales, and some of Mommy's elephant ear.
After the fair, we went to the playground by our house.
On another day, we went to Daddy's favorite rib restaurant (is it more appropriate to say joint? shack? when you're talking about ribs?), Smokey's. Luke thought pulled pork was about the best thing he'd ever eaten!
After eating, we went to the beach, where Luke learned how to bury himself in the sand.
Luke climbed a sand dune
And, more importantly, learned how much fun it is to run down the dunes!
I'm going to take advantage of naptime by hanging diapers out to dry, then crashing on the couch with a book. And crossing my fingers that when he wakes up, the grumpies are all gone. And if they're not, well, I need to look no further than these photos to remember all the non-grumpy times we've had lately!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wordless Wednesday
Almost two years ago, my best friend Leah and I took this photo, giggling over the fact that to strangers, we must've looked like life partners celebrating a pregnancy.
In June, we took this photo. It was absolutely not planned. Neither of us realized the similarity between the poses, until I got home and looked at the photo on the computer. I had to laugh because it's so us to unintentionally replicate that first photo. We probably couldn't have done it better if we planned it!
Here's one more from the first afternoon. Leah took pregnancy photos of me at Allerton Park.
Leah also took this photo, which is my favorite photo of Luke and me.
Leah is one of the most beautiful, talented (seriously, click the link to see some pages from the amazing scrapbook that she MADE for Luke's first year of life), and kind person I have ever met, and there are honestly days that I wonder exactly why I'm lucky enough to have her in my life. But I am, and I am forever thankful for that.
In June, we took this photo. It was absolutely not planned. Neither of us realized the similarity between the poses, until I got home and looked at the photo on the computer. I had to laugh because it's so us to unintentionally replicate that first photo. We probably couldn't have done it better if we planned it!
Here's one more from the first afternoon. Leah took pregnancy photos of me at Allerton Park.
Leah also took this photo, which is my favorite photo of Luke and me.
Leah is one of the most beautiful, talented (seriously, click the link to see some pages from the amazing scrapbook that she MADE for Luke's first year of life), and kind person I have ever met, and there are honestly days that I wonder exactly why I'm lucky enough to have her in my life. But I am, and I am forever thankful for that.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
100 things
Although I feel slightly self-centered, I thought it'd be fun to come up with 100 "About Me's."
1. My name is Erin.
2. I've lived in Indiana my entire life, most of it in Northwest Indiana.
3. I went to college at IU, in Bloomington. I think Southern Indiana is beautiful.
4. I've kept a written journal since elementary school, and I started using LiveJournal when I was 18.
5. Blogging is new to me, though.
6. I love Starbucks.
7. If calories and money didn't matter, I'd get a frappucino every day.
8. As much as I love Starbucks, I didn't start drinking coffee at all until I went back to work after my son was born.
9. I am right-handed.
10. My favorite color is pink.
11. My favorite flowers are stargazer lilies.
12. Unless they're yellow, I don't like roses.
13. I am 11 years younger than my oldest siblings (they're twins, hence the plural!).
14. I have been here. My best memory of that trip was discovering this very old German man wearing Liederhosen and convincing him to pose in a photograph with us.
15. I've also been to Austria and Switzerland.
16. Lucrezia is my favorite restaurant.
17. I'm a makeup snob when it comes to the brands I use. My favorite brands are Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and MAC.
18. I do freelance makeup at a local salon.
19. Despite being fairly adept with cosmetics, I am really not good at doing my hair.
20. I love board games.
21. Loaded Questions is my favorite, but I'm pretty good at trivia-based games, too. You can usually find me playing Scrabulous on Facebook.
22. My husband and I have been together for 8 years
23. Married for 3.
24. He was my Senior English teacher....
25. But we didn't start dating until AFTER graduation, so it's not as scandalous as it sounds!
26. He is my first love.
27. I dated before him, but I always got bored after about a month. Imagine my surprise when our relationship just kept getting better!
28. We went to Belize on our honeymoon.
29. I'm pretty sure I could happily live in Belize.
30. I hate cold weather. Snow is pretty for about five seconds, then it's just an inconvenience.
31. Spring is my favorite season, because everything starts to grow and bloom.
32. I started reading at age 4.
33. I've loved it ever since. I can read a book a day, if only I had the time.
34. I loved being pregnant.
35. Luke was a non-medicated birth. I can't imagine doing it any other way!
36. Both of my parents were in the room when Luke was born.
37. Despite gaining the recommended amount of weight and using all the creams and butters, my midwife said I had the worst stretchmarks she's ever seen.
