Category: Living the Life

Today is my friend Amy’s 28th Birthday.  Amy and I first met when we were 13 years old.  I had just moved to the neighborhood and she came over, along with another girl our age, and invited me to go swimming with them at her dad’s house.  I was shy and nervous as hell, but I decided to go.  I was also pasty white and burned easily and after an afternoon in the pool had turned red and blistery.  That was the beginning of what has turned out to be a life-long friendship.

Amy is the one friend in my life who has always been there for me.  Like every good relationship, there have been many ups and downs and probably times where she hated me.  I was a bit of a selfish bitch in my younger days (ok, so maybe I still am sometimes). But, when I really needed a friend, she was there.

A few years ago, Amy moved far, far, away to Oregon and now I only get to see her a couple of times a year.  I miss her being around, but I always enjoy her visits.  I just wish they were a little more frequent.

So, really what I want to say here is HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY! Thank you for being my friend all these years.  Oh, and come back and visit soon!

Friday night we found out that a friend of ours was playing a show with his new band on Saturday.  It seems like eons ago now, but once upon a time hubby and I were really into the local band scene.  We had friends that were in a band and we used to go see them play, along with several other bands that we got to know. A few of the bands we liked split up, I got pregnant, and since then we haven’t really been a part of that scene.

So, when this came up, we decided it would be fun to go check them out.  We called my mom up and she agreed to baby-sit so we could go out for a few hours.  We dusted off our "going out" clothes, got dressed, and I even put on a little bit of make-up.  

As I walked into the bar, I had the feeling of being totally out of my element.  I can’t remember the last time we went out to a place like that.  After a few minutes our friends showed up that we were meeting there and I started to relax a bit.  As soon as the band started playing, I felt right at home.  Well, except for the smoke that had already managed to kick my allergies into overdrive.

My friend’s band was actually pretty good.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect from them.  It was their first show and they were all a bit nervous, but totally excited at the same time.  The music was great.  The only thing I wasn’t totally sold on was the singer.  He had a great singing voice but there was something about his attitude and mannerisms that I just couldn’t get past. 

After they finished we decided to stick around and watch the next band.  I wasn’t really impressed with them, but they did have an awesome bass player who was also so incredibly hot that I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  The consensus of all the girls around me was that the band wasn’t that great, but well worth listening to just to watch the bass player.

By the time we left, hubby and I were both ready to go home and jam it up on our guitars.  Watching the bands play and feeling the energy of the music really inspired me to want to play again.  Once upon a time I had dreams of actually being in a band.  However, my guitar is one of the hobbies that went by the wayside when I got pregnant and I really miss it.  I am now determined to find some time to pick it up again, even if I have to play unplugged after Zach goes to bed.

We ended up leaving before the last band because, well, we’re getting old.  Hubby and I were both pretty tired and knew that we had to get up early the next morning, plus we were already going to lose an hour of sleep with the whole Daylight Savings Time thing. 

All in all, it was a pretty fun night.  It made me realize just how much I missed the live music.

Recently, well about 4 months or so ago, they opened a new Target store near where I work.  There is another one just as close in the opposite direction, but the new Target totally kicks the old Target’s butt.  My first experience in that store was when I was doing my Christmas shopping.  I had a list of things I wanted to get Zach for Christmas and in less than an hour I found every single thing on that list.

Normally, I tend to be more of a Wal-Mart girl because I usually find that things are a bit cheaper there, but I may have been officially converted today.  I needed to pick up some formula for Zach and since I had a $10 off coupon for the formula, I figured it didn’t really matter where I bought it.  But, as I looked down the formula aisle, I saw something interesting.  Target has a store-brand formula that is HALF the price of the name brand I usually buy.  And guess what?  If you check out the ingredients and nutritional information on the back, they are almost exactly the same.  Close enough anyway that I will chance it to spend half the money I have been spending to keep the boy in formula.  My checkbook has seriously been hurting since I stopped breastfeeding.

Not only did I find the cheaper formula, I was also shopping for some Easter goodies for Zach.  Guess what?  They had E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. that was on my list once again.  I should also mention that I looked for these same things at Wal-Mart just last week and couldn’t find them.  I also got Zach a very cute little man looking outfit for Easter Sunday.  It was a little bit pricier that what I really wanted to pay, but not enough to make me put it back.

I may not quite be the Target enthusiast that she is, but I think I’m well on my way.