No Way Is That Gray!

My husband and I enjoyed a get-a-way to relive our college days last week. We graduated almost 7 years ago and haven't been back to Purdue since. It's where we grew up, switched majors at least a dozen times as we "found" ourselves, called home to our parents to ask for more money, stayed up way too late, skipped a few classes, went on some spring break road trips, probably plagiarized a few papers, sang some karaoke and fell in love. Campus had changed quite a bit. New buildings everywhere. Glad to see that those last student loan payments helped fund some projects. My name should be on one of those buildings - at least a wing.

Driving through campus we caught ourselves getting angry at the students who felt they had the right away to walk across a street in traffic. We cussed the idiots who tried to park their small cars in 3 foot piles of snow in parking lots. Most of all we were jealous. Seven years ago our lives were simple. The only responsibility we had was making sure we kept our grades above failing to stay in school. That's it. Today we've got a mortgage, a son, jobs...the list goes on. Simple is the last word I'd use to describe our lives now, but I think we are much more blessed.

Part of our trip included a basketball game between two state rivals. Our seats of course were not in the student section, instead we found ourselves on the opposite side of the court sitting with the "older" crowd. This was the section who was on a 5 second delay when it came to standing up to yell or cheer and when they sat down the pop you'd hear was from their knees.
We contemplated going to our favorite campus bar after the game, but my husband didn't want to pay any cover charges or have to listen to a bunch of obnoxious college students. Instead we headed to the store to pick up some cough medicine and went back to the hotel. Upon entering the lobby I was overwhelmed by the fact that the same crowd we sat with at the game was also turning in for the night. There we were in bed 10 minutes later trying to stay awake to watch the news.

The following morning my world truly crumbled. I've always felt young. I work with high school students and on occasion I get mistaken for being a teenager. I even got carded at dinner the night before when I ordered a glass of sangria. I'm 29 years-old. That's still young right? Nate was showering and I was getting ready when it all went down. Looking in the mirror I saw a hair that stood out from the others on my head. I haven't had my hair highlighted for a long time. So how could this have happened?

I pulled back the shower curtain and asked Nate to examine this single strand.

What do you mean it's a gray hair? I'm 29! No way can you get gray hair this young!

So it comes down to this - I'm 29. I spent the previous day trying to remember where buildings were on a campus I attended just 7 years ago. I sat at a basketball game with people 3 times my age and stayed seated while they stood to cheer. I didn't go to a bar after the game, instead I came back to the hotel and went to bed. The following morning I discovered my first gray hair.

I made an appointment to get my hair highlighted.

Sorry For Your Loss

I believe Valentine's Day is another made-up holiday like Grandparents Day, just so Hallmark can find a reason to sell cards all year long. If you have ever noticed there is some type of holiday each and every month.

My favorites are Sisters' Day, Friendship Day and Sweetest Day. Giving a card for Mother's Day seems like a cheap way out. Any woman who has pushed an 8 lb football out of a hole that size deserves more than a cheesy $3 card! Then the next month we have to turn around and celebrate the father's who held their hands. It makes no sense.

We all know the money maker falls in the month of December. The only one who should be getting a card on Christmas is Jesus. It was his birthday after all. So why are we sending cards to everyone we know?

I admit that I have always bought into the card sending frenzy, however I don't participate in things like Earth Day, because they are just ridiculous. There are, however, 4 holidays that I do expect a card from my husband - 1) My birthday, 2) Mother's Day (help our son), 3) Our Anniversary and 4) Valentine's Day. We don't usually exchange gifts, so a card isn't asking too much.

I'm the thoughtful type. I'll read hundreds of cards in the store and buy it weeks in advance. My husband is the exact opposite. When we woke up this morning I asked Nate if he would like his card now. He said he'd rather wait until tonight (which is code for I haven't bought you one yet). So this evening he brought home his card laughing. Let me show you the difference in our love:

My card:"I'm glad you're by my side. When I think of all we've been through, the fun times and the not-so-fun...when I think of all the dreams we've chased and have and haven't caught...when I think of all the ways that we've been blessed...I know one thing makes all the difference in my life - that you're here sharing it with me. Happy Valentine's Day."

Nate's card: "I want to take this opportunity to thank my entire support group...which just happens to be you!"

Inside the card Nate wrote: "It's not exactly a Valentine's card, but that is what I get for waiting until the last minute to stop at a grocery store on my way home. It was either this or a 'sorry for your loss card'. I figured you'd rather still have me."

He preceded to tell me that there was some was some 98 year old man in there buying roses and that he took his blood pressure first. Nate thinks he was making sure he could take his Viagra in case he got lucky tonight. I told Nate I hope he didn't bother taking his blood pressure.

