My New Crush....

For over 20 years now, I have told Husband that there is only one man on earth that I would ever leave him for........



Eric Clapton.




Yes, Eric Clapton, the old guy that can make a guitar sing soul and the blues unlike few others. Keep in mind he wasn't all that old when this started (and neither was I).. but not only is he a legendary musician, but there is something so sexy about him and his voice, I just melt when I hear or see him.. I have no idea what it is...I've never been the groupie type. Even in my 70's heyday.

Obviously, Husband has never felt threatened by my personal confession of attraction to another man. In fact, he seemed to find humor in my crush. Imagine that.

But now, after Saturday night, I have a new crush. Another guitarist, with a voice that stirs your soul.


Jonny Lang.

This boy is hot. In every way, shape, and form. He is one tight package. Husband and I went to a live show of his on Saturday night. I had only heard one of his CDs and thought it was pretty good but was not blown away. I wasn't prepared to be as awestruck as I was with his live performance.

We actually had tickets for the show back in November, but it was canceled and rescheduled at the last minute. And I do mean last minute. We were in front of the theatre when staff informed us that Mr. Lang was sick and the show would be rescheduled. His bus was in the back but he was too ill to perform.

This bit of last minute news did very little for my opinion of the young buck. At the time my thought was "Well, great... another kid on the fast track can't regulate his booze and recreational drugs." I wasn't the only one with that opinion. Obnoxious Husband and his equally obnoxious buddy whom we were spending the evening with were determined to go round back and beat on the bus windows in order to see if Mr. Lang was really puking or whatnot. With a little encouragement and ultimatums from their spouses, they refrained, and did not end up spending the night in the Jefferson County Jail. So as it turned out, the 4 of us hit some downtown bars and still spent a relatively pleasant evening. Any night out with my husband and friends is a perk.

So, as rescheduled, we headed back to the theatre this past Saturday night....We had good seats and were prepared for a decent show with good music. The opening act was a young guy who was pretty talented. Played acoustic with no back up band and did a noteworthy job. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name.. Reeve or Reef Something. I apologize to him for the slight.

Then Jonny Lang and his 5 piece band took the stage. Mr. Lang was actually a child prodigy in the 90's on the soul/blues/rock scene. He has matured magnificently. He played and sang for over 1 1/2 hours without a hitch, never missing a step. I am not of musician (Husband is an amateur), so I can hardly critique, but it seems this guy has talent oozing from his pores. He's also "not hard on the eyes" as my female friend with us commented.

You can say that again. The combination of his music, voice and looks knocked this old girl flat.

About a quarter of the way into the show, I turned to Husband and said:

"He's my new Crush."

Husband smiles and says to me in a placating way:

"Honey, he's not even 30 yet."

Defiantly, I say:

'Who cares? He is soooo cute!"

I don't know how many time in the course of the show I said: "Gosh, he's cute!" or "Boy, he's cute!" At one point during a particularly impressive guitar riff, I turned to Husband and asked "How come you don't play like that?".

Not in the mood to humor me anymore and wanting hear the concert uninterupted, Husband finally says:

"Teri----He's probably only about 26 or so. You could be his mother."

Maybe so... but I'm not.

So hence, my new crush.

Sorry Eric, it's been a long ride, but now you gotta get in the back seat. Mama's got a brand new bag.

Although, Husband is obviously not threatened by my attraction to this fella either. The next day he burned copies of the Jonny Lang CD's that we own so I could cart them to my car and/or office. Is that a trusting husband or what? Fantasy Island, here I come!!!!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (and Why)

I love, love the internet... It's such a wealth of information....

Example #1: A week or so ago our Whirlpool dryer broke.. just quit blowing and quit heating. It's only 3-5 years old (Husband and I differ, he says 3 and I say 5). Apparently time moves faster for me than him or vice versa.. Either way, the thing gave out way before both of us anticipated.

Now, Husband is fairly handy...I use the term "fairly" in loose content. I believe he thinks he's handier than he really is, because we have had some real messes in 20+ years of homeownership (ex: replacing 1st floor toilet where I was dubbed "plumber's helper"...OH, YUCK!!)..But this time he persevered and won The Battle of the Whirlpool.

He spent an entire day on the internet (in between takes on football) looking up the mechanics of our particular model and finally determined the source of the dryer's illness. Instead of costing us the replacement value of $500, it was a $25 thermostat. And now he can probably take one of those suckers apart and put it back together. Now, there's not a thing he doesn't know about clothes dryers. Just ask him, he'll tell you stuff that will put the Maytag man to shame. Of course, most of the info is totally useless. He's well on his way to becoming the next Cliff Claybourne (from Cheers). A virtual fountain of useless information...

