Perfecting Imperfection

So ~ the concert was great…I mean look how happy I was before we even got inside!

 

I was really excited for the concert but it was also great to get a little break from being Mommy for a while and focus on being with Jerry.  Awww ~ I know some of you just had a bit of a gag reflex . . . but deal with it.  I’m now, once again, madly in love with my husband and can’t get enough of him! 

For reasons I can (and cannot) blog about here, I smiled pretty much all day yesterday.  Nothing really bothered me, even when I was bothered.  Work seemed easier and my kids seemed a little bit more well behaved (except for Danika right after her nap – does anyone know why 3 year old girls insist on crying for 20 minutes after waking up from a nap?).

Anyway ~ back to the concert…We started the evening with dinner at Longhorn Steak House.  Yummy – I got to eat a hot meal and didn’t have to pick 1 thing off the floor or try to cut something with one hand because I was holding a baby in the other! 

After dinner, we headed down to Pitt’s Campus and the Peterson Event Center for the show.  Parking (just like everyone said it would be) was horrendous!  We got there early enough that there was a garage near by that we could squeeze into – and I do mean SQUEEZE.  I can’t imagine if we would have had the van – Jerry’s little car barely made the turns!

We walked around for a little bit and watched the college kids who were enjoying the nice weather.  There was a very small grassy area next to the event center where they were throwing Frisbee and tossing footballs around.  It made me miss college a teeny tiny bit – but I LOVED school…so that’s not really a surprise.

After getting to our seats, the opening act started.  We didn’t know there was going to be an opening act – but we were pleasantly surprised.  These guys were pretty awesome.  Naturally 7 makes all their “music” with their voices.   No instruments – just them.   It’s worth checking out – we actually bought their cd (which Michael Buble sings a song on with them) and got their autographs!  Really nice guys, too!  Each one of them took the time to shake our hands and say hello.  Looked us straight in the eye, too!  I know they were probably told that it would make a difference if they did – and it does.  :)  They opened with this song.

As I expected, Michael was awesome.  He was funny ~ which I remembered well from the first time we went to see him.  He was cute ~ which I also remembered well from the first time we saw him.  He gave it his all – he even made fun of us a bit…after all he’s Canadian and they love their hockey.  He commented on how we need to shut up about the whole Gold Medal thing…after all we have been lucky enough to watch great players like Lemieux play in our city and have a little bit of Crosby and Malkin on our team now.  hehehe

The whole show was wonderful.  I was surprised when I read a review that didn’t RAVE about it…then I realized why it didn’t.  I noticed that Michael’s voice seemed a little bit off…it seemed tired.  However, he is an amazing performer and when he gets you in the moment while he’s singing you don’t hear that he doesn’t hit every note perfectly (or that he was a little pitchy, as they ALWAYS say on American Idol…I hate when they use pitchy as a critique.)  He gives you a great show and you walk away really feeling like he was singing to you…even with 9,000 other people around you.

Watch this – and you will see what I mean.  This isn’t a recording from Pittsburgh, but this is how he closed his show.  There was no screaming or anything at the end in Pittsburgh.  It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop in the bathroom on the first floor of the arena.  It was amazing.  I started tearing up.  I think Jerry may have even sniffled a little (but it could have been from the disgusting perfume the girl in front of us was wearing – yuck!)

I can’t wait until he comes back.  I will definitely be there – hopefully with closer seats but I would sit anywhere and just be happy to be in the same building as him.  (BTW – that’s extremely similar to the line I used to get my dad to take me to see Metallica when I was a Freshman in HS.  I said, “It’s okay, Dad.  At least I’ll be in the same State as them.”  We had tickets the next day!  Love ya, Dad – you buy the best concert tickets!)

 

I love Peter Krause.  I loved him when he played Nate Fisher in Six Feet Under.  I loved him in The Lost Room ~ which my dad actually had me start watching.  He was good in Dirty Sexy Money, but I wasn’t a fan of the show otherwise.  He’s the reason I started watching Parenthood – and I’m really loving his role in it and the show in general. 

