I Just Met My Next Door Neighbor, Oops, Four Years After We Moved In

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I’ve lived in my current home for four years and I met my next door neighbor for the first time, TODAY. How is this possible??

I’ll start my saying that our neighbors on the other side, we met right away. We are close to them, we borrow each others tools, we get each others mail and newspapers when we’re on vacation… so how did my other neighbors get so neglected? I even know the folks across the street, and people three and four houses away from me, but not right next door.

I guess it stems from the fact that when you move into a new neighborhood, it’s not the 60s anymore, and people don’t bring you casseroles and pies, so unless you happen to be outside at the same time, or you make a true effort, you don’t really know who lives next door.

Now my new-found neighbors are quite elderly, so they aren’t outside doing yard work or playing with their kids, times in which you usually happen to meet others, but that’s still no excuse!

Today I was outside with my son and the neighbors’ dogs (sad that I knew the dogs’ names before I knew the neighbors’ names) came running out barking as they often do. Usually we just go on with our day and let them bark. But today, the Mrs. came out of the house and yelled at the dog, and my son (the little charmer that he is) waved to her and walked over to the fence. Of course it was a day that I had no make up on, didn’t do my hair, and was wearing ratty clothes, but I thought, oh well, it’s about time I know who’s living here.

She walked slowly over to the fence and introduced herself, as we did the same. Upon hearing my son’s name, Vincenzo, her eyes lit up! “Are you Italian,” she gasped.

“Yes, we are!”

Anne then told me she was full-blooded Italian and it was so nice to hear that we gave our son a traditional name. She shyly asked how long we’d lived here, and when I said four years, we both felt the redness of embarrassment flow across our face. How could we just be meeting now?

She proudly told me about her seven great-grandchildren and one on the way, and how they all lived close by. She was by far one of the sweetest people I’ve ever spoken to, and with each new thing we learned about each other, it felt like we were more connected than we could have ever thought.

I’m 30 years old, but I found talking to Anne more pleasant than talking to half the people I know that are my own age. She was so genuine and engaging. She didn’t rush me, she wasn’t looking at a phone, she seemed so interested in my life. She commented about five times how precious my son was, and how he will have to come over and play with her littlest great-grandson.

Our conversation was only ten minutes or so, but it made my day. She told me I was a great mom to work at home and spend as much time as I could with my son, and her positive energy gave me the boost I often need to know I made the right decision.

So in this world, that lately seems full of hate, crime, and sadness, sometimes you can find goodness and happiness just by walking next door.

I’ve added these neighbors to my Christmas Card list, and I look forward to many more talks by the fence with dear, sweet Anne.

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Fourth of July Work-End

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Tara Darazio

While many of our friends and family were soaking up the sun, watching fireworks, or grilling out, my husband and I took the rare three days off to WORK around our house. As any homeowner can attest to, there is ALWAYS a project. And we had many, many projects we wanted to complete. We got about 80% of them done, so I’m happy, or am I?

From pressure washing, to new mulch, to painting, and more – sure the house looks great, but as Sunday night approached, I kept thinking about how the one weekend we had off – no events, no reunions or showers, no weddings or family obligations, we spent most of it dirty, tired, pissed off, sore, tired again, and burnt. We are two pale Italians ( it’s our Irish heritage shining through), so three days in the 85 degree heat doesn’t do a body good.

I was mad at myself for not grilling out one of those beautiful days, and only watching fireworks on TV, and not going somewhere. Do you guys feel like you’re wasting life if you’re not out there LIVING it??? We already spend most of our time working for someone else, stuck in an office, or in a home office, so when we do have free time, why can’t we just relax and forget about everything we have to do. I think it’s impossible. For me it is anyway.

If I would have blown off the home projects and went to the lake, or to fireworks, my mind wouldn’t have really been there. I would have been thinking about what I was slacking on, and calculating how I was going to make up for it. It’s sad that we are so busy in our everyday lives that we never really feel truly relaxed. And with the constant dinging of emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc., our lives are just a constant and overwhelming TO DO LIST or TO FOLLOW UP ON LIST.