38. That's the only part of pregnancy I didn't like, but Luke is worth it!
39. I have a birthmark on the side of my left toe.
40. I have one tattoo.
41. I love sushi.
42. I love all seafood, actually, especially crab legs and raw oysters.
43. I like hot/spicy food.
44. I was born in 1982.
45. My first car was a red Pontiac Sunbird.
46. I drive a Ford Focus now.
47. I don't really care much about cars, as long as it gets me from point A to point B.
48. I teach 8th grade English.
49. I chose to do middle school. As frustrating as they can be, I love that age.
50. I'm halfway done, and this is harder than I thought.
51. I would be a vegetarian, were it not for bacon.
52. I don't like red meat, but I craved bacon cheeseburgers when I was pregnant.
53. Other than that, I had no cravings.
54. I love shopping.
55. I look at shopping like a scavenger hunt. I love to find the best deals.
56. #55 is why I only allow myself to go to the outlet mall a few times a year!
57. I don't cook.
58. Luckily, my husband loves to cook and is amazing at it.
59. My favorite author is John Steinbeck.
60. My best friends live in Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado. I wish they all lived closer.
61. My favorite movies are Dead Poet's Society and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (I know, I know, but it's so bad it's good).
62. A movie has to be really good to hold my attention, otherwise my mind wanders easily.
63. My toenails are always painted...
64. But my fingernails are almost always bare.
65. I love to be pampered.
66. If money was not an option, I'd have enough kids to have my own baseball team.
67. I love music, but I cannot carry a tune to save my life.
68. I love big sunglasses, because they make me feel incognito.
69. I love writing and receiving emails.
70. Text messages, too.
71. I hate talking on the phone.
72. If someone handed me a million dollars and told me to open a restaurant, it would be a restaurant that served only fair food, like elephant ears, cotton candy, corn dogs, and all the other junk that is so bad for you.
73. It'd also serve martinis.
74. I have a huge sweet tooth.
75. I really wish I didn't, and I try to curb it, but I can't resist dessert.
76. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people mix up 'desert' and 'dessert'
77. I want four kids, Shane wants two. We'll see what happens!
78. I love kate spade and Coach bags. (See 55 about why outlet malls are dangerous.)
79. I love biking and yoga, but I'm not a huge fan of other types of excercise.
80. I'm trying to force myself to like jogging by buying cute running clothes.
81. I love fun, funky socks. I have socks for every season and holiday. I guess this makes me a little dorky, but I'm okay with that!
82. I love cinnamon.
83. I use cinnamon toothpaste and chew cinnamon gum.
84. I think my parents are both pretty amazing.
85. I played the trumpet for six years.
86. If I could play any instrument now, it would be the harp.
87. We had a harpist at our wedding, and it was my favorite part of the ceremony.
88. I wore a Maggie Sottero gown when I got married.
89. My three closest friends are all people whom I originally met online. I don't think of them as online friends anymore.
90. But I am so thankful to have met them.
91. I am still close friends with girls I knew in elementary school.
92. I love to play video games. My husband does not, unfortunately!
93. I love Guitar Hero and Rockband.
94. I hate housework, but I love my pink vacuum.
95. I also have a pink mixer, pink blender, and a pink bike.
96. I know all the pink is a little ridiculous, but that's okay with me.
97. Politically, I lean to the left.
98. I think unicorns could be real.
99. I love sparkly gel pens.
100. I love to make new friends.
1. My name is Erin.
2. I've lived in Indiana my entire life, most of it in Northwest Indiana.
3. I went to college at IU, in Bloomington. I think Southern Indiana is beautiful.
4. I've kept a written journal since elementary school, and I started using LiveJournal when I was 18.
5. Blogging is new to me, though.
6. I love Starbucks.
7. If calories and money didn't matter, I'd get a frappucino every day.
8. As much as I love Starbucks, I didn't start drinking coffee at all until I went back to work after my son was born.
9. I am right-handed.
10. My favorite color is pink.
11. My favorite flowers are stargazer lilies.
12. Unless they're yellow, I don't like roses.
13. I am 11 years younger than my oldest siblings (they're twins, hence the plural!).
14. I have been here. My best memory of that trip was discovering this very old German man wearing Liederhosen and convincing him to pose in a photograph with us.
15. I've also been to Austria and Switzerland.
16. Lucrezia is my favorite restaurant.
17. I'm a makeup snob when it comes to the brands I use. My favorite brands are Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and MAC.