I was a little worried that I wasn’t going to like the show after the pilot.  There was too much drama and not enough comedy.  I was hoping it would have a nice balance – but all the things that started going downhill at first made me nervous that this show was just going to be one more thing that reminds me that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan.  I don’t need a TV show to tell me that things go wrong, the unexpected happens and people with the best of intentions aren’t always able to hold true to their promises.  Life isn’t easy – but I didn’t want a TV show to remind me of that and shove it down my throat.  I’ve warmed up to the show, though. 

There is still more drama than comedy.  There are still a lot of reminders of how life doesn’t always turn out the way we want or the way we planned.  However, there are also more of those, “THIS is what it’s all about” moments.    Like one of the last scene’s last night – the whole family (differences aside) was together supporting Peter’s character and his family as they waited for a really important call about his son being admitted to a special school – he was recently diagnosed with Aspergers.  When the call came – they celebrated together!  It was one of those moments when everyone is happy…those are the kind of moments I want in my TV shows.

Without getting too personal – my extended family isn’t the way I imaged it was going to be when I was growing up.  My sister has been dealt a really bad deal health wise – she and her husband – and it’s made a lot of things out of the question.  For example, I can’t just meet my sister at the mall to let the kids play in the playground for a little bit.  My sister has MS and she is in a wheelchair.  She doesn’t drive.  She walks short distances with a walker.  It’s hard on everyone – especially her.  She has a beautiful 3 year old daughter who loves to play with my kids. (and fight with them…because isn’t that what cousins do?)  That’s just my sister – we won’t even get into what’s going on with other members of both mine and Jerry’s family.

It seems, as of late, that my family just doesn’t have a lot of those, “THIS is what it is about” moments. It’s almost like all of our happy moments are somehow shadowed by the stuff that didn’t work out the way it was suppose to – sorry if that doesn’t make sense, but I’m not going to elaborate because it would take too long and be too upsetting.  It makes me sad.    When that happens, I really have to “force” myself to look at what I have – because I am blessed.  My children are healthy.  My children are amazing. 

Last night I had an “Ah Ha!” moment.  I realized that it’s not about me – as much – anymore.  It’s more about them.  I seriously looked at Jerry and said, “We may not be able to have that – but THEY can!” I feel a little more hopeful.  I feel like I have a new understanding of my purpose.  I will tell you that I kind of scared about it – having any kind of expectations is dangerous business…but I’m excited now, too. 

I started thinking about 4 kids…in 4 years!  4 kids…so close together. . . then I realized maybe God does know what he’s doing.  4 kids that close together just might mean they will be best friends.  They will help each other through things.  They will lean on each other.  They will be there for each other.  They will have lives full of those, “THIS is what it is about” moments together.  They may drive me crazy now – but maybe the fact that they are so close together will really be a tremendous blessing in the future. 

Okay – I’m done rambling.  Head on over to Oh, Sweetlee Me…I actually won this contest!  It came in the mail yesterday!  :)  It’s really pretty!

Oh – and guess what…I’m spending some time with my favorite Canadian TONIGHT!!!

Sooo excited!

PS ~ here he is singing my wedding dance song!  :)

 

 

My wonderful hubby bought me this - as a last minute Christmas present this year:



I LOVE IT!  I've used it to capture precious moments like this and this.  It is small enough that I can grab it and take it just about anywhere.  It's easy to make DVDs with it and share them with my family and friends.  Nate LOVES watching the DVD we made of our trip through Hartwood Acres this past Christmas...it puts Danika to sleep, so that's a bonus.

The other thing about the Flip Video is that it is easy to use.  One button pretty much does it all.  It's so easy to use, in fact, a 4 year-old can do it.  See exhibit A:




Did you notice that it is durable, too?  After all it was chucked onto my dining room table and then picked back up without missing a beat!  Sound quality isn't too bad either.  Did you hear the sizzle of me cooking chicken in the background?  For the price - it's perfect for us right now and one of the best Christmas presents ever - next to this, of course...Less than 1 month to go!!!  :)