Smoke and Mirrors

Today I had a list of things to do. I got about half of them done. All things considered, that's not so bad, especially as I had Aidan over this afternoon until about 7pm and Dan didn't get home until 8pm. The really urgent stuff is done and the rest of the list will just have to be pushed out until tomorrow.

Dan and I had a budget talk this weekend. Happily, it turns out we can actually live on less than we make if we're responsible. It's funny, but Dave Ramsey's right when he says "Once you do a budget, you'll feel like you're getting a raise."

I wanted to blog tonight about my 10 year class reunion. It was this past Saturday evening at Hobo's Tavern here in Muskegon. I went shopping and purchased some new clothes - ones that I actually like and would wear, nothing contrived - and we packed the kids up and sent them to Ga-ga's. This was Hunter's first time staying at Ga-ga's, and he was a little fussy, sadly. Still, she might take him again. :)

Anyway, I saw some of my classmates - probably about 20 out of the 48 people I graduated with - and heard about what most of the rest were up to. I caught up with a few of the ones I was closest to, and Dan was able to talk with his friend Matt, who he used to work with and who I (obviously) graduated with. We shared a few memories as a group. All in all, it was a fun evening.

I was really surprised by two things: First, I was really comfortable. I didn't feel unattractive or pudgy, didn't "try too hard" to make conversation, I was outgoing and talked to almost everyone (I was like that in H.S. too), and didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I mention that because in H.S. I was always questioning myself, until about my senior year when I finally said "to heck with it" and was just the friendliest, happiest person and didn't care what others thought of me. I was only concerned with doing what I should be and becoming what I should be. (I've almost reverted back to the self-conscious me, really).

Second, and this was absolutely astonishing, I was SHOCKED by how many people were SMOKING! I expected the drinking, you know, as we were at a bar and it was the #1 activity in H.S. But geez, I had no idea so many people were smokers. This included parents, professionals, VERY intelligent people with successful careers and great education, blah blah blah. But they weren't smart enough to realize that smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body. My friend Jen and I speculated that maybe they were just social smokers - you know, people who only smoke when they go out to bars and drink. I don't know how common that is (it doesn't come up in my LDS circles.) So, I was disgusted at that. Moreover, it started to make me nauseous and I had to wash my hair 4 separate times to get the stank out. My clothes had to be washed twice with every kind of laundry additive I had available. It very much changed my opinion of everybody, not in a judgemental way, just in an amazed "are you kidding?" way.

One other thing I wanted to post was the Big News (for the N.M. ward people, anyway): Sharon Wilson and Jason Gifford are engaged! I'm so happy for them I could burst. I used to BABYSIT Sharon, for crying out loud! And I've been pulling for Jason ever since he joined the church. They both strike me as determined, focused people, but it's so SWEET to see how much they love each other. Why did Jason decide to ask her yesterday? Because when he went to the temple he felt inspired that THIS was the girl, THIS was the time. Dan and I both just want the best for those two. They deserve it. It kind of reminds me of when Dan and I were engaged. Good times, good times. (I did suggest that he "re-do" his proposal, maybe around our 10th anniversary, b/c it ended up being a little...different than he planned. Also, a surprise 2nd honeymoon to WDW wouldn't be out of order, I'm sure.)

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney