Memes

One year ago today, I sat at my computer late one night and thought, what the heck, I’m going to start a blog. And for about 5 whole days, I kept it to myself because that way I would be under no pressure to do anything with it. I’ll just write whatever comes to mind, and if I decide to delete the whole thing, then no one will ever know the difference.

And I was cranking out some stellar, stellar material. Most of which had the same literary quality of most 5th grade essays, such as “I spent this summer at the pool. Then, I went to band camp. The pool was fun, but band camp was even more funner.”

It was riveting stuff.

Then, at the pool one afternoon, Gulley and I were talking and I confessed my blog secret, which at that time felt like I might as well say, “Hello. I am a big nerdy nerd who writes things ON THE COMPUTER and doesn’t even know if you say ‘html’ like it’s a word or if you just say the letters, which, technically, means I don’t even know enough to be a computer geek, so I’m just a plain old geek.”

But Gulley loves me, so she started reading, and I was bound and determined to keep her entertained with some average reading material. Then, I sent an email to about 5 of my friends from college, including Hite and Jen, letting them know I had started a blog and also, I had 852 slides from our latest vacation and we could all watch them during their next visit, right after we watched the video of Caroline’s birth.

Next, I made a few online friends (that term doesn’t sound creepy at all) like Barb, Diane, Jennifer, Melanie and Boomama, who read me when pretty much no one else knew that this level of writing quality was available on the internet. So, thank you ladies.

I had no idea that someday more than 15 people would read this, but I am so thankful that y’all do. Thanks for the laughs, the encouragement, the love and the commiseration. Y’all have made my life richer in the last year and I am grateful.

Many of you often email me and ask me what my favorite posts are, so in honor of one year on the computer, here are the links to a few of my favorite posts. And I’m totally kidding, no one has ever emailed to ask about my favorite posts, but here are the links anyway.

The Sopranos

Trials of Potty Training

Pregnancy and Bikinis

The Big Gulp

Adventures in Pedicures

I’ve seen this restaurant meme going around all over the place and I kind of filed it away as something I might do at some point, but I’ve been so busy, what with all the fish death and cake baking, that I forgot about it. But then, Tracey at More than a Minivan Mom actually tagged me, so here it is. I go back and forth on whether or not I like doing memes, but today? I like them.

Let me also state that I’m breaking all the rules and changing the meme to suit my own purposes, because I can’t be confined by the man and his rules. Since I live in a city that has, at last count 852 Mexican food restaurants, we eat a lot of Mexican food, and if I were to write about my 5 favorite local restaurants, it would look like this.

1. Taco Taco Cafe
2. Taco Garage
3. Patty’s Taco House
4. Taco Taco Cafe #2
5. Taco Taco Cafe #3

That would just be boring and, in spite of what y’all may think, I try to not be boring.

So, with apologies to Julio Iglesias, this is a post to all the restaurants I’ve loved before.

1. Casa Ole’ – There was a time in my life when my idea of great Mexican food was Casa Ole’. Back in high school, when I was in posession of a 16 year old metabolism, I would eat here at least three times a week. I always ordered the Dinner El Paso, which consisted of two cheese enchiladas covered in queso with a crispy beef taco on the side.

And they had green sauce. Love the green sauce. Pledge my undying love to the green sauce.

Throughout high school and college, Casa Ole’ was my answer to any of life’s events; heartaches, hangovers, girls’ night out. But sadly, now that I’ve experienced real Mexican food, the love affair is over.

2. The Grapevine – My sophomore year at Texas A&M, I discovered The Grapevine. College Station had about three restaurants at the time, Lubys, The Blackeyed Pea, and Fajita Ritas. Grapevine was an oasis in the desert of restaurants.

Gulley, Jen, Tiff and I ate at Grapevine multiple times a week. They made the best twice baked potatoes EVER and their salads were the best. They had these perfect cubes of cheese and tomato and served it with Parmesan Pepper dressing. And because I was so healthy, I would ask for a whole bottle of Parmesan Pepper dressing and dip Club Crackers in it.

My arteries are still feeling the effects.

Sadly, The Grapevine is no longer with us. It closed down sometime after I left A&M and this saddens me to no end. In fact, when the restaurant went up for sale, we talked about buying it but since the price was like $3 million dollars, it seemed like an excessive amount to spend just so I could keep eating Parmesan Pepper dressing. I still dream about the Parmesan Pepper dressing.