18. I do freelance makeup at a local salon.
19. Despite being fairly adept with cosmetics, I am really not good at doing my hair.
20. I love board games.
21. Loaded Questions is my favorite, but I'm pretty good at trivia-based games, too. You can usually find me playing Scrabulous on Facebook.
22. My husband and I have been together for 8 years
23. Married for 3.
24. He was my Senior English teacher....
25. But we didn't start dating until AFTER graduation, so it's not as scandalous as it sounds!
26. He is my first love.
27. I dated before him, but I always got bored after about a month. Imagine my surprise when our relationship just kept getting better!
28. We went to Belize on our honeymoon.
29. I'm pretty sure I could happily live in Belize.
30. I hate cold weather. Snow is pretty for about five seconds, then it's just an inconvenience.
31. Spring is my favorite season, because everything starts to grow and bloom.
32. I started reading at age 4.
33. I've loved it ever since. I can read a book a day, if only I had the time.
34. I loved being pregnant.
35. Luke was a non-medicated birth. I can't imagine doing it any other way!
36. Both of my parents were in the room when Luke was born.
37. Despite gaining the recommended amount of weight and using all the creams and butters, my midwife said I had the worst stretchmarks she's ever seen.
38. That's the only part of pregnancy I didn't like, but Luke is worth it!
39. I have a birthmark on the side of my left toe.
40. I have one tattoo.
41. I love sushi.
42. I love all seafood, actually, especially crab legs and raw oysters.
43. I like hot/spicy food.
44. I was born in 1982.
45. My first car was a red Pontiac Sunbird.
46. I drive a Ford Focus now.
47. I don't really care much about cars, as long as it gets me from point A to point B.
48. I teach 8th grade English.
49. I chose to do middle school. As frustrating as they can be, I love that age.
50. I'm halfway done, and this is harder than I thought.
51. I would be a vegetarian, were it not for bacon.
52. I don't like red meat, but I craved bacon cheeseburgers when I was pregnant.
53. Other than that, I had no cravings.
54. I love shopping.
55. I look at shopping like a scavenger hunt. I love to find the best deals.
56. #55 is why I only allow myself to go to the outlet mall a few times a year!
57. I don't cook.
58. Luckily, my husband loves to cook and is amazing at it.
59. My favorite author is John Steinbeck.
60. My best friends live in Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado. I wish they all lived closer.
61. My favorite movies are Dead Poet's Society and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (I know, I know, but it's so bad it's good).
62. A movie has to be really good to hold my attention, otherwise my mind wanders easily.
63. My toenails are always painted...
64. But my fingernails are almost always bare.
65. I love to be pampered.
66. If money was not an option, I'd have enough kids to have my own baseball team.
67. I love music, but I cannot carry a tune to save my life.
68. I love big sunglasses, because they make me feel incognito.
69. I love writing and receiving emails.
70. Text messages, too.
71. I hate talking on the phone.
72. If someone handed me a million dollars and told me to open a restaurant, it would be a restaurant that served only fair food, like elephant ears, cotton candy, corn dogs, and all the other junk that is so bad for you.
73. It'd also serve martinis.
74. I have a huge sweet tooth.
75. I really wish I didn't, and I try to curb it, but I can't resist dessert.
76. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people mix up 'desert' and 'dessert'
77. I want four kids, Shane wants two. We'll see what happens!
78. I love kate spade and Coach bags. (See 55 about why outlet malls are dangerous.)
79. I love biking and yoga, but I'm not a huge fan of other types of excercise.
80. I'm trying to force myself to like jogging by buying cute running clothes.
81. I love fun, funky socks. I have socks for every season and holiday. I guess this makes me a little dorky, but I'm okay with that!
82. I love cinnamon.
83. I use cinnamon toothpaste and chew cinnamon gum.
84. I think my parents are both pretty amazing.
85. I played the trumpet for six years.
86. If I could play any instrument now, it would be the harp.
87. We had a harpist at our wedding, and it was my favorite part of the ceremony.
88. I wore a Maggie Sottero gown when I got married.
89. My three closest friends are all people whom I originally met online. I don't think of them as online friends anymore.
90. But I am so thankful to have met them.
91. I am still close friends with girls I knew in elementary school.
92. I love to play video games. My husband does not, unfortunately!
93. I love Guitar Hero and Rockband.
94. I hate housework, but I love my pink vacuum.
95. I also have a pink mixer, pink blender, and a pink bike.
96. I know all the pink is a little ridiculous, but that's okay with me.
97. Politically, I lean to the left.
98. I think unicorns could be real.
99. I love sparkly gel pens.
100. I love to make new friends.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Life lessons
Right now, as Luke is 17 months old (today! how did that happen?), we spend so much of our time teaching him. We talk about the sounds animals make, and we get excited when he learns a new sound (buzzing like a bee is his latest!). We sing the alphabet, and he shouts out the letters he knows (A, H, I, J... almost able to spell Jihad, if the need ever arose!). We read him books, sometimes reading the same book over and over, until he can shout out a part of the book (his favorite book, Goodnight Baby always ends with Luke shouting NIGHT NIGHT BABY). We teach him to be gentle and loving with animals.
