I’d rank it in one of the top 3 best weekends. Ever. Somewhere in that lineup holds a place for my wedding and probably some other birthday or event that doesn’t readily come to mind, and now the weekend of my 30th joins the ranks. Amazingness on so many levels. I probably won’t do it justice to explain.
First was the getaway. Husband took me to a wine bar near Grandview and we tried a few that I probably would not have pulled from the shelf at Meijer because a) they didn’t have a catchy name and b) they’re a bit too classy for Meijer (though I think Meijer has the best wine selection of any grocery at great prices). But they were fabulous. Then we headed to the Tip Top for dinner. I love local eateries. Sure, Macaroni Grill has a place in my heart thanks to Chicken Milano, but I love the uniquness that you get at a local eatery. We drove by several options in the Short North that we’d love to try, but the valet parking reminded us that we likely would feel out of place. Though, I was rocking my “going out shirt” that JWE convinced me to buy last summer, so it wasn’t for lack of appearances.
THEN we used up a Marriott gift card, thanks to credit card points. Guess what we heard at 2am? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And at 6, during normal feeding time? Yup. Just husband snoring. We slept in to a glorious 9am. Mid-day we remarked how tired we were – all the sleeping had us plumb tuckered out.
After a cup of coffee from a local coffeeshop (another fettish), we headed to Polaris for some Old Navy $10 off shopping and Target browsing. We watched a bit of the game over lunch and went to the mall. I perused PaperThread, a store full of stationary and books and gifts. It’s like the Target office supply aisle, only better! After husband drug me out we wondered aimlessly through Barnes & Noble. I could touch all the books… feel the paper… read a paragraph mid-book. And there were no toddlers pulling all the other books off the shelf. Glory, glory hallelujah.
Of course, such opportunity requires some give and take… there was lots of formula feeding M, packing up kids, and letting go of the fear of price tag regret. We didn’t purchase much while shopping, but just the cost of eating and being away can add up, something we have to work really hard in our budget to allow. But it’s totally worth the price of the sanity. I wore a cute outfit, drank good coffee and better beer (Great Lake’s Octoberfest is the best fall brew. Ever. ), and did not adhere to any sort of schedule. Well, of which I was aware.
Husband, parents & sister capped off the weekend with nothing short of a Me-Fest. They cleaned out the barn and simmered a few cauldrons of chili & stew and invited 200 of our closest family and friends. I may be exaggerating the number or I may not, I have no idea. But if I’ve ever held a good conversation with someone or can tell a good story involving them, it seems they received an invite. Husband said he tried to keep the guest list slightly under that of our wedding. And though I had a slight suspicion that something was brewing, nothing could have prepared me for the obscenity that commenced. Did I mention a bounce house was involved? And hayrides? And the pie. Oh. The. Glorious. Pie. My momma knows me well- I’d take a piece of pie over cake ANY day.
I stayed up late. I laughed with my friends and chatted with my cousins. I entrusted a few teenage babysitters to listen for my kids after they went to bed (another great think-ahead by Marj!). I even served as the target to a few karaoke serenades. I felt very loved.
Chalk another one into Reasons I’m Grateful for my Life column. I’m nothing short of blessed to have a husband who could concoct such a memorable way to enter my 30s and parents and family and friends who help make it all happen. Blessed.
Month: October 2010 (Page 5 of 5)
Over the past decade, one of my favorite publications became Relevant magazine. I enjoyed the variety of perspectives offered by the editorial staff and the gamut of topics covered, like what you shouldn’t expect from marriage, how facebook is killing our souls and anything Donald Miller submits. I appreciate its movie & music section, and not just in a “which are the Christian movies to see” way. And the paper it’s printed on is just delightful to the eye and touch. I even got published once (well, the online version). I believe that was the climax of my coolness factor. Yes, Relevant saw me through quite a tumultuous time in my life, known as my 20s.
This week we say farewell.
Admittedly, I haven’t been most faithful as of late, only popping in on occasion. My print subscription lapsed a few years ago and I never followed through to renew (even though it’s a mere $12 for such joy to be delivered to your mailbox). Nowadays I even tend to delete the weekly email, known to us old-schoolers as the 850, based upon the subject line. So in our breakup, though articles about dating and college campuses far outnumber those that appeal to my demographic, if we’re honest, it’s not you. It’s me.
I’m turning 30.
There’s even an article highlighting my to do’s before the big three-oh, and now I’ve come to terms with my divergence from the hipster cool crowd. The piece offers a valedictorian speech adieu. It’s been a good run. We had some good times. We’ve seen Jesus in the News around the globe. We’ve dissected everything wrong with the church and world today and even offered [solid] proposals for what could make it better.
Now, if Strang could just offer a version for those of us who can’t wear skinny jeans and who limit caffeine intake after 7pm, perhaps the separation would be a bit more amicable. You know, something I could read while pushing a stroller.
I’ve got skinny kids. Wee little ones. M fits in her “appropriate” bracket of baby clothes (3-6 mo) and until this fall, H did as well, but the jump from the 18-24mo to 2T is a big one, and thanks to the fact he has a Wingfield Butt and skinny jeans are in style, we’re not forking out for new threads just yet.
But with both children, my doctor managed to consistently stress me out about their weight. They don’t follow the normal pattern and arc that his handy-dandy chart says they should. They plane off around 4-6 months and then after a few months of “real” food, make another jump. Well, H did, and I’m guessing M will too because she’s quite an eater as well.
I tell myself all the normal things – she’s not fussy, she doesn’t get mad at the end of a feeding like H did (not because he wants more but because he likes to eat. He gets it honest. Look at his parents). She’s developmentally on target; the little lady is even sitting up on her own pretty well, when mommy remembers to give her opportunity. Really, it’s a miracle any second child develops at all… And the mommy gut in me says, “she’s fine.” I could go on and on about that stupid chart – how it’s made by the formula companies – you know, the guys who want to sell more formula – or how it’s just an average, or how childhood obesity is a rising concern or how the WHO has a separate chart for babies that are exclusively breastfed, but that’s not even the point.
The point? This blog has a point?
The doctor, and the society we live in, operates on a baseline of fear, not hope. We fear what *could* happen vs hoping for the reality which is to come. Waiting and expecting good.
I’ve been following a blog, FreeRangeKids, which linked to a wonderful editorial in Australia today. The blog mostly covers the way we don’t offer our kids freedom to explore the world, or even walk to the bus stop, and encourages parents to let go just a little. It also exposes our culture of fear, and if you ask me, brings to light the many ways we’ve been marketed to simply because we’re scared of getting this parenting-thing wrong.
I have a friend who fears her daughter will choke on small foods. Another fears her son will impale himself an anything long and skinny. Clearly, I fear that my kids will grow up nutritionally deficient. We all have something and it can have the power to control us. We overreact to it. Well, everyone but myself… no one has ever seen me get slightly hysterical about anything, right?
I enjoyed the editorial’s thought:
Parents are particularly vulnerable to this cluster of anxieties. Ideas of nurturing go hand in hand with protecting children from danger. But if some protection is good, more is not necessarily better. Before long it becomes stifling and stultifying. It prevents children from learning to assess danger for themselves, and from thinking how to avoid it. Driving children to school rather then letting them walk, ride bicycles or catch the bus not only wastes energy, it encourages laziness and the lifestyle diseases that afflict growing numbers of the young.
Life is not perfect and cannot be made so. Certainly a small number of children are hurt each year. But by trying to eliminate risk from children’s lives, overzealous parents are stunting their development, and inhibiting the ability of the vast majority to respond to challenges.
So, here’s to a day that says There is no fear in love, because perfect love casts out all fear.