I’ve got blah-blah insurance…

Now that we’re married there are lots of things to get accomplished besides all that lovey-dovey canoodling and that fat stack of thank-you notes. One of those is combining our auto insurance. Sounds pretty boring, right? It is. Don’t kid yourself. This is boring, adult-level torturous shit. At any rate, what’s not boring is that we have been getting ripped off for ages! I’m pricing our new rates as a married couple, and it’s far less expensive than I’ve ever paid in the past. In fact, I’m downright annoyed at the mere thought of all the spoiling I could have done for myself if I had all the overcharged insurance premiums back! Just thinking of my unnamed handbags and shoes brings a tear to my eye and a swear word to my lips.

Single? Higher rate. Auto loan? Higher rate. Not-so-great credit? Higher rate. Just one car? Higher rate. Big boobs? Higher rate. I kid, but seriously, I’m starting to wonder if that’s a possibility…

All these years I’ve been driving at a responsible speed, following all traffic laws, always buckling my seatbelt (You’re welcome, MADD), and keeping my assured clear distance when following the true driving menace, old people in Lincolns and Cadillacs. Despite my strong desire to let many, many a driver know that he is the number one driver in the world, I’ve refrained. I’ve not flashed my high beams or rolled down the window to scream profanities; I’ve even withheld from honking the horn at dimwits when dropping off my kid brother at his middle school with the driveway from hell. I’ve done (and not done) all these things all along, and I’ve still been paying more because I was single, driving a car with a loan and less-than-stellar credit? Shenanigans! Aren’t married people more likely to want to crash their cars into trees? I kid, but that’s what I’ve heard on the streets.

God bless the interweb and Al Gore for inventing it. Now I’m only 13 quotes away from paying as little as possible for our auto insurance. Suck it, premium carriers!

It was a WEDDING!

We did it! We tied the knot! Whatta day. Talk about an exciting 24 hours. It was like a blitz of emotions and excitement followed by what felt like a hangover…but was certainly not!

January 19th came and went very quickly. As most people warned us beforehand,  the old adage to ”enjoy it because it goes by quickly” was true. They weren’t lying. I was sort of hoping that “they” were exaggerating. Nope. It all went by super-duper fast. It kinda reminded me of prom. All that build-up for one day that is over before you know it

At any rate, my wedding vision came to fruition in every possible way we could [afford] make happen. I won’t talk about the exploitation of brides when it comes to purchasing, renting, and sacrificing for their dream wedding. I’ll save that for another time! The decor was beautiful, and despite the fifty degree weather, it was a winter wonderland inside! Our cake was gorgeous and the subtle up-lighting that I spent an extra hundo on was well worth the effect.

My dress and the groom’s tux were amazing. We’re pretty good-looking, so we made quite a dapper duo in our wedding day attire The bridesmaid dresses were quite lovely, but not as beautiful as my sisters who wore them! Three beautiful women!  And my brothers in tuxes? Have you met them? That should probably be illegal. Oh, and my mom is gorgeous and damn near showed me up in all her beauty. With the second best-looking guy at the wedding by her side (my dad, for all you slow-to-catch-on types), I  was worried for a second! Oh, and let’s not forget the other handsome guy who walked me down the aisle, E-bear! He was so stinking cute in his little tux and patent leather shoes! Adorable!!

The DJ was awesome and played all our special requests! Shout out to Professional Sounds of Temperance, MI. Worth the money!

Shout outs to all my awesome friends and family who made it to our special day. Especially our friends. What a group!! We had so much fun reminiscing while dancing to sweet jams of the late nineties and early 2000s. Those are memories I’ll always cherish

What made the day perfect was the walk down the aisle to my super-sexy husband in his Vera Wang tux. He was all smiles and I was all teary-eyed, and it was just what I expected. I am so very happy to have married my best friend, and I hope and pray that God blesses our marriage with health, wealth, and happiness for many years to come!

I’ll get back to some regular blogging stuff now. Oh, and I want you all to read this flashback. It’s even funnier now because he still decided to marry me?!

Check out my Wedding website: It’s what I’ve been working on lately

Check out my Wedding website:.

