Twenty Year Reunion

This weekend was my husband's 20 year high school reunion. I graduated the year after him from the same school & we were high school sweethearts, so I went with him. We had an evening out at a bar on Friday night and an event at our school on Saturday night.
Friday night at the bar was fun. We were with the 3 other guys that we have stayed close with through the years & their spouses, and then many old friends strolled in. It was alot of fun to see so many people we had been friends with back in school. He of course knew many that I didn't, isn't that funny being just 1 year apart in school? But, our school was big for a Catholic school, I think his class had 350 & my class had about the same. I left around 12 & he came home about 3am, then I got up & we talked about so many of our old friends.
Saturday night was fun. The event location was a bummer, $50 a head for crappy appetizers and drinks. They closed the place down at 10:45. The people more than made up for the fact that we were in our school, it was really great to see old friends. And to make new friends. We became friendly with a couple that the wife was hubby's classmate. They are also in the Disney Vacation Club and we really enjoyed swapping Disney stories. Then, turned out he was Greek, too so that was also a fun topic. One girl in particular was great for me to see, her & I became friends I think as a result of my relationship w/hubby, but not dependent upon it. I sometimes forget that I had a life before him/apart from him back then, its all so blurry now. She reminded me of some very fun times that we used to have together. Gosh, I can't express how much I enjoyed being a teenager. I'll be honest, we were not the best kids but boy did we have a good time.
So, 20 years down, 20 more to go. Its amazing that we've been through this path together and exciting to think about the future.
Oh, and by the way, he was still the best looking guy in the room!

Just help me sleep

I'm so tired today, I could just sleep all day long. Of course, I can't sleep at night, which is coo-coo, but true. We have spent the day cleaning the house that we are living in because we have a showing tomorrow evening. Now, this house hasn't been shown in ages, so the prospect is very exciting. However, its become quite a mess in the last 2 months of us living here. I spent the day (well, a few hours of it at least) cleaning out my closet. Tell me how a closet can get so bad in less than 2 months--could it be that I'm a pack rat and am not good at taking care of the house? Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner! Yep, my idea of cleaning up the mess is putting it in my room. Not a good idea since my room is right next to the living room.
So, now I go to tackle the big boys' room, if I don't come out in 3 days, send in a search party.

The Sleepover

My boys are hosting their best friends over tonight for a sleepover. Mind you, its not a slumber party, thats for girls. Boys, they do sleepovers. We're very fortunate that my 4th grader & 2nd grader are best friends with boys that are brothers themselves. They are blonde headed, about the same size and shape as mine, and very good boys. I could easily pass them off as mine if I had to! I love to watch/listen to them interact, especially when they think that I'm not around. It also helps an amazing amount that my 3 year old thinks the world of these boys. So, life is good on a night like tonight. I made homemade pizzas (ok, premade pizza shells, premade sauce, cheese-but thats as close as it gets for me), they've been playing games, and now they've just settled into the living room with the Speed Racer movie that just came out on DVD. All of this after a very full day so hopefully they'll sleep some tonight.
Now, I'm one tired mom. I'm going to go get my book and settle in...good night.

