Cupid Shot Me: Romantic Notions

Today I am participating in Diane Estrella's "Cupid Shot Me" stories.  Hop on over to Diane's blog to view the stories of many other bloggers.  Previously posted on July 20, 2009, this is my "Cupid Shot Me" story.  If you know the story, I hope you enjoy reflecting on it again again with me.  If you don't know the story already, enjoy reading it for the first time.

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Meet Me On Monday

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me. All Meet Me on Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning:

Overactive reader and writer with romantic notions...

proceed with caution at your own risk!

I sit here ready to take on a topic that almost everyone can identify with in some form or another. Love! We all love, okay so there may be a few exceptions to the rule but love is a part of life. In most cases, we are loved from the very moment we are born. Some, including myself, fall in love with their children before they are even born. Children themselves, love unconditionally. We love pets, nature, cars, careers, books (yes of course books!), & hobbies. As a Christian, I personally believe in a loving God! Love is all around us in many different forms.

I find that one of the biggest, scariest, and most important kinds of love is one that we all strive to find in our lives! Sometimes we look in the worst places, like reality tv because really how often do those things pan out? Sometimes we look in the best places, which is different for everyone because no two people are alike. Often times, we take a chance on love and walk away with a heartbreak the size of Texas and enough teardrops to fill Lake Michigan. Then there are the moments when the Heavens open up just to pour a radiant beam of sunlight down upon you and the true love of your dreams as birds sing a beautiful melodic love song. My mistake, you were the one who had fireworks shooting off in every direction as fireflies danced nearby you and your sweet beloved. Oh, well, it doesn't happen that way for everyone I guess. In my case, I heard the now ancient sounds of dial up Internet (okay so some people still use it) before logging in to a now extinct chat room through the blessed chat website, wbs.net. It was love at first click click click type type type. Yes, I met my one and only prince charming on the Internet, before it was normal, accepted, or cool!

Our love story involves an abundance of Internet chats, many many miles & states of distance, expensive phone cards that were used far too quickly, letters sent via snail mail, and a first meeting (in person) that can rarely be topped. Our first date was 5 months after we met online, in Walt Disney World, Florida. Don't worry, I'll skip right to the good part. Once inside the park, I paced at the entry to Main Street USA while waiting for my TransAmGuy, his Internet chat room name, to arrive and sweep me off of my feet. He approached his SingingSensation (yes my chat handle), with obvious butterflies, before catching my attention with the words, "nice shirt." Yes, we had planned to wear a certain shirt so there would be no mistaken identities. I turned around and stepped off the curb to hug him, which he always insists was me jumping on him. Really, I'm just incredibly short and I had to put some spring in my step to get my arms around his neck. The rest of our 4 days of Disney were spent getting to know each other better and spending half of our time with his parents (he also met my grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle). We discovered a lot of firsts in our relationship on Disney property. Beyond the first look into each other's eyes as we met face to face for the first time, we also held hands for the first time, shared our first kiss, said our first real goodbyes, and after we were married, we even came back to spend our honeymoon in Disney World (as there was no better place to be). We even have our own brick on the ticket and transportation center walkway. Yeah, I prefer to think of myself as a Disney princess or maybe a pixie.

Since the day I met my husband online, I somehow knew he was the one for me. I can't explain it, but it's true. This isn't how it happens for everyone, but it is how it happened for me. I had already fallen before our meeting in Disney world. The face to face in front of Cinderella's castle, well that was just the moment my fairytale dreams became reality. That's not to say that our relationship didn't have it's challenges, and it still does of course, but we love each other enough to work through life's speed bumps. Being married to my one and only true love and prince charming is worth it!

Met... March 23, 1997
Married... March 23, 1999
10 years... March 23, 2009

I love you C.

My soundtrack for today's blog:

Michael Buble, because to me romance & Buble go hand in hand

Halloween: The Past 3 Years

The past 3 Halloweens have proven to me that my boys are growing up.  My homemade costumes and upgrades have taken a backseat to the store bought kind, because this Mom can't create a detailed Transformer from scratch.  We've had a repeat of a couple of costumes and created a few new ones. Regardless, we have still become the characters that we most love.

Yeee Haaa!  Can't you just hear Jessie the Yodelin' Cowgirl now?  Toy Story is a much loved movie in our home.  It inspired our costumes and brought the return of Buzz Lightyear in 2006.  I created M's costume, as well as my own, with the exception of the Woody hat & holster.  My husband, C, wore a light blue shirt with the name ANDY (just as you see it on Woody's boot) written in fabric paint across the front.  Being a part of the Toy Story gang for Halloween was a lot more fun than being at Sid's house!  Of course the dynamic duo fit our boys to a T.  Buzz & Woody, best buddies!

In 2007 M's love of cars was evident.  To be specific, he finds a white VW bug with red & blue stripes and a giant black number 53 surrounded by a big circle to be his favorite car.  That's what brought me to create a "race suit" and Herbie the Love Bug costume for my youngest son.  His brother only wanted to be a Transformer.  Actually, he preferred Bumblebee, but the only robot in disguise available was Optimus Prime.  Without a theme to tie these 2 characters together, I decided to split our family down the middle.  C became Sam Witwicky from Transformers when he wore the infamous "The Strokes" t-shirt from the movie.  My Herbie never had a more loving mechanic when I took on the role of M's pit crew with a race team style shirt, pants, & Herbie hoodie.