I know things needed done, but things will always need done. And now we are booked the next bazillion weekends, and we won’t have that freedom again. Freedom (something I really should have thought about, it was the Fourth of July for goodness sake) was not what we celebrated. So guess what, we are taking next weekend and making it our Fourth. I told my husband we are spending the entire day Saturday doing something FUN. I don’t’ care where it is, how far we have to drive, how much it costs, what the weather will be, how backed up on work I will get. I just want to have a day OFF. I’m sick of being ON all the time. I want to unwind, take out my “batteries” and just feel FREE.

Take your Fourth! We all work hard. We all deserve it. Fireworks aren’t just bright lights in the sky one night of the year. Sure they magically make us feel like a kid, they make us ohh and aww, they take us away from reality. But, we can find fireworks on any day of the year. It’s the feeling – now go capture it!! #takeyourfourth

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The Vacation-less Summer Blues

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Last year at this time, we were gearing up for our big trip to Atlantic City. It was going to be our sons first time at the beach, and we couldn’t wait to dip his little toes in the ocean and watch his face as the waves crashed in front of him. We had a wonderful trip, a little tricky at times dealing with a 15 month old’s demeanor, but it was VACATION and that was what we needed.

Fast forward one year later to our vacation-less summer, and let the depression ensue… Of course when you aren’t going somewhere, it seems like everyone else IS going somewhere. I’m trying to figure out how to get over this funk and stop dreaming about sandy beaches, boardwalks, and souvenir shops. Writing about it, and rehashing all these feelings probably isn’t going to help, but I’m in the midst now, so here goes nothing.

Here’s my top ten random, crazy ideas to feel like I’m kind-of, maybe, sorta, on vacation. Feel free to steal.

1. Drive on the turnpike farther than you usually go. The turnpike leads to most vacation destinations, so driving on it will give you that sense of leaving reality behind. Just make sure to bring some cash or your EZ-pass, or you’ll be vacationing in the toll booth rolling quarters or whatever they do to people who can’t pay their tolls.

2. When on said turnpike, stop at one of those charming rest stops and get a giant coffee at the fake Starbucks “for your long trip.” Just don’t look around too much at the people actually on their way somewhere, you’ll get jealous.

3. Eat at a diner you’ve never eaten at before, or go to a museum you’ve never visited. The unfamiliar can always seem like vacation. Pretend you’re from out-of-town and make the other people there jealous. 

4. Find a place that smells like vacation. We go to this fountain show in one of the malls in Atlantic City and that water has a distinct scent. I was walking through my local mall the other day and stopped to throw a penny in the fountain with my son, and for just a second, I caught the same smell that I do in Atlantic City. Pure heaven.

5. Carry a camera and take pictures of yourself in front of buildings, bridges, lakes, whatever! We know we get camera happy on vacation, so do it on your regular route. Use Instagram and fake hashtags to really trick yourself into thinking you’re on vacation. #fakecation!

6. Go to an arcade (a staple vacation endeavor), play Skee-ball, shoot the basketball into the too-small hoops, do that claw game and win a stuffed animal, act like getting a bouncy ball for 500 tickets was your ultimate goal all along. 

7. Go to a local amusement park and watch one of those shows in the park theater and pretend it’s Broadway.

8. Stay in a hotel. Doesn’t matter if it’s two minutes from your house, hotels feel like vacation. So stay in, order room service, go to the hotel pool, use the exercise room, dry your hair for three hours with that ridiculously small hairdryer in the bathroom, steal the lotions and shampoos that will then stay in your closet for a year before you toss them, make bad coffee in the 1/2 cup pot they provide, watch HBO and act like it’s exciting you get that channel, check for the Bible and the stock ironing board, eat continental breakfast, etc., etc.

9. Go to the airport. Just being around all the people with their luggage will make you feel like you could hop on a plane any minute, too. Buy something touristy. I don’t care if you’ve lived in Pittsburgh, all of your life, buy an I love Pittsburgh T-shirt or key chain. Because you know if you were on vacation, you’d buy something stupid like that. 

10. And last but not least, use your imagination. Just close your eyes next time you’re sitting outside in your yard and hear the sound of the waves crashing, smell the salt water and fried food, feel the ocean breeze and mist, the hot sand, the sharp shells, and the beaming sun tanning your face. (or burning your face if you’re me.)

