She Likes Purple

The Blathering

I was in charge of the cocktail station at dinner Friday night. It seemed like a natural fit, no one will be surprised.

(We're having SUCH a fun time. It's been my favorite Blathering so far, I think.)

New Orleans

Just under the wire, here's a post for the day.

This weekend is going to make posting difficult (I'm trying to post every day of November, remember?) since I'm in New Orleans (yay!) for The Blathering. Even though I brought my laptop, the wifi around Louisiana is not so kind.

So, anyway, pecking this out on my phone. Day one was an exhausting, awesome success. New Orleans is an incredible city. Feels like a city that wants you to be here. And I'm so glad I am.

I Didn't Break Open the Champagne Until Midnight. I'm Tired Today.

I've been with Mike for almost nine years. The year we began dating, President Bush was elected to a second term. In 2008, I sat on my couch, pregnant and hopeful, and watched those numbers roll in and when they were indisputable, I broke open a bottle of champagne and drank a (smallish) glass. It felt big, important, special. I had voted for the president. I liked that a lot. (I also wrote this because I liked a lot of people who didn't like it a lot, and I respected and understood that.)

Still, while my husband was happy for me and happy for the last election's results, he stayed mostly politically apathetic. I didn't blame him. It's a lot to watch an election's madness. It's even more to become invested in it. 

He knows my political thoughts, of course, and I don't think he disagrees with them. He just prefers not to talk about that stuff at dinner parties or even at our own dinner table. Again, I don't blame him much for that. 

All that's to say, I was surprised he decided to vote this year. Pleasantly, wonderfully, cried-actual-tears surprised. He said he did it for me, and if that's actually true, it's one of the best gifts he's ever given me. Voting means a lot to me, but I can't ask it to mean a lot to him. That he did it anyway made me fall in love with him all over again.

President Obama didn't take Texas, not even close, but we voted for our president, my husband and I. I like that a lot.

If you don't like it, and I know there are many of you, I hope you're given the time and space to be upset. No one should possibly begrudge you for feeling emotional. It was a lengthy, exhausting road to get here. 

I'll even share my champagne, if you need a glass. You might feel like celebrating something after a couple glasses. 

***

President Obama supporters, I have to share this picture with you. How awesome, right?  

Vote Cast

I live in Texas, a red, red state, and while my state won't go to my guy (and even if the whole shebang doesn't go to my guy), I was proud to vote all the same. Although, I will say that my polling place was prepping for some sort of church potluck when I showed up Friday night and I didn't find it all that fair to have to stare at so many pies without being offered a single slice. 

You can kinda see my "I voted" sticker on my jacket.

No matter how tonight swings, I think we've all earned a piece of pie for getting through this election madness with our minds in tact. Or, in my case, as in tact as it was before.

(And because adorable is a nice way to end all things political, if you ask Kyle who his mommy voted for he'll say, "THE O MAN!" Come on, that's cute no matter how you politically lean, am I right?)

I Had Forgotten

I found this email I sent Kyle on March 25, 2009. He had just hit seven weeks old the day before.

You make this adorable noise after you sneeze. I know you won't always make this noise and I already miss it, even though you still do it. It's my favorite sound in all the world.

I don't think he made that noise much longer after March 25th. I had forgotten all about it, quite honestly, until I read this email tonight. (Technically last night, once this posts.) But, shit, did I vividly hear it after reading.

What if I hadn't written it down? Never remembering that noise seems like such a cruel joke. Don't give us these beautiful things, life, if we won't remember them in three short years.

Write them down, life whispers back. Put them in a safe place. Visit that place often.

Damn, that noise was cute.

Seven-ish week-old Kyle, because this blog was never cuter than when there were baby pictures on it. 

(Molly is so pissed at me for that last line right now.)

Small Home Improvement Project. (Mike Will Not Appreciate My Use of Small.)

We have a great house, I like to think, and there's little we need to do to it. There are about nine million things we want to do, though. This can be overwhelming. How do you make the time to do all the things on your "want to do" list when your "must do in order to exist" list is already pretty damn long? I don't know the answer to that, although I think it involves a lot of coffee. Even more than I already drink.

Anyway, we've been in the house over three years and now have a completed project to share! One that isn't in the garage, that is. 

Mike tackled this by himself, start to finish, although I think Molly and Kyle might have tossed in some support here and there. You know who did not toss in (physical) support? His wife. She was inside. Where the couch is.

Oh, wait. That's not true! I did help decide the brick pattern. 

