A few months ago, Patrick and I decided to take a skiing trip to Breckenridge, Colorado to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. Yes, our anniversary is in December, but the cheap airfare was in January...so needless to say we went this past weekend.
This was to be my first time leaving our son overnight, and although I was sad about being apart from him, I eagerly pictured doing all those pre-baby activities that Patrick and I enjoyed so much. Things like eating sushi at a quiet table for two. Looking fashionable in my ski outfit without a trace of spit-up or snot anywhere on it. Going up and down the hill as many times as we wanted. Strolling hand-in-hand down the main street, stopping to shop for trendy items. Conversing for several days on an adult level. You know, all that fun stuff.
And we did get to do all of the aforementioned activities; but they didn't go as I pictured. You see, I was picturing the type of vacation that pre-baby Kelsey and Patrick would had have; but that is not who we are anymore. We are post-baby Kelsey and Patrick, and our world looks a little different. Everything we experience is seen through parent-colored glasses. With that in mind, the post-baby Kelsey and Patrick's vacation looked more like this:
We do sit at a quiet table for two and munch on sushi, but instead of being the snotty pre-baby couple who would have judged the mom across the room with the screaming child, we give her sympathetic looks and reassuring smiles.
I do get to wear my fashionable ski outfit, but in an effort to set a good future example for our son I insist that Patrick and I both wear helmets. Patrick is less than happy, but in a truly "dad" move agrees that we can't ask him to do something that we ourselves are not willing to do, and shouldn't we be a tad more careful anyway, since he depends on us? I tell myself the helmet looks good (you know, like mom-jeans.)
We do get to go up and down the hill as many times as we want, but I find myself wondering out-loud how old the little mister has to be before we can enroll him in ski school. Patrick wants to know whether the ski training leashes are exclusively for skiing or whether we can use them at, say, the grocery store.
We do stroll down the main street and shop, but the only thing we buy is a custom order superhero cape that will be embroidered with our son's initial. We are both exceptionally pleased with our purchase and spend the rest of the stroll coming up with potential superhero names for him.
We do converse on an adult level. When we walk past the Breckenridge Cannabis Club, we giggle a little, and then talk about how someday we will have to explain things like that to our son. We discuss what our next ski route is going to be, and then try to decide what he's doing right at that exact moment. We sit in the hotel's hot tub, and somehow end up telling the other couple sitting there all about how amazing we think he is and how fast the last year as flown.
We are those people. You know the type: those couples who can't stop talking / thinking / missing their kids. Yep, that's us. Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying that we didn't enjoy our trip. No, no, post-baby Patrick and I had a phenomenal time and I am sure at some point we will leave our son with his grandparents again (if they're willing!) so we can catch up as a couple. I mean, we would never know how much we miss him if we don't leave him once and a while, right? But at the end of that future trip, if the plane wanted to go just a tad faster so I could get home to my little mister, that would be all right by me...
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
A couple of weeks ago, my mom mentioned that she was "still waiting" on the follow-up post to my American History K post where I talked about how I grew up wanting to run like my dad. This caught me totally off guard...what follow-up?? Um, you know, the follow-up? The one where you talk about how you want to be just like your mom?? Oh yeah, that one...
The reason I was caught off-guard is because I think it's obvious how much I want to be like my mom. She raised me, didn't she? And I'm freaking ah-ma-zing, right? ;) Seriously though, why wouldn't I want to be just like her? So on this, the week of my son's birthday, I would like to write that follow-up post by making a list of some of the things my mom taught me that I want to teach my son. Drumroll, please...
1. It is okay to get really, really, reeeeeeeeally messy. I will let you wash in my bathroom sink even if it is clean and put your clothes in the washer even though I have 16 other loads of laundry that need done. And we can always throw those muddy socks away and get new ones.
2. If you are doing something destructive toward yourself or others, I will be your worst nightmare. (That last part is an actual quote from my mom. At the time, I think I was scared. Come to think about it, I still am scared...)
3. On snow days, The Price is Right qualifies as educational television and bulls-eyes as a nutritious lunch.
4. Two dogs are better than one. Five dogs are better than two. And the sillier their names are, the better.
5. Your dad and I fight occasionally. It does not mean we are getting a divorce or that we don't love each other. When you are married, you will understand.