When Gulley and I were in College Station last month, we drove by in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, someone had resurrected Grapevine. But in an ironic twist, the property is now home to Lighthouse Christian Church, which makes sense given the religious experience that was Parmesan Pepper dressing.

3. Carrabbas – Once upon a time, Carrabbas was a family owned restaurant on Kirby Drive in Houston. Now, it’s a chain and that makes me sad. It’s not that chain restaurants can’t be good, but the chain factor sucks the soul out of a place.

Gulley and I used to drive to Houston to visit our dads during college and one of the big events was getting to go to Carrabbas. I always ordered the Pollo Rosa Maria with a side of fettucine alfredo, otherwise known as Heart Disease On A Plate.

And I don’t know why I feel the need to tell y’all this, but I once ate so much there one night that I had to change my pajama bottoms during the night because the elastic was too tight.

That’s just shameful.

Anyway, now Carrabbas is a chain and it’s lost its charm and appeal, but on the bright side, I don’t have to worry about my pajama bottoms anymore.

4. The Gristmill – We don’t eat here too often because it’s in Gruene, Texas, which is about 45 minutes away, but I love it. It’s right on the Guadalupe River and next to Gruene Hall, the oldest dancehall in Texas.

There is nothing better than spending a day floating on the river and then heading to The Gristmill to eat a chicken fried steak while listening to the sounds of Texas music coming from the dancehall. I haven’t done it in years, about 4 1/2 to be exact, but it’s a great way to spend the day.

Not to mention, eating chicken fried steak while wearing a swimsuit? Awesome.

5. Rosarios – It’s hard name just one favorite Mexican restaurant, so I’ll pick Rosarios. It’s located downtown and has some of the best Mexican food in the city, which is saying something in a city of 852 Mexican restaurants. It’s more upscale than your average taco house and the guacamole is unbelievably good.

P took me to Rosarios for our first night out after Caroline was born and when I took a sip of my first margarita in a year, I started crying. Granted, there could have been some hormones responsible for the tears along with “Raising Arizona” declarations of “I just looove that baby”, but I like to believe it was just the pure, top shelf goodness of the perfect margarita accompanied with chips and guacamole.

And there it is, the restaurants that have meant the most to me over the years. I have eaten at nicer places. I’ve eaten at gourmet restaurants where the food is perfectly presented and oh-so-arty and trendy, but these are the places that are close to my heart. When it comes down to it, I will always take a good chicken fried steak or chili con queso over slow roasted wild salmon on dilled cucumbers and avocado served with hydroponic baby lettuces.

I’m just sophisticated like that, not to mention, I think it’s cruel to eat the baby lettuces.

Chilihead is hosting a little 20 questions kind of thing today, except with, you know, about 9 questions instead of 20. I thought it would be fun to finally put to rest all of the questions surrounding the blog that is Big Mama. Plus, I really can’t wait to see what other people have to say because I am nosy, which is evidenced by the fact that I love to read about other people’s lives on a daily basis.

Anyway, here goes. Woo hoo.

How did you start blogging?

Umm, I signed up at blogger.com.

Oh, you want more?

My first introduction to the blog world was purely as a reader. During Caroline’s newborn stage, the computer became my steady companion. There was only so much Days Of Our Lives I could watch, seeing as how the plotlines were essentially the same plotlines I watched in college, so instead of being smart and sleeping when Caroline slept, I got on the world wide web.

I found a Mommy forum for August ’03 mamas and started checking in just to reassure myself that I was normal and not, in fact, having some kind of breakdown. One of the girls on the forum mentioned a blog called Dooce. I started reading and was hooked, because although our beliefs couldn’t be more different, she is a phenomenal writer and made me laugh. Not to mention that our babies were about the same age and I related to many of her thoughts on new motherhood.

However, based on Dooce, I thought blogs were strictly for liberal, cool 20-somethings with alternative viewpoints on life. The idea of actually writing about my life ON THE INTERNET never even occurred to me.

Then, about a year later, I randomly stumbled onto In the Midst of It and then, Boomama. I related to everything about them. Their faith, their families, their friends. So, I thought what the heck? I’ve got some stories and I’ll write them, even if no one ever reads them.

I honestly figured the blog would last a week.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?

Honestly, when I started this blog I figured it would be something fun for Gulley and me to read. My daily goal was to either record a memory of Caroline or to make Gulley laugh. That’s about as ambitious as it got. Do y’all really think I would have called myself Big Mama if I had known more than 10 people would someday call me that?

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog?

