1998 Called…

Subtitle: The One Where I Lose my Mind over How Much I Love 90s Music

I kind of geeked out when I saw that Ben Folds Five (Five!! not just Ben Folds), Guster and Barenaked Ladies would be touring together this summer. I love music. But I love 90s music most of all, and I especially love these three bands. If only Ani DiFranco had been thrown into the mix, it basically would have been a soundtrack to some of the most formative years of my life.

I mean, how many lyrics from a BF5 song made it into my AOL profile quotes section? “All I know is I've gotta be where my heart says I oughta be… It often makes no sense, in fact I never understand these things, I feel I love you, goodbye I love you, goodbye…”

Ugh. I mean, really. 1998 called and it wants you to come this concert and bring all your memories of your emo-for-no-reason 17 year old self there. It was even better that Anne + Locke could come with us, because they’re both huge BF5 and Guster fans and then one of my best friends from high school, who just so conveniently moved down to Columbia, SC after years of living in Michigan decided to make the trip up for it.

The icing on the cake though was that my sister-in-law saw me post a picture on Instagram of the tour poster and my comment that I really wanted to go and reached out to let me know she would get me tickets. It turns out her fiancé's sister used to be the website designer for the Barenaked Ladies. Not only did she get us tickets to the show, but also an opportunity for a meet and greet with the band! I’ve loved and listened to BNL since the days of Gordon and had seen them in concert in high school too, but Matt + I did feel a little out of our league with the diehard fans who were over the moon excited to meet the band. They were all super nice though (the band, that is) and we snapped a quick picture with them, got an autograph and headed back to our seats because BF5 was starting up.

All three bands put on great shows – I only wish Guster and BF5 had played longer! Guster is still as amazing as they were years ago, and I have no idea how Brian Rosenworcel’s hands are still intact after almost two decades of bongo drums. Incredible. They played a lot of their older stuff, like Satellite and Airport Song. Ben Folds Five was awesome – I am so happy that they are playing together again. He played a few newer songs, but plenty of older stuff too including Philosophy, Alice Childress, Brick, Narcolepsy, Underground and Army. (There were lots of happy cheers when Chick-Fil-A was mentioned during Army and also when Charlotte was mentioned during Brick, which I found a little weird given the context. But hey, it’s nice to have Ben back in his home state. Can we get him up to Winston pretty please??) I loved that he opened with Philosophy. And closed with Army. And any ballad that involves him hard jamming on the piano, like Underground. Sigh. I think I could have groupie potential.

I felt a little disappointed when BF5 was over, but Barenaked Ladies put on a seriously legit show. They are talented musicians but they are also performers. They know how to keep a crowd engaged. They sang all the favorites, like One Week, Pinch Me, and If I Had a Million Dollars. They also sang Brian Wilson and Yoko Ono which are two that I love from Gordon, and they had Brian R from Guster come back out to play. (If you’re ever listening to Brian Wilson and listen to the drum section at the end, just imagine how amazing that was with Thundergod going to town on it.) When they came back out, they played Old Apartment (looooove) and Alcohol and a cover of the Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun.

As a bonus, before the BNL set started, Anne and I had walked over to the restrooms and on our way out, realized that Guster was playing in a little corner off near the concession stands. Just standing under a tent with some amps and jamming out. A small crowd had formed, but we were able to push our way towards the front and see them. Definitely one of the highlights, seeing them up so close.

If you can’t tell by the excessive amount of positive adjectives I’ve used to describe this, it was a pretty awesome concert. I’ve always said that seeing Better than Ezra and Hootie & the Blowfish in one show together was my highlight of my concert going attendance, but this bumped that down to a #2 slot. It was a smaller, intimate venue which was perfect for these bands and all 3 sounded amazing and played a good mixture from across their music careers. It was also great weather and we were there with friends who loved these bands as much as we do. I don’t know if it can get much better than this!

31

Thirty-one. It's the seventeen or the twenty-two of birthdays. The somewhat anticlimactic year following a "big one." I used to think that turning 30 was some sort of milestone in the sense that I thought I would have to have accomplished certain things by the time I was 30 or … well, basically I think I thought I'd be too old to get anything done by the time I hit 31. 

My bones are rather creaky, actually...

