Only in America…

My mother is probably the only other person who will appreciate this list, but I’m sharing it anyway. Not growing up in The States gave me a broader perspective of the world, and while there are things I LOVED about ex-pat living, coming home was always the highlight of my year. Enjoy!

 -        Sno cone stands

-        Sonic happy hour

-        ice cream trucks

-        Carrie Underwood

-        Taco Bueno

-        DR. PEPPER! And Doritos that don’t cost $9 a bag

-        access to good education

-        the fact that if you work hard and treat people right, you can make it, and the fact that you made it doesn’t have to make you a different person.

-        The fact that you can better other people’s lives by enriching your own.

-        The fact that we are free to be what we are- and others are free to disagree or criticize you for it.

-        Bath and Body Works

-     drinking out of a water fountain without getting diarrhea for a week.

-     Thanksgiving turkeys that don’t taste like fish (and for that matter, Thanksgiving at all!).

-     Cold Christmases

-     Fireworks on the lake on our Independence Day.

-     Good health care.

-     Access to my own vehicle, sparing me from a sweltering bus ride, standing up next to a woman who has never shaved her armpits in her LIFE, whose only safety measure for this mode of transportation is to hold the bar above her head.

-     The fact that no one here celebrates their anniversary by hiring a mariachi band to “serenade” them the entire time the sun is sleeping, aka ALL.NIGHT.LONG.

-     The fact that policemen are really there to protect the people, and aren’t just out to get as much bribe money as possible, including personal checks (which my mother wrote to a policeman TWICE in Mexico- and they cashed them!).

-     Air conditioning

-     fabric softener

-     Country music

 This world of ours is full of wonderful people and beautiful places. I found all of these and more in every country I have lived in or visited. I found that no matter where you go, it’s the people that matter the most… but anytime I encountered something like real Doritos or heard Shania Twain on the radio, I’d get a whiff of home, and a picture of the people I loved who were still there.

 The list goes on, and I’d love to hear from you.  What are some of the things you love about being in America/typical American fare?

The year of perfection has ended…

When Aubrey was born, she was an abnormally good baby. Sure, there were a few rough nights (due to her idiot breastfeeding mother deciding to eat chili for dinner) and crying fits when we messed with her routine, but for the most part, I kept waiting for the ball to drop. People kept saying things like, oh just wait til you get her home… just wait til she starts formula, just wait til she gets a tooth, just wait til she starts to crawl… and still, the perfect child remained. I took it for granted- the fact that a bottle could fix everything, the fact that she slept for 13 hours every night, the fact that I could set her down with a toy and have a good 30 minutes to clean or check my email.

Well, thanks a lot, “people”, because your dire predictions have come true! The child can’t have formula anymore, she has 2 teeth and 2 more coming in, and she likes to scream til 4 am unless I am holding her. And dishes? Forget it. I’m about to kill the planet and buy styrofoam plates.

Aubrey is a year old. She is becoming a little person with opinions and preferences. She is letting me know that she will not fit into any mold that I or anyone else makes for her- she is letting me know that she is Aubrey, and you know what? Aubrey is amazing. She steals my sleep and makes me smile while doing it. She smears baby food into her freshly-washed hair and manages to get a laugh from me for it. She OPENS HER MOUTH when she sees Stella going for a lick and instead of freaking out and grabbing the clorox, I delight in the fact that my dog does not want to eat her and enjoy the shrieking giggles that ensue from my daughter’s mouth.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a person of lists, to-do’s, chore days and laundry sorting. A dozen roses are nice, but Ryan really gets the “aw” factor when I come home to a house smelling like bleach and vaccum lines in the carpet. I feel safety in my routine and have done everything in my power to protect it.

Aubrey broke that down in no time… and the beautiful thing is, I have delighted in it. I still love a clean house and folded laundry, but I love sitting on the floor playing peek-a-boo with my kid way more. So yeah… I don’t have a perfect little blob anymore. I have something much better- a 15 pound teacher of life who flings her toys everywhere.

Talk about lucky.

Life goals…

I just got my July issue of Real Simple Magazine and it gave me a great idea. Every week, every paycheck, every event in my life usually generates a list. What bills to pay, a grocery list, Aubrey’s birthday party… unless I organize a list and stick to it, I spend too much money on stuff I don’t need.

Most of our schedules benefit from lists. But is it possible that my life, my fulfillment even, could benefit from a “bigger” list?  Here’s my list, and I’m sure I’ll keep adding to it:

 

1- save enough money and pay off all debt so I can truly be a stay at home mom

2- swim with dolphins

3- Go to/live in Italy

4- Learn Italian

5- Write a children’s book

6- Devote time and energy normally spent at work to charity work/school functions

7- Get my masters or become certified to teach

 
What about you? What do you want to do/accomplish/see before you die?