If My Head Wasn't Attached...

Before kids, I had it all together.  I could recall facts and remember important things to do (and do them in a timely manner).  I was extremely organized in both my closets and my daily happenings.  I actually finished tasks without starting and stopping them repeatedly.  Basically, I didn't feel like the total scatterbrain that I feel I have become since welcoming my darling child into this world three-and-a-half years ago.  Now, a normal day around here consists of me losing my keys at least three times (sometimes I find them in hand when I'm looking for them), racing around the house trying to get myself and my son out the door, not being able to complete a sentence when I'm on the phone with friends, and settling for clothes that have a little stain on them (but should anyone ask, I'm prepared to say I spilled something on myself in the car).  Once, I even washed my face with my glasses on.  I wish I were kidding!  

So why is this worthy of writing about?  Because I CANNOT be the only one who feels this way after becoming a parent.  I’m begging you, someone, anyone...come out of hiding!  Pardon the political reference, but please help me feel more like the 99% and not the 1%.  

As a frazzled, always-feeling-behind-the-eight-ball, stay-at-home mom, how on Earth does my house not burn to the ground?  It’s simple.  When my little boy was born, my priorities shifted.  Although I love having a clean house, plopping on the couch after a long day trumps scrubbed floors any day.  As for recalling facts and remembering important things to do, well, recalling the lyrics to “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” ranks much higher than recalling my “To Do” list.  In 2027 when Reese is eighteen, I’ll resume having a tidy house, wear clean clothes, and have complete conversations with friends.  Until then, it’s business as usual…wait, where are my keys?

Rock n' Rollin' Like a VIP!

Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote about the irritating concert experience we had when we saw 311 in Virginia Beach.  Meatheads dancing in our paths, little stripper girls shaking their thangs, and just the general distractions that great people-watching can bring.  But today, I am writing about the 180 degree turn our 311 concert experience took last night.

I have always been a believer that timing is EVERYTHING.  Even one second can change the course of your life.  Ever seen "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow?  I'm all over that concept.  This is the story about how timing worked to our advantage to give us the best concert experience of our lives, and how we have my brother, Sam, and his wife, Ledy, to thank for it.

We travelled from Williamsburg to Bristow (right outside of Manassas) to see this show.   Our concert key players were me, Fran (my husband), Olivia (Fran's sister), Andy (Olivia's husband), and Sam and Ledy.  The four of us were waiting for Sam and Ledy, who were late arriving to our meeting spot at 5:30 because they forgot their tickets and needed to go back home, putting them thirty minutes behind schedule.  They are the ones responsible for getting us in the car later than planned and getting to the concert later than planned.  Had we not arrived later than planned though, we would have missed the amphitheater employee who approached us about upgrading our tickets to VIP status.

"So what's VIP status?" we asked.  VIP status meant having access to the VIP lounge (a sprawling, private deck with cabanas and tables, our own private food and beverage tent, and our own personal server to bring us said food and beverage).  VIP status meant having our own box in which to sit, separating us from anyone who might bump into us, breath on us, spill on us, dance in front of us, or just generally bother us.  VIP status meant having our own server at our box to deliver drinks and food whenever we wished.  VIP status meant having our own bathrooms to use that were free from the oppressive humidity and filth that the other bathrooms had.  VIP status meant having our own entrance to our box seats.  At $20 per person, it was the best decision we've ever made!

With all of these frills came an unexpected ego boost.  We all felt like celebrities (or at the very least very important people, which coincidentally was the amphitheater's intention).  We were giddy with excitement and kept repeating how "special" we felt being in this box.  Before this show I would have guessed that if I were to ever be a celebrity, I would be a very humble one.  But after the teeny tiny glimpse I got of being "important", I can see how celebrities get the diva mentality, and I could see me getting a little full of myself as a celebrity.  It was very easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of people waiting on you hand and foot!

So, no bumps, spills, distractions, muss, or fuss...lots of drinks, food, privacy, space, and the treatment as if we were famous.   Rolling VIP for the night was by far the best way to go.  Our concert experience was and most likely will be the best one we'll ever have.  And it's all due to the timing of Sam and Ledy forgetting their tickets and needing to return home to pick them up.

For now, we are back to reality.  We are special, but not in a VIP kind of way.  At home, nobody is bringing us drinks, our bathroom isn't all that special, and we don't have a sprawling deck to sit on and have drinks brought to us.  But for one night, we got to live it up, and we rocked that 311 show in the most legendary way!  Thanks, Sam and Ledy!

Fran was mid-sentence when the nice girls in front of us snapped this picture.

L to R: Olivia, Andy, Fran, me, Sam, Ledy

Our magical wristbands!

What a Difference a Day, a Week, and a Year Make!

One year, one week, and one day is what it will have taken to get settled again after Fran lost his job.  I could never have predicted the length of time we would be waiting, but it turns out that 1-1-1 is our lucky combination.  Here's the breakdown...

June 7, 2011- Fran lost his job
July 20, 2011- Fran takes his DREAM job working at our local cycling shop
August 4, 2011- We list our house on the market
February 27, 2012- We sell our house!  Hooray! (Thanks to our wonderful real estate agent!)
April 17, 2012- Our offer is accepted on the third house we made an offer on.  (The third time is definitely the charm!)
April 21, 2012- Moving day into our rental/neighbor's house (thank you to our fabulous neighbor who needed a housesitter while out of town!)
June 15, 2012- We will move into our new, permanent house!

That's 1 year, 1 day, and 1 week summed up.  It was the busiest, most emotionally taxing year of our lives so far, but we have made it!  Fran LOVES his job, we get to spend so much more time together as a family, and we have a permanent roof over our heads coming soon.  Life is good!  Hope everyone's summer is off to as good of a start as ours is!