I've quite liked getting older. Despite not hitting all the checkmarks on the list my 20 year old self made for me to accomplish before the prior decade was over, I feel pretty good about where I'm at. (And besides, did I really think I wanted to OWN A GYM? Bad idea, 20 year old Megs, bad idea.) 

I'm happier and more comfortable in my skin at 30 than I ever imagined I could be. (20 year old me could have been a little more rigorous in her sunscreen application, but whatevs.) I have clearer priorities and boundaries. I'm more comfortable saying no and less worried about people pleasing. I have a smaller circle of friends, but they are deeper and more meaningful friendships. I have a whole lot less clarity about my career goals than I did a decade ago, but a much greater level of comfort with uncertainty. I have a deep faith, a lovely relationship with my God and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my life - something that I was barely scratching the surface with in my 20's.

I always thought 30 was going to feel like "the end of my 20's." Turns out it feels more like the start of my 30's. And I'm rather optimistic that if things got this much better over a decade, my 40 year old self will be wincing at how wizened my 30 year old self thought she was. Actually, I pretty much hope so. 

My oh so anticlimactic birthday was celebrated with lovely, wonderful friends and family. And of course, wherever I go, my 20 pound little buddy goes too - so I really was never alone on my birthday! Bo and I visited Matt at work for lunch (a rarity to see his "office"), and then my parents FaceTimed with me while I opened presents from them. The next day Pam came through town on her way south for a wedding, and we had lunch at Mary's. A wino visit for my birthday! That night, Katie & Dylan and Mike all came into town and we had a really yummy dinner at Mozelle's. The next night, they stayed and the Forseys, Glenns and McCurry's came for a cookout. I even got to prolong the celebration into the next week when Teri and Anna met me at Camino for a birthday drink. I just kept looking around at the great people in my life who were there just to celebrate my creaky bones getting another year older and just feeling so, so richly blessed. Ready for what the next 9 years of this decade have in store for me...

Happenings

Last weekend my friend Heather came to visit me. We've been friends for almost six years, when she was my bright-eyed and helpful intern at Wake. We've forged a bestie-ship ever since and have driven back and forth across many miles for visits and catch up sessions. Recently, she moved to Nashville from Connecticut putting her back in road trip distance. She came over to meet the kiddo and we had a fun weekend of catching up on each other's lives, creating secret Pinterest boards, eating Camino pastries and turning our teeth purple with a few bottles of wine.





On Monday, I met my friend Megan - who I originally met over Twitter and who is from my husband's hometown - at Mellow Mushroom for lunch. She was in town to do some shopping and we had a chance to catch up and let our little boys get to know each other. Bo was quite taken with Henry, but I'm not sure the admiration was mutual.



On Thursday, I went and got my hairs did. If I somehow find myself in a situation with an excessive amount of discretionary income, I will go get my hair done on a near-weekly basis. (At least just shampoo and blow-dried.) It is probably one of my favorite experiences in life. Over the last year, I have been going darker and darker and have now officially crossed over into the world of brunettes.



My experience at the hair salon included a brush with fame. While she was putting color on my hair, my stylist happened to mention that a regular client of hers who is a NASCAR driver, was going to be coming in with a film crew to be taped having his hair cut as part of a "Day in the Life" documentary.

Well then.

(I honestly didn't know who this guy was except that he had happened to be on Duck Dynansty this morning. So there's that.)



I kept getting nervous he'd talk to me and I'd be that awkward person who said something really stupid on camera but luckily, the only time he talked to me the film crew had stepped away. I was still that totally awkward person who said something really stupid though.

This week, the kiddo has not been in a great mood. I'm wondering if there are pearly whites waiting to bust through his little gums. I guess that would make me rather pissy too. It's tough to see him in a bad mood, because he's usually such a pleasant little guy. This picture pains me - the little furrowed brow! Woe is me!



Being a baby seems like it's really hard sometimes.

On Friday, we had friends over for dinner. Matt made baby back ribs and I made Barefoot Contessa cosmopolitans. And some other food stuff, but the cosmos were really my pride and joy.



Yesterday, I went to Teri's house to trade life skills. I helped her organize her email inboxes and come up with some systems to manage incoming mail and she taught me how to blow-dry my hair holding a round brush. Pretty sure we both left each other's company feeling ready to take on the world anew. Clean inboxes and a good blow out are some pretty huge life skills.