For all my fellow non-vacationers this year, try to get through the next couple of months. Summer 2014 is right around the corner and beach-bound we hopefully all will be!

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The “Facebook Jealousy” Phenomenon

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Did you ever scroll through your Facebook feed out of boredom and then instantly regret doing it because you are now super jealous of random stuff? I do this all the time. And here’s the main culprits.

(And none of these points pertain to any certain person or group. Because I know Facebook status paranoia could be a whole other blog post!!)

1. I missed something important, like a birthday or anniversary. I see the person’s status thanking everyone for their well wishes or whatever it may be and I feel bad. And you can’t really comment on that status, it’s kind of after-the-fact, and a cop-out, so you just feel like an ass and go on with your day. All the while thinking that person obviously realized you missed their event and are now mad at you. In reality, we can’t possibly keep track of everyone, but none-the-less, when you’re the one that forgot, YOU know.

2. People’s vacation/cruise/road trip – you name it – statuses. These are especially annoying if you’re sitting at work or at home and get  jealous because “everyone is having more fun than me.” If I’m not at the beach and I see a picture of sand and the ocean and pretty drinks with umbrellas, of course I’m going to get a little mad. Or if I see spontaneous weekend trips by couples with no kids, I get mad because I can’t do that!! We have a 2-year-old, we don’t get that perk anymore. It could be as simple as a check-in at a Pirate game on a Monday night, and your brain starts moving, thinking about how long it’s been since you’ve been to a game, and why the heck don’t you go more often. It’s funny how you only care because someone else is doing it. Before all of this, we had no idea what everyone did. We didn’t know our lives were so boring, because we were unaware of how exciting everyone else’s was around us (or seemed anyway). And then of course, when it’s your turn to do something fun, you forget to post about it, and you get mad at yourself because you could’ve been the one making someone jealous. So sad, but so true. When we post something, it’s because we WANT people to see it and think we’re über cool. Why post it if we don’t care? The more likes and comments we get, just gives us affirmation that we must be pretty awesome. It’s human nature to want to be liked. We become 5 years old again, attention seeking little kids…

3. The do-it-all people. The people who create elaborate theme birthday parties for their kids, or who bake apple pies and still find time to work out and read books and yada yada. Otherwise known as “The Pinterest People.” I love Pinterest, don’t get me wrong, I just have no time (or I think I don’t) to actually work on all the projects I want to do. I think these people are just good at not getting any sleep. To do as much as they do in a day, they must have super powers, and the rest of us feel incredibly lazy, even tired, just reading their posts. I wish I could be like these people, so once again, the jealousy beast rages on. Damn Pinterest. Who else hates/loves this website?

4. The “why didn’t I think of that?” statuses. Someone announces they are having a boy or girl with the cutest idea, or posts a really awesome wedding photo, or really sweet status. Someone posts a really funny comment regarding something in pop culture, or starts a new business venture. And you think about the next time you have to post something and how you can do it in an awesome way, too. You don’t want to be the boring person in everyone’s news feeds, you don’t want the dreaded “hide” coming your way. There’s pressure every time you look at that blinking cursor.

We had enough ways and reasons to be jealous of people before, and now with Facebook, we have a million more. I’ve heard of people actually getting into fights over a post and “un-friending” each other in the real world. It’s insane, but we all know it happens.

We are humans and as confident or great as we think we are, we are all still affected greatly by input from others. So just because someone is at the beach and you’re not, if you love their picture, give it a nod. Let’s appreciate and celebrate along with everyone. Life is about being happy for others, just as much as our own happiness. Don’t be too jealous of everyone else, someone out there is just as jealous of you.

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Words With Friends (Not The App, Real Friends)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Words are a pretty powerful part of my life, obviously, I’m a writer. But I’ve come to find that the written word is fundamental to any good friendship, and in my life, words have brought me closer to people than I ever thought possible.

I met Caitlin in college, and although we were friends during our time in school, she was younger, and we didn’t have a lot of classes together, and it wasn’t until after I graduated that we really started talking (writing) and realized how close we were going to become.

