my hometown home state

When I tell people I grew up in South Dakota, these are the top three responses I receive:

1. I've never met anyone from South Dakota before. I bet I hear this 99% of the time. I get it. SD is a big state with a small population and apparently people think we don't get out of the state much.

2. What's it like growing up in North Dakota? I don't know why but this is very common question.

3. Wow, you don't have a southern accent at all. No, I don't, that's because I grew up in South Dakota.

I was at a party several years ago at my friend's house. Geri (my friend) wanted to set me up with a friend of her sister's. Apparently, the sister wanted to check me out first. They grew up in New York and were very proud to be New Yorkers. This was our initial conversation at the buffet table:

Sister: Oh, you're the one from Oklahoma, right?

Me: No, I'm not from Oklahoma.

A moment later (still at the buffet table)...

Geri to her sister: Did you meet Mary? She's the one we're setting up with ______ I forget his name.

Sister: Um, yeah, but she said she wasn't from Oklahoma.

Me: I'm not, I'm from South Dakota.

Sister: Eh, same difference.

Me: Really, did you grow up in Jersey?

I went to her level and made my point. The sister's face turned red and angry and for a second I expected to her to jump across the table. Score one for the woman without a drawl from one of the Dakotas.

Next week I'm going to SD to visit my mom. I had hoped to go over the past weekend but flights were too expensive so I booked my trip for early March. I'm rarely thankful for high-priced air travel but in hindsight those elevated rates were a blessing. I avoided the 18 inches of snow that arrived on Saturday. My brother and his wife were back for a visit. He said that the snowdrifts outside his window were taller than him. Good ol' South Dakota...18 inches of snow and their departing flight on Sunday was on time! I think I'll mention that next time someone asks where I'm from.


Meanwhile, I'm going to think good thoughts for warmer weather and less snow next week for my visit.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I like football but will never EVER understand how a fantasy football league works. It hurts just trying to figure it so I've given up.

Bug likes to help me when I make dinner. Yes, this makes it longer and sometimes I get more gray hair before dinner is actually on the table but last night after Bug helped stir various ingredients, he was excited to eat what "he made." After dinner, he told me he wants to make it again because dinner was yummy. "Deal, Mommy?" Deal...and then we shook on it.

Big day today: I'm making my reservations to go to visit my mom and another mini trip to Cleveland to see the Bruce exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!!!

Ugh, for years I had bangs because I didn't have the patience to grow them out. Now for years I haven't had bangs and am kind of getting the itch for something different. Bangs or no?

Dear Someone

Dear Mother Nature,


I hope you get through this phase soon. These hot flashes of 95 degrees in late September aren't fun for us as we wait for a new air conditioner to be installed.


Signed,
another hot mama (and I don't mean that in a good way)


Dear Birth Mother,


It's time to put together our photo album for you of Bug's year. It's hard to know which photos or how many to send but I hope you like the ones we selected and that they give you a sense of what a great little guy he is.


In addition to writing on the back of each photo, I think I'll include a letter. So much has changed in Bug's world over the past 12 months...he's in preschool, potty-trained (woo hoo!) and just this morning he got the DVD player to work when I had given up (it's a guy thing, right?).


I wonder if the things he says--like the time he bumped his head and announced "I'm not happy anymore" or when he put on shorts for this first time this year knowing they were for warm weather and declared them his "hot pants" with a twist of his hips--and other sweet, funny, charming, or observational comments--will come through on paper without hearing his voice or seeing his facial and (often) full-body expressions. If you do want to hear his voice or see him, just let us know.


Signed,
the eternally grateful woman who--because of you--became a mommy


Dear Bruce,


Happy Birthday! Can you believe it was just 18 years ago that I was one of many who sang happy birthday to you after the Unplugged concert? Oh wait...I'm sure it stands out in my memory more than yours but I remember what each of us was wearing!.

Love,
The one who's waiting for the next concert and a slice of birthday cake

Go to Amanda at Family of Shorts for more Dear Someone letters.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I'm taking the bus home from work these days and that means reading time also a little bit of wobbly tummy from motion reading but I'm working on that!

Bug has a love/hate relationship with his bathtime. He's overly dramatic not too eager to get in the tub but then refuses to get out (I imagine this is the way with many kids--as a child I wanted to take a bath IF I could wear my swimsuit--I specifically remember being allowed to wear it once). The only way I can get him out of the tub is to tell him he's used up all the hot water and then sneakily shut off the tap. When he feels the cold water, he's ready to get out.

