I'd rather be shopping at Nordstrom?

Mike and I went to the mall today, the first time in about 2 years. Seriously. The mall is not close so going there is more work than it's worth. I tend to shop online because nothing beats having goodies show up on your door step! So we were shopping for Mike. Seriously. (Isn't this funny, first we go to the mall and then it's not for me. Sucks.) While shopping I was reminded of a really good lesson: Everything is better at Nordstrom. (Or insert Saks or Bloomingdales) It's true.

We went for something casual yet a little dressier than the usual Old Navy fare. Tommy Bahama fit the bill. Nordstrom had everything hung by color. Lovely. The salesperson was a nice guy and had been in retail for 40 years. Knew his stuff, helped Mike find a great shirt and pants. Within a few minutes a tailor showed up to shorten the pants and then we were done. EASY!

Then we went to Macy's and they had an entire section of Tommy Bahama as well. Not by color and everything was STUFFED to the brim in a section that felt dirty. No one asked us if we needed help. AND the prices were exactly the same. Why even bother?

I probably sound like a snob, but the truth is why shop in a store (Macys) that feels gross and crammed when you can shop in a store (Nordstrom) that feels clean, the salespeople are kind and informed, and the prices are the same???

Dads and daughters

What is it about the special bond between dads and daughters? I spend all day tending to my girls and the second dad arrives I'm chopped liver. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Dylan ignores me once Mike gets home, (I get a much deseved break!) but I do feel a bit like calling her a traitor.

My husband really is the best dad in the world. OK maybe not the best, my own dad holds that title, but a REALLY close second. He helps me often and makes it possible for me to stay home, oh, and he's hot, too!

How to make me break the rules and then laugh about it

With a little voice say "Please, Mommy, stay with me, I think I'm afraid of the dark and you can cuddle with me for three minutes." Three minutes later say "Please don't breath that way at me, I don't like your breath because it stinks."

War

I just read an ARTICLE on yahoo about a young Marine who lost every person in his platoon. The article broke my heart. The last line: "I think the most frustrating thing is there's no sense of accomplishment," Williams said. "You're biding your time and waiting. But then you lose your friends, and it's not even for their own country's freedom," sent a chill through my soul.

I'm not a political person. I vote and I pay attention to what I'm voting for, but for the most part, I'm apathetic. I don't have a TV nor do I subscribe to a newspaper so the daily news escapes me. I catch only the top headlines online and rarely actually read the articles. I get all the information I need just reading headlines. I really shouldn't be writing about war because I have zero information on the subject. I just have my emotional state that has me very upset right now.

Why are we in Iraq? If we "won" the war 36 days into it three and a half years ago, why do I read a headline about it nearly everyday? And the headlines are NEVER positive. There is always some sort of count about how many people we have lost. And all for what? To “win?” Win what?

I believe in the United States, I believe in freedom. I don’t think we should be in Iraq but I do wholeheartedly support our soldiers there. But I’m afraid for these young soldiers. They have their entire lives ahead of them and they are fighting for something that may never come to fruition.

War is so archaic. We send people to kill other people. Put them right in the line of fire. This is the same thing ancient civilizations did. Haven’t we moved passed this stage? Isn’t there a more technologically advanced way to wage war that keeps people out of the line of fire? I just can’t comprehend this. I have a VERY hard time wrapping my mind around killing people to “win.”

Thank you to every soldier who has fought on behalf of our country. And thank you to the families who have been home while their brave family member fought elsewhere.

My dad (that's him in the picture) fought in Vietnam. He married my mom a few days before he left… she was a senior in high school. While he fought in the jungle she twirled flags in the drill team. He was so young. I can’t imagine what he saw. We have only spoken about it on a handful of occasions. Mostly he talks about the beautiful sunsets and countryside. I don’t really want to know more because I love my Dad and never want him to have to relive any of the time he spent in Vietnam.

I remember as a kid around 7, overhearing my mom telling someone that my dad sometimes had nightmares. My dad was 32. The same age I am now. He had already lived an entire lifetime by time he was 20 years old. Somehow my Dad survived Vietnam as a normal, kind person. He didn’t have to. He lost friends and shot people. He has every right to be insane and hateful. (Thank you, DAD, for being a wonderful person!)

I wish there were someway to stop this insanity. Not just in Iraq, but other places in the world. War is useless and wasteful.