I guess my main goal has always been to make myself a better writer and record memories, plus I thought it might help me get started on the book I’ve always said I’d like to write.

When I go back and read some of my earlier posts, I cringe a little. I think writing is one of those things that gets better with practice. I know that the more I write, the better I write. It makes me work harder to come up with new and creative ways to say, “Today, I cleaned up some poop.”

Have you been successful?

I think I’ve been fairly successful. However, I have my favorite blogs that I read and, honestly, covet their writing skills. There are some amazing writers out in the blog world. And when I read a well turned phrase or punch line, it makes me almost weep with joy…or envy. Or both.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?

I don’t know that focus and Big Mama really go together.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started?

I don’t know that there is anything I would do differently. At times I wonder if I shouldn’t use Caroline’s name or picture, but I think I do a pretty good job of keeping other aspects anonymous for safety reasons. I asked Gulley the other day if she wanted me to go back and change her name to G in all of my old posts, because I had no idea that anyone other than my friends would read this. Of course, it’s been kind of fun because anyone who knew us in college can figure out immediately who I am when they see Gulley’s name. And the Diamond Darling thing is a dead giveaway for sure.

Do you make money with your blog?

No. However, I have received a roll of paper towels and 2 boxes of cereal. I think these items will definitely help pay Caroline’s college tuition and more than compensate me for the embarrassing things I’ve confessed over the last 11 months.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it?

All of my family and P’s family know about the blog. I never had any intention of keeping it a secret, but I didn’t tell them when I started it because I didn’t really know that I’d blog for more than a week. Also, I still feel awkward and weird telling people, “Umm, I have this, like website type thing and umm, people read about my life ON THE INTERNET.”

However, everyone has found out about it one way or the other and I think most of them read it sometimes. Even my 89 year old grandmother who has her own laptop and wireless internet. How cool is that? Hi Nanny.

Plus, P has occasionally forwarded out links to posts, primarily the ones about elk hunting or hunting for hogs out of helicopters, to his group of friends. I am proud to say that I may be one of the only mommy blogs to ever be read by members of the U.S. special forces, and assorted other guys in their 20’s and 30’s. I reach all demographics really.

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?

The best advice was something I read one time that I think was actually from Dooce. Whenever you write something, imagine the last person in the world who you’d want to read it and then assume that some day they will find it. If that’s okay, post away. If not, rethink what you wrote and save yourself the heartache. I have been amazed at the random people from my life that have found me through this blog, which reminds me that you never know who will be reading.

Also, the best way to get traffic is to leave comments on other blogs. Back before I had my own blog, I always wondered if bloggers liked comments or if they got to a point where they didn’t care. I don’t know about everyone else, but I will reveal my inner dork once again, to say that I adore comments. I never get tired of them and let’s be honest, they are sometimes the funniest part of this blog.

Plus, I’ve gotten to the point where I have my list of blogs that I read faithfully and many times the only way I find a new blog is through my comments. If someone leaves a good comment and if P and Caroline will quit telling me they need to eat or need clean clothes or whatever, then I love to go visit my commenters. And if I’m reading someone else’s blog and see a funny comment, I’ll click on it to see who wrote it. So, don’t be afraid to give a shout out.

I hope now that I’ve answered these questions, you will be able to sleep better at night knowing how Big Mama came to be. I will say that it’s been more fun than I ever imagined, and that’s because of y’all. Big love from Big Mama.

Now head on over to Chilihead’s because inquiring minds want to know.

I have to share with y’all, today is a momentous occasion that must be documented. I am composing this post on my brand new MacBook. Oh yes, I have joined the world of Apple and all its loveliness.

P and I (well actually just me, because P really couldn’t care less about computers other than going online occasionally to purchase ammo and camoflauge backpacks) were on the verge of making this life changing purchase about three weeks ago and then I got the call from my manager letting me know that I might be getting fired and since we are discerning and wise, we realized it might not be the best time to make such a purchase.

However, we were living in dire, desperate computing circumstances here, with our old Windows system and a CPU that sounded like it might explode at any time due to sheer exhaustion from running a completely antiquated system. Y’all may think I’m exaggerating, but let me tell you there were some mornings that we turned on the computer (we always turned it off at night because we seriously believed it could be a fire hazard) and an alarm would start beeping to let us know that it was HOT! and the FAN! WASN’T! WORKING! and we always did what any really tech savvy person would do and just hit a bunch of keys on the keyboard until the noise stopped, because P and I both knew that if I couldn’t get on the computer, my eye would start to twitch and it would just be a matter of time before I was in full blown withdrawal.

