TT Sixteen Candles

This weeks topic, write a letter to your 16 year old self! Jen herself is gonna deliver these letters in her time machine, I wonder if it's a Delorean ala Doc Brown or she has a hot tub time machine. Anyway, I was a little wary of this topic because like Emmett Brown told us in Back to the Future:

Dr. Emmett Brown: No! Marty! We've already agreed that having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically!

Being that I'm very loyal to Theme Thursdays, I had to try. Here goes...

Dear 16 year old me,

This is going to come as a big shock, so I suggest you sit down. I'm writing you this letter 19 years from now, you just turned 35, today. I know you thought surely you would be dead at this decrepit old age, but I assure you, you are very much alive.

I don't want to tell you too much about what your future holds or how much we change or how much we stay the same. I do however want you to know that overall you have done well. We are a decent woman, we haven't done too many stupid things, and we have been rather lucky that some questionable choices have turned out not so bad.

I want you (me) to trust yourself, trust your instincts. Go for it, you'll rarely regret the things you do, but you'll always regret the things you don't do. Especially when it comes to making you better or pursuing your dreams. Think about your future, think about it now, before you know it, you might be 52 at your sons high school graduation. Maybe. Get ready for it. 

I'm sorry if you found this letter too vague. Life is full of ups and downs, and while I would love to warn you and help you (and by you I mean me) avoid the downs, I don't want to ruin the authenticity and surprise of the the good. 

Honestly I'm afraid if you "avoid" any of the bad, or make "smarter" choices here and there you(I) might miss out on my life now, and while not "perfect" I wouldn't want to change our life today.

Enjoy your life. Remember trust yourself.

Sincerely, Old you

This post is part of a multi blogger collaboration, to read others letters to their young selves or to add your own letter click the TT button.

My Hubby, Wes Anderson & Me

The Hubby has brought many things into my life. Most notably, Love, Drama, and Animal. (I had to capitalize them all because they are all big deals) There is something else he brought into my life. Wes Anderson

Now I'm sure I would have stumbled upon him at some point. When it comes to Indy films, I don't live under a rock like I do with almost all other sorts of pop culture. But who knows when that would have happened? It would have likely been years down the line.

He first introduced me to this man:

Max Fisher

The Hubby has a certain affection for this character because, while not a child writing prodigy, he too felt a certain love for his school. He felt at home. Within family. At his peak and in his element there. He wasn't so much a writer as an artist, but his school was his playground and where he did a lot of growing.

He was friends with teachers there, still is with some.

I'm not sure what other similarities he feels they share. The hubby had terrific luck with the ladies and was considerably older than Max.

I loved this movie so much, that the hubby decided that I had to watch his first film.

Bottle Rocket

I loved this movie. It's one of my favorite's. I love the dialogue. I love the look. I love the rhythm and the music.

Then this movie came out:

Quality time.

The Royal Tenenbaums. This movie was also beautiful. The color pallet, the shots, the cinematography! It's simply striking. The characters are rich, exaggerated, and fun. The story is over the top, but the family dynamics are real and touching. At this point I had become as big a fan as my husband. The attention to detail is impeccable. We started a family tradition that continues to this day. After enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner the hubby cooks, and having a few cocktails we watch a Wes Anderson film.

Can I just say if nothing else, this film is beautiful. 

When this movie came out, we went to go watch it with my brother. Another person the hubby shared Wes with. I enjoyed this movie, like all of the previous films it was breathtaking on so many levels. The hubby and my brother though, they loved this movie. The hubby once again identified with the one of the characters. Steve Zissou and the hubby are kindred spirits. 

Then the following year this:

The Darjeeling Limited

This movie is about three brothers on a trip to visit their mother before attending their father's funeral. It was honestly just gorgeous. The soundtrack, splendid, maybe, possibly the first soundtrack I ever asked for. This became my favorite Wes Anderson movie. Which is kind of impossible, to pick a favorite I mean. It's just that the colors in this film are so vivid. The story is touching. The rhythm as usual was pitch perfect. I was transported into another world, and I love movies that can do that.

