9 days

Man. I'm still blind and all this is blurry - so excuse any typos.

I'll put "getting new glasses" on my list of things to do before I die.

Anyway, it's been 9 days I believe since the last blog entry. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Hi Brooke. I haven't seen you in so long! And Anonymous, how's it going? It was good to see your dorky face on Wednesday night.

Too many things to write about. Such little time. Too much mush in my brain. Such little organization.

Ok - no more nonsense.

Let me begin with tonight. Tonight made me think quite a bit about what my neighbor told me the other night. I've told people this already, but in case I didn't tell you - I'll just write the conversation down. She doesn't read my blog (I think), and if she did, I'm sure she'd give me her permission. And she is quite a bubbly character, so please read it to yourself and over exaggerate her part in your mind.

"Hey Sara! How ARE you?"
"I'm good - how are you?"
"Great! I saw you going out with your friend the other night! Where'd you go?"
"I went to a bar, to check it out, cuz we may go there for my birthday."
"HOW FUN! You are SO lucky!"
"Well, I didn't even drink really."
"Who cares! When you go out without your kids, even hanging on a street corner is fun!"

Now the conversation continued, and in my head I was saying "Well, I wouldn't take it so far as to want to hang out on street corners when my kids are not with me". But I just may as well be in the same boat as her, cuz tonight I willingly, and eagerly jumped at the chance to drive for 3 hours in horrific traffic to LAX cuz I knew I could have some time to myself. HA HA HA. I'm such a nerd.

And Alex, (my husband, in case you don't know him) sometimes wakes up while I'm on the computer doodling away, sometimes reading news, chatting with old friends I never see but hung out with in elementary school, looking up 70's Toyota's on criagslist, and he comes in the rooms and says "What are you doing". "It's so late. Come to bed". Then I say slowly, "I'm just on the computer", or if I'm in the kitchen washing dishes I say " I'm just cleaning this house". Then he says , "Oh... I thought you were talking to your other family in Israel".

He's convinced I have this 2nd life or something. It's kind of funny, and sometimes I erase the history on the computer just cuz I'm embarassed about how many times I may have refreshed myspace or facebook, or some ridiculous "mommy" blog that I wouldn't want to admit to reading. Anyway.

Next matter of business:

Have you ever gone to the light festival at Griffith Park? Now, waiting 2 hours in line can make you despise it entirely cuz it's not exactly mind blowing, but for the past 5 years or so, we always take a cruise through it when there's no wait, and it's fun. Last year, we'd drive through and the kids would be put to sleep by the slow ride and the Nat King Cole Christmas lullabies they play. This year, temporarily, they are not letting you drive, probably cuz of the stupid traffic. Anyway ( I like to say Anyway), we went tonight and we had our ups and downs.

When we got there, we parked at the zoo, and Effie thought we were going to the zoo. She was a little disappointed it was closed.

In the parking lot, a dad in the car across from me was yelling at his kids to get the f-*k out of the car. Good thing I was wearing my Raiders sweatshirt and Cortez shoes, cuz I was mad-doggin that guy and wanted to look real bad and tough, cuz what a JERK he was being. Then he hit one of his kids on the head and the kid LITERALLY hid UNDER a car from him. Man. Some dads suck.

Anyway, besides that, it was SO nice outside. Walking the light festival is like the coolest thing EVER. Those Christmas lullabies, or Neal Diamond's "Coming to America" blasts in your ears, and hundreds of Los Angelinos are just outside walking around. I don't think there's a place in LA besides Disneyland or the Americana where you see families walking around at night. And here, people were on dates, with their dogs, walking with their kids, taking a jog, or alone, and it was just sooo nice. I think I already used nice as an adjective. It was sooo wonderful. There.

And to continue, despite it being so wonderful and nice, some thoughts started going through my head.

Those thoughts included:

"This is a LONG walk, we should have brought a stroller"
"It's too late. Someone's gonna get mad and want me to carry them the whole way"
"We shouldn't walk the whole thing, cuz it may be too much for my tired kids"
"It's too cold."
"Celia is gonna have to pee and she doesn't like port-o-potties"
"We should have left the stuffed puppy, the santa hats, the camera, the tiara, and the purse in the car, cuz when it comes time to carry the kids, it's gonna be a bitch to carry everything else too."

Wow, you would have thought we were going to the beach considering all my pessimism.

To my surprise it was fine. Celia was dancing, walking, running, skipping, having fun, etc, etc, etc.

Effie was walking, having fun, running after Celia, holding hands, talking to the lights, etc, etc, etc.

I even saw a kid throwing a tantrum and was elated that my kids were so good and thought that the mom would be jealous that my kids were so cute and so well behaved.

Then we got all the way to the end. Effie wanted to be carried. No problem. I was just so happy to be out walking for a change.

Then Celia wanted to be carried. No problem, Alex was ready.

Then Celia's boots kept falling off.

Then Celia started freaking out.

Then either Alex or I kept dropping the hats, dog, tiara, or something.

Then Celia said her dad was being mad at her.

Then Celia reminded us while crying her brains out that when she is sad, big people are supposed to be happy to take care of the sad kid.

Then I carried Celia.

Then Celia was fine.

Then Effie freaked cuz she wanted ME to carry her.

Then other parents were looking at US probably glad that it wasn't THEIR kids freaking out.

(It was still a LONG walk back by this point)

Then I tried carrying both of them.

Then we switched crying kids around for the remainder of the light festival.

You can just imagine. It was now ME with crying kids thinking about all those pessimistic thoughts and how I should have stuck to my instinct and only made the kids walk a short distance and go back early before our luck ran out.

Well......in the end it was all good, cuz niether Alex or I lost our cool, we were happy to be out, at least Celia never had to pee, and they both chilled out by the end. Celia stopped crying and let her Dad carry her, and both of them were asleep in the car before we left the parking lot.

I don't care how insane it got. I'm going back tomorrow night. Wanna join us? Gimme a call. I promise to take strollers so none of us have to carry my kids. Good night.