We were living in computer denial.

But now, we have seen the light, repented of our computer processing sins, and laid our checkbook on the altar of Apple.

I thought long and hard about what my first post would be on my fancy new computer, but between watching and worrying about Meredith Grey possibly being dead and then finding out who got voted off American Idol, I just couldn’t come up with anything of great blogging substance.

However, earlier this week I saw this meme that DeeDee over at It Coulda’ Been Worse made up and knew it would just be a matter of time before it called to me. If nothing else, it will make me think about songs I’d like to upload to my iPod, which now looks so perfect sitting next to my MacBook.

And the fact that I just said that means that literally, I have technically turned into a geek. My music choices will just confirm my membership into the less than cool club.

Favorite Song From Childhood: Seriously, if there were a soundtrack of my childhood I feel like there are two voices I would hear: Jimmy Swaggart and Willie Nelson. The polar opposites of the musical spectrum.

It seems like I was either listening to “The Old Rugged Cross” or “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”. That being said, the song that always takes me back to childhood is hearing Willie sing “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”.

Favorite High School Dance Song: Get out your banana clip, tease those bangs, throw on your Guess jeans and prepare to get your groove on to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock . WHOO! YEAH!

Senior Class Song: It pains me to say that it was the schmaltz that is Whitney Houston singing “One Moment In Time”. When I think back to my senior class, the only moment in time we needed was a sober one. Everyone just step away from the Boones Farm Strawberry Hill.

Favorite Rock & Roll Song: I know that Van Halen has had their issues with David Lee Roth and then no David Lee and then Sammy Hagar and then David Lee Roth again, but I unashamedly love me some Van Halen. “Why Can’t this Be Love?” will have me singing at the top of my lungs every time. That’s right, I said it.

And just so I don’t lose all credibility and embarass P to no end, I also love The Rolling Stones, especially “Brown Sugar”.

Favorite Disco Song: I’m not sure it qualifies as disco but I love “Sing a Song” by Earth, Wind and Fire.

Favorite Country Western Song: “Marina Del Rey” or just about anything by George Strait because he is the best there has ever been.

Favorite Pop Song: At the moment I love “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall. It’s a happy springtime song that almost makes me okay with the fact that it’s 80 degrees outside in February.

Favorite All Time Love Song: “The Way You Look Tonight” sung by Tony Bennett. If it’s not Tony singing, then there just isn’t as much love.

Favorite Break Up Song: “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor. If the interior of my car that I drove in high school (a sweet, sweet Honda CRX) could talk, I would be shamed for anyone to know how many times I cried over various ex-boyfriends to this song.

Favorite Make Out Song: I’m sorry, but when I see the words make out song, all that comes to mind is Richie Cunningham on Happy Days singing “I found my thrills on blueberry hill…”

Song That Always Makes You Cry: “Lullaby” by The Dixie Chicks because it is one of the sweetest songs ever and captures a mama’s heart.

Songs About Your Kid/s: “Sweet Caroline” is the obvious choice and I do adore the song. The other song is “Fly Me to the Moon” because it was the song that I sang more than any other as I rocked her in the middle of the night.

And one more that will always make me think of Caroline is a worship song called “You Are So Good to Me” because the chorus says “You are beautiful, my sweet, sweet song…” and the first night we were home from the hospital, P and I were eating dinner that someone had brought over and Caroline was this sweet, pink bundle in her bassinet and that song was playing and when it got to the chorus, I put my head down in my meatloaf and cried because I felt so blessed. And yes, I was probably also slightly hormonal.

Song That Reminds You Of Your Husband: P and I have never been the kind of couple that has a song. We just aren’t really like that. We also call each other by our last name instead of honey or baby or whatever. We’re not a schmoopy kind of couple, NOT that there is anything wrong with that.

So, all of that to say that the song that will always remind me of P is “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks, not because he is a cowboy (although there is a nasty rumor going around that before I met him he used to wear Wranglers and perhaps a belt with his name on the back) but because it just makes me remember all the things I love about him.

Favorite Gospel/Praise Song: This is a hard one to narrow down, but I’ll just name two. “Unashamed Love” by Ten Shekel Shirt and lately, “How Can I Keep from Singing” by Chris Tomlin.

Favorite Ringtone on Cellphone: Honestly, I’m not a fan of the song ringtone because then I end up hating the song. I’m a plain old Cingular ringtone kind of girl.

