5 things I learned from my singles weekend.

A couple of weekends ago I got the opportunity to fly solo for the entire weekend. No hubby, no kid. Just me myself and I. I couldn't remember the last time I had been on my own longer than an evening. I am a middle child, so growing up the house was never truly my own. I never moved out of my parents house prior to my engagement to my now husband and after we had our son there was always someone with me, or not to far off.

But I always wondered what it was like to live on my own, to be truly single for longer than a few hours. Had I missed out on something?  Well by the Sunday that followed my solitude I had come up with a pretty good idea of what it was like, and these are the five takeaways on my end of things.

1. Talking to one self is perfectly normal.

I talk to myself all the time, some of my best conversations have been against myself. I always felt like this made me odd because, well no one else I know really does. But in all honesty I can see now that it is perfectly OK to hold conversations with yourself, especially when your on your own because in all honesty who else is going to answer you?

2. Party of one just doesn't have the same ring, and causes a lot of stares from onlookers.

 Eating at home is great but by the time Saturday afternoon came around I needed to see something other than my four walls and so I dragged myself over to our local hole in the wall restaurant. The same one that we eat at every weekend. I slid into the booth and waited. The waitresses and the customers surrounding me kept looking at  me as though something was strangely wrong. I also think its probably the fastest meal I had ever eaten.

3. My electric bill would be through the roof.

I do not like being in the dark by myself. It scares the shit out of me. Which probably could explain the thousand lights on throughout the house..upstairs, downstairs, and everywhere in between. Something tells me half my income would have been going to my electric bill had this been my normal life. Perhaps I should apologize to the husband when we finally receive the monthly bill. Its not going to be pretty that is for sure. 

4. There is only so much fun one can have at an introvert party.

That's right the jello shooters were lined up, the slip in slide ready to go. I had it all planned out. A total introverted party for one. I was going to have a blast, get wasted and party like in was umm 1999?? But then the couch called, and I hate parties anyway...and the cleanup sounded not so appealing. I did however enjoy the evening on the couch much more than anything. Maybe the party wasn't a smashing hit. But as an introvert, I was fine with it.

5. My house would be immaculate.

By Sunday, the house was clean, the laundry done and had been. In fact I didn't have to do much at all during the weekend. I picked everything up, I cleaned up everything after so there really was no need to. Not only that but you would never know a happy energetic little boy lived there what so ever. I got a glimpse of what life was like before my son-which seems so long ago-did we truly live so clean?  And in a way, I found while it was nice to have a clean house in a lot of ways it was almost to clean, and left me with little to actually do.

I came to the conclusion that while I have always wondered if the single life was something I missed out on, the fact remains I missed the noise of my son's laughter. My husbands snore can get old and loud but it has come to be almost a comfort level...and while I do love my solitude and quietness that I so desperately need from time to time, maybe an evening is truly all I need.

She comes from Boston....

A couple years back, after my medical scares I really began to think of things I wanted to do. Call them my bucket list. Granted most of them weren't that great and consisted of things more in the line of be nicer to so and so, enjoy the time I have. But there were the one or two things I decided I wanted to do in my lifetime.

The first thing listed. To see Kenny Chesney play in Boston MA. Why Boston? Well I have this love of the city for starters. The baseball team has become my own, the history and the vibe and just everything about it has become me.

Second, Kenny loves the town, a couple of his songs revolve around it, so naturally.....and third, he usually ends the tour there. So I always assumed it would be an amazing show.

But of course I had to get there, it had to be at a time I could go. And I had to have the means.

And last November, I took the plunge and along with my husband decided this was going to be the year to go. It was going to be now or never-little did I know he would make an announcement of a no tour for a few years shortly after- I bought our tickets, booked the flights and reserved a  hotel for the weekend.

And waited.

Until this past weekend when all that waiting paid off, and my dream of seeing him in Boston came true. And did it live up to everything I thought? Yes. It was an incredible show, he played a full 30-45 longer than any other typical venue I had seen him at. Whether it was because it Boston, or the end of the tour I do not know. But he did. And it wasn't songs I was used to hearing, the same ones I had known for years. But the ones I love about Boston, and about friends and Island life.

Even the opening act was amazing, the end of the tour seemed to bring out the most in all of them.

As for crowd and all I can not say it seemed all that much different. Well let me say, the tailgating in Foxboro was dif more alive than I had seen, but on the inside they seemed more into the music than drinking, a departure from my usual tours I had seen him where its usually reversed. The crowd at Foxboro drank on the outside more. Or so it seemed.

It was loud, but I can't say it was any louder than it has been in the past at FEDEX Field, though I have to say the air did seem a little different.

And as the night flew by I didn't want it to end, I sang She Comes From Boston at the top of my life. I stood alongside Bostonians and the rest of the New England crowds who had no idea this DCtonian was with them and soaked it all in, the songs, the stadium. EVERYTHING. Because I was here, and I had done something I promised myself I would do.

And even if I am not from the city
For a night.
I was.

Bucket list task=complete.

An owed apology.