From my own standpoint, there are several sights I frequent often..

I'm a "cooker"... I don't claim to be a gourmet enthusiast, chef or foodie. I just love to cook. I like coming up with stuff that pleases people. I'm a fairly decent cook too... Most of the time, anyway....There have been disasters over the years (ask Husband and Son about exploding spaghetti squash), but overall, I do pretty well. I used to collect cookbooks. But since the discovery of the internet, I just don't need them. I search for recipes, print and try them out, tweak them to suit me, make my notes and pop them in a folder.. TADA!!! Now if I would only organize them all. These are a few of my favorite sites:
allrecipes.com
http://recipegoldmine.com

I also love to plan vacations, especially my own.. Husband and I love Vegas..not so much for the gaming (well, maybe a little), but for all the glitz and glitter... We have a ball just walking up and down the strip, taking in the sights. We also usually go on one good family vacation each year. Last year we went to Seaworld (we would have gone sooner if we had realized that beer is free at Seaworld as Anheuser-Busch is the owner) and Universal for the the first time..Been to Disneyworld several times over the years, been out west to Tahoe, San Francisco, Yosemite, and many, many Atlantic beaches..We like giving our kids experiences. Because we're so economically minded (aka cheap), I'm always looking for the most I can get for my money.. These sites really help out:
http://tripadvisor.com
http://southwest.com
http://cheapovegas.com
http://lasvegastourism.com
http://allearsnet.com
http://www.northmyrtlebeachtravel.com

I could probably go on and on with the vacation stuff...I'm getting ready to start on our family vacation we have tentative scheduled for June.. We're tossing around taking Girly to D. C. (we took Son when he was 12, so she's due) or going back out west, possibly to the Grand Canyon or San Diego. Ummmmmm, decisions, decisions...Money, money....Got to get the most bang for our buck..

I am also always on the lookout for a good buy...I love cheap stuff. My husband will confirm that I am an avid collector of things on sale..Some times this proves to be very beneficial. Sometimes things just collect dust. Here's my favorite cheap stuff sites:
http://orientaltrading.com
http://lakeside.com

One of my best friends (SK) in the world just adopted a 14 month old girl from China. We've worked together at the same agency for over 15 years. I love her to death. When SK came to me and said she was feelin' "called" to adopt from China I thought she was crazy. Her bio-kids are 13 and 10. But SK was adament about it, so I got on board with her...Maybe too much.. I got into researching everything with her, reading websites, travel journals, etc. etc.

See, I now blame her for the fact that I'm on the way to a grandchild. She got my mommy instincts going and had me thinking about exploring adoption, foster parenting, or even getting another dog. So now the Fickle Finger of Fate has intervened, skewed my desires and is giving me a grandchild. Not exactly what I had in mind. I guess my shorthcomings in Faith combined with her whole hearted Faith came up with this package. So,,,,,SK, my having a grandchild is totally your fault. HA! Now, I really have someone to blame.

But I also have a favorite website that we discovered while doing her research.. You can keep up with most all families publishing their adoption experience from China from one spot. There is a wealth of real life info on this link. Stuff your agency doesn't tell you about. We both kept up and she was so very prepared for the trip and adoption process. We are having her baby shower this Friday, the 19th... (another one of my passions). On to the next....

www.chineseadoptionstories.homestead.com

I love Party Planning. My other BFF, KD and I are planning a baby shower for this weekend. As she has said, this part is the most fun of having a party!! More than half the fun is coming up with your plan, decorations, menu, etc. SK, KD and I love this stuff. I have always loved planning and executing my kids' birthday parties. At one time, I thought I would go into party planning and catering when I retire from my day job. That was until I took on the task of planning and executing Husband's 50th birthday party. I had 100 people invited. I did all the organizing, most of the food and the agenda. It was a hell of a lot of work. Things went absolutely perfect, but I was so stressed by the time the big day arrived, all I did was drink all day. Good thing that I took a vacation day the next workday. The older you get, the more time it takes to recover.. I was seriously hungover as with many others.. But there are many helpful hints to be had...

http://partypop.com
http://about.com/food

So, these are just a few words from an internet junkie.

Regurgitation

So I've chewed on this grandparent thing, regurgitated it, swallowed it back down and come to this conclusion. I'm not so upset that there is a baby on the way, as I'm upset to be the grandparent......, not the aunt, godmother, etc.