I’ve known her for probably around 10 years, and we’ve only lived in the same City or State as one another, for a couple of those years. Yet, our friendship remained and remains very strong, all thanks to the ever powerful word. We email at least once a month filling the other one in on our lives, but we also take time to share blogs we love, or quotes that inspire us, or even just send a one sentence email for motivation or encouragement. Words are all we have, since we can’t see each other physically, and I feel that she knows me, and I know her, on a deeper level than many others with which I don’t share this great “word affair.”

I pour over her paragraphs, making sure to answer each question and respond to each special event happening in her life. When you’re writing, you can take the time to appreciate the story, hear the “voice” in pure form, and respond with more thoughtful and relevant advice or appreciation than you can in everyday conversations.

Like getting a surprise in the mail, Caitlin’s emails light up my day. From her catchy subject lines to her xoxo sign offs, and everything in between…
“Thank you for being a fellow word nerd, C!”

Then there’s Rae, my pen pal, yes pen pal, for the past 18 years. We have NEVER met. No, never. We talked on the phone once when we were in high school, we’ve never Skyped, nothing… All we have had all these years are our words.

We were matched up from a form in the back of a Tiger Beat Magazine when we were 12 and all of our lives we have written letters, which then transitioned into emails, and social media. People think it’s crazy that we’ve remained in touch that long, with no real basis for doing so. I mean even we think it’s a little crazy. I have people who I was best friends with in high school, that I spent a lot of time with, worked with, had fun with, cried with, etc. that I somehow lost touch with, yet with Rae, we’ve always been there for each other.

The funny thing is, that she lives in New England, so it’s not even that far away, but all the times we’ve tried to make a plan to meet, it just hasn’t worked out. But it doesn’t matter. If we’ve made it 18 years on words alone, we must be doing something right.
Someday, Rae, someday!

I’ve always been better putting things into words than saying them out loud. I can show my true colors and emotion in a card, a text, an email, much better than I can in real life. Does anyone else feel this way?

All I know, is that 26 letters can really make an impact. That’s all we have to work with, 26 letters. Arranged everyday to create words that forever change us. I love words, I love finding ways to make them my own, I love reading them from others, and I love what they can do to people’s lives.

Use the power of words today, send someone a letter, a text, an email. Open up, share, ask, offer to listen… They might just need it.

I love you. I miss you. I’m sorry. I’m happy you’re happy. I believe in you. 

Those are a few ideas. I trust you’ll find the right ones. 🙂

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Recognizing Movie Moments In Your Everyday Life

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Rachael McAdams passionately running in the rain towards Ryan Gosling in The Notebook.
Kate Winslet “flying” on the boat with Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic.
Kate Beckinsale throwing the glove on to John Cusack on the ice rink in Serendipity.
Keira Knightley running out to kiss Andrew Lincoln in Love Actually.

Just a sampling of some of my favorite movie moments, moments that give us butterflies, a warm and fuzzy feeling, a why doesn’t this happen in real life mentality? Well, although our movie moments may not be as dramatic as the ones above, we definitely have movie moments in our everyday life that any audience would envy.

Because we’re living our life and not watching it, we tend to miss these moments. We catch glimpses of them when life slows down, or when we are prepared for a moment, such as our wedding day, or the day our children are born. We know in advance these days are going to be special, and if you’re like me, you try to take pictures with your brain of every second of those days.

But even on ordinary days, our lives present us with movie moments. When my husband comes home with a card and flowers, just because he loves me, that’s a movie moment. If Channing Tatum did that in a movie, we would gush and say “Oh, how romantic.” It shouldn’t be any less, in fact it should be more romantic, when it happens in our reality.

Even if we don’t see them, people around us see our moments, they watch “our” movie.  An elderly couple holding hands walking down the street (movie moment); a new mom being wheeled out of the hospital gazing at her baby (movie moment); a flash mob breaking out on the street in front of us (movie moment); a man on one knee holding a ring box and a girl with her hands over her mouth in awe (movie moment). We are gushing at these moments, but maybe the “stars” don’t even realize they’re acting for us.

