The Festival

We went to a festival yesterday. As we were leaving the house, I was pretty excited about it too. It was the annual Dogwood Festival held in downtown Fayetteville. The newspaper made it sound pretty amazing: tens of thousands attended last year, Hootie and the Blowfish were playing at 8pm, there were booths, food, rides, and games galore. Now, who doesn't need some good ol' greasy festival food every now and again?

We found parking with no problem and only had to walk about a block before we were there. Things were looking good, but that would soon change. It was far too crowded to be enjoyable, imagine the normal width of a city street, add in booths lining each side, and finish it with elbow to elbow people. I don't think I made it more than about three steps in a row without someone bumping into me. People were pushier and ruder than I ever remember too. I know not everyone will understand this comment, but people were worse than travelers waiting to board Ryan Air. Needless to say, the Husband wasn't comfortable at all, crowds have not been his friend since returning from Iraq.

Most of the craft booths were selling really trashy home-made crap. There really isn't a better way to put it. The stuff was horrible. And, the food lines were all really, really long. But, we figured since we were there we would check out the concert venue. "Are they serious!" was my initial reaction. If we actually wanted to see the band we would have to be within about thirty feet of the stage, an area which was already packed with people two and a half hours before the headlining act. The stage was in the middle of a three lane street and there was no room to spread out, only back and at about thirty-five feet there was a big lighting tent that no one could see around. Not well planned.

Something else that I noticed is that there was no one selling beer. What the heck kind of festival does not have a beer tent? I am not a huge beer drinker, but I became very accustomed to the normalcy of the German fest which always had beer. But, that's not it either. I think that every other festival that I have ever been to has had a beer tent. Especially those with a concert involved. It was just not normal to not see any beer.

Well, I was sorely disappointed by the whole hour (maybe) that we were at the festival, but we did grab a bag of blue cotton candy at a lightly patronized booth on our way out. Mmmm the joy of pure sugar! We ended up skipping Hootie for Taco Bell, a movie and ice cream. V for Vendeta was fabulous and with Cold Stone added in for dessert the evening could not have been better.

Photos (sorry they took so long)

So, when we moved, somehow I lost the power cord to our camera's printer dock. Six months later, I still have not found it. But, I did finally hook up some other cord that connects the camera to the hard drive (sorry, I don't know the technical lingo) so that I could download the photos off of it. I have been promising people pics of our new home and living room furniture and, voila, finally they are here. They were all taken around Christmas, therefore it looks a bit different inside now. Oh, and it looks like we hadn't picked up the new end-tables either. They actually match the coffee table now. Anyhow, here ya go...

From the Street

From the Back Yard

Living Room 360

A Shower a Day

Have you ever had one of those days when you just couldn't wait to take a shower. I think that everybody has. Today was one of those days for me.

First, the weather is miserable. It has been cloudy with a steady rain since I got out of bed this morning. Good for the grass, bad for me. It's pretty chilly too, the thermometer is reading 56 F (It's been in the 80s & 90s the past several weeks). I went to the 0930 spinning class where I sweated like a man and my 'wicking' tank top didn't do such a good job at eliminating the perspiration. As I walked out of the gym I was damp and beginning to cool down, so it didn't take long for me to become uncomfortable.

Then, because I am lazy and know I won’t want to leave the house once I get home, I decided that it would be a good idea to stop at the grocery store. We were almost out of milk and all the way out of fruit, plus all of the fresh berries were buy one get one free…how in the world could I pass up a deal like that? As I pulled into the parking space, I swear it began to rain harder. I was bounding toward the entrance when I happened to splash through a huge puddle that soaked both my shoes and socks. So, I got to squish miserably through my ten minute jaunt through the store all the while becoming colder and colder.

I found the same puddle on my way back to the Jeep, but by that time, I could care less. I simply wanted to turn on the heater and warm up. Even with the heat, the damp cold feeling persisted. This is when I became cognizant of the happiness a nice warm shower would bring me. I could not wait to get home.

Now, I am all warm and cozy again. I smell better too. It’s still raining, but that’s okay, it makes my flowers happy and it keeps me on task. I have a big project due on Tuesday that I have done a stellar job at procrastinating on. Some days showering is a chore, especially the hair drying that comes after, but today wasn’t one of them. Today, my shower was a little slice of heaven.

Self-Esteem Reality

I took a sillly little quiz on self-esteem today and here are the results:

***You Have Low Self Esteem 16% of the Time***

Which can be translated to mean, you have high self-esteem and a healthy sense of self worth.You believe in yourself, and you know how to be the real you. You love yourself, imperfections and all.
How is Your Self Esteem?http://www.blogthings.com/howisyourselfesteemquiz/

Who would'a thunk it???