6. If you are an otherwise good kid, I will forgive a fault or two along the way. But could you at least get your smelly sports bra out from the middle of the family room?? (Hopefully I won't be saying that exact phrase to my son!)
7. "Your dad would love to buy you this" justifies any purchase.
8. If you want something done right, just do it yourself. Really.
9. I will always be your advocate when you need one, but that doesn't mean that you will never do anything wrong (even in my eyes!)
10. Don't drink from other people's water bottles. That's how oral herpes gets spread. (I don't think that was my mom's reasoning for why she didn't want us doing this, but ever since those oral pathology lectures in dental school, it will be mine!)
11. Sure, I would love to give up several hours of my evening to quiz you on questions you already know the answer to if it will make you feel like you will do better on the test. And yes, I will do this all the way through professional school if you want me to. Siiiiigh.
12. Don't question why I'm perfectly fine sending you to Europe but don't want you to go midnight bowling in Columbus. It's called "mother's intuition" and I don't have to explain it to you.
13. It's okay not to be perfect. You don't need to throw the paper where the teacher corrected you in the trash / walk down the hall with your speech therapy folder hidden inside your shirt / make me go to a parent-teacher conference because the art teacher gave you an A-. Especially that last one.
14. Being a Christian doesn't mean you can't read out of a purple Bible and coordinate your accessories accordingly.
15. I will listen to you and make you feel like you are the most interesting person in the world, even when you're not.
I feel like I could go on and on, and I'm sure that as my son grows I will remember more pearls of wisdom that my mom passed along to me during childhood. And I will start to say things like, "get your fingers out of your mouth!" and "stop bugging the dogs!" and I will truly be well on my way to becoming my mother. But you know, I think I might just be okay with that...
The reason I was caught off-guard is because I think it's obvious how much I want to be like my mom. She raised me, didn't she? And I'm freaking ah-ma-zing, right? ;) Seriously though, why wouldn't I want to be just like her? So on this, the week of my son's birthday, I would like to write that follow-up post by making a list of some of the things my mom taught me that I want to teach my son. Drumroll, please...
1. It is okay to get really, really, reeeeeeeeally messy. I will let you wash in my bathroom sink even if it is clean and put your clothes in the washer even though I have 16 other loads of laundry that need done. And we can always throw those muddy socks away and get new ones.
2. If you are doing something destructive toward yourself or others, I will be your worst nightmare. (That last part is an actual quote from my mom. At the time, I think I was scared. Come to think about it, I still am scared...)
3. On snow days, The Price is Right qualifies as educational television and bulls-eyes as a nutritious lunch.
4. Two dogs are better than one. Five dogs are better than two. And the sillier their names are, the better.
5. Your dad and I fight occasionally. It does not mean we are getting a divorce or that we don't love each other. When you are married, you will understand.
6. If you are an otherwise good kid, I will forgive a fault or two along the way. But could you at least get your smelly sports bra out from the middle of the family room?? (Hopefully I won't be saying that exact phrase to my son!)
7. "Your dad would love to buy you this" justifies any purchase.
8. If you want something done right, just do it yourself. Really.
9. I will always be your advocate when you need one, but that doesn't mean that you will never do anything wrong (even in my eyes!)
10. Don't drink from other people's water bottles. That's how oral herpes gets spread. (I don't think that was my mom's reasoning for why she didn't want us doing this, but ever since those oral pathology lectures in dental school, it will be mine!)
11. Sure, I would love to give up several hours of my evening to quiz you on questions you already know the answer to if it will make you feel like you will do better on the test. And yes, I will do this all the way through professional school if you want me to. Siiiiigh.
12. Don't question why I'm perfectly fine sending you to Europe but don't want you to go midnight bowling in Columbus. It's called "mother's intuition" and I don't have to explain it to you.
13. It's okay not to be perfect. You don't need to throw the paper where the teacher corrected you in the trash / walk down the hall with your speech therapy folder hidden inside your shirt / make me go to a parent-teacher conference because the art teacher gave you an A-. Especially that last one.