If I really think about my life, I have tons of moments that I can imagine on the big screen. Running through the airport with my best friend Vicky to greet another best friend Cindi after years of not seeing each other. Meeting my husband at a nightclub and knowing within ten minutes of talking to him I wanted to marry him. Watching my sister take care of my son, and thinking about what a great Mom she will be one day, and how lucky I am to have a sister like her. Listening to my brother’s music and crying because he’s not my little brother anymore, he’s a talented adult with nothing but greatness ahead of him. Getting a card from my Mom with words of encouragement or love that I read over and over and replay in my head for years to come.

In a movie, these moments would be exaggerated so we would know they were important. Dramatic music would play as we ran through the airport and slow motion would ensue as we embraced our friend. Flashbacks of my brother as a child would play over the screen of me listening to his music, eliciting emotion from the audience so they could connect with how I feel. My mom’s card would be read out loud, like Jeremy Piven’s best man/obituary in Serendipity.

My list goes on and on, as I’m sure yours does to. We live in a fast-paced, do it now, do it quick, rush, rush, rush lifestyle and we rarely take time to appreciate or recognize moments. Realize that everyone has screen-worthy events going on everyday.
Witness them. Watch life. Live in your moments.

Your movie is by far the greatest one you will ever see. 🙂

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When Did Summers Get So Busy?!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Tara Darazio

When did lazy summers turn into what-weekend-don’t-we-have-something summers??

Today I was fondly thinking about summers in between middle school and high school. My sister and I would sleep in, get up and make awesome breakfast dishes, then usually dress in our best exercise gear and head to the living room to catch The Grind on MTV and bust out some moves before lunch.

Then it was always a call, yes a call, no text back then, to our friends on the block to see what the plan was for the day. Sometimes it was swimming, laying out, making up a dance, pretending we were gymnasts on our makeshift apparatuses, walking up the hill to get a slush, playing capture the flag. There was NEVER a day that we didn’t do something fun. Every day smelled like fresh-cut grass, the sun shone brightly and beautifully, the wind blew through our perfect chlorine-streaked hair, and hours seemed endless.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED??? It’s May and I’m already realizing I have like two free weekends before Labor Day. I don’t know what transpires from childhood to adulthood, but events just keep inserting themselves into your once blissful summer life. Of course when we’re kids, we have the whole week, and now it’s just Saturday and Sunday. And boy are those days precious. Vacations are a thing of the past for most of us. If we’re lucky, we might go somewhere every couple of years, so we don’t even have that to look forward to anymore. And vacations as an adult aren’t as fun anyway because you are doing all the packing and planning and driving, while the kids are spending all the money.

From graduations, to birthday parties, to showers, to weddings, to family reunions, and everything in between, I’m just trying to figure out if we can get to Idelwild (a local amusement park) one day, or go for a long day trip just to get away from it all.

And I’ve realized that my summers will only get busier as we add more kids to the family, and they start their own activities and events.

So for my time machine wish of the day, I’d love to go back to a summer when I was 13 or 14 years old. A summer when my whole life was in front of me. In fact, maybe that’s what made those summers so sweet. Life was still an unwritten book. There was no job holding us down, or mortgage payment looming. We were just kids, with nothing but time. And since we didn’t have any of this technology back then, we were always outside, always exploring, taking in the fresh air, living life to the fullest, not jut TWEETING about it.

I miss that fresh air. I miss the smell of hot dogs on a grill when I’m not the one cooking, I miss walking down to the baseball field to watch the cute older boys, I miss slushies, I miss dancing in the street. I miss it all.

Even when adults tell you to “enjoy this time of your life,” we never listen. We were in a hurry to grow up and we forgot to relish in the utter joy of being a kid. I guess I can try to tell my son the same thing when he gets to that age, and maybe if I’m lucky, it will sink in.

I’m going to go blast some 2 Unlimited, slurp a cherry slush, and do some cartwheels in my backyard for nostalgia. NOT. DUH. (Insert other 90’s cool slang here).

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Nsync Member Replies To My Tweet…Dare I Say, Life Complete?

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I don’t use my Twitter very often. I only signed up for an account so I could follow fantasy football updates, and I rarely even tweet. I’ve been stuck around 50 followers for a long time now, and I’m ok with that. My husband is always competing with me, actually not much of a competition  since he tweets all the time and gains new followers daily, but I got one up on him this weekend when I received a reply tweet from none other than Lance Bass, of former Nsync fame.