United They Stood

I am really torn about the new movie "United 93" that is coming out this weekend. A part of me wants to see it, yet another part of me doesn’t. In some way I feel the story being told is of real everyday heroes that stood up for something, and that they somehow live on through this movie. I would like to have an understanding about what went on during the flight and I feel compelled to suffer through the fear of the characters.

I find it admirable that Universal Studios actually received permission from all of the family members in order to make the movie. I just wish all of the money that will be made was going back to the heroes families. Some of it may be donated, I haven’t researched it in that great of detail. But, every time I see the preview, it brings tears to my eyes--literally--and a few times they have actually leaked down my cheek. It is not the feel-good movie of the year and would definitely require multiple Kleenexes because I know how it ends.

This all comes up because I am a packrat. I was going through a box of "crap" today that had a newspaper dated 9-12-2001 in it , so the photos that are not shown all that often were staring me in the face. Again, my heart felt like it paused for a moment and I began to get all weepy. Just like when I see the movie preview, all of the fear that I felt on 9-11-2001 comes flooding back. And, I recall details of that day vividly.

My boss came in and told us about the planes hitting the WTC and then proceeded to pull the story up on the internet. My husband was hundreds of miles away in "the field" with no way to contact him. The world seemed to be going crazy and I felt like I had no control. I remember watching the news until the wee hours of the morning and then turning it on again as soon as I woke up the next day. It was one of the top ten scariest things I have lived through.

Are movies and television a good way to immortalize our nation’s heroes? I don’t know for certain. The critics seem to think that the producers never get it right, but I do think movies help ‘ordinary’ people see into a world that they would otherwise not know, even if it's not all true. But, I will most likely wait for the DVD.

Summer

I have been catching up on all of the blogging done by friends and realize that I am way behind. There are so many topics I want to talk about right now that I am not sure where to begin. Most recently I was laughing at Itzy Bitzy’s shaving dilemma in "Feeling the Burn" and the comment by Dirty Girl about being pale. And, I sympathize with IB and all who commented. So, I want to chat about a few dilemmas that go hand in hand with summer.

First, I have been taking some sunless tanners for a test drive in recent weeks and I am still not decided on their effects. Sure, they make me less pale, but there are always uneven lines around my feet and ankles and I refuse to give up sandals. The lotions with tanners in them have been the best thus far, Oil of Olay and Jergens brands to be specific. Coppertone’s pump was HORRIBLE, so stay far, far away. My sister says that Coppertone’s oil free sunless tanner works well, but I haven’t spent the money yet. I am contemplating a spray on tan like 'The One with Ross's Tan' in the last season of “Friends” but have heard mixed messages about the process. I have found that nothing looks as good as the real sun. However, the real sun is evil and so are tannig beds. So, what’s a girl to do?

Then there is the issue of what to wear in the summer. I think I saw the same episode of “What Not to Wear” that was mentioned by IBs blog, where the pros said that shorts were “out” and looked bad on every figure. Well, to show how fickle the fashion industry is, I just read an article last week saying that cropped pants and capris made all people look bad and that shorts were better. I say, wear what you want and what you feel most comfortable in. I personally am not a fan of shorts because I am self-conscious about my thighs and therefore want to keep them covered unless hanging out around the house. I love skirts and dresses in the summer, I find them most comfortable. So, if I am in dresses or skirts most of the time, please know that I am not really dressed-up, it's just my style.

Finally, my most dreaded task of all…putting on a bathing suit. It incorporates both the pale issue with the thigh abhorrence, adds in a body awareness resulting in self-consciousness and brings us full circle, to IBs shaving frustration, but more specifically shaving the bikini area. I remember not giving a crap about throwing on a swimsuit and heading to my aunt M’s pond where the fishes would bite my butt while I lounged in the innertube. I could have stuffed myself full of food an hour prior and still have the protruding full belly to prove it, but I could care less. Oh, how simple life was back then. *Sigh* Now, putting on a suit is a process.

I have to shave the bikini area and then deal with the red bumps or wax and still have red bumps because I don’t go as often as I should to maintain. Those ten to fifteen minutes of pure pain are pretty expensive too. Has anyone tried the electrolysis route? If it actually works, I think the process would be worth the money. I also have to wonder if people really look at others crotches that closely if at all. I know I don’t, so does it really matter?

