1979

2010

Wordless Wednesday (Night)

Since our first date was forever deemed the BEST EVER, Matt decided we should re-create it six months later. EXACTLY as it was.

Pro: Very sweet idea. Everything had to be the same. Including the clothes.

Con: The jeans I wore on that fateful night six months prior were “holy hell suck it in” tight shrunk in the dryer.

Pro: The place where we first met was not at all crowded. We had lots of privacy.

Con: Although we were cold and not wanted.

Pro: We found some awesome possible spots to say, “You bet your cute ass I Do!”

Con: “Re-creation” turned into a working date and included things we didn’t do on our first date, like plan a wedding.

Pro: First date we ate at State Street Brats on State Street, so of course that’s where we had to dine this time.

Con: Even though being a vegetarian in a location like “Brats” doesn’t lead itself to many choices, they did have fried cheese curds.  LOTS of cheese curds.

Pro: We bellied up to the exact same spot, at the bar just up State Street, where we sat on 8/18/09.

Con: My stomach now filled with beer+fried cheese curds+Captain & Diet combo wasn’t joining us in our Love-Fest.

Pro: Matt confessed that the first time we were at Hawks, there was a chalkboard in the men’s room above the urinal (you men are so classy) and someone had written “Becky is so cool!”  He thought that was a such a good omen that six months later, Matt wrote on the chalkboard and took my camera back into the restroom to show me.

Con: Remember the beer+fried cheese curds+rum VERY angry stomach? He still hadn’t bought his ticket aboard the Love Train nor was he impressed with the profession of chalk love. Therefore the night ended a tad early.

Pro: This time we went home together.

Con: None.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Mom and Dad,

So far, camp has been a blast…

I have made some great friends,

have been eating non-stop

and have enjoyed all the great activities. 

Since this is only day four of a this ten day camp, please send more money and clean underwear.

Love,

Princess

I am officially The Tired.

This carefree, swinging-single lifestyle is exhausting. And even though I miss my kid something awful, it’s also quite fun.

Monday night was really the only low point of the week. I got take-out, rented a movie and hunkered down at home. Ready for a cozy quiet night in. However “cozy and quiet” quickly turned to “sad and lonely” as soon as the food was gone and the movie was over.
It was just then when Ben called to say good night. I was determined not to let him hear me cry, but I knew I couldn’t hold out much longer so I quickly said, “Um can I talk to Grandma, honey?” When my mom got on the phone I lost it.

SOB
“I miss him so much!”
SOB. SOB.
“I hate this! Our house is too big and quiet and I won’t make it through the week….”
Sniffle sniffle SOB. SOB.

At some point she put Ben back on the phone and since he knows me so well he knew I was crying, so he too started to cry. At which point Natalie gets back on the phone and says in her best Jewish Mother Don’t Pull This Shit voice “REBECCA! Pull it together! Now your son is crying hysterically and you need to fix this. Oh man he’s a wreck. Fix this!”
So when Ben got BACK on the phone for convo numero three-o, I proceeded to make him laugh, tell him I was fine if he was fine and promise him a pony and batting practice with Prince Fielder if he stopped crying.

Ever since that night, I have successfully pulled myself up by my bra straps and embraced this all too rare week with the gusto of a 21 year old on Spring Break in Cabo.

Tuesday night I went to Ben’s Little League playoff game. (yes, I was fully aware that my player wasn’t there but HEY! That’s my team too! Plus I love the other mom’s…) After they won I went to dinner at this fabulous hole-in-the-wall Thai place with my friend Jackie. With a belly full of amazing Pad Thai and a perma smile from our talks about our kids, I met my friend Steve at the bar in my backyard for a drink. Or four.

Last night I went with my friend Vicki to Concerts on the Square. So much fun! We started out with some great cold white wine and were so wrapped up in conversation, (and of course the great music) we didn’t realize until too late that the food stands were all packed up. Luckily there was one popcorn stand still open. I have now realized that Carmel Corn + Cheese Popcorn + Wine = HEAVEN! Don’t knock it till you try it folks.

Tonight it’s off to get my way grown out and very gray hair did. After that, another Game Night with The Boys. Although I promise tonight will be an early one as tomorrow my BABY COMES HOME!

Not to mention I have to figure out how to get Prince Fielder back from Cincinnati in time to meet us at the batting cages.

Wordless Wednesday

This weekend my good friend Jen and her son Jake came all the way from Minneapolis to hang out with Ben and I.  Not only did they bring laughter and great times into our fair state, they also brought the snow.  Wasn’t that nice?  I’m pretty sure it was payback from our trip up there last April.  You know?  The time when it was 70 in Madison so I brought only opened toed sandals and it snowed in Minneapolis that weekend.  I’m not sure what Jen and I did to piss off the Weather Gods but clearly it was something severe.  Sorry, Dude.

Before the snow came, we did manage to get out and enjoy the best that Madison has to offer.  OK well the best Madison has to offer on a cold spring day with two 9 year old boys in tow. 

So we headed down to State Street for some lunch and shopping.

