Before 40: June 2

Would you believe that I forgot I did two "Before 40" things in June!  That fact is even more shocking when I tell you what I did.  Maybe I blocked it from my memory since it was so traumatic.

For as long as I can remember, I have been completely terrified of snakes.  I remember going to a friend's house in junior high and there was a tiny little garter snake on her walkway.  I screamed so loud her mom almost called 911.  I remember taking a class of preschool kids on a field trip to the zoo, and all of them asking why I was standing so far away from the snakes.  I remember taking Dylan to a zoo class, and when the zoo lady pulled out a snake, sitting there shaking, trying not to let Dylan and the other kids see my fear.

I wanted to conquer my fear.  So, one day when we were on our way home from a birthday party, we drove past a pet store.  This wasn't a normal pet store, with sweet little puppies and kittens.  It is an "exotic" pet store, and I knew what that meant.  On a complete whim, I told Jim to pull in.

I explained to the worker that I was trying to conquer my fear of snakes, and she brought out "something small" - a corn snake.  She let me take it slow... first she held it and I stood MUCH closer than I am comfortable standing to a snake.  Then, I touched the back half, avoiding the head.  Eventually, she let me hold it.  At this point, every fiber of my being was screaming "RUN AWAY!  RUN AWAY!", but there I stood, watching a snake slither up my arm.  When its head starting going up pretty far, and it started sticking its tongue out, I finally had to bow out.

I will say that when you see the pictures, I look very calm.  Apparently my body goes into shock and outwardly I appear calm and still, but inside I am FREAKING OUT.  Oh, and I didn't breathe the entire time.  It's a miracle I didn't pass out.  I also realized afterwards, that while holding the snake I had absolutely no idea what Jim and Dylan were doing.  Dylan could have been climbing into the king cobra's cage and Jim could have been making out with the owner.  I wouldn't have known.  I was completely focused on that darn snake.  I conquered my fear.  But, if I go past a garter snake and scream like a little girl... don't hold it against me.

Before 40: June

I'm getting to the end of my "Before 40" endeavor, which is a little sad.  There is only one more after this one!  I'm hoping to save the best for last!  I did LOVE the one I did for June, though.

Let me start out by saying that Jim and I are NOT afraid of heights.  So, while this was adventurous, and I was a bit nervous at first, it wasn't as terrifying as it probably is for some.  We had a blast, and Jim already asked when we are doing the harder course.

Know what we did yet?

T-ball Games

When I got pregnant, I hoped I would have a boy.  Of course, I would have been thrilled either way, but that was my preference.  In all the years that I taught, I always had more of a bond with the boys.  I adore Dylan, and I love being the mother to a boy.  Honestly, though, there is one thing I felt I was missing out on... dance class.  Is there anything cuter than a little girl in a tutu and ballet slippers?  Probably not, but you know, this came pretty close...

Practice started in March, and they had 11 games from April up until June 25th.  We missed two games (one for his Spring Show at school, and one for our anniversary), but Dylan was thrilled that Jim was able to make it to all but one of his games.  "Mi-Mi" and "Bubba" (my parents) even made it to a few games.

For his first "organized" sport, I think it went pretty well.  His hitting improved quite a bit from start to finish.  He was just as unfocused on the field at the last game as he was the first, though!  Baseball is a pretty slow moving game for a kid like Dylan.  Will I sign him up again?  I don't know.  I think I'd like him to try something more active, like soccer or hockey.  I'm proud of him, though.  He always went without complaining, with a smile on his face.  He didn't complain that it was too cold (at the start of the season we were wearing winter coats!), or too hot (towards the end, they were playing in 90 degree weather!)  The most important thing at this point is having fun, and I think he did.  I enjoyed watching and cheering from the sidelines.

Can you see how much he changed from the beginning of the season...

to the end?...

Dylan's Sports Room

In 2010, Dylan's bedroom looked like this...

The thing is, he never really cared that much about cars and trucks.  In 2010, when we changed the room from a "jungle" theme, he didn't have any strong interests, unless we wanted to paint cookies on the wall.  About the time he turned 4, that changed.  Suddenly our house was filled with every kind of sports equipment you could think of, and we were playing hockey in the living room and football in the family room!  

Because we are on top of things (NOT), we just recently changed the room to a sports theme.

(Dylan still has this thing about wanting white on his bed, so that is the same.)

It started with me buying a few things at Target...

A hamper that you "shoot" your clothes into... how genius is that?!

I already had the sports "Dylan's room" sign.  I bought the bins and small canvases at Target in the $1 section!  SCORE!  

Now, there's sports balls flying through the clouds. (I really need to buy some colorful pillows to jazz up the bed a bit).

We got the bobble-heads at games.  I got the chalkboard scoreboard at Target (also in the $1 section!).

Jim made magazine covers for the walls.  Aren't they adorable?!

They are almost as cute as the decorations Dylan made for the room...

