I'm traveling on business this week. We left on Sunday for two days in Tampa (which, by the way, is COLD!), then I'm going to Indy for a meeting on Wednesday. I feel like I've been gone forever. I know my house will be a mess when I get home, because I'm pretty sure moms have a specialized ability to not only feed and dress their children, but to do it while also putting away dishes and toys. Since I've been gone I've had two incredibly good dinners and totally enjoyed getting ready in the morning by myself. With the TV on. And the curtains open to let in the morning sun.
I've met Jessica Biel's dad (yes, that Jessica Biel) and took a hospital tour guided by a Shriner wearing a sequin-encrusted fez.
I've gotten turned around in traffic and drove back and forth across a 5-mile bridge, only to get to dinner at the time I was supposed to be there anyway (without having a chance to get back to my hotel in between, which was my original goal).
I've slept in the Westin's Heavenly Bed and taken a shower in their Heavenly Shower, which features TWO shower heads working simultaneously.
And the whole time I've missed my kids so much I can hardly stand it. I miss kissing them at bedtime. Reading Dora's Princess Adventure to Lauren for the 987th time. Lying in bed with Grace laughing about her day or my made up song. I miss their sweet smell and soft, dimpled hands.
So many times, on so many hectic days I've thought how nice it would be to have some time to myself. No fannies to wipe. Meals to make. Bedtime routines to complete.
This week I have it. But I'm ready for it to be over.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
It must have been the wine.
Last night I went to my first ever jewelry party.
Actually, it was my first-ever purse/jewelry/make-up/cookware/tupperware party. Ever. I've been invited, but I've never actually gone. And just exactly what happens at these things has been a total mystery to me.
Well, I'll tell you what happens. You spend $137 dollars and wind up booking your own party for a Monday night in December.
It really must have been the wine, because I'm just not in the habit of doing this kind of thing. This is, in part, because I secretly fear I don't have enough friends and I'll end up with a party consisting of me, my sister (who also does not participate in this sort of thing, but would come out of sympathy for me), my mother-in-law and the cat. It's also because, although I actually love to entertain, I just don't know what these parties are all about and I feel a little awkward about asking people to come over to my house and buy stuff.
But as it turns out this party was totally fun! I really didn't mind spending the money because I got three Christmas presents and one birthday present bought. I won a prize! And I got totally sold on the idea of how much jewelry I could buy if I was actually a hostess. Did I say sold? I meant suckered.
Sorry, I don't mean to offend those of you who already know all about this thing and love it. Because while I feel a little bit suckered, I also feel like I've discovered a great way to get together with some girls and have a good time doing what comes pretty naturally to us all - shopping.
If you aren't around here I'll be emailing you to invite you to shop via my party online. The actual event is December 8, and all orders are guaranteed to get here before Christmas. And I KNOW you've got a mother in law/sister in law/mom/aunt/secret santa partner/grandma/best friend who has everything, but still loves jewelry. Only 42 shopping days left until Christmas!
P.S. Sorry about the Exhibit A on the previous post with no photo. I'm having some trouble with that.
Actually, it was my first-ever purse/jewelry/make-up/cookware/tupperware party. Ever. I've been invited, but I've never actually gone. And just exactly what happens at these things has been a total mystery to me.
Well, I'll tell you what happens. You spend $137 dollars and wind up booking your own party for a Monday night in December.
It really must have been the wine, because I'm just not in the habit of doing this kind of thing. This is, in part, because I secretly fear I don't have enough friends and I'll end up with a party consisting of me, my sister (who also does not participate in this sort of thing, but would come out of sympathy for me), my mother-in-law and the cat. It's also because, although I actually love to entertain, I just don't know what these parties are all about and I feel a little awkward about asking people to come over to my house and buy stuff.
But as it turns out this party was totally fun! I really didn't mind spending the money because I got three Christmas presents and one birthday present bought. I won a prize! And I got totally sold on the idea of how much jewelry I could buy if I was actually a hostess. Did I say sold? I meant suckered.