Which he mostly is, though he sometimes forgets that not all dogs are rideable, like this guy.
(That's my baby...the pug is my husband's.)
But sometimes I stop and think, that, past this learning, what do we REALLY want to teach him? What morals and values do we hope to instill in him?
To love his planet, of course. To do his part in recycling and green living.
To respect adults, because if he ever talks to his teachers in the way some students talk to me, I will find out. And I will NOT blame the teacher, as I've been blamed or questioned by so many parents.
And on the same vein, I want to teach him to respect women. I want him to know, before he even begins to date, that no means no. No matter what. This one will be the hardest for me, because if someone had taught their son that, the 19th year of my life would have been a lot happier, a lot more carefree. While I'm so healed and have mostly put all of that behind me, there are times that I wonder about the future and our children. In all the books I've read, I've yet to read one that talks about that, about whether or not you should tell your children when they're older, before they begin dating. Or if you should tell your children, how do you tell them? But I think it's important, because when I was growing up--and even now a bit--no one talked about rape. It was like a dirty word, swept under the rug, and the most you'd hear would be whispers of, "Well, she was asking for it, I mean, look at how she dresses." That's wrong in so many ways that I can't even begin to start with it. I remember after I was raped, after pressing charges, the prosecutor asking what color bra and underwear I was wearing, and when I said hot pink, I remember her flinching a little...like, my decision to wear a hot pink bra and underwear somehow meant that I was asking for it. It never occured to her that I had absolutely no intent of anyone seeing them that night, that maybe I wore them because I *like* hot pink, because it made me feel pretty. No one ever thinks that, you know?
But I want Luke to think that way. I want Luke to think that even if a girl is standing naked in front of him (and oh Lord, I don't even want to THINK about Luke and a girl naked), that if she says no, it unequivocally, 100% means no.
So there it is. Slightly heavy, but there's the lesson I want him to have. The lesson I want him to have the courage to share with his friends, if they make jokes or comments about a certain girl. The lesson I want to carry over if his girlfriend says no, or stop, or we're going too fast. I have no doubt in my mind that he'll grow up to be a gentle, loving man, especially since my husband is one of the least aggressive men I know. But despite that, I still feel that his father and I play a part in making sure that he knows what's right and what's wrong and what he can do to make this world a better place.
Which he mostly is, though he sometimes forgets that not all dogs are rideable, like this guy.
(That's my baby...the pug is my husband's.)
But sometimes I stop and think, that, past this learning, what do we REALLY want to teach him? What morals and values do we hope to instill in him?
To love his planet, of course. To do his part in recycling and green living.
To respect adults, because if he ever talks to his teachers in the way some students talk to me, I will find out. And I will NOT blame the teacher, as I've been blamed or questioned by so many parents.
And on the same vein, I want to teach him to respect women. I want him to know, before he even begins to date, that no means no. No matter what. This one will be the hardest for me, because if someone had taught their son that, the 19th year of my life would have been a lot happier, a lot more carefree. While I'm so healed and have mostly put all of that behind me, there are times that I wonder about the future and our children. In all the books I've read, I've yet to read one that talks about that, about whether or not you should tell your children when they're older, before they begin dating. Or if you should tell your children, how do you tell them? But I think it's important, because when I was growing up--and even now a bit--no one talked about rape. It was like a dirty word, swept under the rug, and the most you'd hear would be whispers of, "Well, she was asking for it, I mean, look at how she dresses." That's wrong in so many ways that I can't even begin to start with it. I remember after I was raped, after pressing charges, the prosecutor asking what color bra and underwear I was wearing, and when I said hot pink, I remember her flinching a little...like, my decision to wear a hot pink bra and underwear somehow meant that I was asking for it. It never occured to her that I had absolutely no intent of anyone seeing them that night, that maybe I wore them because I *like* hot pink, because it made me feel pretty. No one ever thinks that, you know?
But I want Luke to think that way. I want Luke to think that even if a girl is standing naked in front of him (and oh Lord, I don't even want to THINK about Luke and a girl naked), that if she says no, it unequivocally, 100% means no.
