Politics, Pop Culture, and Printed Pants

Politics: Go Republicans, go.... so far the national convention's been interesting enough that I haven't turned the channel during any of the big speeches.  I wish I could be on the panel of commentators after the speeches are over.  I'd say, "Yes, Britt, I agree, and I found Paul Ryan's boyish good looks added a certain likeability to him.  Not that his looks are going to determine my vote... but a nice face doesn't hurt the cause does it?"

Pop Culture: This summer's television highlight for me has been Amy Sherman Palladino's new show, Bunheads on the family channel.  She was the writer for Gilmore Girls, and her same hilarious wit and eccentric characters create fun escapism into the idyllic coastal town of Paradise.  The term bunheads refers to a group of ballerinas and their instructors.  The protagonist's quest for coffee in one of the episodes made me ridiculously happy, as did the campy cameos made by her former GG cast members - example: Zack the rocker, was now the one-eyed plumber. 

Printed Pants: And then there's the printed pants.  It seems every magazine I see insists that printed pants are the must have fashion item of the season.  Here's the thing, when I was in 6th grade, I got a really rockin' pair of floral guess jeans from a bag of hand me downs from my much taller friend.  I loved those jeans, when I wore them, I felt like I looked 13, not 11.  But now 20 some years later, I'm feeling a little reluctant to embrace this youthful trend.  I'm thinking the only floral jeans I'll be buying will be for my daughters.  You know what I mean?

PS
I love alliteration.... school must be starting soon!

50 YEARS!

                                       All of us - Above!  Grandma & Grandpa 50years together below!

                                           The grandkids, in order of course.

                                       Half of the group exploring the Lava tube caves, while
                                  us moms went shopping in Bend, Oregon.

                                    Below are my true peeps - the 6 of us that married in to the
                                  Leaman clan! 

So I've been gone for over a week in Sunriver, Oregon, celebrating Dan's parent's 50 year wedding anniversary.  This was no ordinary family gathering, because in Dan's family, there were 6 kids, and now those 6 kids have 6 spouses, and between all us we've had 26 kids, and now even 2 great grandkids!  So you can imagine the magnitude of this event.  Spending this much time with the in laws made me realize how incredible they are as a group, where I fit in I'll never know.  They are actually superior to me in most ways.  Here are a few examples:

                          Leamans: They are all incredibly athletic, they spent the week volleying volleyballs,
                    riding bikes, & rafting down rivers. 
                          Me: The closest I got to participating in an athletic event was when I sat and watched
                     the Olympics in the evenings.  I almost broke a sweat worrying about China having
                     more medals than us.

                         Leamans: They have an uncanny ability to stay up till all hours of the night, partying.
                   They go to bed at 1 am, and then are ready to attack the day at 7 the next morning.  
                          Me: I was having anxiety attacks because I was not getting my 8 hours, and at
                      one point, I thought I'd have to be hospitalized for exhaustion, like Lindsay Lohan.

                        Leamans: They love and embrace small children, loud noise, and hard work.  I am
                   not kidding, they run around scooping up grandchildren, throwing them in the air, while
                  simultaneously cleaning the kitchen. 
                          Me:  I sit on a couch, feeling all worn out from sitting by the pool, and praying that
                   no children talk to me, including my own.

                        Leamans: They are happy, carefree, and fun people.  They laugh on the river rafts,
                   they play games until the wee hours of the night, and they go hot tubbing at midnight.
                         Me: The entire time I was on the river, I was convinced someone would drown, and
                   throughout the week I started having my annual back to school nightmares that it's the
                   day of the semester final, and I forgot to go to class all year.  I have a huge fear of being
                   unprepared, so I literally have these dreams every August. 

In all, I would just like to say this, opposites do indeed attract.  And 15 years of being around Dan's family, I am still in awe of their cheerful demeanors, their ability to be content wherever they are, and their hard-working heartiness.  I am so grateful that their genetics mixed with my frail, worry-ridden, nutty ones to produce hopefully balanced children.  And above all that I was grateful that we really do have one thing constantly in common - a love & a committment to Christ.  Listening to the history of their testimonies and the testimonies of the grandparents before them was absolutely an awesome reminder of God's goodness and His grace.  What a legacy of generations of godliness.  And for that I am truly thankful.....
       But now, now that I'm home, I'm going to get some sleep!

Thrill Rides & Overpriced Sodas

 Magic Mountain is less than an hour away from where I live, and it's just minutes away from my sister's apartment.  It's a theme park that features insane roller coasters and occasional references to Warner Brothers characters.  Crazily enough, I won 2 tickets on the radio to go, and Lorelei earned a free ticket at school for reading.  So with 3 tickets paid for, we decided to embark on a summer adventure in the 100 degree heat with the girls.

 Funny thing is it made me feel a little OLD.  Here's why: I used to go to Magic Mountain a lot when I was a kid, it was our school's incentive for honor roll and perfect attendance, a bus trip to the park.  So I have memories of it that were somewhat different than my time there this week.

The Teenage Me: I LOVE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, roller coasters rock, briiiiiing it!
The Mom Me: Hmmmm, these lines are really long, I wonder if any of my kids are going to suffer from some kind of rare head trauma as a result of this really unsafe looking ride.  Why does man insist on testing the limits of gravity?  This is very unwise, we should be home right now on our couch, where it's safe.
The Teenage Me: My dad's so cool, he gave me two twenty dollar bills for the day, I AM RICH!
The Mom Me: If I buy each child one souveneir, we will not be able to get groceries at the end of this month.  Why is that giant lollipop $15?  Lorelei's teeth are going to rot if she eats that.
 The Teenage Me: I LOVE this hot weather, cuz it allows me to wear my halter top from Wet Seal and show off my super flat stomach.
The Mom Me: Why are the girls standing in front of me wearing such short shorts?  Don't they have mothers?  
The Teenage Me: I LOVE THEME PARKS, I've never had so much fun in my life, I never want to go home.
The Mom Me: If I touch that railing in line, I'm touching thousands of germs from all over the world.  "MORGAN DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR MOUTH!"

No wonder teenagers think their moms are such killjoys.