Vampire Love Wishes.....

With the upcoming Twilight flick coming out, I thought I would write down a few of my thoughts since this series came into my life. Firstly, I love the books. What first attracted them to me was the simple story of true love wrapped into a different package. While reading it I can reminisce  on my own true love and how certain emotions are universal. But I must say that it rattles me a bit when I see people I know just go ape balls over the movie series (You know who you are. Don't try and deny you are ape balls to me when you can leave your family for days to drink bloody marys and kiss posters of Rob Pats in a strangers basement.) "I'm team Edward." "I'm team Jacob." You are the ones who have seen the movie 31 times because you just can't get enough of those perfect Cullens. 
     Well, let me tell you just how lucky I am and how much vampire love sucks compared to real love. I have been the lucky enough to marry my best friend going on twelve years. Just because I stalked him doesn't mean it was wrong if I ended up marrying him, right? Well that is here nor there. What matters is just like Bella Swan was enchanted the first time Edward came into that cafeteria, I was struck dumb when I truly stopped and took notice of one, Michael Harris. He is dreamy. And not just in my eyes like some people I know (you also know who you are and no, I don't see how he is cute) He is good looking in any culture, race, climate and era. What gets me most about him is, like Edward Cullen, he has caramel pool colored eyes. But when I'm mad at him he says that I have called them two turds floating in a pool of milk. Whatever the case, like Edward and Jacob, my man is hot. The good news is just like Goldie Locks said, "That one is too cold, that one is too hot. But this one is just right." Mike, unlike the cold one is great to cuddle with and unlike the wolf, has never lost his temper with me. On looks alone, Mike wins. 
     Now,as far as first kisses go. Edward used a shimmery trick Vampires use to catch prey in order to kiss  Bella. In a meadow all shiny like a lure she fell for his shtick. As far as Jacob, well he had to force himself on her the first time and then he played a psychological torture trick on her to force her to ask him for a kiss. Mike again wins here. I will spare you all the mushy gushy but it took all my restraint not to kiss him from the second he picked me up for our first date. It has been that way ever since. I wait at home for him to arrive and the unsettling thoughts, the unfinished housework, the bank account statement or any other unanswered question in my life seems to disappear for at least the brief moment he puts his lips on mine. He still makes me weak in the knees. (Mont Blanc Mike. Mont Blanc. Inside joke, sorry) 
     Now, I know what's coming next in the movie series and the wedding scene has got everyone in a tizzy. But I don't even need to see it to know that my wedding was better. I sat across from my very hot husband, now wearing a tux, in a room that let us look out into infinite copies of ourselves. It represented the infinite union we were about to commit to. And without hesitation, my husband agreed to take me for all time and eternity as his wife. He did this knowing that not just I, but both of us were fragile humans, able to die the very second we said our vows. He didn't vacillate on what his life would be like if I died and left him alone. He was willing to take me and face the cold and dreary world together. And I thank him for it. I also thank him for telling me often how if that would ever happen, he would be unconsolable and probably go join some foreign malitia. It's nice to know he has a plan. 
    Life after the honeymoon for the Cullens was a little touch and go with all the vampire baby and war and all. And you might think I would give the win to them but again, no. Life with Mike these past twelve years has not been without our own twists and turns and we have managed to not only overcome them but we did it without being impermeable to death and did most of it sleep deprived. Something Vampires know nothing about. First of all, I wish I had a vampire baby. Lets face it, if my kid grew to a mature adult in a week and had a built in wolf babysitter 24/7 I would have been on easy street. But life is not so awesome.Edward would have lost his cool and killed people if he needed to sleep and an adorable yet unbelievably loud half-breed baby demanded his attention every three hours to feed and every hour to play for six months straight. I doubt Edward would be as great as Mike has been with the six children we have had keeping him up at night for months on end. Three of them at one time. And how would he have loved Bella when her six pack turned into a juice box for longer than a few days. Trust me girl, it takes more than a simple vampire bite to get my shape back and Mike was a patient man for it all, especially after the triplets. I don't have anything in the book that represents the love Mike has shown me when I think back on how he loved me and supported me when we experienced unspeakable losses in our life. Immortal vampires know nothing of that. 

