The one where I make you look at my ass. And Elvis.

Have you seen a ton
of Blissdom Conf posts this week?
Here’s another one.

Thought I could not go.
Husband gone and no childcare.
No conference pass!

Thursday? Felt sorry
for myself. A bit jealous.
But then realized…

Your happy is what
you make it. So, Friday I
hopped on over there.

In the parking lot
saw my first three hot ladies.
FLINGER LICKED ME. SCORE!

From eleven to
one:thirty I ran people
down with B’s stroller.

Entered a sea of
mingling, chatting ladies.
Saw faces I knew.

While I still felt like
sort of a jerk outsider,
my spirits lifted.

That night, was honored -
four ladies came to my home!
For hours we all laughed.

Dawn*, Victoria,**
Sammanthia,***Leslie**** – they came -
brought food, drinks, and mirth.

Photo by Victoria, with Leslie’s Phone, Edited by Me. Heh.

A balm to my soul.
Can’t express how I needed
a night just.like.that.

Wasn’t planning to,
but Saturday morning I
hopped over again!

Photo courtesy of Domestic Extraordinaire

More love ly faces…
snapped a bra and then B and
I crashed a session!

Photo courtesy of A Mommy Story

(Oops! Sorry, Alli!)
We’re total rebels! B now
Blog Branding expert.

Photo courtesy of Domestic Extraordinaire

Braden blogged along!
Okay, okay, it was a
Spongebob DVD.

(Damn, this is long, huh?
Heh. Sorry about that guys.
But it’s fun for me.)

I had a short, but
lovely (unregistered) time.
Wish I had seen more!

But Sunday morning,
more fun to be had on the
Blissdom Photo Walk!

Lisa, Jill, Roni,
Colleen, Leighann, Mishelle… then
Maggie and Michelle!

Walked Downtown Nashville,
took photos, chatted… enjoyed
the warm, sunny day.

Photo courtesy of Mommy Always Wins

Swooned a bit over
Elvis. I think Braden was
worried about me.

Photo courtesy of Mommy Always Wins

FYI: Some shots
require you to stick your ass
out for all to see.

Photo courtesy of Mommy Always Wins

Did I have “total
conference experience?”
Hell no, I did not.

What I had instead,
was the best I could each day.
And? That was darn good.

*BEWBS
**”Snort that, bitchez.”
***The “i” is silent!
****She drinks when she cusses, ya’ll.

I Wonder… Is your phone really worth it?

Am I the only one who thinks it’s really kind of stupid to hold onto your phone and laptop in the face of a gun?

There is no phone, laptop, car, house, etc that is worth me going out like that.

Personally, I think it’s great that this young lady is unharmed, and that the criminal was apprehended.

However, I do NOT think she was “brave” or “courageous” as I have heard some people in the media refer to her. I think she was “foolish” and “very fortunate.”

But maybe I’m just all hormonal from pregnancy and I’m thinking life is far more precious than material belongings. Crazy me! Or maybe I’m not only a lazy douche but also a total wuss-bag pussy-baby and the idea of a gun pointed at me just makes me weak and wimpy. “Give me your phone and your laptop!” “Okay, would you like my car, too? Please don’t hurt me!”

Do you think it’s better to hand over your crap so you won’t get hurt… or do you think the criminal is more likely to kill you once they’ve got your stuff so you can’t ID them?

What do you think you would you have done?

Just for a moment.

Sometimes you have to give in.  Sometimes you have to reach out.  Sometimes?  You have to do something just because your soul said, “Please, can we do this?”

Yesterday, we drove south for over an hour, on a whim, with a 15 month old in the back seat, just to look at something.  Just to touch it for a few minutes.  It was a Colonial home that was built circa 1900, on 10 acres.  We drove south for over an hour, with baby snacks and juice and diapers and songs like “ABC” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” because it’s for sale, and my heart ached to see it in person.  Ached to stand on that old front porch. 

John humors me like that because he loves me.

I was so at home standing next to the bubbling creek on the property… looking out over the rolling hills into the blue sky… with nothing commercial for miles and miles and miles.  Just trees, bare of leaves.  For now.  But my mind’s eye could see their summer coats of shiny, green leaves, waving in the breeze. 

Grass under my feet… I could imagine the stark contrast of the white stars against the black night sky that would happen on that spot in hours time.  If I closed my eyes, I could see the garden I would plant on the acreage.  I could hear my son playing and splashing in the pond, with a big dog that we’d have. 

I wonder if John could hear the creak of the tire swing hanging from the tree in the front yard?  Or see me sitting under the shade of the magnolia tree around back, reading a book, as the tree burst with fragrant white blossoms over my head.  Maybe he could hear the birds singing, like I could.  Maybe he was lost in that moment, too?

I guess sometimes you have to let your heart dream so hard that you let it drag you for miles and miles just to touch something with your own hands, just for a moment, even if it means your dream will fall and break at your feet.

We decided that it’s just too far away from the town we need to be close to.   

So we drove all the way home again. 

Between the Colonial and our (rented) home we talked about desire and life and money and old age.  We touched on needs and hopes and the dreaded Practicality and Responsibility. 

We breathed in life, we breathed out patience.

Braden screamed and fussed… he laughed, sang, and talked.  He bucked, thrashed and complained, and at one point, he peed all over me. 

Then we drove the rest of the way home, and I had cold piss all over the side of my shirt. 

But I was happy.

When we got home, Braden ran all over the living room wearing nothing but a shirt and socks, laughing and screaming. 

With stars in our eyes, we watched him run to the curtains and twirl himself up in them over and over again, giggling madly as he fell to the floor, then jumping up to do it all over again.

We breathed in life, we breathed out love.  And it felt just right.

It was a great day.