My Morning & My Blogs That I Read

Well, its now 7:55. Whew. On Mondays & Fridays, thats my time to slow down. I get up between 6-6:30, lay out everyone's clothes (including my husband's), wake everyone up, get my oldest in the shower, start getting breakfast on the table, checking the school lunch to see if my boys will eat it and if not, make lunches, hurry them along with the dressing (for some reason this seems to be most difficult thing in the universe), find their belts that they swear they put away, decide if we need jackets, get my youngest up & dressed to drive with me, get dressed myself, wash my face & brush my teeth, find the keys...drive to school. Wish them both the best of days, say goodbye & watch them walk away as my young men. Get home again, settle little guy down in front of Blues Clues, pour my Dt. Mtn Dew, and off to the computer.
This is my cherished few minutes. Will I get to actually write today? I am getting to where when something happens, I imagine what I'll write about it. I enjoy doing this, even if its just for the wild unknown internet, some faceless space where everything resides. This is a type of therapy for me, and I would bet for many of us "mom-bloggers" out there. I truely enjoy what I'm doing when I sit down.
I also love reading what others have read. I read about a wonderful mom w/2 sets of twins, God Bless Her Soul! She writes such wonderful stories, and boy do I understand how hard it is to have them 1 at a time, but 2! And to have 2 sets! I gotta love her for keeping her sanity and for making me laugh and smile.
Another blog I read loyally is about organizing. This is my dream, but I don't know if I'll ever attain it. I'm a stacker, myself. Yep, stack everything in the corner. On my desk. In the closet. But, most of the time I'm pretty good about knowing what stack has what I'm looking for, that's organized, right?
Another mom I'm going to mention is written by a mother of 4 who raises horses & dogs. Lots & lots of dogs. She also has an amazing children's clothing line that she does in her spare time. My Lord, I could only imagine her days. Oh, yeah, and 1 of her children has special needs, but is a cute as a dickens in the pictures. I feel crazy w/3 kids & 1 cat, and feel like I never have time for myself. I guess when you glimpse into other people's lives you really see what the human spirit can handle.
The last person I'm going to mention lives in St. Louis, just like me. She is a much younger mother of 2 than I am (twenty something vs almost forty), but an established writer. It is actually through her old column in the Post Dispatch that I found her blog, and then started reading blogs from there. I really enjoy her stories, she writes with an amazing flare. She is always battling for blog rights and working hard so that the rest of us will be able to claim our own writing as our own property. You go, girl. Keep up the writing, we love it. I also have to hand it to her, she homeschools. While part of me would love to do such a thing, the other part loves the days when they're gone. Also, I was fortunate to find a Catholic school/parish that we totally love and that is very progressive in technology, art, science, foreign language, etc. Not all of them are, and I know the neighborhood where they live and unfortunately our Diocese has closed most of the schools around there.
So, my youngest has just joined me whinning. Time to leave my little break and get back to mom-ing.

My Son the Headbanger

My husband & I are old 80's rockers. What can I say? I admit it. I love Metallica. Even though I'm a 37 year old mom of 3 and totally not what you would think of as a Metallica fan, I am still a headbanger at heart. This being said, I have a few of their albums on my ipod. Funny thing about my ipod, though, is that I never seem to get to use it. My almost 10 year old son has it most of the time. So, now he's a metal head like his mommy & daddy.
Its not surprising, since we've been listening to Metallica since he was in my tummy. I even think that my husband & I were going out for a long drive (like we used to do before we had children) and listening blissfully & very loudly to a Metallica CD when I said to him that it would be funny if he ended up liking this music.
Now, onto the reason for this story: Metallica is coming in concert. My hubby's first words about it were not "let's go!" but rather "I'm taking my boy!". When I just bought the tickets online this morning, my son was watching over my shoulder anxiously, asking a million questions and going on & on about it to the point that I had to shoo him away. I somehow was able to secure great seats for them. (And will make sure that there's ear plugs to join them!)
The headbanger, 80's girl in me wants to say "hey, I want to go!". But, the mom in me loves that my 2 biggest boys are going (hubby & boy #1). Strange thing to share w/your children, I agree. But I think its pretty cool that something my husband loves, his boy now loves too.
This isn't his first concert, though. A few weeks ago Bruce Springsteen was in town & they went to that show on a spur of the moment. Pretty cool that his first 2 concerts are The Boss & now Metallica.
Now, I just have to dig out one of hubby's old concert t-shirts & he'll be the coolest little headbanger there!

Never Forget

Today is 9-11.
I think as a country we have forgotten what happened on that horrible day 7 years ago.
I think we have reached a level of complacency with regards to terrorist acts. We've started thinking it couldn't happen again. That we are safe as a country and no one can hurt us.
We Are Wrong.
I am not a political person at all. I don't think this is a matter of Democrat or Republican. It is a matter of being American. We need to remember that this act, this senseless act of violence against women, children, men..mostly civilians that were at work, or on their way to see loved ones, or returning home from a trip, occurred because someone out there felt that they had the right to destroy what was not theirs to take. And, as long as people like Osama bin Laden are out there, these threats to our way of life are strong. These attacks were not the last terrorist attacks we will see on US soil, I'm afraid.
I remember that day so well that the hair on my arms is raised and my heart is beating fast as I type. I had a small baby, just 7 months old, and a toddler home. My husband & I were together, which was rare on a day like that, and watching the Today show. I loved Katie Couric then, I don't get to watch the evening news now, its dinner time. As we were watching they were trying to figure out what had happened to the first tower of the World Trade Center, when we saw the side burst into flames on the second tower. As they played back another angle, I'll never forget Matt Lauer saying it was a plane. We were freaking out. My husband's mom was in North Carolina at her sisters & was supposed to fly in a few days, thank God she wasn't coming home that day.
Then, we watched the TV in terror as the events unfolded. As they were describing that there were planes that the control towers had lost contact with. As the towers crumbled. As the Pentagon was hit. As the plane with those amazing passengers that fought the terrorists crashed. All day long. The devistation. The people this event effected.
I remember the next day how quiet it was outside with no air travel. It was eerie. It was fitting.
Perhaps each year we should make 9-11 a day without air travel just to remember.
So, I wanted to just say that I remember. I pray for those that lost loved ones, I pray for our country. Today, we should all just pause.