Also, her dog usually shuns me because I almost always my own dog or tiny baby in tow. This time, we were best buds. Although this picture indicates otherwise.



Last night, we had dinner with my sister-in-law, her boyfriend and his kids at East Coast Wings. It occurred to me since Bo is sitting up on his own on the floor, that he could now up in a high chair. I plopped him in one and immediately felt tears come to my eyes to see how grown up he looked.

The same thing happened today when I realized he could hold his bottle on his own. I am pretty sure this is how people end up with a half a dozen kids when you mourn every stage of babyhood passing.



And the next thing I know, it's Sunday night again! These weeks really do go by so fast, and having our month carved out into every other week on/off work schedules makes the month fly by. I'm sure the ER work schedule would drive some people crazy - and granted, it's not the greatest at the holidays - but I really love our non-traditional schedule. It's so great to have him home on random weekdays and we try to make the most of his time off from work.

January

For a lot of people, January is a month of fresh starts and resolutions. For us, January has felt like a month to catch our breath and settle down. The last 6 months were… busy, to say the least. We had a baby, and that fact alone validates that claim. Then we had visitors every month, we traveled, Matt started a new job and before I knew it, the holidays were upon us. The next couple months hold a few more trips, visitors, and some home projects. I have a feeling July will be here before I know it and Bo will be smashing a cake and I’ll be scratching my head wondering where the last year went.

So in January, we took a deep breath. We didn’t have any visitors. We didn’t pack a suitcase. We took a lot of naps, cooked more dinners together and marveled in the every day miracle of watching our little baby learn and grow. It’s been a nice month for our cozy little family.

Some photos from this last month…

Winos + Wino Littles

This weekend, all the winos (and a wino little) came to Winston-Salem with the very best reason for a get together: we just missed each other and wanted to see each other. I’m so thankful for the effort that my college girlfriends have made to continue to see each other in the 8 years (!!) since we’ve graduated – especially as travel grows more complicated as families get bigger and jobs get busier. This was our 3rd trip to see each other this year, which I think is just perfect. (Actually, I think it’s not enough but considering we’re spread out among 3 different states, are coordinating 6 different work/life schedules and have 3 kids among us… I think once a quarter is pretty impressive!)

We pretty much did what we always do when we get together: talked a lot. Laughed a lot. Hugged each other’s babies. Hugged each other. Drank wine. Talked a lot.

Shelby arrived with John (11.5 months) on Thursday night, and we spent Friday catching up with over a long walk with the boys and getting things ready for a surprise baby sprinkle for Emily for baby #2. The rest of the girls arrived Friday early afternoon and we spent the afternoon catching up and showering Em with baby boy gifts. I’m so excited for Bo to have another little friend in just 3 months!

Matt was kind enough to man the baby monitors for us to have a night out with each other, and we had an amazing dinner at Mozelle’s Bistro. I talk that place up so much and I was a little nervous that I had set the bar too high… especially since returning to Winston usually means visiting many of our college staples and this was something new. But of course, Mozelle’s did not disappoint.

 

We kicked off Saturday morning with breakfast at Camino’s… another new-to-them place I had talked up (and fortunately, met expectations as well!) It was super crowded but we managed to find a corner to spread out and let the babies climb (John) or wiggle (Bo) and continue our never-ending chit chat. (Drink and chat, drink and chat… that’s pretty much what we do.) After breakfast, we headed over to campus for the requisite visit and trip to the bookstores. (There’s nothing that makes you feel quite so old and out of touch as walking around your college campus with a baby.) Shelby and I took the boys home for naps while the other girls visited Rose’s for lunch (a must-do every time they return to W-S) and then the rest of the day unwinded at my house, with wine and snacks and dinner and more chatter. Eventually, it was time to conclude the evening as Emily headed back home to Raleigh to her little one, the other girls headed back to their downtown hotel for early morning flights and Shelby and I yawned our way to bed, knowing little babies don’t care how much wine their momma drank the night before.

(I love this picture. Messy room full of happy people. And Matt in the midst of all the winos.)

I say it every time we get together, but it was an absolutely perfect weekend.

A Morning Person

He wakes up happy every morning, a big gummy smile that greets me when I walk in his room. After a bottle (and a good burp), he lays on the floor and wiggles. And wiggles and wiggles and wiggles. It’s my very favorite time of the day.