Sorry, I don't mean to offend those of you who already know all about this thing and love it. Because while I feel a little bit suckered, I also feel like I've discovered a great way to get together with some girls and have a good time doing what comes pretty naturally to us all - shopping.
If you aren't around here I'll be emailing you to invite you to shop via my party online. The actual event is December 8, and all orders are guaranteed to get here before Christmas. And I KNOW you've got a mother in law/sister in law/mom/aunt/secret santa partner/grandma/best friend who has everything, but still loves jewelry. Only 42 shopping days left until Christmas!
P.S. Sorry about the Exhibit A on the previous post with no photo. I'm having some trouble with that.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Some people never go out of style.
It's no big secret that I love clothes and shoes. What girl doesn't? As I get older I find it hard to hit just the right note - not too juvenile, not too matronly. I want to look good and stay current, but not like I'm trying too hard. You know what I mean.... the cleavage, the nails, the highlights, the clothes just a little too tight? The skirt that was really meant for a 16-year-old? One too many pieces featuring shimmer/animal print/denim? Also, I occassionally have to visit clients who have a slightly less.... creative... environment than I normally spend my day in.
I'm sure I'm not alone on my quest for timeless style. Make that timeless style that doesn't look like what everyone else bought at the mall. I'm guessing I'm also not alone in my continuous quest for ideas and tips on how to make it happen. That's one of the reasons I love the blog Omiru. It's kind of a weird name, but they have great ideas for how to put together really fun, fresh and simple outfits. As a working mom, simple is a huge deal. I mean, who can grocery shop in 6 inch heels and stacked bangle bracelets? I love their posts on re-creating the look of stars/people with great style.
As for the shopping piece of it, one of my favorites is Boden. They're pricing is about like J. Crew, not too cheap but not out-of-range expensive either. They're clothes are fun and creative and everything I've bought from them I have fallen in love with immediately.
One of my other best resources is What Not to Wear. This may be the greatest concept for a TV show ever invented. (Besides Lost, which is a whole different post.) If I could actually get a job hosting that show I would drop everything I am doing and run to NYC. These people have the most super fun job on earth. I mean, how many times have you wanted to pull someone over on the street and just say, "Honey, what kind of pants are you wearing?! Let me help you!"
But I have to confess: Sometimes all my logic gets the best of me.
Exhibit A:
I'm sure I'm not alone on my quest for timeless style. Make that timeless style that doesn't look like what everyone else bought at the mall. I'm guessing I'm also not alone in my continuous quest for ideas and tips on how to make it happen. That's one of the reasons I love the blog Omiru. It's kind of a weird name, but they have great ideas for how to put together really fun, fresh and simple outfits. As a working mom, simple is a huge deal. I mean, who can grocery shop in 6 inch heels and stacked bangle bracelets? I love their posts on re-creating the look of stars/people with great style.
As for the shopping piece of it, one of my favorites is Boden. They're pricing is about like J. Crew, not too cheap but not out-of-range expensive either. They're clothes are fun and creative and everything I've bought from them I have fallen in love with immediately.
One of my other best resources is What Not to Wear. This may be the greatest concept for a TV show ever invented. (Besides Lost, which is a whole different post.) If I could actually get a job hosting that show I would drop everything I am doing and run to NYC. These people have the most super fun job on earth. I mean, how many times have you wanted to pull someone over on the street and just say, "Honey, what kind of pants are you wearing?! Let me help you!"
But I have to confess: Sometimes all my logic gets the best of me.
Exhibit A:
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
GOBAMA!!!
How late did you stay up last night? Did you feel certain that Obama would win, or were you wondering if somehow John McCain could pull a rabbit out of his hat? Were you celebrating or worrying?
No matter what the answer, all of us shared one thing: We were witness to history.
