Freaking Friday: Falling in Love

I know Aron is going to be like, "What are you doing posting THREE things on the blog? Are the kids tied up somewhere so you can write?"

NO, silly. Not today, anyway. It's just that I had a FREEBIE to post, then I had to break the news about FLORIDA the new pet and today is our anniversary of meeting so it's when we FELL in love! I HAD to post all this! (The kids are watching a movie and I am nursing Sam, if you must know).

So 17 years ago tonight I met Aron McLoughlin. I had just gotten off work from a collections place on a Thursday night. I sucked at it because I gave everyone a break because I had my own debt issues from my first marriage. My girlfriend Anita and I went to her boyfriend's (Dave) apartment. I had business to attend to before my date arrived. I had people to return calls to who could be potential roommates for me. So I'm on the phone on a long conversation with this Guy #1, who sounded so smart and wonderful but who I told I could not have as a roommate because my dad would kick my butt and I wouldn't be comfortable with it anyway. Then when I got done, Guy #2 is laying on the couch like he freaking owns the place. Then Guy #3 (my date) shows up to hang for a bit before we went out (he had a Mustang; I was shallow).

It's like an episode of The Dating Game, right? I had OPTIONS back then, people. Which is not always a good thing, let me tell you. I had too many Mr. Wrong options, actually, so it was hard to discern who was Mr. Right.

Well, he was on the couch, lounging, shoeless. Hadn't even talked to him. Didn't know what he drove. Something was weird and instant, though. I wondered, "Who IS this guy?"

I had seen too many episodes of Seinfeld and when I saw him double dip a chip, I mentioned that fact, trying to be funny. He just looked at me like I was nuts. Ooookay, whatever. Soon after I took off with my date, excited to be meeting Guy #1 the next day. Turns out Aron was staying the night at Dave's because his truck was in the shop and he needed a ride to work and school the next day.

Guy #1 did not work out ... no chemistry, which I happen to think is very important for longevity. Guy #3 was a bust at the end of Thursday night, too. A self-absorbed jerk. Aron was going to be going out Friday night for Dave's birthday, and I had been invited by Anita.

Saturday night we celebrated my dad's birthday ... he was 45!!! Then I drove to Westport (party central in Kansas City), parked my car and walked alone to Kelly's, where everyone was waiting to party. Aron and I tried to pretend like we were ignoring each other, but we were checking each other out. Unfortunately, we ended up in different groups when our friends split up. He ended up in the group that went dancing (I love dancing!!!!) and I somehow ended up in the group that sat at a bar TALKING while I got hit on by a married friend of theirs (blech). I just kept thinking about when we were going to meet them at the dance place, but we never did :-(

When it came time to meet the limo they had rented to take them to a hotel in Overland Park to party more and stay the night (it sounds bad, doesn't it, Dad?), I went with my crew to meet up with the other crew.

It was like a movie scene in the middle of the street. Aron was toasted and yelling from the end of the street by the limo about why did we not come dancing? He seemed mad. I got invited to ride in the limo and thought, "Why not? I can find a ride home."

The limo ride was fun ... I thought Aron was with another girl there but he wasn't. We flirted a little. At the hotel we hung out more and talked and got to know each other. I knew how to spell his last name and he was impressed. He told me he was going to DeVry for electronics engineering and was almost done. I was impressed that he maybe had a brain.

Later a "friend" of his told me he was going out with a girl who was there at the hotel with us. Turns out his "friend" was mackin' on me and what he said was not true. We slept a few hours on the floor using rolled-up towels as pillows and in the morning we somehow ended up back at my car alone in Westport and I offered to give him a ride back to his place so he could shower before work. When I dropped him off at work, he gave me his number and the rest is ... well, it was not an easy road, friends! There is a lot more to come, and I have to save that for the Aron + Kerrie = Love Untitled Love Story I started working on months ago.

This stuff is hard to write from memory and try to make it interesting, and I don't have the brain power to drag out all my old journal pages from the basement. Plus I have to edit certain things to clean it up, of course! But soon I will so we have a nice record of our love for us and for our children.

All I have for now is a picture of our wedding day, which was about 3 years after we met. We don't have a scanner so when I start working on our love story again for the blog I'll take pictures of old pictures and put them on here!

If any moron wants to ask "who is she?" I will beat your butt. Just ask the last person who did it. I was 27 years old then. I am 41 now and have had 5 children and a normal marriage, which means some stressful times. I don't WANT to look to like that again. I want to look like ME, now. I love the way Aron looks NOW and I will still think he's adorable when he is 90 years old.

This is why I gripe about him being out of town. Because I actually LIKE him and enjoy his company, even when he is grumpy about the unclean house or what the kids eat or how much time I spend writing. I love him more everyday, and I never thought something like was possible, but it so is. Everything I went through before I met him was worth it, and I would do it all again.

Edited to add: I found my old journals!!! I sat on the phone with my man tonight reading him my first impressions of him, to be saved for future posts! He recalls the night we met and that he told me I have nice legs. I don't remember hearing him say that, but he swears he said it.

Freaking Friday: Flo-rida the Gecko?

So this blog post is mostly for my husband because he doesn't know about this yet.

Um, sweetie, we have something to tell you. We have added another tiny little family member. Her/his name is Flo-rida because he/she came from Florida. Well, you see, honey, you know how my mom works at a florist? Well, the other day she called and said that they got some plants in from Florida and there was a teensy little lizard or something or other on one of the plants.