So there it is. Slightly heavy, but there's the lesson I want him to have. The lesson I want him to have the courage to share with his friends, if they make jokes or comments about a certain girl. The lesson I want to carry over if his girlfriend says no, or stop, or we're going too fast. I have no doubt in my mind that he'll grow up to be a gentle, loving man, especially since my husband is one of the least aggressive men I know. But despite that, I still feel that his father and I play a part in making sure that he knows what's right and what's wrong and what he can do to make this world a better place.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Not-so-extreme home makeover
A few months ago, I decided that every single month, I am going to buy some sort of household item. I left it pretty open, just that it had to be some item that would in some way improve my house, and unless Shane and I both agreed that it was NEEDED, it would be under $100.
See, Shane lived in this house for a few years before we got married. I moved in when we got married, and I've slowly but surely been making our house into less of a bachelorpad. Still, I've been slowed down quite a few times. First, Shane is somewhat resistant to change, so I knew I couldn't change EVERYTHING over night. When we got married, I redid our master bathroom. With wedding money received, we bought a new bedroom set. With the massive amount of wedding gifts we received, I changed other parts of the house, but truth to be told, I was working two jobs and didn't do as much as I wanted. Then I started teaching and coaching the dance team. The dance team is a huge commitment, in that the season runs from August through March and SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU. You think I'm kidding? Ask a dancer or coach what the schedule is like, and you'll see. Then I got pregnant, and the focus became changing the study into a nursery. Then Luke was born, and we all know how THAT goes.
But finally, FINALLY, with my new system, I'm getting back on track. In April, it was a rug to go under the kitchen table, a must with a messy toddler. In May, I bought a ton of picture frames and really got around to displaying photos. In June, it was new drapes for the kitchen. This month, this, which has been a huge help in terms of storage. All told, I'm really digging the little changes I'm making. And I'm looking forward to next month! I'm thinking maybe new bath towels? Since we don't use chemically enhanced laundry detergent, our yellow towels have REALLY faded. Or maybe some sort of storage system for the closet? I don't know, but I know that I'll be excitedly perusing the Bed, Bath, and Beyond website as soon as August 1st rolls around!
See, Shane lived in this house for a few years before we got married. I moved in when we got married, and I've slowly but surely been making our house into less of a bachelorpad. Still, I've been slowed down quite a few times. First, Shane is somewhat resistant to change, so I knew I couldn't change EVERYTHING over night. When we got married, I redid our master bathroom. With wedding money received, we bought a new bedroom set. With the massive amount of wedding gifts we received, I changed other parts of the house, but truth to be told, I was working two jobs and didn't do as much as I wanted. Then I started teaching and coaching the dance team. The dance team is a huge commitment, in that the season runs from August through March and SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU. You think I'm kidding? Ask a dancer or coach what the schedule is like, and you'll see. Then I got pregnant, and the focus became changing the study into a nursery. Then Luke was born, and we all know how THAT goes.
But finally, FINALLY, with my new system, I'm getting back on track. In April, it was a rug to go under the kitchen table, a must with a messy toddler. In May, I bought a ton of picture frames and really got around to displaying photos. In June, it was new drapes for the kitchen. This month, this, which has been a huge help in terms of storage. All told, I'm really digging the little changes I'm making. And I'm looking forward to next month! I'm thinking maybe new bath towels? Since we don't use chemically enhanced laundry detergent, our yellow towels have REALLY faded. Or maybe some sort of storage system for the closet? I don't know, but I know that I'll be excitedly perusing the Bed, Bath, and Beyond website as soon as August 1st rolls around!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
And old one, but still a favorite...
Photo courtesy of Creative Lee Digital, who did a stunning job of our family photos a few months back.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
A little melancholy
I hate to be sad, I really do, but last night I had one of those nights where I couldn't sleep...which inevitably leads to my thinking too much. And if I don't write it out, I will honestly sit around and dwell on it all day, which wouldn't be good.
I hate that summer is half over. As much as I pretend that my working outside of the house for ten months of the year is properly balanced by the two months of the summer is okay, it's not. The thought of leaving Luke in a month tears at my heart. Working outside of the home is not what I want to do, it's what I have to do. It frustrates me because I've essentially picked a career that makes it impossible to either work park-time or work from home. If only I knew, but 8 years ago, I would've told you that I had no interest in ever staying home with kids. Even when I was pregnant, I remember telling my midwife that I was taking six months off, and that by the time those six months were up, I was sure I'd be ready to go back to work. Well, I wasn't. I'm still not. I guess that in my mind, I always thought that staying at home would be boring, but I know now that it's anything BUT boring. Although Luke's sitter does an amazing job, she's not me. And to say I'm jealous of the eight hours a day she gets to spend with him would be an understatement.