Weekend Update

Holy cow, this was a crazy busy weekend. At least busy by new standards which is "events that require me to blow dry my hair and/or wear pants with a button." This weekend that was THREE events.

Friday, Bo and I drove down to Charlotte for my sister's birthday part. Charlotte is the perfect road trip distance for us right now - Bo's on a 3 hour feeding schedule and it takes me almost 2 hours to get to my sister's house. I try to time long distance drives with when he naps best, so that meant I got down to Katie's before she was home from school.

We made ourselves at home while we waited.

We had dinner and some playtime with Aunt Katie, and then Bo went down for bed right before the party started. (Perfect timing!) The party was fun and it was great to meet a lot of the friends I've heard Katie talk about before, although I could have done without being referred to as "older Claffey." We stayed up way too late - after the guests left and Dylan and I cleaned up the kitchen, I briefly considered just hanging out for another 30 minutes or so for Bo's middle of the night feeding. (I didn't and he gifted me by sleeping for an extra 2 hours past his usual wake up time!) I was sleepy when the Bo alarm went off for real in the morning, but it was worth the trip to celebrate my baby sister's birthday!

When I got back to Winston, Matt's sister Micah met me at home for a Bo hand off. She had mentioned she wanted to some playtime with the Bo, and somehow Matt convinced her to babysit while we tailgated and went to the Wake game. Sister in law to the rescue! I'm not sure she knew she was signing up for a full day with the Biscuit, but she was a total trooper. Hopefully he paid her in smiles and giggles, since I know there was at least one outfit change that occurred.

Our tailgate - the last one of the year! - was super fun. It was a perfect fall day - just a little crisp, but warm in the sun. Ever since we did our low country boil at the beach, we had talked about doing one for a tailgate. It worked out great - and it was lots of fun standing around the table eating together. Usually people are all over the place at our tailgates - someone is grilling, other people are playing washers or cornhole, the girls are usually sitting in chairs and chatting. We realized we rarely eat together and it was a nice change of pace.

I also brought back my new favorite fall drink that I had in Charlottesville - the snakebite! Half cider and half beer. I love cider but I get so overdone on the sugar... and I'm not a big fan of beer anymore. This is the perfect half and half.

And for once... we had a winning team! A solid win for the Deacons. About time!

We came home from the tailgate and crashed hard. I put the baby to bed while Matt made pizza and I think we both got to bed around 9:30. I'd blame parenthood for our exciting Saturday nights, but I think we've always crashed early after tailgates. Standing around in the sun eating and drinking will take it out of you!

Finally, on Sunday morning, we met up with Anne and Locke for breakfast at Mary's Gourmet Diner. That's on our Dining in the Dash list, so I'll have to save my thoughts on that for a separate post. Bo came with us for that and was in pretty good spirits, despite the long wait eating up most of his precious "alert time" and running into what needed to be the next nap time!

I wrapped up Sunday night with a great dance trance class led by Anne. It's funny how much I used to dread Sunday nights... and now, they are just like any other day. In one way, it is kind of weird how the weekends don't feel different than any other day. There's no sleeping in on Saturday mornings or staying out late on Friday. (Well apparently there is, but there is major payback to the piper when that is done.) But on the other hand, it's an amazingly great feeling not to have the Sunday night dread. I love going to bed on Sundays knowing that my little alarm clock will certainly wake me up bright and early, but the first thing on our agenda will be to do tummy time (for Bo) and coffee time (for Mom.)

It was a super fun weekend, but busy busy busy. The next few days will be much more laid back, which means getting Bo back on a good nap schedule and getting me back into yoga pants! (It's all about balance, of course.)

Organization Makes Me Happy

I finally finished labeling the bins in the closet system that Matt built me. I kept trying to come up with a fun way to make labels and I came up with the idea to use the paint samples from Home Depot in the color we painted the changing table in. I feel a tiny bit guilty about taking approximately 16 paint samples... I am not sure that is what Home Depot had in mind when they provided them for free. Oops. But, it worked out perfectly - it gives the bins a pop of color and I finally know what is in all of them. No more pulling down every single bin in the middle of the night when I need to find a new swaddle blanket.

Now anyone have any good ideas for what to do to fill that random space on the side?