It's not like they can ship it back there you know, the poor wittle orphan. So I'm sure you know what's coming and this is the part where I butter you up and tell you how handsome you are and how in love with you I am and how happy I am to have made 5 spawn sweet sweet children with you.

So yes, we have adopted a new baby. I thought Freaking Friday would be the perfect place to announce the arrival of Florida the gecko/lizard/chameleon. Joel has already been researching how to care for it, so that counts as homeschool science, right? And I have made it a little sling so we can carry it around.

Just kidding on that last part. Trying to make you laugh. And I probably won't breastfeed it.

So here is a picture of the little sweetie. She/he is very happy in the small terrarium downstairs so far. Thanks for being so cool and understanding. Small pets are good, right? Now, about that dog we're thinking about getting in the fall. We're thinking of downgrading to a cat, maybe a little easier to care for? Can't wait to see you when you get home, whenever they LET YOU COME HOME to us and then hopefully  you will be home for weeks!

Florida, born maybe in early July 2012. About an inch long not counting the tail. Might be a gecko that changes color.

Cut Your Kids' Hair at Home and Save Big!

Step one: Get a willing participant. Michael HATED having his hair cut. Sam LOVES it. No, he is not drugged here.

Start a'cutting.

Admire your fantastic work and the fact that your kid's nickname will no longer be Jethro or Hippie Boy.

Tackle-it Tuesday: My Closet at the Grant Street House in Overland Park, KS and Vintage Barbies

Every Tuesday, I tackle a different project around my home that's been bugging all of us!

Let's see what my closet used to look like:

What a mess! Kids' stuff always ends up in my space! And clothes fall off the hangers onto the ground and intermingle with my sparse collection of shoes ...

I need to find a new spot for hiding their toys that are in time-out. See that pink stool? We call that The Death Stool because Aron made it and Callie kept falling off of it. He balanced it out and the kids were STILL getting messed up on this stool. So I have it temporarily hidden until I can learn to administer stitches all by myself. (Just kidding, honey ... you build amazing furniture and I love you so much!)

I worked on it QUICKLY this past weekend so I would have something to post for you. See the effect you have on me?! You are forcing me to clean my house. My husband should send each and every one of you a bag of swag or something.

Well, never mind. I actually did not finish it. I did SOME of it, but then Monday kicked my butt so I will now distract you from that fact with some cool pictures of my vintage Barbies and my favorite piece of her clothing. My mom has given these to me/my girls and I keep them put up because they are a big deal and my kids would trash them. They are original dolls from the 1960s and their clothes are, as well. Some of their clothes were made by my Great Aunt Eva. Enjoy! And maybe I'll clean that closet for you by next week!

I could just die when I see that black and white suit with the hat on that vintage doll, and I don't usually give a crap about clothing. But when you get those 1950s and 1960s clothes in front of me I'm in heaven!

The original cases!

Encouraging Your Kids to Try New Things

So this is a picture I took of me stalking my son. PLEASE allow me to explain!

So my kid is the one with the green backpack because his dad is out of town and could not make it home for the bike ride tonight like he really wanted to and if his dad had been home he could have gotten his crap together and made sure he had a water bottle holder mounted on his old gearless bike. I'm sure I could figure out how to ride a bike but don't have my own and also have other little ones to take care of so I did the drop-off thing and let the dads take over. You know this is hard for me because I'm one of those overbearing overprotective moms!

Today he also had his first Fencing class. Sometimes when new things come up he is reluctant to try them. I may have been guilty in the past of letting him stop doing things when he wanted to. I sucked at ballet/tap and I sucked at softball and so many other things. My parents made me at least TRY to do some different things but I never cared about them and didn't last long. I honestly believe some kids just are not cut out for uber-activity-world. Plus we live on the outskirts of Affluent Land where kids are always in activities. (sidenote: turns out I am EXCELLENT at carrying babies and giving birth with minimal painkillers ... my mom used to think I was such a wus, and now I feel like I can do anything physical ... I was perhaps a late bloomer!)

Anyway, lately I am trying to change my ways. I don't want to PUSH him to do things he HATES, but if he is merely reluctant, I am trying to jazz him up about things. Like fencing. Of course it would have been easier to stay home and play. But I got everyone around and we made it to Fencing. And he had a good time. He only has 5 more times and then can decide if he ever wants to do it again or if he wants to try something new. But all I ask is that he finish those other 5 sessions.

Tonight he didn't feel up to the 5-mile bike ride for Boy Scouts. I told him it would not take long and it would be so much fun to hang out with boys he is getting to know. Plus you get exercise. Plus you work on your Cycling badge. How great that will feel to accomplish that. That is not something I could probably even accomplish at my advanced age! (I have probably not worked out since ... well, hmmm ... let me thing ... oh, I know .... it was the 5K Aron and I walked when I was like 2 weeks PREGNANT with JOEL!). I'm sure we'll have the same discussion soon when the 10-mile ride comes up, and I will give him the pep talk of his life.

As we drove away, his little friend we have with us said, "They can't go on Antioch [busy street]; he won't survive!" I'm like, "Don't say that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" So I came right home and pulled up the email that had the route they would be taking and for a mom like me, that was like HEAVEN to have. I know where my baby is! I think when my kids are in their 40s I will be the same. My poor children.

So this picture is of me parked on the road waiting to see where the Troop was headed so I could get a shot of his bike ride. Thought he might like to see it someday, even if it is just from behind! It is also a good reminder for me that my kids are always riding away from me, every second of every day. It makes it that much more urgent for me to raise them well and to raise them to want to try new things.