Here’s the picture for proof.

lanceNow to truly understand how big of a deal this was to me, you’d have to meet me at age twelve or thirteen. Nsync had just came on to the scene and even though I loved Justin, as all the girls did, I loved Lance more. I don’t have many old pictures at my house, but I wanted to share this one, taken MANY years ago, that may help shine some light on my love for Lance. You can see all those posters in the back, well multiply that by about ten and that was how covered the walls and ceiling were of the room my sister and I shared.

taraIf I could go back and tell this girl that one day, Lance would actually be a person you could contact very easily through social media, I’m sure she would faint. Nowadays, access to celebrities is pretty easy through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Ellen. I mean if you really want to meet or talk to someone, you have a good chance of it happening.

Back in the “old days” or the 90s, that technology was just a thought in someone’s brain and far from a reality. We had to rely on our Tiger Beat and Teen Bop magazines for posters and hope for a Q and A so we could find out some new facts. I remember my friends and I setting up our VCRs to record the guys on whatever talk show they were singing on, and hoping we had enough tape or that we could get the tracking right so it wasn’t all blurry. Remember tracking??? That literally seems like a lifetime ago.

My husband put it best. He said, “Do you realize that even if it was just for a few seconds, that YOU were on Lance’s mind? He saw your tweet, your name, your picture, and made the conscious effort to reply back to you.”

I smiled after he said that. “Yeah, and he sent me hugs and kisses. What else could I ask for?”

So if I never get another tweet back from someone famous, I’ll always have Lance. Even though that thirteen year old is now nearing her 30th birthday, she finally got to make a connection with a childhood crush.

It’s the little things…

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Who would your ultimate celebrity reply tweet come from??

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My Best Friend Is A Two Year Old

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I’ve come to the realization that my two-year old son is technically my best friend. No offense to my “big girl” best friends, I still love all of you, but for blog purposes, let’s just explore my title a bit further.

As a work at home mom, I spend more time with my son than any I do any other person on this Earth. That said, we are together through the ups and downs of every single day. That’s something I haven’t even experienced with my very best friends. We always had time when we were separated in the physical sense, it was never 100% interaction all the time.

Here’s my top 10 reasons why my two-year old is my best friend.

1. Best friends should be people you want to spend time with, people you genuinely love, adore, and respect. Obviously, I feel that for my son, and he feels that for me in return. Even when he makes me so mad I want to scream, I still love him and forgive him in an instant. He already knows how to use his eyes and his cute little grin to make me smile, so God help all the ladies that will come into his life someday. They are in for it.

2. We have fun together. Even though 28 years is a pretty big gap for any relationship, it doesn’t seem to matter with us. I love to dance, he loves to dance. We have dance parties in the living room all the time. We build blocks together, we read, we laugh at silly commercials. (What about the animals, what would the animals be made of? Ahh, I’m assuming candy…)

3. He comforts me, and also puts me in my place. If I’m having a rough day, he can sense it, and he will come over and give me a hug or pat me on the back. Even though he’s not saying too much yet, he talks, in his own way, and it makes me feel better. He also shows me his frustration if I am ignoring him to do work, or not reading the book for the 50th time correctly. We all need those friends who can be there for us when we need them, but also on the other hand, let us know when we need to shape up!

4. He listens to me. Even though he can’t reciprocate, I often talk things out with him. Just doing that and watching his little expressions, help. Whether it be the day’s agenda, or a creative work-related question, he somehow gives me the answers by letting me figure them out for myself. A quality we all wish we had. In the “big people” world, we just give our friends our opinions and expect them to agree. We need to learn to listen and to let them figure it out.

5. He teaches me things. It doesn’t matter that he’s 2, he’s much smarter than me in some aspects, mainly when it comes to people. If there’s an elderly woman or man in the store looking his way, he automatically waves or says hi. He appreciates people, is kind, he smiles. He also takes the time to savor the little things, the last bite of cookie, or the flower in the yard. He takes nothing for granted, and reminds me every day to act that way, as well.