It really does look incredible and it was a whopping $3. We bought something like a dozen bags of sand and 100 bricks but Mike used a gift card for most of the cost. I recommend using gift cards and husbands for all your home improvement projects. You're welcome for that advice.

Great job, babe! Also, the pattern is really spectacular. Did you have professional assistance with that?

Get It Together

I've been regularly going to a yoga studio for about three months now. I say "regularly" but I want you to know that means three times a week here, no times a week there. It means I go, and I do love it, but I don't yet have a solid routine or a yoga physique. I assume both are to come, but for now I consider myself to be somewhat of an experienced beginner.

Anyway, I get a free guest pass with my membership, so I drag friends with me whenever I can. I like working out with a buddy, and I really like working out with Kristie.

I've been dragging her to my favorite Thursday night yoga class for a couple weeks now.

This past Thursday, the class was pretty empty. It was practically an individual session at times, which is great when the individual session is with anyone in the class but you. It didn't make things easier that the teacher was tough. A good tough (I ultimately really liked her) but, still, TOUGH. Wouldn't let you half-ass a pose, would correct any mistakes, would encourage you with phrases like, "The burning you are feeling is temporary, and it means your muscles are doing what they're supposed to be doing" tough. I thought at one point, "I'm going to throw up and that will be what my stomach is supposed to be doing."

Okay, I'm getting off-track. So, yes, it was a tough, small class with a teacher we'd never had before. We introdcued ourselves before class, and she repeated all the students' names the first few moments of class, so it felt like we were becoming familar rather quickly.

So when she kept saying, "Jennie, move your ankle up an inch, lower your knee, LIFT YOUR HIP HIGHER, JENNIE," I was thrown because, honey, my hip is going to DISCONNECT FROM MY BODY IF I LIFT IT ANY HIGHER. I was showcasing my skills from the last three months at 200%--because, again, she was tough--and TRUST ME my hip was high.

It then became clear that she had my name mixed up with Kristie's. It's not that I'm some badass and Kristie isn't--she's a total badass--but we were clearly being corrected on THE WRONG THINGS. My hips were fine and when she firmly corrected Kristie on her knee rotation, that was alllll me.

It was hilarious after class, though, when I was talking to Kristie and she said, "She corrected 'Jennie' so much that I looked over and glared at you and thought, 'Really, Jennie, get it together.'"

GET IT TOGETHER. 

I plan to say this to her every time I see her now.

***

I'm dabbling with the idea of posting every day of November. This could be a very fun way to encourage more posting, something I've talked about recently. This could also be a very horrible idea that leads to nothing more than pictures of Kyle from November 20-30. We'll see! 

Radisson Hotel: A Free Night Giveaway

Oh boy, is this a fun giveaway.

You know I love to travel, right? In fact, I love to travel so much, I packed my family in the car this summer to spend a night at a lakeside hotel in Oklahoma. In August. When it was 113 degrees outside. The lake's water level was so low, there was no water under the fishing dock so Kyle had to fish in the hotel bathtub. (This actually happened. That poor kid.)

So, when Radisson contacted me about giving away one night's stay at any North American Radisson in honor of the hotel's 50th anniversary, I jumped at the chance. I don't think I've ever responded to an email faster. I love travel, very much, but I equally enjoy spreading the travel love.

Let's talk about where you should go, with a free hotel stay in your back pocket:

1. Chicago. Mike and I went to Chicago in 2011 and loved it, but I'm antsy to go back when it's not 39 degrees outside. I could enjoy quite a few cocktails on this terrace if the weather was warmer, couldn't you?

2. Aruba. I almost want to force you to choose Aruba. First of all, it's Aruba. Second of all, look:

I know! We should all go there right away and never leave.

 3. Your own backyard. Not literally, of course, but your own town. How often do you want to just steal away for the night, away from the laundry or the dishes or the laundry AND the dishes but splurging on a hotel room feels too indulgent and irresponsible? Often, I'd bet, but not when you have that hotel room covered. Here's a list of all the places there's a Radisson. There's likely to be one near you.

So, how do you win this free night away? Details...

• How to enter: Comment with what city you'd like to visit. (Radisson won't hold you to your answer, although I might. Kidding!) 
• Who can enter?: Anyone 18+, who currently lives in the U.S. or Canada.
• Voucher details: Valid for one free night, standard room, double occupancy at any North American Radisson Blu or Radisson hotel of the winner’s choice. The voucher expires one year after issue date.
• Giveaway is open until: 11/9 at 11:59 EST. 
• Other details: One comment per person, winner will be chosen through random.org, and winner will be announced no later than 11/15. 
• Bonus!: Other blogs are participating in this awesome campaign, and you can enter to win through ALL of them. Check here each day for the newest participating blog, then comment like crazy.