I REMEMBER.

Finally, She Sleeps

My wonderful Aunt We passed away on Sunday afternoon. Apparently, it was a very peaceful passing, she simply went to sleep. I'm so glad that at the end it wasn't painful, or scary. She had her children with her and was able to go quietly.
She has a crowd waiting for her up in heaven, as most of us do. Her husband has been there without her for 25 years, I'm sure that he is very happy right now. Two of her children are there also, how nice their reunion must be about now.
My mom & I were talking and she asked me what form of ourselves is in heaven. Are we the age when we die, or something else? My reply is that I believe that we are in heaven as we see ourselves. For example, I see myself as about 18, short, skinny, blonde and pretty. This woman who looks back at me from the mirror, almost 40 and chubby, that's not the me in my mind's eye.
I'm sure that the Aunt We that's up there isn't the frail, tiny woman that she had become at the end. I think that she's young, and vital. A head full of dark hair and standing strong. She was always such an amazing woman in my eyes, almost larger than life. Also, she's going to be with her love of her life, and he is still 25 years younger. I can see them now, both young and happy to be together. In their amazing house that they built with their own hands, up on top of the hill. Or, younger still, just at the age that they started out in life. Like the picture the kids had placed in the hospital room of a bright eyed young couple.
I'm sure that the Bible says more about this, but I'd like to think that we have some say in how we are for eternity.
I love you, Aunt We. Thank you for being the amazing woman you were. Thank you for loving me and being there for me. Thank you for everything.

The Trifecta

We took the day off on Saturday, no kids, no work, no craziness, and went to the DuQuoin State Fair to see the harness races. Strange choice for a day off, I believe, however we had a reason. A good friend of my husband's family is one of the owners of a harness racing horse, DeweyCheathamnHowe, who was racing in the final race of the day and was the favorite for the win. I was a racing virgin, you could say. I have never been to any horse race of any kind. It was actually really cool. We were able to sit with our friends and their group. We watched several races before the final event so we were able to understand what was happening.

I made a bet. My husband sent me off with the racing form and said "pick what you want, here's some money". Now, I've been to the casino's here in Missouri. Its nothing to spend $20 there. So, I placed $20 on the Trifecta bet. Apparently, that's a pretty big sum of money for the Trifecta.

The race was exciting, to say the least. Our hearts were pumping, will Dewey (which is what those of us in the "group" called him) win? Will he defeat his foes and win another amazing sum of money? The passed the first turn, and he was 2nd. By the second turn, he had gained the lead. Oh no, a racing enthusiast may say, you don't want your horse in 1st for the whole race. Can he do it? Will he win?

Of course, its Dewey we're talking about. He took the race beautifully. It was amazing. My heart was pumping like we had just won the World Series. Then, we strolled down to the Winner's Circle with the owners.

HOW COOL IS THAT? It was way cool. If you see a short, chubby blonde in the back, yep, thats me. Since I'm 5 ft tall, however, I doubt you can see me in any pictures. I'm sure you can see my hubby, though, he's the devilishly handsome fella with the sunglasses.

Oh, and that Trifecta? I won. Of course since all the horses I picked were really good, it only paid out 8 to 1, but that's $140 that I didn't have before the race, so its all good.

All in all, a pretty cool day, I must say. We drove back home after some ridiculous fried food from a booth called "Fried What?", I had a fried snickers bar. Totally gross & yet so yummy. Just enough to hurt your teeth, I shudder just thinking about it.

So, Dewey won, we ate gross fried food, and drove the 2 hours home. We were by ourselves and actually really had a good day. Thanks, babe, I needed that.