As well as shaving, there is the issue of finding the right bathing suit. I am not a fan of the one piece, it always gives me a wedgie. But, am I getting too old for a bikini? Does a skirted bottom that would hide my thighs a bit look too ‘old’? Tankini’s seem almost perfect, but the ones I have tried seem to come together in just the right area to give me the perfect fat roll to stick out between the top and bottom. The perfect suit...I think it's a myth.

But, even with all the shaving and swimsuit stress I still love summer. Although you may not know it from reading this post, I think summer is just more simple for me in so many ways. I can wear little make-up and not feel guilty. My hair air dries and can then be swept up off of my neck and is perfectly suited to any summer activity due to the increase in the thermometer. Ask me again when the real heat sets in and I may have changed my mind.

Easter Candy

It may be due to PMS, but I am craving a chocolate bunny like crazy right now. So, instead of indulging, I am going to write about Easter candy. I think Easter day should be a time for the gluttonous consumption of sweets. The ‘cheap’ candy that is available around this holiday is some of the best that is out there.

I was cruisin’ down the Easter isle at a superstore last week and was amazed at the variety and shear amount of candy that is available. Just about any candy bar that is on the market has been created in the form of an egg. So, one really can’t go wrong in filling a basket with favorites. The speckled Whopper eggs caught my attention, I remember loving those things!

A few years ago the Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg would have topped my list, however now I don’t know that I could pinpoint one favorite. The Reese’s brand has outdone itself with the Reester Bunny this year. My mom got one of these tasty treats for my husband as an early Easter delight while she was here last month. Well, he was kind enough to share last week. The bunny has the same taste as the classic egg, just bigger. Diet aside, bigger is better, especially if one is a fan of peanut butter. Another favorite treat that has appeared during the past six years is the Reese’s Pieces Eggs. Again, I am a peanut butter addict, so these also top my list of must haves, giant Reese’s Pieces, yumm.

I remember being fascinated by Cadbury’s eggs They are the ones that look like a real egg inside. It is just gooey white and yellow sugar, but I thought that they were the coolest things on the planet when I was about seven. I still remember the commercial for them “Thank you Easter bunny! Bawk! Bawk!” I love that commercial!

I could care less about jellybeans unless they are Jelly Belly or Starburst brand. Any other bean is hit and miss. Peeps of any shape or color make me want to gag, unless they are melted in the microwave with chocolate and graham cracker. Please keep those marchmellowy little suckers out of my Easter basket!

Babies & Children & Motherhood, Oh My!

As I explore the world of my friends in the blog world, I now understand what others have written about people they know being pregnant and having babies. Holly cow! I am finding out about ladies I know having babies who I never even knew were pregnant. And, I must say "CONGRATULATIONS!!!" to all of them.

When it comes to babies, I still don't feel as if I am old enough to be a mother. And, I honestly don't know that I ever will. Obviously, as the number of years that I have been alive will show, I have reached an age where some sort of decision needs to be made. I simply don't have that overwhelming urge to have the responsibility of a child, and my husband weighs much heavier on the side of not having children. But, if we ultimately decide not to have children, I can't help but wonder if we, or more specifically I, will regret it.

Right now, I believe that I would be content to be a wonderful aunt. My Aunt L, who had no children of her own, used to take my cousins and I on fun outings each summer. We would spend a few days with her and go to the wave pool and the lake, take a ferry trip to an island where we would ride bikes and eat pizza, and go to the mall shopping for stickers. Oh, and I can't forget the hot fudge cake at the local Big Boy restaurant. They are great memories. Now, I could do that! See, I love kids. . .when they are not crying, whining, or behaving badly. So, I would love to do fun stuff with them and then give them back.

I just don't know about having one that I am responsible for 24 hours a day. I was a nanny for a summer and loved the girls, but also loved my time away from them each evening. I also see all of the sacrifices that mothers have to make unless they are very wealthy. That said, I am not sure that I am unselfish enough to be a mother. I like the "me time" that I have too much.

I thank God every day for friends who help me see both sides of the coin. I have a couple great friends who have made the decision not to have children and reassure me that if we choose such a course that it is okay. I also have a few friends who try to talk me into wanting children. For now, I will be content to watch others' children if they want a night out or a weekend away. And, I also have the hope that one of the other two ladies in our family will have babies someday and I can be the wonderful Aunt that takes their children on outings and trips.

I still have a few years before it is officially too late, so parents and parents-in-law there is still a faint glimmer of hope for you. Nothing has been carved in stone. But, please understand that there is a possibility that your "grandchildren" from our family may always be the four legged furry type.