Talking to L the other day about random things, life, the future etc., so I asked what he thinks he'll be when he gets older (I should have known better).L is a very quirky, laid back, free spirited kid, but you know the saying "everyone marches to the beat of their own drum?", well he doesn't have a drum, he's got a whole marching band!! so he says" I'm going to be a prof. BMX rider, but if that doesn't work out, I'll be an underwear model" HUH?? Hello, what just happened? I'm trying to come up with a response but I got nothing!I don't want to say anything negative to discourage my children, no matter what their odd little dreams are, but an underwear model? maybe he's thinking he'll be able to hang out with the Victoria's Secret models, who knows where that thought process went.....

It takes a real man to wear spandex.....

Last night we were watching L at the BMX track, and hubby decided to ride the 13 miles to the track to start training for the Leadville 100 mile mountain bike race ( not sure where he gets the energy). We are sitting around chilling out, watching kids fall , L was one of them, when Hubby turns and asks me " do I look really silly like this?" I laughed because he might as well have asked me "Does this make me look fat?" . He's got all the riding gear on (Except the helmet because then he'd not only look silly, but he might also look "special", as he's not on a bike but sitting on the bleachers with me) My response: "No sweetie, you look fine. As a matter of fact, I admire you. It takes a real man to put himself and all his glory into very tight, shiny little shorts, for all the world to see, making you so vulnerable to other's judgements/inspections. Be proud, I am."(and NO, Speedos do not fall into the same category, so do not pat yourself on the back if you wear them! They are scary!)
So, to all the spandex wearing cyclists in my life (M, JK, S) I salute you. Not only for your choice of sport (choosing it knowing what you'd be required to wear), but for kicking ass and loving life enough to look silly doing it!! High-five!!!!!

Well, I finally had an entire day to myself yesterday and it was great (no offense to the kids) I spent half the day at the Biltmore Spa (thank you Sergio!!) which was interesting as I've never been rubbed all over by another woman with lavender oil....seriously, I asked her if she was married..no really, it was a VERY relaxing massage and I was feeling all Zen until she started massaging my scalp with those oily hands, and no matter how much I shampooed my hair in the locker room, it still looked greasy, but at least I smelled good! That was followed by a facial, then a mango manicure and pedicure and it was well worth the money my poor baby had to dish out for me. See, I make him jump out of planes, and he has me rubbed down, it all evens out in it's odd little way....So now the big debate is back: do we stay in Miami (no show of hands) or do we go back to NC or MN????? I don't know if I can do the frigid cold again of Minneapolis, even though I'd go because it's a great oppt. for hubby, or do we go back to NC were the accent is a soft drawl that wraps around you like an old comfy blanket (wether you want it to or not) and where my real estate agent used to walk around town with his mint julep (so southern) to the neighborhood gatherings and his open houses? if anyone can give me a damn good reason to say in Miami, where it's every man for himself and thank you is a word missing from most people's language ( and no, the family & friends being here argument does not work ) someone please enlighten me......I'd appreciate it!! sometimes we need to see things from a different point of view and right now, my vision is still a little cross-eyed from all that pampering......

It's all fun & games until your chute doesn't open!

I learned 2 very important lessons yesterday, Sunday, January 6. It was my husbands b-day and I wanted to really WOW him, not with gifts,since we have so much already, but something more meaningful so I had the brilliant idea to take him skydiving. Yes, I actually wanted him to jump out of an airplane, not because I don't love him, but because I knew this was going to be something he'd REALLLY love.....(maybe I should of given him a head's up so he could of at least mentally prepared himself) So we get to this place, he is excited & anxious at the same time, but all of the people getting ready to jump and those who work there are all smiling so I'm thinking it can't be that bad. Anyway, they gear him up, talk him through the important steps, load him up onto the plane and away he goes. Ximena & Matt (my awesome sister in law & her husband) are there so we jump into their car & follow the van to the landing site, except in the process, she notices that one of the parachutes look strange coming down & we pull over. Sure enough, one chute has not fully opened and at this point my whole world comes to a halt...I can't hear anything, I can't feel anything except my stomach in my throat and me trying to not throw up as I watch this chute coming down and Im saying to myself" my husband is going to die" and trying not to freak out. All I could see are the colors , yellow & blue, of the chute which are for first time jumpers(tandem) and in my little world, since everything revolves around my husband, it was him., even though Ximena keeps trying to reassure me that it can be someone else (there were 2 more tandem jumps on that flight) & even then , it's still a fucked up situation. At this point Ximena is running towards the field where this half-ass chute has landing, along with my 16 yr. old and I'm screaming for them to get back in the car as I do not want them to see the mess I can only assume is there of mangled bodies. At that moment a second van stops and the guy tells her it is an empty chute (Whew, wiping my brow, my eyes because I'm about to start crying) and then she points and its Sergio coming down to land, his feet touch the ground and I've never in my life been so happy to see him, not ever, not even when he wasn't able to get off the C.G. cutter & missed Lucas' birth and showed up the next day in the hospital. He gets into the van & we drive back to the skydiving office as he is walking by Ximena he says something to her which I can't hear because my little one is lagging behind and is crabby and doesn't feel like walking( as usual), and she turns to me and says" oh, it was his chute..." and before I can talk to him he is inside changing and all I want to do is wrap myself around him and never let go and finally he steps out and just gives met this look and I start crying from relief and from being so overwhelmed and we just hug for a few minutes and its the best hug I've had in a long time.......Here's what happened: the chute didn't fully open so Glen, the most awesome skydiving instructor ever, cut it loose, they had another couple seconds of free falling, and opened the backup chute, thank god for those small wonders huh?
I am feeling better about it today, I can actually think about it and not feel like crying, but can you only imagine what Sergio felt like when he looked up and realized the parachute didn't open properly? After all he is the one coming down at 120 mph....in the end, he had a little scare, but he is totally amazed and overwhelmed by the whole experience, is already thinking about jumping again (seems like I created a monster) and, is going to start training for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race , it seems that little experience has only boosted his energy and enthusiasm for living, and knowing Serg, I wasn't expecting anything less. So people, here's what I learned yesterday:
1- that I absolutely, deeply, madly and truly, love and adore my husband , and
2- if you don't have wings, stay on the ground, no seriously, have fun & enjoy every single moment with your loved ones, even when you don't like them..........

Let's see if I can finally get this going...Now I can escape here instead of locking myself in the bedroom to hide from the children!!
First of all I want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year, and with that said, screw resolutions... We only do it to make ourselves feel better and it all turns out the same, maybe just with different words, such as:
"I'm fat , so this year I will lose weight and eat healthier" 2 months later, you've gained a few pounds and you say"humph, Im looking a little too sexy (curvy)" same crap, you're just phrasing it differently! Let's just have fun and try to be good, life is too short and before you know it, your oldest son will tower above you (my soon to be 17 yr. old) and he'll be speaking in riddles about not going to college, taking time off, Im going into the military (NOT), I'm going to be a blah, blah,blah, (please take the marbles out of your mouth).....
Love deeply, laugh loudly, and if all else fails, smack them in the back of the head!!!