It’s been one of those weeks…maybe months. You know, the kind of week where you boiling dinner all over the stove, or the grill runs out of gas just before the chicken is done. I’m not even sure how that happens in the same night. Talent.
Yesterday, before leaving work, I jokingly made the statement that we should not come in until noon today. It almost happened. If there is one thing I am consistently good at, it’s being late. This morning was no exception. I wasn’t really going to be on time as it were, but a little misunderstand of my husband’s departing words didn’t make matters any better.
See, what I heard, as he walked out the door was, “Hey, I’m starting your car.”
Sweet, right? Yeah, it would have been, except apparently what he really said was, “Hey, don’t forget to start your car.”
The only problem with this misunderstanding is that fact that I was now on the outside of my house, and my keys were not in the ignition, but more so on the counter. Staring. Laughing. Patronizing me, as I stood in the cold. Locked. Out.
Now, the great thing about my living situation is that I have a lovely neighbor, who I assume is somewhere around 87, who has a key to my house…except I am pretty sure she has a significantly better night life than me and doesn’t seem to rise early like every other elderly person I know. I swear, I thought they all got up at 5 am. Apparently, not my neighbor.
I rang the bell. I knocked. I jumped up and down to spy in her garage (she was in fact home). But she was either asleep, or ignoring the lunatic outside her house. So, this is the part of the story where you call someone to rescue you…right? Did I mention my cell phone was on the dining room table, also mocking me for being such an idiot? Of course, the other small problem with cell phones – aside from it being on my dining room table – is they tend to remember numbers for you. In fact, there are only four people on this planet I could call without my cell phone – one of those is 7 hours away.
Fortunately, before I walked all the way to the store to call for help, I remembered opening one of my kitchen windows the other night, and was pretty sure I hadn’t locked it back. An unusual occurrence since I usually lock everything up tighter than the US Mint, but this time it paid off.
So kids, the moral of the story…don’t assume your husband is nice enough to warm your car for you, on a chilly fall morning! *wink *wink
Back when you were a teenager, or even in your early twenties, making a new friend was as simple as walking into class, or hanging out at a party. Your world was submersed with likeminded individuals, looking to have a good time.
Then we all grew up…
Divide and Conquer
Though the timing may vary, there is no stopping the inevitable moment when your young, vibrant, happening life, crosses over the threshold of an alternate universe, where your body aches, your house is overrun with toys and you sing Disney songs while alone in your car. Laugh if you must, but it’s true.
You’re not sure how you got here, – you weren’t going to be one of those people – but suddenly you find your friend list divided into three categories.
Column A) The Dear and Near. These are the few friends – and I do mean few – that have stood the test of time. No matter the distance, or hectic ballet/soccer/nursing/nap schedules, you still manage to stay in touch – at least every few days. Yes, texting counts, because who has time to actually talk on the phone? Your Dear and Near are the ones you know you can call at 3 am and they would drop everything – or wake up as it were – to come to your rescue. Even if that means merely telling you that yes, your child will eventially sleep through the night.
Column B) The Get Together’s. These are the friends that you see at birthday parties, summer cookouts and the occasional girl’s night out. Your history runs deep, – remember that time in college? – but life happens. Hey, it happens to the best of us. You love them. Enjoy the moments you spend together, but the reality is, those moments are fewer and further between. Little Johnny has soccer, Little Hannah’s still on the boob and work has you exhausted…there just aren’t enough hours in the day. So your resign yourself to the cold hard truth, if you can manage to see them four times in one year, you deserve a gold metal.
Column C) The “I only know you still exist because we are Facebook friends” friends. I’m not sure we can justly qualify these folks as friends, but they are rightly the people of your past, who at one point likely influenced the person you are today. Sounds a little harsh? It’s not. It’s just life. No one expects you to maintain the level of friendship stamina you had when you were 18. Instead, when you pass this person in the grocery store, you conjure up the last picture you remember them posting about Little Johnny & Hannah, say how cute they are, and then offer the age old “we should get together.” You exchange pleasantries, move on about your day, and by the time you finally get to bed, neither of you even remember the offhand suggestion of a reconnecting. Let’s face it, you’re doing good that you remembered to brush your teeth before you collapsed in your bed.
Friendship, the New Dating
It’s a well-known fact people come and go from our lives. Whether it’s time or distance, or something completely different, it happens. The older we get, the more you realize far more go, than come.
After 12 years with my husband, 10 of which we have been married, a beautiful daughter, a dog, full-time job, aspiring writing career on the side, and a close-knit family, free time is not something I have. I’m not even sure I can tell you what it is at this point in my life. If I’m not at work, I’m being a mom – while cooking, cleaning, bathing, reading, etc. And if I’m not being mom – those rare few hours between bed time and me passing out – I am writing. Suffice it to say, I work.