Then a few years later, as if made for us this movie opened on Thanksgiving day:

It couldn't have been more perfect. This movie was awesome. I remember thinking, one day when I have kids I will show them this movie. Now that Animal is here, I think when he's old enough in a few Thanksgivings we'll watch this together and a new Wes Anderson fan will be born. The hubby was livid when this did not win best animated film.

Then when my son was a few months old, this movie came out:

ah, young love

This movie was the most age appropriate coming of age story that I've seen in a long time. The opening song in this movie was absolutely awesome. I know I just keep gushing on and on about this director and his films, but I really love them.

When this movie came out I heard a reviewer saying, that this movie was ok, but like with all Wes Anderson movies it would be divisive, with two camps. One camp where Anderson fans would  love it and gush all over it. The second camp would be full of people that (not Anderson fans) would hate it.

I was shocked by that.

I was under the impression that there were two kinds of people. Wes Anderson fans, and people who had never seen a Wes Anderson film.

Thanks to my hubby, I'm in the fan category.

TT Fun With Taxidermy

This weeks topic is...

Funerals.

When I read that out loud Wednesday night as I realized that I needed to start thinking, and writing like a week ago, the Hubby offered that I could write about his mother's funeral. I thought that was very sweet of him to volunteer such a personal moment. I didn't feel like I could.

Instead I thought I would share this:

I plan on being cremated.

I would look smashing in this!

I would like my friends and family to get together, share stories, hopefully good ones and then for my hubby, son or immediate family to take those ashes and spread them somewhere scenic, preferably the ocean or a mountain side.

Who wouldn't want to spend eternity here?

                                        
Let's face it I'll be dead, and what the hubby does once I'm gone is anybody's guess. If he could, he might have me stuffed and have me placed sitting on our couch holding my cell phone as if I'm scrolling through Twitter. Most likely he would want to bury me and that freaks me the fuck out, but I'll be dead. So for once he wont get an argument from me.

So natural. Just like I would look spending eternity on my phone





 

This post is part of a multi blogger collaboration, to read on or join in please click the TT button :)

Stoli with Pomegranate an Amateur Review

SO this would not usually qualify for my cheap drink reviews, but two weeks ago this bottle was on  sale for 5.99 at Trader Joe's. As soon as I drove back to work I regretted not buying two more bottles. This was a limited item sale. I kicked myself immediately after driving away and tweeted this picture with those exact sentiments, as soon as I stopped driving, but enough about what I SHOULD have done.

I'm gonna be honest, I have always been partial to gin and tonics. The hubby on the other hand is all about the vodka tonics and Stoli is his shit. We always have a bottle in the freezer. So I bought this for him. 

I opened the bottle and it smelled sweet and delicious. I got excited. I made a vodka and ginger ale. It was rather tasty. But the following weekend I had vodka tonics and YUM, I may be a convert. This vodka costs 16.99 at BevMo, but it's super good (90pts for those of you who care about such things and 80 proof). My bottle's gone. It's a tragic turn of events as it is my current favorite spirit. 

Dropping The Ball

Since I started writing again, I've made time for it every weekend.
Because:

I love it.

It's me time.

It helps me clear my head of the non stop chatter that is my mind.

It helps me feel connected, to other moms, to other writers, to the world (even if only a handful of people read).

This weekend was a marathon of getting shit done.

I bounced around from one commitment to the
next, only stopping to play and enjoy family time. While it was happening I was rather happy that I was getting plenty of time with Animal and the Hubby (I'm still glad about that) but I was a bummed to see that I didn't notice till my eyes were shutting from exhaustion that I hadn't even noticed that I hadn't carved out ANY time to write.

I'm gonna work harder to find it.

