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Pep band; matchmaker
Nov 15th
It’s no secret that Ryan & I were in pepband together. We met in band, and were friends throughout our college carriers. What is funny to me (and is a running joke with our friends) is how many other people who met in band have paired up. Out of the people that were in band while Ryan & I were, there are 8 couples (that I can think of) that are either married or in serious relationships now. That’s out of a group of about 45. There are at least 3 or 4 other couples who are married who met in a hand of some sorts (just not our pepband). That’s 35% of the group. It’s a little ridiculous, hence the running joke. “The band that sleeps together stays together!” (It’s a joke, Mom!)
When I tell people about this, I usually explain that it’s because we spent so much time together. My freshman year in college we played 70 games between the beginning of football season & the end of hockey. That’s only 7 months, and we didn’t really play over the semester break, and only 1 or 2 games during the week, which meant that almost every weekend we had at least one game; sometimes 3. We also spent a lot of our free time together; lunch at the Kirby cafe 3 days a week (after concert band), weekend parties, meeting randomly between classes. It’s a lot of time with the same people, is what i’m saying. You’d think we’d get sick of each other, but we are still friends with a majority of the people we knew then, and we’ve been out of college for 6/7 years. I love our group of friends. I feel lucky that we share so much group history. Of course, it also makes me feel badly for the non-band spouses (there are a few). Good thing they are pretty cool, so we’ve taken them in as our own. ;)
Do you have any groups that have spawned more relationships than seems normal? Were they musical in nature (the groups, not the relationships)? ;)
Posted from my Droid.<\I>
TGIF
Nov 12th
I’m really busy at work today, so don’t have time to even think of what to say, much less write it down. We were up until 11:30 packing last night, but I think almost everything is ready to go. Thankfully!
I was really realizing this morning how much I’m going to miss James. He’s just so precious and adorable. And I know I’m not the only mom who thinks that about their baby, but it doesn’t make it not true. I was getting dress this morning, and he was still in bed with daddy (I had to go to work early), and he started crawling over to the edge of the bed to get to me. I got to him before he crawled right off (& Ryan knew to keep a close eye on him after that), but it was just so cute. I picked him up and he was all smiles for me. I love that kid.
Posts this week might be a bit light…I’ve got a couple set up to be posted while I’m gone, but I figure I’ve done a few days of multiple posts, so I’ll still make at least 30 posts in November, even if I miss a couple days this week.
Have a good week, and catch you later!
Lunch at home: not overrated
Nov 10th
I had to run back to our apartment on my lunch break today, because I forgot bottles to pump milk at work, and all day with no pumping = not a happy Becky. Also, we can’t use up the freezer stash because we need it all for next week because in case you missed it the first 325 times I told you WE ARE GOING ON A CRUISE! Ahem. Anyway, I drove home, stopping for gas because there are only so many times you can drive back and forth from our apartment to downtown with the gas light blinking before the car revolts and just dies on the side of the road. And I would like to think the days of having a car dead on the side of the road are behind me (at least the days where it is my own fault). So I put gas in (ON) the car. Remind me to tell you about that “on the car” thing later.
Anyway, I got home, and still had time to grab lunch (including a tall glass of delicious milk from a fancy glass bottle) and watch most of an episode of Gossip Girl (It’s my guilty pleasure, ok?). That lunch break was possibly the most relaxed I’ve felt all week (aside from the feeling somewhat cow-like with the milk pumping, but whatever. It definitely beats paying for formula!). I got back to work with time to spare in my hour lunch, and I’m feeling rejuvenated for this afternoon. Which is good because I have a $#*! ton of work to do.
Happy Wednesday, folks!
Happy Birthday
Nov 9th
Happy birthday, hon, from both of us. Your son thinks you are the greatest thing since computer cords (and he thinks those are pretty FREAKING AWESOME). I love you, and I can’t wait to spend a week with you basking in the Caribbean sun (4 days till we fly out!).
Love,
Becky
If you didn’t figure it out, it’s Ryan’s birthday. I won’t have time to write later (and I DEFINITELY don’t have time to write now), so this is a bit short. Sorry!
Movember
Nov 7th
EDITED: I totally forgot to change the “working” title on this before posting it. Whoops!
I have about 3 hours before my time is up to post today. Considering I’m attempting to go to bed at 10 that really means only about 1 hour, so I better get on it!
I asked for ideas for posts for while I’m on vacation next week, but I’m stealing one of them for today. Movember. Have you ever heard of this? My friend mentioned it on Facebook, and I had to Google it to find out what she was talking about. Apparently it’s like NaBloPoMo, but instead of posting to a blog every day, men grow out their mustaches for the month of November. So pretty much it’s not the same thing at all, other than the whole occuring during the month of November.
Ryan is not doing Movember. In fact, I don’t know of anyone that is doing it, personally. It has made me think about the men I know; only about 1/2 of them have facial hair regularly. James loves to stare at men, and I think that’s why. I’m kind of neutral on the whole facial hair thing. As long as it’s kept groomed I don’t think it looks too bad, and my dad has always had at least a mustache. I can’t imagine him without one.