Before 40: May: A & B

A:

For a really long time, I have wanted to go to a restaurant in my town called "The Melting Pot".  I didn't know a lot about the place, but I knew it was a "fondue" restaurant and dipping pretty much anything in chocolate sounds like a great idea to me.  I knew the place had a "romantic" setting, that there were several courses, and that it was expensive, and that's about it.

Jim and I were celebrating our 10th anniversary, so that seemed like a perfect reason to finally get my fondue on!  Jim made the reservations and when we got there I was surprised to find that he had arranged to have flowers on the table.  We were at a cozy table in the corner, with romantic candles lit.  Things were starting off the way I imagined.  Then, as I strained my old lady eyes to see the tiny print on the dimly lit menu, my eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw the prices.  Yikes!

Our waitress brought the first course, pieces of bread to dip in cheese.  Then we had fruit to dip.  Jim had a couple beers and we were enjoying the meal.  Then, it was time for the main course.  It was when our waitress brought over the trays of uncooked meat and veggies that I heard the record scratch in my head.  When she started to quickly explain how we were to cook everything - how long and in what order - my mouth fell open and I stared at her in shock.

When she walked away I exclaimed to Jim, "WE'RE SUPPOSED TO COOK OUR OWN FOOD?!  ON OUR ANNIVERSARY?!  WHY THE HELL WOULD WE WANT TO DO THAT?!?!"  Jim was amused.  He was also the cook.  I told him later, "It's a good thing you took over and cooked the food, because I was just going to sit there and stare at it, until SOMEONE cooked it that wasn't me".
The "free" champagne and chocolate dipping session sweetened the deal a bit, but still.  Paying that much to cook our own food?  Ridiculous.  I did enjoy the company of my handsome husband, though.

B:

The second "new" thing for May wasn't something I had never tried before.  I had tried it many times...as a kid, and even as an adult, in a Walmart aisle while my friend yelled that I was embarrassing her.  I figured it was something that I just never would be able to do.  But, then we took Dylan to the International Children's Festival, and I discovered that at the ripe old age of 39, I can do this...

Two Realizations Brought On By A Vacation

Some of you have been wondering where I've been.  I really haven't been blogging much at all lately.  I wasn't sure exactly why, until I looked back through my photos.  Then, I figured it out.

Two things happened to me while we were on our trip to Disney.

1.  I had a fantastic time.  I was relaxed, happy, carefree, and present.  One reason for that could have been that I didn't watch much TV, or use the computer (I did use the iphone to post photos, though!).  The biggest reason I was so stress-free, though, was that I wasn't in my house.  I probably need to explain that statement.  When I'm in my house, I am constantly thinking "I need to..."  I am in a perpetual state of "to-do-list mania".  I have a very hard time being at ease... in my own home!  I had a bit of an "a-ha moment" with that realization.    While on vacation, I read the book (that is a big deal in itself - I.read.a.book!) - The Happiness Project.  It's a great book, but the part that stood out the most for me was when she talked about organizing her home.  She said that "many people believe that their physical surroundings influence their spiritual happiness".  I had the realization that not having paint or artwork on the walls and not having things organized, was causing me a huge amount of stress.

2.  I loved spending time with my son, my husband, and my parents.  Don't get me wrong.  I always love spending time with all of them.  But, I don't always savor it as much.  There were so many moments on vacation when I looked at my son and my husband, laughing together, or at my parents as they walked hand in hand with my son, and I thought "This time in my life won't last forever.  This moment is beautiful and special and I'm living it RIGHT NOW, and I need to appreciate it".  I don't do that enough when my mind is consumed with to-do lists.  

So, what came from these two realizations I had?  Well, first, I decided that we had to decorate/organize the house.  I need paint on the walls.  I need art hung on the walls and family photos.  I need to feel like my house is a home - an oasis that I feel comfortable and at ease in.

Second, I decided I wanted to spend less time writing about living and spend more time... well... living.

Funny, that the first realization gave me a ton more to-do lists though, huh?  What can I say?  I don't claim to make sense.  I'm not saying I'm done blogging.  I'm just saying that this summer at least, the posts will probably be few.  But, I hope you'll check back every once in a while and see what we've been up to.  Here's what we've been doing... (besides decorating and organizing)...

Playing at playgrounds...

Yes, I am exercising!  Can you believe it?  Dylan has actually given up his book reading time before bed to do the workouts with me on many occasions!

The International Children's Festival

Graduation from preschool

We've all been enjoying the new trampoline!

The Strawberry Festival

The Three Rivers Arts Festival.  We saw a free Steve Songs concert, and then bought a CD, and we've been listening to it since.  The guy is a musical genius in my opinion!  If you have a kid under the age of 7, click here...

There's also been many, many t-ball games, a 10th anniversary celebration, and two "Before 40" posts I need to catch up on, so I'm still WAY behind.  Stay tuned...