Shout out . . .

. . .to Mark. He'll never be able to say that I have lost my humor when it comes to this. Back in the day he used to tell me that this song (open up a new tab and listen while you go back. . . back . . . back to the day) was "ours". I would laugh and say, never will you leave me to go on the road or to join the circus. Yesterday, I was running on the treadmill and I reached way back into the iPod archives and this song came up. Huh . . . looks like he was right: he does leave me to go on the road, a lot, AND there are days I feel we have joined the circus. This week I feel like a single parent as he is working nights doing recordings for the band and sleeping into the day to recover. BUT I wouldn't give up the life for anything. Especially when today he volunteers to be a chaperon for Bailey's class field trip AND is willing to take McKenna along for the ride which leaves me home ALONE! What to do . . . What to do?!

Married to the Bass

So Mark came home from work and showed me this article he found in online Bass Player by Robin Meloy Goldsby. I especially like this paragraph:
A great bassist is an ensemble player, a team member who executes, with confidence, a vital role in any band with the strength of his groove, the steadiness of his rhythm, and the imaginative logic of his harmonic lines. This doesn’t just apply to the bassist’s music. It also applies to his outlook on life. A bass-player husband will be loyal, true, and interesting, and will help you emerge from life’s challenges looking and sounding better than you ever imagined. If you’re in a bad mood, don’t worry. He’ll change keys. On the other hand, if you marry a pianist, he’ll try to arrange everything and then tell you what your disposition should be. If you marry a guitarist, he’ll try to get ahead of you by analyzing your temperament in double-time. If you marry a drummer, it won’t matter what kind of mood you’re in because he’ll just forge ahead with his own thing. A bass player follows along, supports you, and makes you think that everything is okay, even when the world is crashing down around you.
And this one:
If you have children—and you will, because bass players make great fathers—your most frequently uttered phrase will be “WATCH THE BASS!” You will learn how to interject this phrase into every conversation you have with your children. For instance: “Hello, sweetie, watch the bass, did you have a nice day at kindergarten? We’re having rice and broccoli for lunch, watch the bass, do you want milk or water to drink?”

You will be doomed to a life of station wagons, minivans, and SUVs. You might harbor a secret fantasy of zooming around town in a Mazda MX5 convertible, but this will never happen unless you go through a big messy divorce, give your bass-player husband custody of the children, and marry a violinist, which would be no fun at all. Better to accept the hatchback as an integral part of your existence and get on with it.

If you have a bit of time, I highly recommend reading the full article. It is what I would have written if I was (were; which is it!? I hated English in school) a writer. It is a little eerie how closely she channels my thoughts (did you notice she feeds her children brocolli???!). I especially like her last statement: Your husband will be passionate about his music, which will grant you the freedom to be passionate about the things you do. You might not worship the bass as much as he does, but you’ll love the bass player more every day.

August Anniversary in Paris

Mark and I were able to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in PARIS! Leading up to the trip and even once we got there it was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I was actually there! Paris is only for movie stars or people with lots of money and yet we did it! It really felt like a huge accomplishment. We couldn't wait to come home and share our stories with the girls and we are already planning the next trip so we can take them with us.

We did it all too! We walked more than I have ever walked in my entire life, we saw Mona Lisa, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Champs Elysees and the most beautiful cathedral with glass windows, St. Chapelle. We kissed under the Eiffel Tower at night just as the magical lights appeared. We had french pastries for breakfast, baguette sandwiches for lunch and great dinners at sidewalk cafes, and we made sure that we had crepes and pastries whenever we wanted in between.

When you ask someone that has been to Paris whether they liked it or not there is no gray area. You either love it or hate it. Mark and I fell in love with Paris, we loved the culture, the lifestyle and the food. We loved that after 15 years of marriage we were able to experience Paris together as best friends. We each have different things that we loved and will remember about Paris, for me it was the Impressionistic art at the Orsay and the Eiffel Tower at night. Mark loved the Latin Quarter and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

This will not be our last visit to Paris and I know the next time we go I will see even more things to make me love this city. Next time we'll share it with our girls and it will be just as great as the first time!