Last year, we carved a pumpkin for the first time and discovered Transformers Animated.  O was so excited to find that a very smart someone had created a costume of the fantastic Bumblebee.  You couldn't talk him out of becoming his favorite Transformer if you tried.  M however, decided it was his turn to take on the roll of Anakin.  Of course, we prefer the heroic version of Anakin Skywalker, when he had not yet gone to the dark side.  My husband officially hung up his lightsaber this year, but I jumped at the chance to become Padme again.  Changes had to be made to my previous costume, as I had been not quite 5 months post-baby belly when I last wore it.  I  even upgraded the arm bands and purchased a new pair of boots for the occasion.

This year, my boys have decided to recycle an old costume and purchase a new store bought one.  Can you guess what those 2 might be?  Well, they fit into the same theme and sport logos that basically say "I'm with the good guys."  Did you guess Transformers?  If so, you would be correct.  Someone in the world of Autobots & Decepticons finally got wise and created that strongly desired movie Bumblebee costume.  O will finally be able to transform into that spunky yellow Camaro that he loves so much.  M decided that it would be nice to be the big boss this year and is taking on the Optimus Prime costume that his brother wore 2 years ago.  One thing is for sure, my 2 boys are more than meets the eye.

With my boys becoming Transformers, I decided that I didn't want to join in on their theme.  Who really wants to be Sam's crazy mom, become the bad girl Decepticon, or see a short girl try to dress as Mikaela?  Not me, that's for sure.  Instead, I debated on what character I would like to become in 2009.  After discussing it with my boys, I determined it was time to embrace a huge part of who I am.  With help from my fabulously magical Mom, not too mention a whole lot of pixie dust, I am able to become....

That's right, I embraced my inner pixie and became Tinkerbell!  Whether I'm dressed in her new "Lost Treasure" fashions or wearing the typical Tink green "leaf" dress, I'm happy to report that I feel completely Tinkified!  I'll see you in Pixie Hollow!

Have a safe, healthy, & fun Halloween!

Meet Me On Monday: Romantic Notions

Meet Me On Monday

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me. All Meet Me on Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning:

Overactive reader and writer with romantic notions...

proceed with caution at your own risk!

I sit here ready to take on a topic that almost everyone can identify with in some form or another. Love! We all love, okay so there may be a few exceptions to the rule but love is a part of life. In most cases, we are loved from the very moment we are born. Some, including myself, fall in love with their children before they are even born. Children themselves, love unconditionally. We love pets, nature, cars, careers, books (yes of course books!), & hobbies. As a Christian, I personally believe in a loving God! Love is all around us in many different forms.

I find that one of the biggest, scariest, and most important kinds of love is one that we all strive to find in our lives! Sometimes we look in the worst places, like reality tv because really how often do those things pan out? Sometimes we look in the best places, which is different for everyone because no two people are alike. Often times, we take a chance on love and walk away with a heartbreak the size of Texas and enough teardrops to fill Lake Michigan. Then there are the moments when the Heavens open up just to pour a radiant beam of sunlight down upon you and the true love of your dreams as birds sing a beautiful melodic love song. My mistake, you were the one who had fireworks shooting off in every direction as fireflies danced nearby you and your sweet beloved. Oh, well, it doesn't happen that way for everyone I guess. In my case, I heard the now ancient sounds of dial up Internet (okay so some people still use it) before logging in to a now extinct chat room through the blessed chat website, wbs.net. It was love at first click click click type type type. Yes, I met my one and only prince charming on the Internet, before it was normal, accepted, or cool!

Our love story involves an abundance of Internet chats, many many miles & states of distance, expensive phone cards that were used far too quickly, letters sent via snail mail, and a first meeting (in person) that can rarely be topped. Our first date was 5 months after we met online, in Walt Disney World, Florida. Don't worry, I'll skip right to the good part. Once inside the park, I paced at the entry to Main Street USA while waiting for my TransAmGuy, his Internet chat room name, to arrive and sweep me off of my feet. He approached his SingingSensation (yes my chat handle), with obvious butterflies, before catching my attention with the words, "nice shirt." Yes, we had planned to wear a certain shirt so there would be no mistaken identities. I turned around and stepped off the curb to hug him, which he always insists was me jumping on him. Really, I'm just incredibly short and I had to put some spring in my step to get my arms around his neck. The rest of our 4 days of Disney were spent getting to know each other better and spending half of our time with his parents (he also met my grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle). We discovered a lot of firsts in our relationship on Disney property. Beyond the first look into each other's eyes as we met face to face for the first time, we also held hands for the first time, shared our first kiss, said our first real goodbyes, and after we were married, we even came back to spend our honeymoon in Disney World (as there was no better place to be). We even have our own brick on the ticket and transportation center walkway. Yeah, I prefer to think of myself as a Disney princess or maybe a pixie.


Since the day I met my husband online, I somehow knew he was the one for me. I can't explain it, but it's true. This isn't how it happens for everyone, but it is how it happened for me. I had already fallen before our meeting in Disney world. The face to face in front of Cinderella's castle, well that was just the moment my fairytale dreams became reality. That's not to say that our relationship didn't have it's challenges, and it still does of course, but we love each other enough to work through life's speed bumps. Being married to my one and only true love and prince charming is worth it!

Met... March 23, 1997
Married... March 23, 1999
10 years... March 23, 2009

I love you C.

My soundtrack for today's blog:

Michael Buble, because to me romance & Buble go hand in hand