After one too many cute little gift shops, Jake was close to death, whereas his friend Ben (who was born with a Macy’s credit card in his chubby baby hand and who’s first word was “Target!”) was begging for more.  “Ooh!  Can we go in that shoe store?!?  LOOK!  WALGREEN’S!  Please just one minute in Walgreen’s!!!”  With Herculean strength, I pulled him away and promised him another shopping trip soon.

Later that night after everyone recovered and the Minnesotans slept, we decided it would be a great idea to go bowling! 

And it was. 

Except…

• -there was a blizzard going on outside.   In late March.
• -there was a 45 minute wait for a lane. 
• -the restaurant area happens to be the only spot in the greater Madison area which actually allows smoking.  And total losers who like to drop the F-bomb in front of young children.
• -the pizza, that in the past has been great, resembled something served in prison.  (Or at least that’s what my new lover says…)
• -and the boys who kept bugging their mothers for just “one more quarter!  PLEASE JUST ONE MORE!”

Not all was lost as the actual bowling part was very fun.  With Ben beating us all (cough cough, BUMPERS, cough cough).  And Jake coming in a very close second. 

I don’t know who that “Becky” lady is who got only a 67.   How is that score even possible? Was she bowling with her elbows? My God! She’s even worse than the President!

We finally left the bowling alley without a single coin left in our wallets, a desperate need to wash our smokey clothes and an unyielding desire to get home to wine, the couch and the Cullens!

It was a great little weekend and I found myself feeling really sad this morning when they left.  Jen and I have been friends for almost 20 years, and have the pictures to prove it.  I’m proud of us for working on this friendship and staying close.  Happily we even made plans to get together twice more this summer.  

In preparation I better find some really good water-proof mascara since if those visits are anything like this weekend, all make-up will be laughed off. 

I might not make it.  This year might very well be the year the holidays take me to the light.  Christmas might actually do me in.  For good.

Between the crowds in the malls for last minute shoppers like myself, the traffic on Madison’s already congested little streets or the weather, ugh the weather… it’s not looking good. 

You know when people say, “Wow, another storm is coming.  Are we going to make it?”  From now on, I’m going to look at them square in the eye, with a stone hard glare and say in my most serious voice,  “No.  I’m not going to make it.  But thank you for asking.”

Seriously!   On top of all the snow we already have, we are supposed to get another 10-12″ over the next couple days. 

That’s another FOOT OF SNOW PEOPLE! 

Where is all this snow going to go?  How can we possibly have more?  

Will the Mayor start asking the good citizens of Madison to store the snow in our freezers? 

Will we all be responsible for taking in and making room for snow?  

Will small animals and children ever be found again?

It’s all too much to bare. 

So dear readers, if you don’t hear from me for a few days, look under a snowbank.  I might be there with the small animals and children.  

Or perhaps you’ll find a flattened form of myself in the Toys R Us parking lot after being trampled by people who just got the last Lego Star Wars DeathStarShipTracker for 20% off.

Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find me rocking in a fetal position, under the Christmas tree, sucking my thumb and muttering over and over again “Is it January 2nd yet?  Please let it be January 2nd.  Please.  I want January 2nd.”

Until then, may you each have a very peaceful and Happy Merry Joyous Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas!

Dear Winter,

Hello.  We meet again.

I’m sure you are very pleased with yourself.  It’s so like you to not only come early to the party (you aren’t supposed to start until December 21st.  Just sayin’…) and come with such gusto.  Really?  Did you really need to use every trick you had yesterday? 

You had it raining, and then snowing and then my favorite… raining ice.  I especially loved coming out of work yesterday afternoon to find my car an ice sculpture.  A beautiful ice castle with wheels.  I could make out your laugh, Winter, when you realized that not only had I forgot my gloves but this Midwestern girl didn’t even have an ice scraper.  

It started to rain harder when I took out a CD case to scrape off the windshield.  And I’m fairly sure that was you laughing to tears.   (p.s. Thank you Norah Jones.  Excellent job chipping off the 4 inches of ice on all my windows.  Atta girl!)

And today you are SO proud of yourself I bet.  Get all the kids in Madison on your side with a snow day.  Yes my kid was over the moon this morning as he packed his boots and snow pants for Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  But is 10 inches of snow REALLY necessary? 

This sure doesn’t make for us ADULTS, who still have to show up for work and shovel the crap, get on your good side.   Wait?  Do you even HAVE a good side?

I’d like to take a moment to make a special shout out to Blade.  Without you Buddy I wouldn’t be here right now.  You, in the winter, is the reason I refuse to get a new car.  My son doesn’t call you Blade for nothing.  Thanks man.

So Winter, with your storm lasting until 9 pm tonight, all school cancelled, some businesses cancelled, many a person breaking their back to shovel out the stuff, I hope you are proud of yourself. 

And so help me, if you don’t allow the pizza delivery guy to get here today, I will personally be talking to Mother Nature about your very inappropriate attitude.

I’m sure this won’t be my last letter to you this year.  Seeing as how we are stuck together for another 5 months.   Sorry… I just puked all over this letter.  My bad.

Until then… go stick your tongue on a flagpole!

Me