I blog about all women, for women. I talk about all the issues we as women face today. All the struggles, and all the things we sit on the fence about in life, marriage, career, kids, friendships, health, and more. And I love it. I don’t have to tell you, I say it all the time… I’m living my dream. But I’m only living my dream for one reason… because my husband let’s me do so. So today, on our 10 year anniversary, I want to pay tribute to him.
This is our story.
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HELLO THERE!!!
So, it’s my first day back since leaving you all for two weeks to spend time with my family, and attend a Blogging conference in New York which ended up being an experience of a lifetime. The past two weeks have been absolutely wonderful (minus some frazzling moments), and I wanted to share some memories before getting back to the “on the fence” topics.
It all started with a road trip (after a week with the boys by the lake). Hershey Park, Pennsylvania was the destination. We usually head to Maine, the same spot each summer, but decided to try something different this year. We heard Hershey Park was all chocolate, all the time, great kids rides, water park, and in the words of my son, “The coolest lazy river ever.” So, besides having a hard time leaving the outlets in Woodbury Commons, NY, the drive was a cinch. The boys watched DVD after DVD in the back seat, and I drank coffee after coffee in the front seat. I left my good eating habits back in Montreal, and pulled up to Hershey Town, which actually SMELLED LIKE CHOCOLATE, and decided I was gonna enjoy.
Over the course of our stay there, we had a ball no doubt. We swam, made smores by the bonfire at night, and hung with live-sized Kit Kat and Reese’s Pieces Bars. But the funny thing was, despite wanting to take the kids to see “cultural” things (museum, chocolate factory, etc…), my kids were only interested in two things: THE FREE MINI GOLF, and THE FREE WII ROOM. It went something like this: eat a meal, play mini golf. Eat a meal, play Wii. Play mini golf at 10PM at night, Play Wii at 8Am in the morning. And my hubby and I were real sports too. We really surrendered to EVERYTHING. We let them do whatever made them happy, whenever it made them happy. I drank wine pretty much every night, ate pasta and pizza daily, and didn’t see a gym once. My hubby got to really enjoy the company of his boys, which like many dads, don’t have enough hours to do. It was an amazing bonding time for our family.
Hello, M’Ladies! I will be taking the next two weeks to spend time with my family…
If I can steal away some time, I will check in! 
What if you found out you were going to die… shortly? What would you do? How would you live your remaining days? Would you crawl under a hole and wait? Would you bungee jump or sail around the world? It’s a deep and introspective question.
Two years ago today, July 25, 2008, at the age of 47, a man that captivated the hearts of millions of people around the world (and mine), lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus, husband, and father to three beautiful children. What is an academic tradition, to give students a “last lecture,” the notion that: if you knew you were going to die, what would you tell your students… actually became his own last lecture. He called it “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” and he delivered this inspirational speech at Carnegie Mellon University on September 18, 2007 to an immensely captive audience, including Randy’s family, friends, students, and colleagues. When he gave the lecture, he had just been given 3-6 months to live.
And why I would like to honor his life today, on the anniversary of his death, is because Randy Pausch was certainly not sitting on any fences when it came to how he was going to live the remainder of his days. He maximized every waking minute, and made every one count. I don’t want to give too much away. I urge you to watch his lecture, as I did in its entirety almost three years ago, and then I would love your feedback and thoughts below. Randy said that he gave the lecture for only three people in this world (the answer is in the video).
So I’ve decided that this summer, I’m turning a new leaf, and I’m gonna try and not sweat the small stuff as much. I’ve decided that when it comes to etiquette, a big thing for me, winning battles and losing wars is not the way to go.
Last week, my hubby and I went to see Carlos Santana in concert. I know what you’re thinking… how old is this girl, Erica? I’m only 35, but am a bit of an old soul when it comes to music. I’ve seen The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch, all in concert, and I’m embarrassed to say, I think I was even in my twenties (not thirties) at the time. And I went on my own free will, yes. To this day, Marvin Hamlisch remains the best concert I’ve ever seen. Oh lord. Keep reading…
Anyhow, after the concert, we went for some Starbucks decaf Frappucinos and sat outside. It was during our extreme heat wave, and it was a beautiful night. Now my husband, God bless him, can be quite the romantic and chivalrous type. Truly. But, he’s not very strong on car door openings… like hardly ever! I always remind him… “It’s nice if you open the door for your wife.” He always laughs, “Honey, I’m already on this side. Can’t you open the door yourself?” Anyhow, that night, after leaving Starbucks, he… DRUMROLL… OPENED THE DOOR FOR ME. I didn’t say anything, but he was being EXTRA nice. I knew the reason… and I’m sure you do too. Etiquette in exchange for sex. So I figured, instead of getting all upset over the fact that his etiquette improved just so he could get laid, I let it slide.
By Guest Blogger Shannon Henrici
I was reading another woman’s blog the other day and I was struck by the negative comments that flooded her blog site. I couldn’t believe all the passed judgments, and the harsh words. But then, I began to think of all of the times I have quietly passed judgment on other moms. I was a little ashamed of myself and thought, “Why can’t we all just get along?”
I thought of the old childhood saying, “When you point your finger at someone, three are pointing back at you.” I know that I am not perfect. I have to remember that other moms are not perfect. We are all just learning as we go. How many times have you heard judgmental words from another mother, “Can you believe she put him in daycare 6 weeks after she gave birth?” Or “My child would never act like THAT!” Besides, by which standards are we comparing other people? Our standards? Society’s standards? Which child is perfect? Which mother is perfect?
And there are so many topics that divide women today; working vs. staying at home, to vaccinate vs. to not, breastfeeding vs. formula, and list goes on. I find more than ever, instead of coming together to support one another, we are seeing quite a bit of these “Mommy Wars.”
By Our Anonymous Man On The Fence
Recently I opened up my box of letters that I keep in a very safe place. Do you have a box of old letters or cards that you still keep? It’s quite fun to reflect back upon your life through this particular lens. From the time I was a little boy, till now, I have kept many precious documents intact. There’s something to be said for keeping letters. I wonder sometimes if my kids will yearn to keep my letters that I write them. I sometimes doubt they’ll see the value in keeping such historical family objects.
Last week while sitting on my bed going through these pieces of history, I found several letters from girlfriends, special friends, and even one (there was sadly only one!) from my dad. But what is rather interesting, is the incredible varying writing styles. Surely you can spot the difference between a “love letter“ and a letter from your grandmother. Her writing was probably heavily scripted, and required true skill to read the individual words. My mother’s penmanship was different than my grandmother’s. My mom’s style was very unique and very beautiful in a special way. I love re-reading my mother’s letters. She really knew how to capture a moment, and rereading them instantly brings me back to in time. Wow, how times they have changed.
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Joy
on 10 Years: The Story of Us
Michele
on 10 Years: The Story of Us
My Skin Concierge
on 10 Years: The Story of Us
Barbara Walker
on Transitioning… Another Kind