I feel like I owe an apology.

August  has not been my month to write. Its not that I haven't wanted to write. Its just. The words haven't been there.

Nor has the motivation really.

First there was vacation, twelve fabulous days of either enjoying time away from things or being on the road. I promised myself, my son and my husband that I would not spend all that  much time-or any for that matter-sitting in front of the computer. Sure I had things I thought, wanted to say and put out there. But I don't think vacation is necessarily a time to spend in front of a computer. I do that enough on a daily basis as it is.

Then there was the post vacation blues that always seem to set in. The trying to get back into the routine of work, and normal life that happens when one is not on vacation. While I wanted to write then I just couldn't.

And then like I have been a lot as of late, I just didn't have the umf or the  motivation or anything to do it. The words, thoughts and all were coming I had even had two topics I really wanted to discuss, and still do. But I have been in a funk as of late. I had hoped vacation would have helped but it is apparent that it did not. I couldn't even really write anything. Tweet, blog post my piece I have been working on for the better part of 9 months. Nothing. It is all frustrating really.

Perhaps none of these are valid and are all just excuses. But for whatever reasons there are please forgive me and bear with me. I promise to get in the swing of things and get moving.

The great ECV debate.

I am an American with a disability. And being that I have a minor case of Cerebral Palsy to the right side, I know not every disability is easy to recognize. While some are more apparent on the outside, others are hidden within. Even my own is at times hard to notice as I have accommodated and adapted so it is.

On a normal basis I do not complain about my disability, I do not point it out or make a big deal out of it. In the long run there are far more that have it worse than I do, need the accommodations and the help more than I do. I am usually the first to offer my seat up to someone who can't stand. A mother with a young child. Even if I know I have just as much right as the blind person I gave my seat to. I do not abuse, cheat or neglect the system.

Though I realize many do.

 If you are a frequent visitor to the parks you are fully aware with the endless debate regarding the subject of ECV's. Some see them as a nuisance, others see them as a necessity, while others see them as something that made this persons with disability outraged.These are those that view the ECV's and see them as an opportunity to cheat the system.

For those that aren't familiar with Disney policy regarding those with disabilities and bus services let me introduce you to them. Like any other guests, they are-and rightly so-allowed to use and have the privilege to use Disney bus services to get around the hotels and parks. They wait in line no different, unlike the system we all knew as a kid there are no different or 'short' buses. When one pulls in to the space-usually every 20 minutes-these guests and their parties wait to the side, as the cast member sets up the ramp, fixes the set and then assists them on, after the members of the parties are welcomed to join before the rest of the waiting guests are allowed on.  I have never had an issue with allowing those with disabilities on first, I can even understand one or two accompanied guests, especially if it is a guardian. But I will say sometimes I find when the party consists of 20 members, I tend to believe they like the rest of us who are waiting could actually wait...

On my latest trip down to Disney World,  I stood in line waiting for the bus to bring us back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. In front of us, was a row and a half of guests doing the same thing. It was late, it was hot and it was definitely past half the kids bedtime. On the side lined up was 2 ECVs, a boy in a decked out wheelchair and a woman in a pretty teal wheelchair. As the bus pulled in ECV lady #1 backed up hers, as ECV lady #2  stood up walked over to the line and had her son sit down in the ECV we all waited as the cast member rearranged and worked out the bus so he could get as many people, and the ECV's on the bus as possible. It was a struggle with ECV lady #1, but he managed to do it. Then it was the sons turn who raced it around before plopping the ECV on the lift and waited as the castmember brought him on board. When it was finally on the bus, he was asked if he could move, to which he said yes and got up. Two down, two to go, the cast member went back down to see to the wheelchaired guests, and with his back to him the ECV guy began to dance around the bus. And the lady who was the original ECV driver, not only walked all over to the walkway, but carried three strollers and climbed the stairs. The family then gave high fives to one another as the cast member talked to the wheelchair bound guests.Clearly not all of them needed that ECV rental.

The cast member was attempting to tell the wheelchair bound guests that they would have to wait for the next bus. The mother would not have anything to do with it, it took a little bit of determination on her end before he said he would see what he could do and finally managed to get her on as well...the teal lady had to wait for the next.

Maybe this issue wouldn't have gotten me so much had it not been for the fact there were two people who clearly did need the assistance. Maybe those two legitimately had reasons for the ECV's rentals, this we will truly  never know. But from where I stood in line, the lack of empathy and the appearance that these people thought that they somehow were above anyone and deserved to take advantage of this right and services was clear.

No not everyone abuses this sort of thing. There are several out there that need them and do not use them in this sort of fashion. But its families like them the kind that use them to take advantage that give those who actually need them, the bad rap that they have.

But until something further is done, this will continue.

Although I do have one final thought to those that decide to use it to gain advantage. Karma has a way of coming back on you.

Back by popular demand?

After nearly a week and a half away on a much needed holiday, I am back. I am sure I will be back to my rambling ways filled with thoughts on vacation, those motorized scooters and everything in between soon enough.....