oh What A Night!

So, early this morning I did a 5K run. Let me back up a little and start at the beginning. Last night we went to dancing in the park. I actually met my husband country dancing 19 years ago. It will be fun, I said and romantic, dancing under the stars. After the 5th time he stepped on my foot and I reacted in a less than favorable way, we mutually agreed the dancing part of our night was over, done. That was the end of it. We headed back toward home but needed to swing by the roller rink and pick up my son. I sent him a text as we were pulling in. Our conversation looked something like this.

Are you ready?

20 minutes …

I think my wrist is broken

Are you serious?

Yes

Dad is on his way in

I’d like to tell you that it was a quick in and out of the emergency room but they must have been giving something away, it was packed and everytime we turned around we would hear CODE BLUE. Attention, CODE BLUE. After 3 long hours of waiting and my son snapping selfies of himself to get pity from the ladies, the doctor still wasn’t sure if it was broken but put a temporary cast on and told us to come back for more X-rays after the swelling went down. We were finally on our way home when out of nowhere, some maniac in a truck ran a red light, made a left turn into our lane and was headed straight for us. I shudder to think of what would have happened if my husband didn’t stop at the intersection even though we had a green light. I believe it was somewhere around 2:30 in the morning when we finally rolled up the driveway.

Back to the 5K. Do you know what the best part of running any race is? The finish line. At least for me. And how I made it there is pretty pathetic but hey, it did get me there. I am not proud about what I did but I will share it with you anyway. There was a little boy around two and a half feet tall running up ahead of me. I was trailing behind, out of breath, when I saw him look back at me and pick up speed. That little bast!&$ was challenging me to come and try to pass him AND I did. I am ridiculously competitive and there was no way in heaven he was gonna beat me. I didn’t care that he was only 5. It was a competition, game on! I am proud to report that I crossed the finish line at 38 minutes, and him? Lol! 54. I kicked his little butt and that’s all that mattered. I got the best of him. I won! I pushed through as exhausted as I was, the whole time feeling like I could not breathe and dragged myself across that finish line where I collapsed and prayed for a speedy death, which by the way, did not come. I was miserable and hot but at least it was done. On a positive note, we did raise money and awareness for a good cause so we will just end the story there.

Did I mention it’s our anniversary? Wow! What a start. It began at 12:00 in a local ER and it’s still going strong. I’m not real curious about how the rest of the day will play out. Maybe I should just go back to bed and finally get some sleep or maybe not. What do you think?

Oh and one more thing! If you were wondering what my husband was doing at the hospital while I was worried sick…..

How To Survive Valentines Day

Today is Valentines Day. There will be flowers, chocolate, and romance in the air. Love songs will be playing inside the hearts and minds of people everywhere. For some, it will be a sad day. It will be a reminder of love gone wrong or the the hint that the right Valentine may never come along. Either way, we will all get through it. It is just another day.

My husband and I decided to celebrate last night. We made reservations at our favorite restaurant and decided to get a jump on this whole romance thing. Well, until the phone rang at 6:45. It was my husband, “hey woman, can you come down and jump me?” For a moment I was confused. Had he been reading 50 Shades of Grey when I wasn’t looking? “Um…okay. You know we have reservations at 7:15.” “Yeah, I just need a little to get me home.” I met him at a quiet, dark intersection that was everything but romantic. “Okay, turn around and jump me so we can get this thing over with.”

That is how our evening started. I jumped his truck and we headed home. I needed to change but my mouth was already watering for that filet. We arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes late and didn’t get seated until 8:15. Do people really eat this late? I was starting to yawn and secretly fantasizing about slipping into my flannel pajamas and going to sleep. Then I remembered the filet. I could feel the anticipation starting to build as the waiter handed me the menu. NO FILET! A fixed menu altered my plans.

By the time we got home, I was so tired that we ate the magnificent cakeballs I made in bed and halfway through I fell asleep. Yes, gross I know, I didn’t even brush my teeth. So much for the romance part.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected and move on. Our expectations can ruin every moment if we don’t have a sense of humor. Lucky for me, I do. So I made my pink heart-shaped pancakes this morning and tonight I am headed to watch monster trucks with my youngest and sweetest valentine. Enjoy the day, whatever you do and be happy with the people you love. That is the greatest gift of all. And hey, if you need some reinforcement, download I WILL SURVIVE and go to bed a little bit early tonight.

“The difference is a good day and a bad day is your attitude.”- Dennis Brown
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Yes, This Really Is How I Am Spending Valentines Day!

There I was, peacefully surrounded by candlelight, enjoying the wonderful scent of my bath fizzy that my husband lovingly brought me back from his trip to Brazil, when the memory of our very best date night popped into my mind. With tomorrow being Valentines Day and all, I couldn’t help but smile and think, that after 15 years of marriage, I could finally pay him back. The memory is still so vivid in my mind because my husband finally got it exactly right! I remember it so clearly in my mind, as if it happened yesterday. It was the year 2002. I was 31 at the time, a stay at home mom, with 2 small kids, ages 3 and 6 months. I didn’t have much energy and I certainly wasn’t getting a lot of sleep. My husband had this wonderful plan for taking me out. He booked the babysitter and kept the details to himself. All I knew, is that I was getting in the car and going out. In my mind, I was screaming, please let me go to bed, because that certainly had become my new idea of having a good time. But, I must admit I was a little curious as to what he had in mind. We pulled into a place I had never seen before. I couldn’t help but think, really a movie? That is your master plan, but it turned out it was the BEST plan he had ever had. We went to see Sweet Home Alabama which has become and remained my favorite movie of all time. It was the first theatre I was ever in that you could eat dinner, drink a beer, watch a movie and only have to pay a babysitter for two and a half hours. And, did I mention still get home in time to get a great nights sleep. Some of you are probably thinking, what kind of date is sitting at a movie right? Well, for those of you that know me, I love movies more than anything else in this great big world. It’s a time that allows me to escape this life and just be in the moment, absent of thought for 2 solid hours. And believe me, for those two hours, there is no place I’d rather be.

So, this brings us back to Valentines Day. Like most woman, I fantasize about waking up to breakfast is bed…maybe pink pancakes with tiny heart shaped chocolate chips. Roses of every color, 6 dozen of them, placed around the house with tiny notes of love attached. Maybe an afternoon of a couples massage and an evening of candlelight with a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries. But, tomorrow, while I am staring lovingly at my sweet husband, he will be staring lovingly in the direction of Kevin Durant. And, while most women are slipping into their sexiest lingerie, I will be slipping into my “thunderwear”. Yes, it’s true! I will be eating a hotdog, drinking some beer and chanting Let’s Go Thunder while clapping my hands wildly. So, this year, Valentines Day will not be like any other, but I must admit I’m looking forward to a really great game.