The Right and Privilege of Voting

Señalización de lugar de votación en California. 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

November 6- Today I am thankful for the right and privilege of voting. It is something that many people in this country take for granted. Voting is something that stole many lives over the years, and took many struggles to gain for every citizen. It took strength, courage, and conviction to fight for this fundamental concept of American life. The importance of voting is expressed very early in our lives. As children, we vote at school for rewards, student government, and student royalty. When we can’t decide what to do in family or work situation, we often put it to a vote. I remember doing this as a family in the car as we tried to pick a restaurant or plan for the day. It is ingrained in our culture and a cornerstone of the beliefs by which this country was founded. I am extremely grateful that, while my picks may not always win, at least I had a chance to share my choice.

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November 5- Days with Nothing to Do

   Me. When I drive.                                                                     green monster (Photo credit: dzingeek)

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for having nothing on my to-do list. Well, that’s a lie. I have a zillion things on my to-do list. What I mean is that I have nothing on my list that can’t wait until tomorrow. Nothing urgent. No trips in the car with potty training emergencies, no meltdowns (in the car at least), no road raging. Oh, yea. I road rage. It’s bad. I need to work on that. But anyways, these quiet days are few and far between lately as I have been busy with wedding plans and appointments. Today was not one of those busy days. In fact,  I even made time at the end of the night to enjoy a super-seldom bath. Oh, how I love my simple pleasures.

While I don’t have to get up, leave my kiddo, and go off to work every morning, I do have to stay home and work. When you’re home all day, you sure do have to clean a lot more. More time at the house equals more messes made by little hands, more dishes, more of all the fun housekeeping tasks that need done to keep things orderly.

And don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, just explaining!

What are you thankful for today?

Do you, like me, suffer from adult ADD symptoms that result in your need to make multiple trips to the same place because you forget things every time you make you trip?

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Thankful- Special Relationships

Day 3- There is absolutely one person who I am so thankful for that I can not fully express it in words. My fiance is the most wonderful man I have ever known. He is my perfect match! He’s a hard worker, an amazing best friend, and an excellent dad! He works hard to provide us with a nice home without ever complaining. He supports me staying home with Ethan, and helps with him as much as he can. He’s also the best friend I’ve ever had. I can talk to him about anything and everything, and I know that he will not judge me or love me less. He can finish my sentences and communicate with me with just a wink or a sly grin. He’s the macaroni to my cheese, the PB to my J, and the lemon to my lime! Did I mention he’s a great dad, too? He has been such a great male role model to E, and loves him as his own. That takes a special guy, and he sure is special I couldn’t live without him, and I try my best to let him know each day how important he is to me. I can’t wait to be his wife and spend my life with him! I love you, J!

Day 4- Have I ever mentioned how awesome my momma happens to be? She is an incredible woman! I admire her so much. She has been and continues to be an amazing mother. She sacrificed so much to stay home with my siblings and I, and we are better people because of it. She never missed a practice, a game, an event, or a special moment when we were growing up. She has more patience than any other mother I know, and happens to be the family “baby whisperer.” While we had differing opinions during my teenage years, I have grown to love and understand my mom so much more as I became a mother myself. She is also a best friend to me. She still doles out the motherly advice when applicable, but she also knows how to go out for a day of shopping and chat with me as a gal-pal. I don’t know what I’d do without her! I love you, Momma Dawn!!

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

Day 2- Today I am thankful for the broken road I’ve been down the past ten years. TEN. Eek. Sounds worse when I put it in writing. Several failed relationships, multiple job changes, more moves than I care to remember, one broken engagement, and one really awful boyfriend later, I am in the present. It was awful some days, painful many days, and disappointing more days than I can even begin to count. BUT, I’m so very thankful for the experiences I’ve had in the past ten years. While there were many tears shed, there were almost an equal number of lessons learned. All of the tough days were to prepare me for where I am now, and for that I am eternally grateful. My son and my soon-to-be husband are the sunshine of my life, and without all the tribulations I certainly wouldn’t have them in my life.

With that being said, take a moment to think about the toughest times in your life. What lessons did you learn? What did you have to learn in order to get to your happy place? Are you even in your happy place?