Mr. More Than Right

*I was tagged in an e-mail so I decided to post the answers here. Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you read this.
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His age: 29

How tall: 6'3

How long have you been married? A little over 6 years

How long did you know each other before you got married? We dated a year and there were engaged for a little over a year (to finish college)

What physical features attracted you to him first? The way he smiles when he laughs. (That and he is so sexy!)

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Dark Brown

Hair style: Buzzed right now

Normal outfit: He's most comfortable in jeans & t-shirt/sweatshirt, but during the week he sports khaki's & button down dress shirts

How did you meet? On my 21st birthday at Purdue

Do your parents like him? They absolutely adore him! As does my entire family.

Do his parents like you? Yes, but for some reason I get the feeling they think I'm a bit odd at times??

Do you trust him? Completely.

What does he smell like? High Endurance

Does he have a nickname? I can't remember where it started, but he always used to say, "I'm your huckleberry." So I call him that all the time.

Is he a good father? He's everything a child could need or want in a father figure.

What bothers you the most about him? Oh my...this opening a whole can of worms. That he'll open a kitchen cabinet or closet and not shut the door when he's done. That he unfolds a kitchen towel and leaves it that way on the counter. That he can't keep the darks & whites seperate in the laundry room baskets. But if those are his worst habits, I'm pretty lucky!

Does he ever embarass you in public? Um, no. I embarass him. A lot.

We Might Be Too Open

We are an open kind of family. By open I mean we run around naked. Just kidding. We only run around naked when we don't have any clothes on. Our small house includes one small bathroom, so the three of us must share. It can make the morning rush of getting ready a little hectic and a little difficult to be modestly clothed at all times. There is also the open door policy - where we all use the bathroom with the door open. I guess Nate and I have always been at that level of comfortable with each other.

Typically, I shower first in the morning and put on pants after, but sometimes go topless (with bra on) until I'm done putting on make-up, etc... I know our son is 4.5 years old and he's probably getting to that age where I should be more covered. Nate and I have talked about it, but we haven't really done anything about it.

Last week while I was running around like a pole dancer, Ethan flat out pointed to my drooping chest and stated, "I really like those Mom!"

How do you respond? I was at a loss for words. Feeling inappropriate and embarrassed, I mumbled something about girls being different than boys and they were part of my body, or something? Flustered and still topless I went back into the bathroom and shared with Nate the remark Ethan had made. What was this proud Daddy's response?

"Well at least he doesn't point to my stuff and say that!"

True, but still. I'm not ready to go there and right now the only vocabulary word we use is pee-pee. That's all he needs to know at 4 years old....right?

Love Doesn't Come in a Glass With an Umbrella

My husband and I met on my 21st birthday at college through a mutual friend. It's surprising I remember the night. We hit every bar on campus in a parade sort of fashion. I honestly didn't drink in high school - ever. I was one of those teens who hung out with the good group. We weren't nerds, but we obviously weren't standing on the football field during homecoming either. However, we had a lot of fun as a group. I didn't smoke or do drugs either. And no sex. Our parents should be thankful. If they only knew what went on in the other social circles they might have locked us in our rooms.

College came and it was difficult figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. I switched schools after one semester at a small close-to-home college, because it reminded me too much of my rural high school and I was looking for a different experience. It still took a year or so to adjust to life on a Big Ten campus, but I eventually loved it! During the summers at home I began to experience parties and drinking on an occasional basis, but nothing extreme. Still no smoking or drugs. And no sex.

At this point any parent would consider themselves lucky for a job well done. You see all the public service announcements about the importance of speaking to your children. We all know that parents who use drugs have children who use drugs. I was always hoping for an egg demo on a skillet. How many Sunday mornings did we have eggs for breakfast? How many missed opportunities they had? My divorced parents neither one spoke about drugs or alcohol with me. Except the conversation my mother and I had when I was a sophomore in high school about why my parents divorced years before. Turns out my father had some drug problems. When it came down to it he choose drugs over his family. During that talk there was never a mention of whether I knew the consequences of doing drugs. Probably because my mother knew I had first-hand experience with the consequences.

Turning 21 was an unforgettable experience for me. I was tired of having the "holier than thou" image of always doing the right thing. I had no interest in drugs, but for me drinking seemed like a harmless way to have fun with friends and now it would be legal. The life changing event I found wasn't in the form of a glass with an umbrella, but rather in love.

I'm not a sappy or foo-foo person. I'm not mushy either. That's probably why I knew the first time I saw him that he was the one, because he got to me. He spent the evening protecting me from myself. My naive nature is what he found attractive, but he knew the girl who's hair he held as she puked all over a sidewalk wasn't the real me. I'm thankful he saw past my need to rebel. Risking my "good girl" image turned out to be a good choice for me in a lot of ways, but for so many girls it can go the opposite direction. I thank God daily for placing Nathan in my life.