Yesterday for the first time I heard "Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light." It was sung to me with Bug playing the accordian and J (best buddy) playing a guitar. Then, in true Springsteen form, Bug thanked me for "coming out tonight."

I rarely travel for work but next month I've got two trips...Boston and Puerto Rico. And when I'm in Puerto Rico I'm also supposed to be at jury duty.

Still patiently waiting for fall to arrive. I can't wait to feel the crisp air!

Blogger and I seem to be having some bumps in our relationship. Like so many couples, it's a communication issue. Here's an example: I keep hitting "enter" and the spacing is a surpise. Blogger doesn't listen or respond. Who knows how this will actually end up looking...either one big paragraph or 8 blank lines between sentences (but for the record I have spaces between paragraphs RIGHT NOW) and spell check is apparently on strike so apologies for any glaring mistakes that I'm too lazy to actually look for and correct.

Head over to The Un Mom for more randomness.

F-Bomb Friday...the Bruce edition

Bug was watching the new Bruce DVD and at one point Bruce says, "Get me an elevator, I'm f^ckin' 60." I didn't realize what the love of my life Bruce said until I noticed Bug laughing and then pushing buttons on the DVD player to hear it again. That's when I heard Bug say:

"Get me an alligator, I'm f^ckin' 60."


Check out MiMi for more F-Bombs.

Hey, there's no beach here

We’re back from vacation. Sigh… The trip was good and we learned that Bug can go nonstop…not just the typical three-year-old gottabemovingallthetime energy but his mouth as well. He can talk ALL day. The chatter is more apparent in the car or maybe it’s just harder to tune out in that closed environment.

A few comments on the trip:

Donnie and I got away for an overnight when my in-laws offered to watch Bug. Funny how quickly we could get out the door when that offer was made!

Beach time.

Bug took swimming lessons in the ocean. He seemed to be less interested in the water after the lessons. What did he learn? Every so often he’ll put his hands together over his head and say “I’m a rocket.” (Well worth the money, don't you think?) Best part for him…he got to wear goggles while in the water and got a lifesaver after the lesson. He thought they were tiny Oreos obviously, the boy needs to be introduced to more candy.

Great seafood dinners but spaced out enough that I have a hive-free body.

Great steak dinners.

Two trips for cantaloupe ice cream and a pint in the freezer at the house.

Wine, wine, wine…

(Umm, too many food references here, maybe?)

Reading time never enough but always grateful for what I can sneak in.

A Cape Cod Baseball League game.

Dancing with Bug in the dining room to the new Bruce DVD before dinner.

Uneventful drives to and from the Cape with extra stops each way when Bug announced he had to use the potty. Now if we can just get him to stop taking off his shoes when he pees...

Random Tuesday Thoughts

We’ve begun calling Bug Shadow because he’s with me everywhere I go. I tripped over him the other day because I didn’t realize he was SO close behind me when I turned around. Sigh... (I know, I'll long for these days when he's a teen and doesn't want me on the same planet, right?)

Now that he’s almost potty trained, he tells me he needs privacy in the bathroom. I use the same line when he follows me into the bathroom but it usually doesn’t work. Instead he thinks hiding behind the towel rack is enough privacy for me. I can’t wait for the day when I can pee without a play-by-play commentary from my bath towel.
****
This morning our neighbor gave our sons a ride to camp. This is the email I received later: Driving the boys to camp, J says:" Let's listen to Thomas the Tank." Bug says: "Let's listen to Bruce." That’s my boy!
****
My nighttime snack of choice these days: wine and M&Ms…a lovely combination!
****
Beg begged to go to church with me (see Shadow section above...) so prior to going we had a big conversation about being quiet. We sat in the back and he was fine until he announced in the stagiest stage whisper of all that he had to go potty. I didn’t know if there was a bathroom available so I quietly told him he was wearing a pull-up and it was okay to just pee. Then…a bit louder he demanded announced: “I want to put on underwear NOW.” I quickly found the occupied bathroom (sigh) and stayed in the back of the church for the duration while Bug played with his cars. When we left church, Bug told me he didn’t want to go to church with me again.
****
I’d really like a donut right now.

Go to The Un Mom for more.