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Give Thanks EVERY Day Series

As today marks the start of November, it also marks the start of my effort to spend a little time each day expressing my own thankfulness. So, without further ado, here is day one.

November 1- I am thankful to be able to stay home with my son each day.  I am so fortunate to be able to spend time helping my son learn, grow, and laugh each day. It is a tiring and challenging job, but being a mom is by far the greatest blessing I’ve ever received!

Staying at home to raise children is not a job for every mother, but it feels like the best place for me to work right now. I love being able to nurture my child and also be present for him when he needs a hug, a snuggle, or a timeout.

This incredible blessing wouldn’t be possible without the love and support of my darling fiance. We’ll talk more about him tomorrow!

For what are you grateful? How has being a mother blessed you?

Politics…too painful for words

I hate election time. It’s about as pleasant as a six month menstrual period. Not only do I have to make difficult choices of my own after poring over websites, news articles, debates, and the like…but I also have to listen to other people talk about the candidates. You know, those two doofuses with a jillion bucks between ‘em who know everything about everything in this great country.

Sure, I feel certain that both presidential candidates can relate to me. They’ve both had the pleasure of waking up one day as an unemployed, overeducated, single-mom living with her parents while struggling to keep Sallie Mae‘s evil henchman from stalking her. They can relate. They know my struggles. They feel my pain.

They don’t know shit about me.

That’s not my situation anymore, but it was my situation not too long ago. What I feel was once a job of high honor and prestige has been degraded by men who do not know what life is like in Middle America. While being escorted from one itty-bitty town to the next, they’re briefed on the current plight of the area. They hear anecdotal tales of random Americans, living in battleground states like Ohio,who the candidates will not remember in the morning as they gather themselves to head to the next small town full of problems and undecided votes.

Tell me this: how can these candidates look at themselves in the mirror? Head on over to CNN.com to feast your eyes on the magnitude of CASH that they have collected and spent funding the mass-peddling of their questionable morals and spending plans. Millions upon millions. How is that a good use of discretionary spending by those who are financially able to contribute to campaign sloths? Why aren’t Americans pooling their $40K per plate campaign funds to help REAL AMERICANS who are unemployed, uninsured, etc? Each one of those $40K contributions could pay an average woman’s salary for a year! Food for thought.

At any rate as I rant on about the injustice of the political machine that is this election, my fellow americans struggle with the decision they soon face. Well, some of them struggle. Most of them just blindly follow the masses in order to feel a part of the crowd. While hanging on every word of the candidate’s enraptured speech, the sheep line up for slaughter at the closest IRS office.

God save the Queen!

Simple Pleasures-Mom’s Edition 2.0

I had my once-a-month outing for moms tonight. Ironically enough, the once-a-month outing has been on hiatus for summer vacations and general chaos. Who needs and appreciates a once-a-month two-hour slot of time with other adult women to engage in adult conversation without the echos of The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon bellowing in the background? MOMS!

Anywho, I left Mr. E in the competent care of my momma and seester, and backed down the driveway to head out. Between the driveway and the first stop sign, it hit me. Another simple pleasure that I absolutely love and appreciate! Wait for it…

CRANKING UP THE RADIO SUPER LOUD WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN!

Oh man! I have always lovvvved driving my car with the music at a decibel that is surely detrimental to my hearing and yet reassuring to the hearing aid industry. I can’t do that with Mr.E in the car. He’s a kiddo. No loud-o allowed-o. Haha! And I miss that sometimes…but mostly I appreciate it now. It’s such a liberating feeling to crank up the tunes, sing super loud and off-pitch, and put the windows DOWN. That’s another little thing I like. A lot. Oh how I love the wind in my hair! Nowadays, I can’t put the windows down with my little lovebug in the car. His curly mop gets windblown all over the place and he yells, MOM! TOO LOUD!

It’s so simple,  and yet, once again I realize how I took these simple things for granted before I had Mr. E and chose to take on the role of responsible parent fostering the growth of another human being of an impressionable age. Windows down, music up. Perhaps it makes me feel very young. Wait, it does make me feel young. And free. Free of adult worries, painful memories, sad truths, and silent battles.

Mostly though, it just makes me smile