I have to admit, I have nothing to be upset about because that would be hypocritical. I was 23 when Son was born, and the circumstances were somewhat similar. I had no clue what was going on and the responsibility which is involved, but I managed(with a wonderful support system), and all worked out for the best. Our kids will be all right too. Both have good heads (most of the time), goals for life and work very hard to try to achieve.

What bothers me is that I am not ready to be a grandma. I'm only 46. I know for most people that sounds outrageous, but I have always preached to my kids that people that are prepared, planned and organized don't get married until they're 25 or have babies until they're 30. I thought they believed me. So I figured I had a few years to adjust... I guess that's hypocrital in itself, but it was just my way to try and make sure that they are ready for all the responsibilities of adulthood before they are actually hit with the package.

But I love my Son with a vengeance and I love Girlfriend too. They have been together for almost five years and she is a part of this family. I don't think either of them have a clue what they are in for, but really, were any of us? Regardless of our age, maturity level, financial status? We learn from experience. As my parents were by my side every step of the way, so will husband and I be. Well, as soon as it fully registers in his brain and consciousness... he has yet to acknowledge the situation.....But it will come.

We have friends that are already grandparents more than one time over, so it will come to him and he will be a great Pappy. But I will not, I repeat, I will not be Grandma and he will not be Grandpa... We will be Grammy and Pappy. Sounds pretty Kentucky typical? We were already calling ourselves that with the dogs so what's the difference, except diapers?

To think, just a few months ago, I was trying to convince Husband that we should consider adoption.....because I was grieving for my lost mommydom....From now on I need to keep my fat mouth shut. This just goes to show, you have to be careful what you wish for..

What I Get for Griping

Boy, was I a Grinch over the Holiday! When I read back over my previous entry I sound awful.

Well, I got what I deserved for being such a beeotch.....

Xmas came and all went well. I dealt with my in laws and received some impersonal presents. One was a camisole and slip from my mother in law. Obviously she hasn't looked at me in last 15 years or so... The cammie was a 34 (need a 38) and the slip was a mini-slip in a medium. HAHAHAHAHAHA! (need a large or more, I hate to admit). But I dealt with it and moved on...

It has always bugged me when people feel the obligation to buy you gifts, but fail to pay attention to your personal likes, styles, etc. I stressed so this year because I had such trouble trying to come up with stuff... I should have just remembered past Xmas presents from MIL and did the the best I could.

Gift giving should not be an obligation, but as much a pleasure for yourself as the recipient. I think that's why I enjoy buying for kids so much... I love seeing their surprise and pleasure when they open something that they wasn't on their list, but once they see it, they are tickled silly.

Now for the repercussions of my bad mood.

On Xmas Day Son and Girlfriend were over as well as the rest of my side of the family. After we had all ate and were hanging out, Son, Girlfriend, my mom, my sister and I were sitting around just talking and nibbling on leftovers. When Son says to me:

"Well, mom, it's time for your big present!"

"Really, what?"

"You're going to be a grandma...."

"Oh, baloney....you're kidding.."

"No, mom."

My first thought was that they needed our dog Brewzer to move back home with us because he and the other dog were too much together. And I voiced this out loud..

"What, is the dog coming back home?"

"No mom, Girlfriend is pregnant."

"Nuh-Uh.... You're lying."

I looked at Girlfriend sitting next to me on the couch and said:

"Is he lying?"

She looks at me a little shakily and decides to placate.

"Yep, he's kidding."

Son pipes up and says:

"No, I'm not.. Girlfriend is pregnant."

I am stunned and continue to ask him to come clean.

Finally, I look at Girlfriend and say:

"Well, one of you is lying..which one?"

She looks at me and stammers:

"I'm not saying anything,,,,,I'm just sitting here eating."

And to prove her point she shoves cauliflower and carrots with dip in her mouth at a record speed. So reality beigins to set in at this point.

My mother and sister are snickering to beat the daylights... Of course, my sister is 9 years old than me and has a grandchild and one on the way. That's just fine.. That's the way it's supposed to be... IT's supposed to her and not me. And, of course, my mom is supposed to a grandma, she's 76...

How in the world after being together damn near five years, living together for two of those years and just recently acquiring a home does this happen? I thought they had more sense. I have 2 different sets of concert tickets this month.. on back to back Friday and Saturday nights. This can't happen to me. I'm not somebody's GRANDMA!!!

When husband heard the news, he had no response. It's like the news went in his right ear, never registered or made contact and exited out the left ear. He's not mentioned it and neither have I. I think for now he's got the right idea. If we choose to ignore it, maybe somewhere along the way Son will holler, "APRIL FOOL!!", and our world will be back.

I've got to chew on this a bit...