     Lastly, vampire love is not blind. Think about it. Whenever Bella was sick or whenever she was cold and shaky in that tent. Edward would be all emotional and distraught. He found her appearance unsettling. Not Mike. I sometimes think he is not only blind, but possibly incapable of smell. He can come home from work to find me unbathed, sitting in my pajamas that are covered in three babies vomit (and quite possibly feces) with rat matted hair and splotchy skin, and gives me that look that says, "Hey good looking. How about it." I roll my eyes at him but inside I mark down just how much I love that man who can see past all the mess that is me and still see the girl he fell in love with. "The Miami Sylvia," he calls me when I'm put together and ready for a night out. 
     So, in conclusion, I love to read the Twilight series because it is the latest piece of fiction that has come close to describing the love that, in reality, I have for my husband. I don't need it to escape my life. I love my life and would trade a million years as a vampire with Edward for a single minute as a wife to Mike. Every emotion I ever had while reading the series was just a flicker of the feelings I have had while walking this life with him. I see him in the eyes of all of our children and couldn't love him more than when I see him being the father and husband I always knew he would be since he leaned down and kissed me against the Arizona backdrop. He lived up to his hype and I am forever grateful.( Even when I am too tired to turn around and hold your hand in bed.) And best of all, just like those vampires, Mike and I will be together forever. 
     "What do two kids in love do for fun?" you ask. We will be at the Breaking Dawn movie. And my guy will be holding my hand and sharing my popcorn. He looks as good looking today as he did the day I married him but a tad wittier and funnier if that is possible. And if I'm lucky, really lucky, I may get a kiss after our date. Not too cold and not too hot.

Pumpkin Patch Photos

We made it out to a pumpkin patch in Alabama thanks to the coordination of the great women of our ward. I am reminded of my old New Orleans ward with these girls except now I'm the old lady of the group. They are very fun. So the difference between Michigan patches and Alabama patches are simple.
Cotten not Corn fields
A Peanut farm not an apple orchard.
Boiled peanuts for sale instead of Apple Cider, apple donuts, apple pie, warm bread.
Besides that, no difference. The kids had a blast on the hay ride, petting zoo, bouncy and there was a huge slide built in the middle of the field. I think the owners had never seen more mom's nursing babies.

May the Gulf Breeze Force be with Us

I never joined a sorority when I was in college. I stuck to the wisdom of Dillinger when asked about robbing banks. "That's where the money is." I didn't see the purpose of joining of social club without my favorite part of being social. Anyhow, at Tulane the Greek system left something to be desired. But I did my homework and managed to party from Gator Growl in Gainsville to Homecoming in Baton Rouge. But my favorite experiences were always in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Roll Tide! There was a certain mystery and wonder to the greeks there. Their homes were large brick mansions full of history and the people were sweet and oh so cute.The girls had perfectly manicured nails and hair. Tradition ruled-Dresses and suits for a football game. Whether they were sincere in their love for one another I would never know but I couldn't help but feel like I was never going to fit in their perfect little world. They were too sweet, too perfect, too....Southern. But, oh, could they party. Just think of the stuff of legends....and add a notch.
    I was reminded of my college days this Halloween in Gulf Breeze. As we had been warned- it is a big deal here. And they were right. At five, the streets were closed to traffic and hundreds of kids came out in costumes. We were ready with our 850 pieces of candy and Star Wars themed costumes. We toured our neighborhood which included several haunted houses and several open houses. It would seem, while the kids of the neighborhood ran around, their parents just opened their doors (and their liquor cabinets) and had a good, old fashioned rage. People we never met invited us into their homes for chili and cocktails. They were all so....nice and welcoming...and trusting. At one point a girl told her mom(who we never met) "I'm going trick or treating with Eva." to which her mom said, "Okay."
We were gone for an hour with this girl and Mike went back to this home(which wasn't the girl's house) to return her. At that point, a very inebriated mother took Mike and Eva back home in her golf cart-hitting a few kids and dogs on her way. I was reminded of good old Alabama and it's perfect Southern greeks, realizing that they had married one another and moved here. Everyone living in little mansions, perfectly pretty, perfectly sweet and perfectly Southern. And they couldn't be more genuine in their acceptance of us. So despite the fact that I have grown out of the party scene and consider a good time a G Rated movie matinee WITHOUT the kids, I will dress up my kids and have the candy stocked each Halloween here. Roll Tide! Geax Tigers! Go Gators and Seminoles alike. The Harris' have on their pledge pins.


 

Coda

Beau-bacca and Coda

Princess Gi-Leah, Beau bacca and Coda

The gang is all here

Princess G-Leah

Gluke and Evame were in on the fun too. 

We got Vanessa in on the fun

And Mike and I finished off the cast of characters

By the way, the babies are now 6 months old and here are the stats:

Beau 15 lb 25 oz  Height 25.5 inches She flips over on her own.

Gisele 15lb 13 oz Height 26.5 inches Does "El Pollito" with her hands. 

Carlos 16lb 13 oz Height 26 inches Holds up his arms to be held.

Kid-ism

Golden playing Captain America and talking to himself. "It's been seventy years. Not school years. Real years. Three hundred and sixty five day years."

Eva talking to her friend Vanessa. "In December I get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. That means when we are playing and I want to kill you a little voice tells me not to."

Eva comes home from school. "Mom, I need to write the names of the soldiers in our family on these stars and hand them into school. They are for Veterinary Day.