It was weird that the now 7 year old woke up having a screaming nightmare about her favorite boy being hurt or something this morning. I had to go get her out of bed at o'dark thirty this morning and cuddle her up and assure her that he was okay and probably still asleep,(unlike me at that point), so I brought her and her monkey to my bed and tucked her in, and assured her that all was well. He, in fact, just tweeted a few minutes ago, and if she wasn't sound asleep next to me, I would have pointed that out to her, but like is always the case, the small child that wakes the entire house is always the one that is quickest to go back to sleep.
Its been a busy year for us, and just in that past week things have really started showing a vast improvement. I now have a job. We are no longer sleeping in someones spare room. I can personally attest, that we have well over 7 bags worth of stuff to muck about, and I now know more than 1 person up here. Not many more, but I met a friend at the concert and 1 year later we are still hanging out and talking, doing coffee and in a few weeks, attending our second 100 Monkeys concert together.
I am actually bringing a friend to this one. Thats soo not like me and that speaks to the power of this odd little band with its enigmatic front boy. We joke back and forth about her insistence he is a,'Serial killer", with me agreeing that as often as over-stimulated, hormonally challenged fans proclaiming,"Im dead", at every picture of him they see, that if it were true, he would be a very prolific one.But I invited her and nagged at her until she agreed to give his band a chance and come see them in concert. I am looking forward to seeing her and many of the other fans I have spoken with and made friends with... that's right, me...with friends that I actually hang out with and want to see. Just saying it seems soo damn strange. One year ago, I had one friend. They lived here. We didn't really hang out. We dont really have much in common. I am not a churchy person and she is, but she cares about my kids and we do get along pretty decently.
My other friend that I had in Flagstaff had gotten married and had left when she was afraid I was slowly committing suicide by staying in Flagstaff. We have reconnected since I moved up here, but she didn't have faith in me and that kinda stings a little. So, having people I am looking forward to seeing and hanging out with, well, that's just weird and cool.
I am so used to being,"So and So's mom" at this point, that having friends who actually know my name and who talk about going out to do adult things like chase cute guys or maybe have a beer or something, well, that's even stranger, but that is what these friends are talking about. Yeah, daughter is the main focus of the whole concert thing. Just like a year ago this is for her, but after that is for me. I am hoping to be able to send the kids home and play with the big kids for a little bit. A year ago I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I am still weird and somewhat out of place, but I am starting to adapt. Im older now, so things take a little longer, but as far as we have come in this year, I am pretty damn happy. We still dont have any damn money, but we will get there.
I look at the tattoo on my wrist and hand and I think about that day and how my kids started smiling, and how it felt to laugh again. That boy still makes me laugh, with his,"If you only knew what I was up to" grin and his Ely shirts that look like he raided my fathers closet circa 1978, its hard to not just love the hell out of him. Its been a year of good for us, and I hope the same for him.
This will continue to be a great for you. :) And it's not just a rag tag band of monkeys to thank, it you. You're strong, your kids are strong and you will persevere, be triumphant. I'm glad I know you, can't wait to see you in person. :)
ReplyDelete*year. Coffee hasn't kicked in yet.
ReplyDelete