Things that make me feel old...

So I am turning 29 next month. I know that is not old, but am having small panic attacks about how quickly the days, months and years go.

But here are the most recent things that make me feel old:

• Over the weekend, when showing my ID to purchase a bottle of wine, the young(er) lady looked at me and said, "You look good for THAT age." Uh, backhanded compliment.
• Corbin and I were talking about JFK yesterday (he read a book about him at school and has a facination with him). He was asking how long ago he was assassinated, and I proudly remembered 1963. He asked how old I was when it happened and I said that I hadn't been born yet. Then he wanted to know when I was born, and when I responded 1979, he got a big grin and said, "Whooaaa...that's a long time ago." Now I know it sounds like that since everyone he knows was born after 2000, but still...
• A few months ago I referenced the movie Footloose at work, and the two younger girls in the department (about 23 yrs old) were all, "Oh, I haven't seen that one." Come on, TBS. You're letting me down. Then I said that Kevin Bacon starred in it, and heard, "Which one is he again?" Then I fainted.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Alligators and tarantulas and anacondas...oh my!

Ok, I know that title was kind of lame, but whatevs.

Corbin had is big birthday party on Saturday. We had 15 kids and a whole bunch of chaos...and fun too! We had Serengeti Steve from The Reptile Experience do a presentation during the party. Despite my issues with snakes and spiders, it was AWESOME! The kids got to pet and hold everything from an alligator (my fave) to a hissing cockroach to a lizard and little snake to an anaconda. The anaconda was super cool because there are only, like, 15 docile anacondas in the world. (You will have to excuse my lack of appropriate names for the animals, as I was basically the paparazzi of the party, trying to get pictures of all of the kids.)

Corbin had a really good time with his friends. He goes to school with some really nice kids. I really like the community.

Here are a couple of highlights:

Also, I have to give props to my fellow St. Louisans for turning out in droves to rally around our (hopefully) next president. Two more weeks! I don't know what I will do with all of my time once I am not obsessing over the election.

Anyhoo, hope everyone has a great week!

Reconciled

Last night, Corbin made his First Reconciliation. During the service, he played Jesus in a story about forgiveness. He seemed kind of nervous before going into the confessional, but really enjoyed the entire process. He told me afterward that he thought it was going to be boring, but it wasn't. On Thanksgiving, he will make his First Communion. (I don't know why they do it on Thanksgiving, but it is a tradition at his school).

There's a man with a clear conscience. :)

For reconciliation, each child makes a banner. Corbin is proud of his.

Tomorrow is Corbin's birthday party, so tonight I will be working on last minute details for that. Sounds like we will have a good turnout, with lots of kids from his school, family and friends. He is very excited.

When life closes a door, it *shatters* a window

Ok, not feeling so creative with post titles today. But I had to share the story of one of the weirdest things that has happened to me. Last Monday, I left work, picked Corbin up for school and started on the commute home. All was fine and normal. As we were getting onto highway 44 from Jameson, I heard this "pop" and looked into my rearview mirror, and this was what I saw:

Yep, my entire back window was shattered. Thankfully, very little glass actually fell out, so Corbin was fine. I looked behind me and all around trying to figure out if I got hit or if someone threw something, and there was nothing or no one I could see. I was halfway down the entry ramp, so I continued on the highway, had Corbin climb in front and get buckled and drove to the next exit. By the time we got our car to the shop to get fixed, this is what my window looked like:

So weird, and definitely what I wanted to spend $230 fixing.

In other news, it is officially my favorite part of the year. We hit went to Rombach's in Chesterfield to get ready for Halloween. Rombach's is seriously one of my favorite places in St. Louis. I guess I remember going there when I was little, and I've taken Corbin each year since he was born (ok, well not the first year, he was 11 days old). But as we were walking around, I was thinking of all of the cute pictures that I have of him as a toddler climbing on the huge pumpkins. With those images swimming through my head, I decided we should stop to get a picture, and I didn't recognize the kid in the view finder...

I swear, I am not always this sappy, but I just feel like all of a sudden, Corbin is so big! And I am freaking out about how fast time is passing. Anyway, we had a terrific day and really just spent time enjoying each other's company. I will leave you with a few more shots.

Confession

I read all four Twilight books in a week and a half, and am still obsessed. I may even reread the series. For now, I must confess that I have watched the trailer for the movie everyday this week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDXPik58G88

(For some reason the embedding code from YouTube isn't working - any ideas?)

I will definitely have to see the movie. In the meantime, I just need to figure out how to go about finding my Edward Cullen. :)

These are the days...

This weekend, my baby turns 8. Yes, this baby:

I look back at those chubby legs, the stubby fingers, and the gentle amusement from simple things like swinging, and wish I could have captured it with more than just a picture; with something lifelike that I could revisit over and over.

Don't get me wrong. I love each new stage that I've seen as a parent. Okay, the eye rolling and back talk are not so fun, but nothing compares to witnessing your child learn to talk, listening to them read their first book to you and watching them make new friends. Each new year is exciting...but bittersweet. With each passing year, there is more independence...more necessary freedom...they begin to build their own lives slowly. I know, he's hate, not 18 - don't be overdramatic. But it truly seems like each year goes by more quickly than the last, and it can be scary. In just a few short years, my child has grown so quickly.

Now...




I just love this guy.

Death to purse snatchers

So over the weekend, I went to my friend Karyn's bachelorette party. We had a good time. We started out at Jive and Wail, then went to McGurk's, MP O'Reillys (SO GHETTO) and then ended up on the landing. We were staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown St. Louis. Me and two other ladies were dropped off about 20 feet from our hotel at the end of the night (about 3 a.m. - too late for mama to be out). As we were walking in, a guy came up behind me and knocked my purse out of my hand. I put my left arm out to block him from picking it up, and as he bent over in front of me, I grabbed onto his shoulders and back to yank him away from my purse. After a little struggle, he threatened to shoot me if I didn't stop fighting, so he got away with my purse. But for the record, I don't think he had a gun, I just think he knew that this white chick was about to pummel his strung out ass. So he got my purse, along with my digital camera, ID, debit card and lip gloss (the nerve, the NERVE). The St. Louis City police officers were wonderful in responding quickly and being patient with a girl who was freaked out, severely pissed off and had had a few cocktails (although not enough to not be sobered up by the whole experience). So needless to say, I'm a little freaked out, a LOT pissed off, but grateful that nothing more serious happened. I can replace anything he took, but can't replace me being there for my boy. I am glad that I got an amateur thief. But I hope he rots in hell.



On a lighter note, I think that I am finally breaking down and getting Corbin (and me) a dog. We are researching breeds that are good condo dwellers, not known for yapping and won't piss all over the place. Some options we've come up with:

Pugs

Puggles (Pug/Beagle Mix)

Maltipoos

King Charles Spaniels

Any suggestions?