Almost Vacation time

‘Twas the week of vacation and all through the house
I’m running around and so is my spouse
Finding swimsuits and coverups and charging my iPod
All in advance of our trip to Cape Cod


I’ll choose Bug's and my clothes to be packed
Along with food that will need to be snacked
The biggest challenge is the drive to and fro
And hope that we have everything before we say “GO”


The DVD player--this time--should work
She said with great hope and just a slight smirk
We'll settle in the backseat with popcorn...and some juice
We’ve got the first Toy Story and the just-released Bruuuuuuce
It should be fun because Bug loves Springsteen
He's heard him, of course, but never viewed him on the screen


There are new toys safely hidden away
For Bug on the drive when he’s ready to play
Donnie's in the driver's seat and with some luck I can read
I’ll have plenty of books to get me up to speed

There are things to be done before we hit the road
Laundry tops the list--and more than just one load
We'll get the car checked and we’ll find our sun lotion
Because I don’t plan to stop until we’ve hit the ocean.


(For some reason going on vacation in the summer prompts 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to go through my head. Same thing happened last year so there was a bad poem then as well.)

Packing up our bags

Our trip to visit my mom is this weekend. Every time I talk to her I tell her the day we’ll arrive and how we’re looking forward to seeing her. This morning I called and said, “We’ll see you in TWO days.” She was so excited and throughout our chat I realized the statement of our visit was actually news to her. She had no recollection of our previous conversations. Long ago I decided that I can’t be surprised what she remembers and what’s not retained.


I’ve also learned not to call if the Twins are on TV. It’s pretty difficult to have a conversation with her if she’s watching a baseball game. (I actually love that she’s still so interested in baseball so I don’t mind getting bumped and calling later.)

On this visit most of my time will be spent with my mom. Donnie and Bug will visit with her, too, but (understandably) Bug gets restless at the nursing home and I often fear he’s about one quick step from trying to push people in their wheelchairs. Mom is eager to get out and do some shopping. We'll probably make a drive to my hometown. Bug will see his cousins and get to hang out at a terrific park/play area in town. This is a photo from a previous visit. It always makes me smile. He LOVES Winnie-the-Pooh and he walked right up and planted a kiss on the big bear.


I'm already dreading the flights. We're leaving our house at 6:15am on Friday. (Flights to my mom's town are pretty limited.) I think my only hope of getting the little man dressed before arriving at the airport is to let him wear his "G is for Guitar" shirt. I'm praying that will work--if not he'll likely be in his guitar jammies. See a theme, anyone? We've got two flights before we land in SD and one squirmy little boy. On Bug's last flight we were over the Potomac River, about to land in DC when he shouted, "OH NO, we're gonna land in the water."


So I'm looking forward to the trip, steadying myself for the challenges surprises of traveling with a 3-year-old and gearing up for some emotional times with family...and I'm thinking we may even watch a Twins game or two.

sometimes you feel like a mom...sometimes you don't

We drove to Boston for a long weekend and to spend Mother’s Day with Donnie’s mom. We packed up the car and were ready to go ahead of schedule (I’ll wait if you want to applaud).

Bug asked that I sit in the backseat with him. Fine with me—and probably easier in the long run than craning my neck around the seat to talk to him throughout the 8-plus hour trip.

About an hour into the trip, Bug told me his “froat” hurt. No surprise, the family we share a sitter with had strep throat during the week and even though the boys hadn’t been together for a couple of days they played together before he was diagnosed and we were hope, hope, hoping that Bug wouldn’t get it. Shortly after that, he announced his tummy hurt and then about two minutes later that he was going to spit out. Oh, and spit out he did. From my vantage point it seemed a bit like a scene from a badly acted/badly written horror movie a scene that I would look away from if I were watching it on the big screen. As Donnie pointed out, it was a gift that I was in the backseat and not in front of Bug.

So, why did I feel like a mom?

Prior to leaving the house a little voice inside my head told me to take Lysol wipes, paper towels, trash bags and a big towel just in case something like this happened.

Why did I not feel like a mom?

Everything I needed was in the trunk except for one itsy bitsy teeny weeny partially dried-out package of wipes that was left in the backseat from another time.

To make a long story short (or maybe just less long), we got the little guy all cleaned up and back on the road again. He was fine—even singing along to Bruce. (Yes, I LOVE it that he requests to hear Bruce on the drive…and he does so all on his own!) Then shortly after lunch he got sick again (I had my goods next to me this time and was more or less ready). We ended up in rush-hour traffic everywhere and got to Boston about three hours later than planned. Bug was terrific despite having to get cleaned up twice, being stuck in traffic, begging for a cookie (yeah, right) and a malfunctioning DVD player.

