And so it goes

I remember being in my teenage years and flipping through an old photo album belonging to my parents. The pages were filled of pictures from parties they had as a young married couple: Halloween parties, Christmas parties and parties just to have parties. There were so many people in the pictures I didn't recognize. I asked my mom and dad who all these nameless people were. They thoughtfully named off so and so, and started telling funny stories from the party where the picture was taken. There were so many names that I hadn't heard before. I asked what had happened to all of these people. Why had I not met any of them?

My mom said something profound to me that day. It was something that in your teenage years makes absolutely no sense, but to someone in their thirties, it rings very true.

"These are the people we used to do everything with, every weekend of every month...and then we all started having kids."

Mike and I were in the car today on our way back from my chiropractor appointment. We were talking about all of our little adventures and how we usually ended up at the bar where Deuce was the DJ. I laughed as I said "And remember all the times we'd go to the Sand Bar with Mitch and Jen after bar close and Mitch and I would nap on the way to Wisconsin?". It's funny how one memory can spur so many others. It was in the midst of the conversation with Mike that I remembered what my mom said so many years ago.

Our last year in Minneapolis really mirrored the idea of "...then we all started having kids." We found overselves meeting fantastic new people through school and dance and felt ourself drifting further from the friends of our youth. The friends of our youth started to move in different directions with their families and getting together on the weekend wasn't as easy as making the Friday night phone call. It now required weeks of scheduling around dance, basketball, karate and swimming lessons. It didn't mean we loved our friends any less, it just meant that all of our priorites had changed, and the main priority for all of us now were our kids.

Britney Sighting

I'm 34 years old, and I like Britney Spears. There, I said it, and I said it for all of cyberspace to see. The truth is, I've always liked her. I can't exactly explain why, so don't ask.

When I was asked to go the concert with some coworkers, I jumped on the idea. A free concert, in a suite, high above the general public? Sign me up!

Yes, she lip synced her way through almost the entire concert, and no, I wasn't the least bit surprised. I actually expected it. There was absolutely no disappointment on my end. The show really was the Circus it proclaimed itself to be, complete with clowns, jugglers and midgets.

A friend in Minneapolis sent a link to CJ's column in the StarTrib the day after the concert in Kansas City. The article incorrectly said that there was a "Britney Sighting" in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday night. Most know that I have this love hate thing for CJ's columns. Most of the time, they make me nuts (much like the writings of Chris Coleman), so I grabbed hold of the opportunity to tell her she was incorrect via email. I debated erasing my signature off the bottom my email (why I don't know), but ended up leaving it on.

In a nutshell, I told her it was nearly impossible for Britney to have been leaving a movie Thursday night at 12:30 am. The concert in KC didn't end until close to 10:30, and it would have taken at least a half hour to get to any kind of air field, and a minimum of an hour flight on a private jet.

I admit, from the suite, I had my doubts as to whether or not it was really Britney (but I cleared that up at the bar after the show with someone who was sitting by the stage). I sent my email and went about my day.

My cell phone rang around 2:00. It was a 612 number and I thought it might be a realtor setting up a showing on the house that will never sell.

"Is this Rebecca?"
"Yes" I reply
"This is CJ"

Holy crap. CJ called me? I knew I should have erased my signature. Note to self: ALWAYS LISTEN TO THAT LITTLE VOICE, EXCEPT WHEN IT TELLS YOU TO NOT EAT CHOCOLATE

"You say you saw Britney in concert last night in Kansas City?"
"Yes, yes I did".

We went over the timeline that I outlined above. She seemed a little miffed that she printed a possible Britney Sighting off an incorrect "Tweet" off of Twitter, or whatever it is they call posts on Twitter (isn't Facebook enough?).

I hung up after a 5 minute conversation which was filled with the timeline and a few laughs. I have to say, I think CJ would be a pretty cool person to go have a French martini (new drink of choice) with.