Sometimes I feel very out of place. I have a lot of friends, but none of them have children, so I'm losing common ground. I don't have any mom friends, and there really aren't any mom type things that are geared toward working moms. I don't get to go on playdates or do any of those things, and I feel like that's missing. I would love to sit on a park bench with the other moms and watch our kids play together!
I am always hoping and praying that something else will come along, that I'll work out a way to stay home or at least work part-time. The thing is, we can't really survive on just Shane's income because the state of Indiana grossly underpays teachers, but I don't think we need two full-time incomes to survive, either. I would absolutely love to teach night classes, but the GED classes are already underfunded, so they aren't exactly hiring. Ever.
I feel pathetic writing this all out, because it's not something I talk about very often, but it's something I think about too much. I guess there is a fear, too. I don't want to take that plunge without having a backup plan, another source of income waiting. And what if I do take that plunge and find out that it doesn't work? It's hard to get hired in school systems as it is, and I don't know if they'd take me back if I didn't work for a year, then said, Oops! Changed my mind!
I hate this. I wish it didn't gnaw at my heart, but it does.
I hate that summer is half over. As much as I pretend that my working outside of the house for ten months of the year is properly balanced by the two months of the summer is okay, it's not. The thought of leaving Luke in a month tears at my heart. Working outside of the home is not what I want to do, it's what I have to do. It frustrates me because I've essentially picked a career that makes it impossible to either work park-time or work from home. If only I knew, but 8 years ago, I would've told you that I had no interest in ever staying home with kids. Even when I was pregnant, I remember telling my midwife that I was taking six months off, and that by the time those six months were up, I was sure I'd be ready to go back to work. Well, I wasn't. I'm still not. I guess that in my mind, I always thought that staying at home would be boring, but I know now that it's anything BUT boring. Although Luke's sitter does an amazing job, she's not me. And to say I'm jealous of the eight hours a day she gets to spend with him would be an understatement.
Sometimes I feel very out of place. I have a lot of friends, but none of them have children, so I'm losing common ground. I don't have any mom friends, and there really aren't any mom type things that are geared toward working moms. I don't get to go on playdates or do any of those things, and I feel like that's missing. I would love to sit on a park bench with the other moms and watch our kids play together!
I am always hoping and praying that something else will come along, that I'll work out a way to stay home or at least work part-time. The thing is, we can't really survive on just Shane's income because the state of Indiana grossly underpays teachers, but I don't think we need two full-time incomes to survive, either. I would absolutely love to teach night classes, but the GED classes are already underfunded, so they aren't exactly hiring. Ever.
I feel pathetic writing this all out, because it's not something I talk about very often, but it's something I think about too much. I guess there is a fear, too. I don't want to take that plunge without having a backup plan, another source of income waiting. And what if I do take that plunge and find out that it doesn't work? It's hard to get hired in school systems as it is, and I don't know if they'd take me back if I didn't work for a year, then said, Oops! Changed my mind!
I hate this. I wish it didn't gnaw at my heart, but it does.
Monday, July 14, 2008
And their memory's like a train/You can see it getting smaller as it pulls away
One of my favorite things to teach is Flowers for Algernon. The version in our literature book is severely edited and has been turned into a play (hence the italics around the title), but it's still a good read. There are two things I love most about teaching this. One is that this is the piece where I see a reversal. My Honors students STRUGGLE, while my LRE students excel. They understand Charlie in a way that kids who have never struggled on a homework assignment or on an essay simply can't. But what I really love about this particular unit is that I get to do so many mini-lessons on psychology, and more importantly, on the mind. I have a set of Rorschach inkblots that I use, and we talk a great deal about memories and the mind. I find it absolutely fascinating how people can be coerced into remembering something that never happened, and how there are certain memories that stick with us forever, while others slip away almost as soon as they've happened. And even more interesting, is how memory can be triggered. How a sound, sight, or even a smell can bring long-forgotten (or hoped to have forgotten) memories rushing back, as clear as if they'd just happened.