The weekend was nice. A rainy day in Boston on Saturday then off to the Public Garden on Sunday to see the ducklings and ride a swan boat. We prepped Bug by reading Make Way for Ducklings a few times last week. When we arrived we saw children dressed as ducklings and Officer Michael. Had we been earlier we could have taken part in the annual parade. Who knew?! Apparently everyone else in Boston from the crowd size. Oh well…it was great being there. (The photos below are NOT from Sunday...I'm not that organized.)

The drive home yesterday was uneventful other than a bit of construction on the Jersey Turnpike. We were home in 8.5 hours. As we left my in-laws' house, Bug announced he wasn’t going to spit out and stayed true to his word…I sat in the backseat just to be safe. Luckily, I can hear Bruce just fine from there.

When we were about 10 minutes from our house, Bug announced he wanted to drive for a little bit instead of going home. Sigh...

F-Bomb Friday

This morning Bug and I were watching The Wiggles during breakfast (Bug loves those Aussies). They were singing a song that was familiar to me. It took me a second then I realized I knew the song because it's on a Springsteen CD. Granted, it's from his Seeger Sessions recording... but still...The Wiggles and Bruce singing the same song? It had my head spinning.

Just to be clear...I like Bruce's version better. Visit MiMi at Living in France for more (hers is a doozy!).

Dear Someone

Dear Bug,

Work with me. Say this: "Daddy."

Now repeat it a few times so it rolls off your tongue easily. Got it?

Great! Now you can call to Daddy or go to his side of the bed every few mornings. He can get your breakfast, bribe you to get on the potty change your diaper and even turn on the TV! Yessir, Daddy can do all of that and he's ready and eager to hang out with you in the early morning hours and probably feels a little extra sleep wouldn't be a bad idea for Mommy.

Remember, Mommy can't have all the fun.

Love,
Sleepy Mommy

Dear Snow,

High five and fist mitten bumps all around...DC broke the record for the snowiest winter ever! Woo hoo! The record had been in place since the 1800s so it took a lot of snow to reach this high (heh). When my neighbor told me the news I had a tear in my eye, but to be fair that may have been from the strong gust of wind that blew snow in my face while I was shoveling.

You're almost the same height as Bug and some of your drifts are as tall as I am. Streets are mostly unplowed, Metro isn't running above ground and buses are limited--if running at all. My office has been closed since Friday. No doubt about it, you're impressive.

We've become creative with games for Bug since you arrived. Today he played "let's empty the poker caddy and restack the chips and cards." The game lasted nearly 40 minutes--I think we've got a new family favorite!

Just one question: NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE WHERE DO WE PUT YOU?

Signed,
Still a snow lover

Dear Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine with all the snow in DC. I heard Jersey got hit as well and hope you're okay. It's cold and we've been shoveling out but I've got your love music to keep me warm.

See you from mediocre seats at the next concert soon,
Mag

To whom it may concern,

In case you don't hear from me for a few days I've probably channeled my inner Laura Ingalls and decided to go for a walk. Donnie and I want to get chocolate a few essentials. I expect to see quite a few people trudging through the snow out and about mostly heading to an open Starbucks after being cooped up.

Signed,

Mag

Check out more letters at Family of Shorts.

I think I'm gonna dream about you tonight

Donnie left for a work trip on Friday morning so Bug and I have had a lot of together time this weekend. We've had our moments but all in all it's been good. He wasn't feeling well Friday night so we had snuggle time. During the weekend we listened to some Springsteen (his request, I swear). He helped me give Clara a bath by singing to her to calm her down. We watched some football. And yesterday he was my sous-chef while I made dinner for our company. Of course, as I'm typing this he's upstairs screaming because time out for biting me (again, still, whatever) and naptime came too close to one another.


Last night as I was tucking Bug in, he said, "I think I'm gonna dream about you tonight." Sigh...

So tomorrow the real world returns and it's back to work for me and back to preschool for the little guy. Right now a lot of work things seem to be hitting at once. Part of me is ready to be at the office and deal with stuff but at the same time I know that putting on work clothes, getting Bug dressed by 8am and dropping him at daycare will make me sad.

Dear Someone

Dear Anyone,

It's a dreary day here and I would rather be doing this:




Signed,
The Lady

Dear Mom,

I wish I could make things easier for you. I know it's difficult. Even when the physical pain is gone, the emotional pain is always there. It breaks my heart when we talk and you know you're confused and forgetting things. It's not the little things. We all do that (I've been looking for my black bra for three days...and I know I wore it home from work last week!). It's that you forget that Dad is no longer alive and you miss him so much.