14. Being a Christian doesn't mean you can't read out of a purple Bible and coordinate your accessories accordingly.
15. I will listen to you and make you feel like you are the most interesting person in the world, even when you're not.
I feel like I could go on and on, and I'm sure that as my son grows I will remember more pearls of wisdom that my mom passed along to me during childhood. And I will start to say things like, "get your fingers out of your mouth!" and "stop bugging the dogs!" and I will truly be well on my way to becoming my mother. But you know, I think I might just be okay with that...
 |
| Don't we look just alike?? We DO have the same teeth, but I bet I'm the only one that noticed that... |
Friday, January 4, 2013
29 Rock
In seventh grade social studies with Mr. Chittock, I distinctly remember learning about the Mayan calendar and how the world was going to end in 2012. The reason I remember this so well is that my predominant thought at the time was, "I'll be almost 30, I'll probably be close to dead anyway." After all, what could I possibly be doing at (almost) 30 that could be more important than writing in the super-top-secret-notebook that my BFF and I passed back and forth on an hourly basis???
The answer? A lot, apparently. I am doing a lot. But am I doing enough to love those around me? Or as I get progressively busier with my life, am I turning more and more egocentric? So, just like my quest to run the marathon, I am on a quest for 2013...otherwise known as the year I turn 30. I shall call it, KLPE's 30 for 30. And I'm pretty sure that if an ESPN copyright lawyer ever reads this blog, I am officially in trouble.
My 30 for 30 is a list of 30 things that I will do (or attempt to do) over the next year that fall into the modern day category of "Paying it Forward." Now many people have been credited with this thought, from Emerson to Woody Hayes...but here is the true origin of it:
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. -Luke 6:32-38. Sorry Buckeye fans, but not even Woody himself can stand up to the Man that spoke those words!
I contemplated publishing my list on this blog...but several of the items I want to do anonymously and some I don't want to admit to the general reading public (probably because I should have been doing them all along...but hey, cut a girl some slack, I'm trying here!!) So in lieu of items that are ON my list, here are some items that will NOT be on my list:
1. Be nicer to Claire. Trust me, paying for her self-inflicted surgeries (that's right - surgeries plural) seems like all the niceness I can muster towards a horrible, horrible cat.
2. Adopt a homeless animal. See #1 and how it's working out for me.
3. Root for Michigan. I died a little just typing that.
4. Donate to the dental school. Sorry, but the wounds are too fresh.
5. Buy Dave Laird a new trash can. Hopefully not doing this will give me a pass on not adopting that homeless animal.
6. Shovel a neighbor's driveway. Have you seen the length of my neighbor's driveway? Besides, he has a ATV with a plow attachment. Maybe he should shovel MY driveway.
But seriously, in 2013 I will try to do better. I will try to pass along God's love and truly embrace my upcoming 30th birthday. And I think if I can do that, it might just end up being my best birthday yet...
The answer? A lot, apparently. I am doing a lot. But am I doing enough to love those around me? Or as I get progressively busier with my life, am I turning more and more egocentric? So, just like my quest to run the marathon, I am on a quest for 2013...otherwise known as the year I turn 30. I shall call it, KLPE's 30 for 30. And I'm pretty sure that if an ESPN copyright lawyer ever reads this blog, I am officially in trouble.
My 30 for 30 is a list of 30 things that I will do (or attempt to do) over the next year that fall into the modern day category of "Paying it Forward." Now many people have been credited with this thought, from Emerson to Woody Hayes...but here is the true origin of it:
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. -Luke 6:32-38. Sorry Buckeye fans, but not even Woody himself can stand up to the Man that spoke those words!
I contemplated publishing my list on this blog...but several of the items I want to do anonymously and some I don't want to admit to the general reading public (probably because I should have been doing them all along...but hey, cut a girl some slack, I'm trying here!!) So in lieu of items that are ON my list, here are some items that will NOT be on my list:
1. Be nicer to Claire. Trust me, paying for her self-inflicted surgeries (that's right - surgeries plural) seems like all the niceness I can muster towards a horrible, horrible cat.
2. Adopt a homeless animal. See #1 and how it's working out for me.
3. Root for Michigan. I died a little just typing that.
4. Donate to the dental school. Sorry, but the wounds are too fresh.
5. Buy Dave Laird a new trash can. Hopefully not doing this will give me a pass on not adopting that homeless animal.
6. Shovel a neighbor's driveway. Have you seen the length of my neighbor's driveway? Besides, he has a ATV with a plow attachment. Maybe he should shovel MY driveway.
But seriously, in 2013 I will try to do better. I will try to pass along God's love and truly embrace my upcoming 30th birthday. And I think if I can do that, it might just end up being my best birthday yet...
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