For example, I worked at Build a Bear four years ago. I cannot remember the names of all of my co-workers, yet I vividly remember two customers. I was at the stuffing station, and it was a mom and her adult daughter. The mom told me she wanted to record a sound in a bear for her daughter. She explained that she had a heart disease, one that meant she could die suddenly at any time, just like that. She wanted her daughter to have something with her voice on it. I took her into the back room, and we spent five minutes recording a lullaby she sung to her daughter when she was a baby. We made it PERFECT. By the time she was done, I had chills. When I did the heart ceremony, I made it special for them. I made them each take a heart, and I came up with ideas specific to their situation, then I had them each kiss a heart and placed both in the bear. It was a slow day, so I was able to walk around the entire store with them. I found angel wings to put on the bear, decorated it with ribbons. By the time they left, I hugged them, and we were all blinking away tears. I still think of them from time to time, and I hope beyond hopes that the mom is still alive.
And then there's labor. I really can't remember what contractions felt like, just that they hurt. I can't remember what pushing felt like, just that I hated it. But I remember with stunning clarity how it felt as his feet slid out of me and his body was fully separated from mine.
But what brought the thoughts of memories was a song that evoked one of those memories that I'd love to forget. The type of memory that is like a knife to the stomach, a crushing kind of memory. All brought about by just a few lyrics, yet in the it took me to fumble my hands to turn the radio off, feeling like the wind was knocked out of me. It is not the song, but rather, what happened as the song was playing that causes those feelings. Still, as much as I'd like to forget it all, I suppose it is the stark pain of those memories that make me realize the good in my life, and the strength within me. Without those memories that cut to the bone, those beautiful memories might not seem so beautiful.
For example, I worked at Build a Bear four years ago. I cannot remember the names of all of my co-workers, yet I vividly remember two customers. I was at the stuffing station, and it was a mom and her adult daughter. The mom told me she wanted to record a sound in a bear for her daughter. She explained that she had a heart disease, one that meant she could die suddenly at any time, just like that. She wanted her daughter to have something with her voice on it. I took her into the back room, and we spent five minutes recording a lullaby she sung to her daughter when she was a baby. We made it PERFECT. By the time she was done, I had chills. When I did the heart ceremony, I made it special for them. I made them each take a heart, and I came up with ideas specific to their situation, then I had them each kiss a heart and placed both in the bear. It was a slow day, so I was able to walk around the entire store with them. I found angel wings to put on the bear, decorated it with ribbons. By the time they left, I hugged them, and we were all blinking away tears. I still think of them from time to time, and I hope beyond hopes that the mom is still alive.
And then there's labor. I really can't remember what contractions felt like, just that they hurt. I can't remember what pushing felt like, just that I hated it. But I remember with stunning clarity how it felt as his feet slid out of me and his body was fully separated from mine.
But what brought the thoughts of memories was a song that evoked one of those memories that I'd love to forget. The type of memory that is like a knife to the stomach, a crushing kind of memory. All brought about by just a few lyrics, yet in the it took me to fumble my hands to turn the radio off, feeling like the wind was knocked out of me. It is not the song, but rather, what happened as the song was playing that causes those feelings. Still, as much as I'd like to forget it all, I suppose it is the stark pain of those memories that make me realize the good in my life, and the strength within me. Without those memories that cut to the bone, those beautiful memories might not seem so beautiful.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Oh, my
Tonight I had one of those completely cringeworthy moments, though thankfully only Shane and Luke witnessed it. And since I can generally slip things by Luke, we'll just say that Shane witnessed it.
This afternoon, we went to my boss's daughter's open house. Getting out of our car, we had one of those, "I hope this is the right house, should we go in the door, or is everyone in the backyard?" moments, as we got there fairly early and couldn't really see where everyone was. We decided to try backyard, and as we were walking up, I saw a man standing at the back of the open garage. Since he was staring at me, I smiled, waved, and said, Hi! The man completely ignored me, so I thought maybe he didn't hear me, at which point I raised my hand to wave again....and realized that the man? WAS A CARDBOARD CUTOUT. Oh yes! I was attempting to talk to something that was pretty clearly NOT three dimensional.
At this point, Shane realized what I was doing and nearly fell over laughing. I begged him to not walk into the party and tell everyone what he did (because seriously, my boss would never, EVER let me live that one down!), and although he insisted that it was too good a story to not tell, he acquiesced and did not bring it up again. Until we left the party, and he asked if I wanted to say goodbye to my friend.
Really, though, Shane is right. It's too good a story to not tell. I had my contacts in, so I can't claim blurry vision. Apparently, I have a problem discerning what is cardboard and what is a human being. God help me if I ever visit a wax museum.