So, are you doing Movember (do any men even read this?)? Do you know someone who is?
———
Jess asked a couple questions on my last entry about our cruise, so I thought I would answer them here.
James is not coming with us; he’s staying with Ryan’s parents and sister, and she is taking the week off work to stay with him during the day.
Ryan has to attend about 16 hours of “classes” during the week. There are also group dinners and a reception each evening (with an open bar!), and the snorkeling that we’ll be doing is as part of the conference group. He has his meetings in the mornings, mostly, and then the afternoons are free time. I’m looking forward to reading a lot in the AM out in the sun (I’ll be bringing my Nook).
Also, a specific cruise question: are we in big trouble if we haven’t been tanning yet? I meant to make us appointments so that we could build up a base, but Ryan and I aren’t normally the tanning type, and I just didn’t get to it. And now we have less than a week to go. Whoops!
NaBloPoMo
Nov 1st
Kind of an aside, but I am officially signed up to do NaBloPoMo this year!
That’s National Blog Posting Month, for you non-bloggers. Posting every day for the month of November. And my meme is about to run out! Hopefully I can keep it up!
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Nov 1st
I saw the challenge on a friend’s blog, and I’ve been looking for inspiration to write more often anyway. I thought this would be a good start. It’s been fun to go back and find pictures from years past, and to think about how lucky I am (regarding my family and friends). I would write more, but it goes more into one of the next days’ questions, so you’ll have to wait.
In the meantime, a picture of Ryan and I in our costumes:
Frodo the Hobbit & Mary Poppins - Halloween 2010
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Oct 31st
My friends are pretty much awesome. But don’t most people feel that way? And if not, why are you friends with them?
Our friends are great because they are thoughtful; kind; willing to let me vent to them about stupid stuff; willing to vent back to me about their stupid stuff, therefore making me feel less lame for needing to vent; like having appetizers for dinner occasionally (who doesn’t!?); ok with just hanging around the house all weekend when they come to visit; ok with going out and doing touristy stuff when they come to visit; ok with the fact that our house is a disaster area 95% of the time (other than right when the show up, usually); awesome about understanding that I’m not a phone person, and so I don’t keep in touch like I should; willing to encourage our (bad) habit of go out to eat too often; and genuinely good people. How’s that for a long, confusing sentence?
Ryan and I are pretty lucky. We have a lot of great friends, and they are almost all both of our friends, even if they started off as one of ours. I like having friends that feel like they are my friends too (if they started as his) or his friends too (if they started as mine). It makes it much easier to hang out with them. No one feels left out, and everyone has more friends.
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Oct 27th
I don’t know. I think that, as Temerity Jane says, “I realized my own absolute, complete and total averageness. I’m not boring and I’m not plain, but I’m not unique or special to anyone except my parents, as it should be.” Sure, we have little variances in our personality or whatever, but generally speaking I believe we are all a lot alike. So picking out something that I think makes me unique is a little difficult.
One thing I notice about myself that I think is a little unique is that I have an excess of empathy for other people. At least I think that’s how you would describe it. Most people feel empathy toward people they know, in sad situations. I feel empathy toward everyone, all the time. It’s pretty inconvenient a lot of the time. It means I cry even during sitcoms on tv, when people are laughing at some one’s expense. And I’m no good at funerals. There are just too many sad people everywhere, and I hurt for them. I don’t know if empathy can be felt in a positive way as well, but one benefit to all of this is that if the people I’m around are in a good mood, I tend to be in a good mood.
I don’t know if I’m explaining this very well. Basically, I reflect the emotions of the people around me. If they are happy, I’m happy. If they are sad, I’m sad. It’s something that I’ve learned to deal with. I try to distract myself at places where it might be inappropriate to reflect too much emotion (having a baby is great for that).
And if all of that isn’t different enough…I don’t know what to tell you.
Aging Gracefully
May 14th
I know I’m not old. I don’t even feel old most of the time (when people I’m hanging out with were born in the 90s it changes a bit). But this summer is my 10-year high school class reunion, and it has me thinking about aging, and how quickly time has gone by since I was in high school.
It’s interesting, because the older I get the more I realize that the hangups and self-consciousness I felt in high school haven’t changed much. Especially when I’m hanging out with people from high school. I still worry that people won’t like me, or that I’m not cool enough. It causes me to say really dumb stuff. Case in point: a guy I knew and was friends with in high school asked me how I had changed since then (this was last summer). What did I say? “I drink now.” Way to go, alcoholic Becky. Great impression. With people I meet in Duluth, I am outgoing and fun (at least I think so). But with people from high school I am still shy at some points and loud at others (usually the wrong ones).
I don’t know why this is, and I’m hoping to get over it at the reunion this summer. I want to go and have fun, and hang out with people I haven’t seen in ages. And I think that I will. I hope I will. And if not, I’ll just drink more beer. ;-)