TT Fat Kids

I wasn't a fat kid, but once I hit puberty I started packing on the pounds. It was tough to be a fat girl. There was no such thing as torrid, and few places carried anything over a size 11, so I started buying men's jeans. I was lucky though. I was (am) pretty awesome. I was (am) outgoing, talkative, amusing, friendly, opinionated and nice. People liked me. I had friends, and boyfriends, and people didn't make fun of me (to my face or to my knowledge anyway). Even with all that, it was hard. I can't imagine what it would have been like if people had teased me. If I had been bullied. I would have been destroyed.

After high school, I started making changes. I cut out soda. I drank fat free milk. I ate less garbage. I started working out. Slowly, over the years, I got healthier. I educated myself and immersed myself in fitness books, magazines, and websites. I started running. Lots and lots of times I started running. Until one day miles and miles behind me, I was a runner.

It wasn't easy to make those changes, small and slow as I made them. My parents made fun of me when I switched to fat free milk. "Would you like a glass of milk, or are you going to have a cup of dirty water?" my mom would ask. 

When I switched to cascade fresh non fat yogurt, with no artificial flavors or added sugar (except fruit) I gagged the first few times. My dad would say, "Why eat that if you don't like it? Food is one of the pleasures of life. You should enjoy it". I explained I would like it eventually; I just wasn't used to it yet. It was hard for them to understand. They weren't obese like me. Maybe they even took it as an insult that I would question the food they worked hard to provide and prepare. Food was one of the first things I bought for myself when I started working.

I don't want that for my kid. I don't want for him to struggle with weight like I did. So, for years before I even considered parenthood, I decided that I would do whatever it took to help any offspring I might have avoid that fate.

One of my reasons for breastfeeding was statistically breastfed children are less likely to be obese.  I waited to introduce solids until six months, for the same reason. In fact, nearly all of the food choices I have made up to this point in my son's life are to help him be more likely to be healthy. 

I joined weight watchers, because I know I have to be healthy in order to be a good role model, and because he is more likely to continue these habits if they are family habits. So even though I don't like to cook, I do. Even though I love to eat fast food, I don't. Even though I'm tiered and don't want to spend every weekend at a park when I could be watching TV, I will be. For the next oh, ten years or so, I'll be at the park playing with my son.

People are willing to admit that we have a problem in this country when it comes to our ever widening waistlines, but not so much that it's a serious problem within our families. That it's putting our children at risk. That it's putting our country at risk. It doesn't seem that many of us are willing to take responsibility over this problem and resolve to change it. If not in our country, in our home, at our own kitchen tables. 

When I child is fat, It's not their fault. They can't do it alone; We have to help them. We have to be their (and our own) advocates. It wont be easy, but we can do it. Our children deserve to be healthy. It's our job to make that happen.

This post is part of a multi blog collaboration, to read about some other hot topics, or to add your own rant thoughts, just click the TT button.

Musical Moments

Last weekend we stopped by a friends house. He's a DJ and apparently into keyboards. Animal (like most children) loves to make noise music. He had so much fun playing with this keyboard. So much in fact, that our friend gifted it to him.

Now what? What should I try next...

Every morning after Animal nurses, he runs to the keyboard, turns it on and starts jamming out. When he gets a beat going he likes, he steps back and dances, smiling in delight.

I love to watch him experiment with sound. I love to see him dance. I love to see the wheels turning as he tries to figure out his next move. I so want for Animal to love and appreciate music. The hubby loves music, can't live without it, and I remember feeling that way in my youth. I still enjoy music a lot, but it's not the constant in my life the way it was when I was young. I hope Animal takes after his dad in this capacity. 

Got it! Check this out!

I used to play the violin. I couldn't get past beginner. It's something I regret (leaving it I mean). There are musical people in both our families and I so hope that we discover it's a passion for him. I can't really explain why, but music I think is essential to the human experience. It's an art everyone can relate to. I think people that have music in their lives have a calm and inner peace they can come back to always. 

Since I don't have that, I guess I don't know that that's true. Just something I think. Something I believe. Something I want for Animal.

Do Re Mi