There are times when I'll remind you that Dad died twelve years ago and that's why he hasn't been by to visit but other times I know you don't want to can't hear the truth at that moment and that's fine with me so we just talk. What's equally amazing is that you've never forgotten about Bug. Just a few months ago you were mad because you thought I got married without telling you (like that would ever happen!) but you still asked about Bug.

You're in my thoughts all the time and I'll see you very soon.

Love,

Mary Ann

Dear Thanksgiving,

I hear that you're two weeks away.

Signed,

The one who forgets dates on the calendar are closer than they appear

Dear Bug,

You were a star at the allergist's office this week! All our practicing paid off and when the doctor asked to listen to your heart, you lifted your shirt without missing a beat (oh, bad pun, sorry). I know Dr. S was as surprised as I was when you decided to lift my shirt as well.

Love,

Mommy

PS. We have to go back tomorrow so you can get the second half of your flu shot. Be brave, little guy.

Dear Brother #3,

I can't wait to give you your Christmas gift. You're the one who made me a Bruce fan. As a junior high student I always heard you playing his albums and then all of a sudden I was singing along and playing them myself.

You don't know I have a blog so I can comfortably say this...I have a signed Clarence Clemons book for you. Yeah, I doubt you'll read it but isn't it cool...the Big Man signed his book and it's yours or will be in about six weeks. (Good grief, Christmas is right on the heels of Thanksgiving--I better get moving).

Leave it to me to find books for sale at a Springsteen concert.

Love,

Your favorite and only sister

For more Dear Someone letters, stop by and visit Amanda at Family of Shorts.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

As a child Snow White was my favorite story. I think the biggest hook was that she was a brunette and I globbed onto her. I've never been a big fan of apples and now I'm betting it has to do with her story. In any event I feel like I'm relating more to the dwarfs these days than Snow White:

Bashful: How I felt when I sent emails to the mayor and two council members about the road construction on our street and the lack of communication about the progress.

Doc: When I gave Bug Benadryl after mistakenly buying (and serving) him ice cream that had egg in it. Note to self: there are multiple kinds of vanilla ice cream in the store. Don't buy French vanilla.

Dopey: There are many things I could include for this one but we'll just stick with not noticing I put French vanilla ice cream rather than real vanilla ice cream in the shopping cart and call it a day.

Grumpy: Hi Ho, Hi Ho...work stuff. Not worth details. Also, that I couldn't get the Random Tuesday Thoughts picture to work but yet Snow White is here--ugh. I'm so not a computer gal.

Happy: Hanging out with Bruce last week (along with 20,000 others). Spending the weekend with Donnie and Bug. And...are you ready for this...having the road barriers removed from our street--it's now back to a two-way street AND we can park in front of our house. (Just a short 15 months after construction began.)

Sleepy: An almost every day occurrence. However, last night Bug slept ALL. NIGHT. LONG. so I slept well, too. (Maybe I should add that to Happy.)

Sneezy: My allergies kicked in when we went to a farm over the weekend. It was a great place...animals, hayrides, live music, a gazillion slides (one so big it required burlap for sitting) and pumpkin smashing.

I think there might be a couple of others to add as well:

Bloaty: Being a girl is fun.

Bitchy: Almost always present when Bloaty arrives.

Grateful: For many things.

Go to The Unmom for more randomness.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Three years ago today Donnie and I were on our way to work talking about the paperwork we needed to complete for year three of the adoption waiting list. I was having a hard time with the rejection waiting and needed to figure out how to handle the upcoming year differently.

That afternoon at work I got THE CALL from the agency that a birth mother had selected us! The call is both clear and fuzzy in my memory. The agency woman told me the birth mother was going to be induced in two weeks and it was a boy. I remember thinking...that's so silly...she's a girl...birth mothers are always female. Thank goodness I kept my mouth shut because I quickly realized she meant the baby is a boy not the birth mother (kinds of tells you how shocked I was to receive the call, doesn't it?). I remember stamping my feet in excitement and trying to be quiet (only a couple of people at work knew we were hoping to adopt) while I heard the news. I also remember turning to look out my window thinking that Donnie would be there. This, of course, is stupid in hindsight for a variety of reasons. For one, I work on the 8th floor and so far Donnie has never done a fly by at my office. The next two weeks are a blur as we tried to purchase baby things but at the same time still keeping the news fairly quiet in case the birth parents changed their minds.