Good luck and happy travels!

***

Radisson offered me a free stay at any North American hotel in exchange for hosting this giveaway. Thanks to Radisson for that! Obviously my thoughts on travel are all my own, though, as Mike can attest. It was really hot that day in Oklahoma, and he would never have gone up there if it hadn't been for me.

A Warm Spot This Afternoon

I forgot to mention in my post earlier today that in addition to the kindness of the firemen last night, an ambulance pulled over and handed Kyle a glowstick while we were trick-or-treating. They were just monitoring the neighborhood, passing out toys to kids. It was such a nice gesture and Kyle thought it was incredibly cool.

I have to tell you, I love things like this. Small acts of kindness that are of no real effort on the side of the giver but mean so damn much to the receiver. Kyle's just old enough to possibly remember these things, and I'm happy those memories will be warm. 

In other news, I couldn't figure out where on earth I needed to go for early voting in my county. I thought I knew, but my county's website was no help, so I had to call. I was feeling sheepish, that I couldn't navigate a website--I kind of pride myself on my ability to track down information online!--but the woman was so lovely and helpful. She gave me the exact address and told me great job for voting (without knowing or caring about my particular vote). Then she told me to call back if I needed anything else.

It was refreshing, five days before such an emotionally-packed election, to just connect with someone over the simple act of voting. 

Yesterday, one Instagram friend commented that I'm a good mom--something I don't argue with, I think I'm pretty okay--but it's oh-so lovely to hear someone else say it, you know? It took very little for her to type out a few words and hit send but that sweet comment warmed me up for hours. 

I think I'm just in the mood for more of these warm spots, so I'm asking you to share a recent time when people were good, just genuinely kind, when they didn't have to be. 

Halloween 2012

A few months ago, I asked Kyle what he wanted to be for Halloween. I wasn't sure how he would answer this question because he's three. I can ask him what he wants for dinner, and that question somehow launches him into a re-telling of the funniest scene in Ratatouille. I love this age, I really do, but I can't begin to understand its thought process.

Anyway, he said he wanted to be a firefighter. Or maybe Spider-man. (A movie/cartoon he's never seen. THANKS, KYLE'S PEERS.) I was really pulling for firefighter, of course. It felt age-appropriate and adorable. It also felt free, as Kyle's older cousin had a costume I was pretty sure he could borrow. Free is so much cooler than a superhero in tights.

Everything was solidified when he got to try on the costume this summer, at his cousin's house. Yep, he was sold. (PHEW.) We had his costume squared away months in advance, and I kind of felt like a parenting rockstar. Except when I remembered the time I completely forgot about Halloween.

We had to bail on our plans for trick-or-treating this year, which totally sucked, but we spent the night in my in-laws' neighborhood, which was a nice consolation prize. Kyle was adorable and by the end, he made us wait for him at the curb of each house. "I can do it myself and you're not wearing a costume anyway," he told me. Ooookay.

He was wearing boots with his costume and I think they were a little uncomfortable because he eventually told us he was getting tired and was about done. We had just a couple more houses so we talked him into finishing those before we made it back to my in-laws. When he went up to the next house and the man asked him a question (that I couldn't hear), he said very loudly, "Trick-or-treat, my legs are tired." KIDS, THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE KIDS.

Also, for photo opps like this:

On the way home, Mike got the genius idea to swing by the fire station. They had to be passing out candy, he said, and it was easily the best decision we've made in a month. I say "we" even though it was Mike's idea because taking credit for his brilliance is a perk of marriage. It balances the impossible name he gave me.

Kyle was shy at first but warmed up quickly, as is Kyle's nature. He kept saying, "I'm a firefighter TOO!" The fireman on duty was incredible and I think we'll bake him cookies some time soon, to thank him for his awesomeness. There are just not enough kind words that would do him justice. He was warm, and he humored the hell out of my three year old (and us), all with a grin, and then he gave Kyle DOZENS of pieces of candy on top of everything else. Seriously, he's my hero of the week, that man.

Halloween was a win all around. Kyle said before bed, "I think we should go trick-or-treating tomorrow."

Bonus pumpkin patch picture, from this past weekend:

I hope you had a fun Halloween, too. Mostly, I hope you got to steal the good stuff after the kids went to sleep. Until next year...