Redemption

This weekend I met up with The Ex. And it was surprisingly uneventful. There wasn’t that silly little flutter that I’ve had every other time I’ve seen him since the first day I met him.

I had been really nervous because, well, he is THE Ex. Three years ago when I saw him, he looked exactly like he did in high school. Only older with more muscles. And while I don’t look ENTIRELY different, I have evidently maintained the weight I gained from both pregnancies & so am wider than I was then. So this was really picking at me because even though there’s no doubt in my mind I’m with who I’m supposed to be with, there’s still that little piece of me that wants him to be like “Damn! I let THAT ONE get away!?” which is probably the same feeling most girls have about their boys from high school.

Needless to say, I hadn’t really wanted to see him because of my own insecurities, but when I walked up to him, I felt this huge release. Like it is OK that I don’t look the same way as I did when I was 17. And my entire demeanor has changed because of it. I guess I was fretting over the whole ordeal since the first email I got from him saying he was back in the area. So now, I have a whole new outlook on life!

In other news, I booked our flights to see GQ in Seattle. I still can’t believe that we’re going because the Redneck fam is so not the kind of people that make big plans like this and follow them through. It’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to go to Seattle, so I’m super excited. Even if it is with the Redneck Mom and Dad.

Anyone have any requests for sightseeing pictures? We’re only there for a couple of days, so I’m not going to get a lot of tourist-y time, but I’ll do my best!

Mini Vans are PUNK!

So, most of you are aware of the whole Mini Van debacle of '07. If you're not, I own one. It's tragic and I never thought I would, but I totally do. So there.

Anyway, CB and I have been laughing about it a lot lately because, well, we have some very odd taste in music. When asking the kids what CD to put in, we most often get a response asking for this:



Or this:



And when the hubs and I are in the van by ourselves, he usually puts in someone like this:



Why have we been laughing, you ask? Well, it's because I have this hilarious image of people who look and think like people who own mini vans are "supposed" to look gasping at us in horror as we drive down the street, windows down and one of the above artists blaring throughout the vehicle. Because, surprisingly, my van has a kick-ass stereo system!

So, between the music we play, my uber-cool pink turtle on the back end, and the fact that CB usually dresses like he could be up on stage with one of those people, we have turned the fam-mobile into the punk-mobile. And so maybe--JUST MAYBE--I don't hate it quite as much as I could. . .

Remembering

I was going to post yesterday. But then it occurred to me that all I would be posting would be a whole lot of nothing. I realized what day yesterday was. And I chose to avoid it until after the kids went to bed last night. Then I watched MSNBC’s airing of the original Today show from 9/11/01.

It also occurred to me that there are probably a lot of people who don’t think that MSNBC should air it anymore. That it brings back too many painful memories. I disagree. I WANT to remember how I felt that day. I WANT to try and put it all into perspective. I don’t want to forget the memories. Because I want to be able to share them with the kids when they are older. They were 2 and almost 3 months old when it happened. So while they can say they were alive, there’s nothing there for them. So when they start studying it, I want to be able to convey the fear, the hopelessness, the pain, the sadness, and the resolve that began on that day and continued for quite a while afterwards. And my heart still breaks for the people that experienced it first hand. It is my dream city, always has been, so to see something so iconic crumble to nothing was mind-boggling. I can’t imagine what it was like to KNOW those buildings. To KNOW the people in those buildings and stand there unable to do anything. It kills me. But that doesn’t mean I want to pretend that it never happened.

I want to remember those feelings so I don’t get bitter about the little things. So I watched and I remembered and reflected. And reminded myself that life isn’t about the stupid stuff that drives me crazy from day to day.

So, that’s just my thoughts on the whole thing. What do you think? Agree or disagree? Should all the video, pictures, survivor accounts, etc. be shoved to the side until they’re entered into some text book 25 years down the road?

Didjya think I'd joined the circus?

Well, I didn't. I survived the last few days of summer vacation and maybe even enjoyed them. Last Friday I went to see Reba in concert. She was awesome. Melissa Peterman (Barbara Jean from Reba's TV show) did a stand up act as an opener and she was hilarious! Diva and Glamorous Mom got their picture taken with her after the concert (Reba had already left) and Diva got her autograph on a HUGE sign that my mom jacked from the concert venue. Seriously, it's a sick obsession with my mom and her friend. This sign is probably a good eight feet long. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the thing!

The rest of the weekend was mostly uneventful with me having a head cold and feeling like crap for most of it. But we still had a good time. Monday Diva I spent three hours (THREE HOURS!) cleaning her room. I even got to rearrange it (which I love. It's my sick obsession). So now her room is spotless, everything has a drawer or box of some sort in which to belong. We'll just see how long she keeps it that way.

Tuesday was, well, BLISS! It was so nice to get back to a regular routine. And while I didn't dance out of the school after dropping them off, I am much, much happier to see my little ones at the end of the day. And I get my couple of hours to myself to do things like go have coffee with my friends and read without interruption. I think we're all a lot happier.

And, as if school starting wasn't enough good news for the week, we found out that GQ (CB's oldest younger brother. Dresses like he just stepped out of a GQ mag) is coming home from Iraq in the very near future! We're all much relieved that the end is near since he wasn't supposed to be done for another month.

So, that's about all that's going on with us. I was all gung-ho on starting the weight loss plan this week, but that just didn't happen. So NEXT week we'll start being healthy.

Now, a question for you. What's your take on vlogging? I have access to the ability, and was thinking that it would be a fun way to incorporate things here, but I was thinking GRDBBG (the weight loss blog) would be more effective and real if I'm doing video posts instead of just writing. So, thoughts? Questions, comments, or concerns?