6. He surprises me. Sometimes I can’t believe how he figures things out, or how fast he picks up a new habit. I love watching the changes in him and I’m continually amazed that there’s always something new he’s learning.

7. He makes me laugh. He really makes me laugh. He will fall over on purpose and laugh at himself to make me smile, or pretend to be putting on hairspray when mommy does. He’s funny because kids still have that fearlessness. They don’t care what people think or who is watching, they just do what they do.

8. He believes in me. I don’t really know how I know this, but I just do. Maybe it’s the way he looks at me when I’m doing a workout, or the way he claps after I sing a song. I feel like he’s proud of me and telling me he loves me. I ask him all the time if he’s happy that mommy is home with him and the look in his eyes tells me, yes.

9. We have a lot in common. I like the Disney shows we watch together, and he even likes the Days of our Lives theme song. We enjoy lazy mornings together. I drink my coffee and go through emails, as he enjoys his breakfast and sits on my lap. And we are both excited and happy when Daddy comes home for lunch. We are more in sync than I’ve been with anyone in my life.

10. He makes me a better person. He does that by all the reasons I’ve just mentioned, and for showing me what unconditional love should be.

Your best friend should be someone you love, have fun with, comforts you, listens, teaches you, surprises you, makes you laugh, believes in you, has common interests, and most importantly, makes you a better person. So thank you to my son, my best friend in the whole wide world. I love you more than anything.

me

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My Microwave Is Creaking!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I’ve figured out about how long it takes for all those amazing and new wedding shower gifts to become OLD. Right around seven years is the magic number, and after a quick review of my current kitchen situation, I thought I’d share what’s going on in there for nothing more than your amusement.

It all starts with our microwave, which actually wasn’t a shower gift, but was new seven years ago, so it fits in the time frame. It now creaks every time I run it. Literally CREAKS. It sounds like someone walking up the steps in a horror film, and I’m pretty sure I even saw it “Harlem Shake” a little, as well. It’s lost all of its “Kenny Powers” and now it takes me more than a minute to get my coffee to that steamy goodness I love so much. I know this is very long, because after a recent trip to my moms, her microwave took 10 seconds to reach the same pinnacle.

Next up, the blender, which I think was a shower gift. It still works, which is a plus, but we somehow lost the little black topper that goes into the lid, so now when we use it, we have to put foil on top so the contents don’t spray all over the place. I’m pretty sure this blender could make an appearance in Riff Raff”s next rap video: Rap Game Foil Blender. I actually love Riff Raff and I’m pretty sure my husband is the only other person reading this that will get that reference, so that’s for you, Justin.

Neighbors to the blender is our toaster, also a gift. It used to be a stainless steel, four slice, controlled temperature, great little machine. Now it looks more rusted than anything, the knobs are all stuck in the same position, and I have to cook each toast/bagel/waffle/pastry at different intervals to get them hot. For instance, my bagel is 1.5 pushes down. It also incessantly smells like something is burning, and the tray at the bottom that’s supposed to catch all the crumbs, has turned into one giant crumb, and doesn’t even scrape clean anymore. And I’m not sure, but it may actually be stuck forever to the counter top.

Last but not least, the pots and pans. Each one was a beautiful non-stick, lid intact, made for a Chef, quality gift. Now, the ones that are left, have turned to “what won’t stick” and I think we eat more of the pan particles with each taste of our scrambled eggs or bacon. The handles are all loose and I can’t find any lids that actually match. And due to my stove, only four years old, but already more trouble than it’s worth, the pans don’t seem to fit on the burners. They are lopsided and I have to keep moving them onto different areas of the heat to keep things cooking.

You don’t have to feel too bad for me. I do have my brand new, perfectly capable Keurig to lead the other misfit toys and a brand new kitchen faucet that makes doing dishes a much  more enjoyable (if you can call it that) experience.

But you know what, even though these items are past their prime, and we will have to replace them soon, they are still a part of our beginning. Some of the first things we received when we started this crazy journey together, and for that, I’ll be a little sad when they are gone.

So thanks for the memories my little gadgets, here’s to new memories and new appliances hopefully in the VERY NEAR future.

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