So when the rare moment comes in the form of an invitation to your husband’s boss’s 40th surprise party, where you will sit in a room full of people you don’t know, but the invitation said adults only, and did I mention there was free steak and WINE, you jump. Sure, there is bound to be some awkwardness because the only people you know are bring the birthday boy 30 minutes after you are to arrive, but did I mention free WINE?
We ended up sitting in a booth with a couple that looked our age, complete strangers, and had a blast. I’m talking laugh till you cry moments, like we had known each other our entire lives. This, my friends is a rarity. And then Jane (we’ll call her that for now) says to me “I had a great time. We should exchange numbers.” This chick just asked for my number. Score!
Making new friends in your thirties is like dating.
It’s been a while – a long while – since I have been on the market, but it felt like we had just had the best, blind first friend date of my life. I mean, what I thought was going to be an awkward evening of trying to make small talk, turned out to be one of the best nights out I have had in a long time. And I scored a number – you can bet my husband was totally jealous!
But then what? Are there a customary number of days before you can text? Is the next day too soon? Should you wait two days? A week? And then what do you say?
Seriously, it’s like dating! Don’t believe me…watch this!
I had the pleasure of spending a wonderful week, at the beach, with my family. Although, I am back to the grind, I thought I would share a few gems I stumbled upon. On Wednesday, Dearest Husband and I headed into Wilmington, NC for a child free night of dinner, and a walk on the water front. Beautiful downtown, if you have never been there.
My first find of the night was this…
Who doesn’t love cupcakes and wine, right? I really think they should have named their business Heaven. I was pretty excited about this delectable find too, until we came across this…
The filming of Fox’s TV series, Sleepy Hollow. I know, it’s the back of Tom Mison’s head, but it’s the best I could do, before being told I wasn’t allowed to take photographs. Hey, at least the crew guy didn’t make me delete my photos. Admittedly, I have never seen the show, so I can’t tell you if it is good or bad, but you will find Tom on my list of imaginary boyfriends, -er character research list.
Having never been on a set – film or TV – it was quite entertaining to watch the process. For those of you who are unaware, you have most likely watched a show, or movie that has largely been filmed in North Carolina. The Wilmington area particularly, has been a favored location for film, and television alike.
Back in his college days, Dearest Husband used to grumble when he had to walk completely out of the way to get to class, because Dawson’s Creek was filming on campus at UNCW. And speaking of teen dramas, I even found a little homage to One Tree Hill, the series that filled our void after Dawson, Pacey, and Joey said their final goodbye’s.
Remember Brooke’s first designer line, Clothes Over Bros? Ah, Chad Michael Murray, you stole my tween heart in that grey hoodie all those years ago.
We all think of Hollywood as being the mecca of film, but you may be pleasantly surprised to learn how many well-known films and TV series call North Carolina home. Iron Man III, Tammy, The Hunger Games, We’re The Millers, just to name a few recent Box Office hits. As well as, hit shows like Sleepy Hollow, Under the Dome, Homeland, and Revolution.
For me, writing a scene is much like watching the outtakes of a movie just before the credits roll. Some days, my characters get it right on the first try. Others days, well, let’s just say there are a lot of mental “cuts” being called. After a while, my beloved characters cut their eyes with a “get it together” look, before finally walking off the set. Leaving me to hope they show back up later.
When I started plotting my current project, I knew that I wanted to add a little more of a villainous character, and he was surprisingly quite fun to plot. It’s easy writing a villain, when he is being a villain…but what about those early scenes when he’s disguised as one of the good guys?
I find it far more challenging to write a romantic scene between said villain and my credulous heroine, when I can’t stop screaming from my chair offset, “Don’t trust him!”, which earns me exasperated sighs from my characters.
“I know, I know!” I promise, we have to get through these scenes.
And so, for the sake of not getting bogged down, my page gets the big red stamp.
(Romantic scene here)
But the show must go on, and eventually I have to get over my aversion to her poor decision. So how do I move on? I thought you would never ask. With a little thing called research. And by research, I mean staring endlessly at this…
One look at this stunning photo, and there are plenty of words to describe just what I, -er my heroine, would love to do to him. What can I say, I’m an Avengers fan…okay, okay, I don’t really give two cents about the movie, only Chris Evans, but shhh, McVet thinks I watch it because it’s a great movie.
I appreciate your patience while I get my site up and running. Coming soon, the wonderful world of what it means to be a wife, mother, and aspiring Contemporary Romance Author.
With the completion of my first manuscript, second manuscript started, querying, editing, plotting, life is a bit busy. Be sure to stay tuned for exciting news about my journey, and all my I Love Lucy moments along the way.
