the land of laundry and half-eaten snacks

Have you ever seen Take-Home Chef on TLC? I caught it the other day and was thinking that it would be really cool except for one tiny detail... I could never, ever just bring someone into my house with no warning. I'd be calling everyone I knew with a key to go clean my house, or at least throw everything in a back bedroom, before the camera crew showed up. The few times I've seen this show the person's house is immaculate... am I the only one who lives in chaos 99% of the time?!

I propose a new show called "Take-Home Housecleaner". I would totally jump on that.

identity crisis

A recap of The Birthday Song as sung to me by my husband, father and mother (as my son looked on):

"Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear MOMMY
Happy Birthday to you."

Let's review:
I am not my husband's mommy.
I am not my father's mommy.
I m not my mother's mommy.
I *am* my son's mommy... but he wasn't singing.

I am truly amazed by how much people's perception of who you are changes after having a child! I guess I'd rather have everyone in my life calling me mommy instead of Ocean calling me Cassie.

for a good time, call...

My friend Erin just gave me the best haircut I've had in over a year, easily. If you need a cut, color, or any hair-related service, please call her at the LifeSpa in Novi (located in Lifetime Fitness off Haggerty). The number there is (248)735-5389. She's talented, she's quick and she's easy on the eyes.

By the way, she did not ask me to do this; I just enjoy passing along good information. =)

london bridge is...

This might be the funniest thing I've seen since the combined pinata busting/Josh Fox ass-whooping at our great Cinco de Mayo Party of 2005. Check it.

ouch.

My nose ring is tiny. Really, really small. Compared to the rest of my body it's practically microscopic. So why is it that with one quick swipe of the hand during a wrestling match gone terribly wrong, Ocean has the ability to catch the side of my nose ring and rip it halfway out, leaving me to grab my nose and run to the mirror crying, "AIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

I got it back in with a little elbow grease and a few sniffles but it's still sore. No more wrestling Captain Destructo without first placing a band-aid over my nose.

the life of a city

What is it that draws us to one place or another? Many of us dream of relocating to a warmer or cooler climate. Still others move in order to be near to family or friends. Probably the vast majority of Americans simply go where their jobs take them.

If you're fortunate, you will find wonderful new friends in the place that you decide to take up residence. You will undoubtedly find a favorite new grocery store, a comfy little neighborhood coffee shop, a gem of a dinner restaurant. Your place of worship will be full of loving, supportive people. You will get into a new groove and start to recreate your life in this brand new locale.

But what about the spirit of the city? How does one find that? How can you find the undercurrent that drives a town; that fuels the people; that pulsates within the core of the community?

As I was out and about in Ann Arbor today I felt myself become swept into the current of this city. I spotted a woman riding a bicycle through the snow flurries; she was probably nearing 60 years old, with long gray hair, bundled up in a long wool coat with a messenger bag on her shoulder. A few miles down the road I passed the Re-Use center, and the parking lot was packed. Later, I drove by a house on campus with a giant paper mache football helmet on the front lawn. On my fourth trip around the parking lot of Whole Foods looking for a parking spot I saw a mother with her very young daughter coming out of Borders with bags and bags of books. Tonight at the Michigan/OSU basketball game the coliseum was alive with excitement, and the energy was tangible. Even in the trademark gray sky there was a certain charming quality, as if the predictability of the weather should be something that we appreciate about this place in such uncertain times.

Just as effortlessly as I left this city almost three years ago, today- just as seamlessly- I felt myself pulled right back in. And I couldn't be more jazzed to be back.