Bruce was last night. The concert was great! Lots of my favorite songs were sung (by Bruce and everyone else and in the audience). I have the ticket to prove I was there but like most of my Bruce concerts I'll forget where I put it. After all, Bruce and I don't need a piece of paper to show our commitment.

It took Bug a bit to understand Halloween. Prior to going out trick-or-treating, some friends gave him candy for his Thomas the Train candy container/Halloween bag. At the first house, Bug gave the greeters a piece of candy. The people at the door practically had to beg him to take something from the bowl. He caught on quickly though and after saying "trick-or-treat," he started announcing, "I like chocolate" at each house. He also asked repeatedly to go to Bruce's house to trick-or-treat.

Why is it on the day I have a dentist appointment I want chocolate for breakfast?

I've been in a reading slump but I think I'm now ready to dive back in with Everything Must Go by Elizabeth Flock, the new Read With Girlfriends pick.

Go to the unmom for more randomness.

Dear Someone

Dear Self,

It almost happened--the intention was true. The clothes were laid out, the sneakers were ready and the iPod was charged but somehow you forgot to set the alarm for 5:30 to get on the treadmill. There's always tomorrow but today I enjoyed sleeping until 6:35 when the other alarm--the one with two legs, blondish hair and cries Mommy--woke me.

Signed,
One who's not giving up (yet...)

Dear Donnie,

I'm looking forward to our date tomorrow night!

xxo,
Mag

Dear Trick-or-Treaters,

I can't wait to see you on Saturday night. As for the teenagers who are trying to score free candy, can you at least do something to make it look like you're wearing a costume?

Signed,
One of many with candy

Dear Bug,

I've been a Bruce fan longer than you. I appreciate that you've jumped on the E Street Band(wagon) and love it that you want to know if Bruce sings at church, that you want to play Bruce when company comes over and that you always ask to hear him the minute you get in your car seat BUT stop telling me not to sing. To paraphrase lyrics before both of our times, It's my car and I'll sing if I want to...yes, sometimes loud and off-key but I'll do it.

When you sing along to "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" I don't correct you on the words, I simply take it all in. There's a lesson in all of this, little man, and if I weren't tired I'd come up with a great line from a Springsteen song to sum it up.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Bruce,

I've got my Bruce boots ready for our date Monday night. When the lights go up, look to your left and down about halfway in the arena. I'll be the one dancing!

Love,
You know who

Dear Someone

Dear Twelve People Who Are Coming To Dinner Tonight,

Feel free to grab a glass of wine as you step in our house, quickly down it and get a second. I'm praying hoping after two glasses you might ignore our lived-in look and there's a good chance the food will taste better as well.

Also, please don't comment worry about the paint that's peeling on our living room ceiling. We're aware of it and we'll fix it eventually.

Signed,

Your not-so-engrossed hostess who will probably have a glass or two of wine before your arrival


Dear Bug,

Yay for you, little man! Thanks for staying in your room ALL NIGHT. And...thanks for telling me this morning that when you woke up and it was still dark--you told Winnie-the-Pooh about your day rather than calling for me.

Big kisses,

Your happy, rested mom


Dear Bruce,

It's less than three weeks until our date...exciting, isn't it?!

xoxox

More letters at Amanda at Family of Shorts.

I've got a date

Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration but BRUCE and I will be in the same arena room for a few hours on November 2nd when he sings to me and a few other thousand folks who paid for tickets.

And he's singing the Born to Run album in its entirety so I get to hear Thunder Road! It's one of my favorite songs. I have a soft spot for his songs with Mary in them (remember, my in trouble real name is Mary Ann).

Years ago I had a dream that I asked Bruce if there was a song with Mary in it on his new album and he answered yes. The new CD came out a few days later and sure enough there was a song with Mary. It's an undeniable connection, don't you think?

Success

Bug LOVES his little kitchen and apparently Winnie-the-Pooh will attend the culinary school along with our little guy. He's been busy cooking breakfast for us every day--his signature dish is a hot dog served in a tea kettle.

What fun for Bug (and me) to find out that:

the pot on the burner makes a bubbling noise

the frying pan makes a sizzling noise

the tea kettle whistles

the oven has a timer

and the grill makes a noise that no actual grill should ever make.

Please note he's got both oven doors open--it's like he's taunting me--oh, how I wish I had a double oven. (Ignore the pacifier...)

And...Happy Birthday, Bruce!