Record voter turnouts. Dramatic shifts in voter demographics. A populace engaged like never before in recent memory. And a black man elected president.
I was at an election results party at the home of close and long-time friends of ours. They are lifelong Republicans who had voted Democrat this time around. They are also old enough to remember the struggles of the civil rights movement. One of the most interesting conversations we had last night was about the idea that some white voters might say they would vote for a black man and then not be able to do it when they were in the privacy of their voting booth. All of the guests gathered there (besides us) were in their same age group and shared this opinion.
But Chad and I both agreed that this seemed unlikely. We aren't naive, but we didn't believe people would get to the voting booth and have a sudden change of heart based solely on skin color.
Our friends remarked that we are part of a different generation. We are post-civil rights movement, part of the generation that brought rap into the mainstream and has grown up in a much more multi-cultural world than our parents.
That's true. We grew up watching Sesame Street and Fat Albert, the Cosby Show and Different Strokes. We listened to Run DMC, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson. We looked up to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. We wanted to be Will Smith and Whitney Houston (before she hooked up with Bobby Brown!).
It's almost impossible for us to imagine the struggles the generations before us faced. Yes, we've learned about them, talked about them. But we haven't lived them. At least for me, it's hard for my imagination to stretch so far that I can imagine what it was like when people were treated differently based on one criteria over which they had no choice or control.
The more I thought about it the more I realized how proud and thrilled I am that my daughters will grow up not remembering a world without a black man as president. I can't wait to tell my grandchildren stories they will barely believe about how exciting it was when this man was elected. How, even though we had come a long way, we had not yet leaped across this important hurdle. But most of all, I will be proud to tell them how we, as a country, made our voices heard. How we voted for a man who inspired us, who showed remarkable calm in the face of almost unbearable uncertainty about the economy, the environment and the middle east, who was a father, a son, a husband and a human being. How we chose the best man for the job and the color of his skin was totally beside the point.
No matter what the answer, all of us shared one thing: We were witness to history.
Record voter turnouts. Dramatic shifts in voter demographics. A populace engaged like never before in recent memory. And a black man elected president.
I was at an election results party at the home of close and long-time friends of ours. They are lifelong Republicans who had voted Democrat this time around. They are also old enough to remember the struggles of the civil rights movement. One of the most interesting conversations we had last night was about the idea that some white voters might say they would vote for a black man and then not be able to do it when they were in the privacy of their voting booth. All of the guests gathered there (besides us) were in their same age group and shared this opinion.
But Chad and I both agreed that this seemed unlikely. We aren't naive, but we didn't believe people would get to the voting booth and have a sudden change of heart based solely on skin color.
Our friends remarked that we are part of a different generation. We are post-civil rights movement, part of the generation that brought rap into the mainstream and has grown up in a much more multi-cultural world than our parents.
That's true. We grew up watching Sesame Street and Fat Albert, the Cosby Show and Different Strokes. We listened to Run DMC, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson. We looked up to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. We wanted to be Will Smith and Whitney Houston (before she hooked up with Bobby Brown!).
It's almost impossible for us to imagine the struggles the generations before us faced. Yes, we've learned about them, talked about them. But we haven't lived them. At least for me, it's hard for my imagination to stretch so far that I can imagine what it was like when people were treated differently based on one criteria over which they had no choice or control.
The more I thought about it the more I realized how proud and thrilled I am that my daughters will grow up not remembering a world without a black man as president. I can't wait to tell my grandchildren stories they will barely believe about how exciting it was when this man was elected. How, even though we had come a long way, we had not yet leaped across this important hurdle. But most of all, I will be proud to tell them how we, as a country, made our voices heard. How we voted for a man who inspired us, who showed remarkable calm in the face of almost unbearable uncertainty about the economy, the environment and the middle east, who was a father, a son, a husband and a human being. How we chose the best man for the job and the color of his skin was totally beside the point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