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if it looks like fun, then hit me with your best shot a la Pat Benatar.

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

The first order of business today is to thank y’all for your sweet comments regarding my funk. Nothing like feeling loved to make a girl feel a little less funky. Seriously.

Secondly, Jennifer over at Snapshot tagged me for a meme that involves divulging six weird pieces of information about myself. Come on. You’ve got to give me a challenge. Finding six weird things is like taking candy from a baby.

1. I am absolutely, completely compulsive when it comes to all things involving going to bed at night. P and I have slept under separate covers since about the second week of our marriage because for some reason he didn’t want to sleep under a down comforter every night. I am now unable to share covers with anyone, even my child. If Caroline gets in bed with us at night, I bring her own quilt for her to cover up with because everyone in this family has to pull their own weight…or blanket as the case may be.

In addition to the no cover sharing, I must have a totally wrinkle free bottom sheet and all three of the pillows that I sleep with must be plumped down to the end of the pillowcase. I don’t need any extraneous pillow case hanging off the pillow, it’s just messy. And if there are any crumbs in the bed, then my night is just completely shot.

After I get all of this done (and I know y’all can’t imagine there is more), I have to go to the bathroom three times in a ten minute period. It goes like this: go to the bathroom, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, turn on bedside lamp and take down ponytail, go to the bathroom. It doesn’t matter that I may not have to even go, I’m just doing everything I can to prevent a 2 a.m. trip to the bathroom. My hatred of middle of the night bathroom visits made me a complete joy to be around throughout my pregnancy.

2. I know just about every song that has ever been written. I could be on Name that Tune…well, if it still existed. You give me a song and most of the time I can give you the artist and at least some of the lyrics.

3. I have mentioned before that I am OCD. I can’t stand clutter. Things pile up and I must get them out of my sight. However, what I may have failed to mention is that I often just put them somewhere else where they don’t necessarily belong, but where I don’t have to look at them. This may explain why a drawer in my kitchen holds takeout menus, batteries, a thank you note from Caroline’s teacher, playdough, some decorative garland from Christmas and other assorted oddities.

In fact earlier, P pulled out a little ziploc baggie containing a door stop, multiple picture hangers, and two double AA batteries and commented how handy it was to have all those items in one convenient baggie since they obviously all go together.

I would like to be more organized, really I would, but not enough to actually do something about it.

4. I know more trivial information than should be allowed. I am truly the Cliff Claven of my group of friends and PROUD of it. There is nothing I like more than throwing out a random fact about something or someone. I can’t always cite my source because I have stored information in recesses of my brain about things I’ve read years before, but oh yes ma’am do I know some stuff.

The only commonality is that most of it isn’t useful.

5. I briefly mentioned this in a previous post, but back when I used to go hunting and P would put me in a blind by myself, I would get bored and start talking to the deer. I’d get louder and louder until I was basically yelling “Hey YOU!” at them. Amazingly, some of them still stuck around which completely proved P’s theory that you have to be quiet while hunting totally wrong.

Either that or they just figured that any idiot yelling at them out of a blind was certainly not planning on shooting them, so they might as well keep eating.

6. I tend to obsess over things (see #1). I would like to say that I lose sleep at night over things like world peace or the budget deficit, but that would be a lie. I will wake up in the middle of the night to worry about things like if I should have bought the sweater that I saw earlier that day at Gap and if I go back tomorrow will they still have one in my size.

I also lay awake and compose letters in my head that I am going to write to the head of whoever is in charge of trains, regarding how many times a train conductor should be allowed to blow their whistle at 2 a.m. and wake people out of a perfectly good sleep, people who need their sleep because they have a child who rarely sleeps through the night and if this happens to be one of those rare nights, then they certainly do not need to be awakened by some train conductor blowing his whistle 146 times because he is bitter that he is working the night train shift.

I don’t limit my imaginary letter writing to the bigwigs at the train department. It’s just an example of one of my most common compositions. Anyone is fair game to end up on my pretend letter exercise, the only problem is that they usually make much more sense in the wee hours of the morning than they do in the light of day, which I’m sure is the ONLY reason that I don’t actually write out my thoughts and send them in.

And on the subject of writing out thoughts, I think I’m done. I’m supposed to tag six people, but I am fairly certain that everyone in the blogging universe has already done this. If you haven’t, then consider yourself tagged. If any of y’all don’t have a blog, feel free to live something weird about yourself in the comments. It’s always comforting to know you’re not alone.