This afternoon, we went to my boss's daughter's open house. Getting out of our car, we had one of those, "I hope this is the right house, should we go in the door, or is everyone in the backyard?" moments, as we got there fairly early and couldn't really see where everyone was. We decided to try backyard, and as we were walking up, I saw a man standing at the back of the open garage. Since he was staring at me, I smiled, waved, and said, Hi! The man completely ignored me, so I thought maybe he didn't hear me, at which point I raised my hand to wave again....and realized that the man? WAS A CARDBOARD CUTOUT. Oh yes! I was attempting to talk to something that was pretty clearly NOT three dimensional.
At this point, Shane realized what I was doing and nearly fell over laughing. I begged him to not walk into the party and tell everyone what he did (because seriously, my boss would never, EVER let me live that one down!), and although he insisted that it was too good a story to not tell, he acquiesced and did not bring it up again. Until we left the party, and he asked if I wanted to say goodbye to my friend.
Really, though, Shane is right. It's too good a story to not tell. I had my contacts in, so I can't claim blurry vision. Apparently, I have a problem discerning what is cardboard and what is a human being. God help me if I ever visit a wax museum.
Happiness?
A friend recently emailed me a link to an article in which a researcher theorized that those without kids are happier than those with kids. My initial thought was UH NO WAY, and after thinking about it, I still feel the same, but perhaps I should try to be a bit more articulate.
In my life before Luke, I went out to the bars with work friends almost every Friday, as I could sleep in on Saturday mornings. I suppose I bought a lot more makeup and clothes, because I was able to spend money a bit more freely. Shane and I traveled, but aside from our honeymoon, we weren't exactly jetting off to other countries. We did things together, as husband and wife, but I feel that we also spent a lot of time apart, which is okay.
I remember my last week of pregnancy. There was a massive snow storm, and we had two days off of school (incidentally, these were to be my last two days before maternity leave started, so I lucked out!). We spent these two days having heated Yahtzee tournaments, watching movies, and ahem, trying to get the baby out. We spent those two days being us in a way that we hadn't since we first started dating. I am eternally grateful that we had those two days, but when I look back, I don't miss that time. I don't think that I was happier.
Instead, I look forward, and I don't miss what was behind me. Sure, I still go out for a drink at times on a Friday after school, but I don't stay out late. After all, I have to be home for bath! We are happy now in a way that I could not have imagined years ago. The thing is, Shane and I spend so much more time together now. We climb in to bed together every single night (barring his monthly poker games!), and we read. In the mornings when we don't have to work, we play in bed with Luke, then eat breakfast together. We get our alone time during naps, but mostly, we're together. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes, there are times when I want to pull out my hair, like June, when Luke slept through the night a total of ONE night, but even then, seeing his dimpled smile and watching him grow made the sleepless nights tolerable.
I'm certain there are people out there for whom parenthood doesn't work, but for me, it's brought about levels of happiness that I never knew.
p.s. I made us stand next to this lamppost solely so I could pretend to be in Narnia. And before I could explain this to Shane, he said, "We're supposed to be in Narnia, right?" Yes, this is why I love him!
In my life before Luke, I went out to the bars with work friends almost every Friday, as I could sleep in on Saturday mornings. I suppose I bought a lot more makeup and clothes, because I was able to spend money a bit more freely. Shane and I traveled, but aside from our honeymoon, we weren't exactly jetting off to other countries. We did things together, as husband and wife, but I feel that we also spent a lot of time apart, which is okay.
I remember my last week of pregnancy. There was a massive snow storm, and we had two days off of school (incidentally, these were to be my last two days before maternity leave started, so I lucked out!). We spent these two days having heated Yahtzee tournaments, watching movies, and ahem, trying to get the baby out. We spent those two days being us in a way that we hadn't since we first started dating. I am eternally grateful that we had those two days, but when I look back, I don't miss that time. I don't think that I was happier.
Instead, I look forward, and I don't miss what was behind me. Sure, I still go out for a drink at times on a Friday after school, but I don't stay out late. After all, I have to be home for bath! We are happy now in a way that I could not have imagined years ago. The thing is, Shane and I spend so much more time together now. We climb in to bed together every single night (barring his monthly poker games!), and we read. In the mornings when we don't have to work, we play in bed with Luke, then eat breakfast together. We get our alone time during naps, but mostly, we're together. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes, there are times when I want to pull out my hair, like June, when Luke slept through the night a total of ONE night, but even then, seeing his dimpled smile and watching him grow made the sleepless nights tolerable.
I'm certain there are people out there for whom parenthood doesn't work, but for me, it's brought about levels of happiness that I never knew.
p.s. I made us stand next to this lamppost solely so I could pretend to be in Narnia. And before I could explain this to Shane, he said, "We're supposed to be in Narnia, right?" Yes, this is why I love him!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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