I want to give my neighbor across the street, Amanda, a shout out on this blog. I think I solidified in her mind last night what crazy neighbors she has, but to her credit she made me feel as normal as she could under the circumstances.
So, last night at about 9:00, I decide to go clean out our van for our upcoming trip to Austin. (Yes, we have a mini van. And we got it on EBAY. And it's totally awesome.) Our dog Meg runs out the door and attacks our neighbors who are returning from catching frogs. Amanda comes to the driveway and chats with me as I am cleaning out my van. As she talks I start loading the contents of our (totally awesome) van onto our lawn. First up- a box of costumes. She looks a little alarmed when she sees the huge life size ketchup and mustard outfits, but I explain to her that I teach drama to kids and these are some of our costumes. She smiles politely, but I can tell she thinks I am slightly insane. Next out of the van- a boogie board. I tell a mildly bewildered neighbor that I had taken some kids to camp and that one had left this in my van. She smiles weakly. The next item dumped on my grass- a bag filled with Disney princess streamers. I sheepishly told her that it had been my birthday and how my friends had thought it would be funny to decorate the church with princess stuff.... and I just let it go. Next item- a mic stand. "Oh, ummm... my husband is a worship leader and I guess this is from... well, I don't know." By this time she just stood and watched as a tripod, a glide cam, salt and pepper costumes, a travel bed, and damp swimsuits followed. She seemed completely relieved when I finally brought out a box of diapers. Maybe I restored a little bit of normalcy in her eyes with this last item.
So, I started wondering- does your car (or totally awesome van) give away who you are? I thought about this as I stood surrounded by costumes, streamers, a boogie board, a mic stands, camera tripods, diapers, strollers, and so much more. I guess my van would say that we are an artsy family who loves kids, drama, music, and fun. Or else it could say that we are procrastinators who never clean out their car.
But I like to think that we are young at heart and fun and hopefully my neighbor knows that she will never need to go out and buy a Halloween costume. Or a boogie board.
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I’m in Southern Living!
1 year ago
6 comments:
Why were you taking the Disney princess streamers out of the van? You're bringing them to Austin, aren't you?! And, no joke, be SURE to re-pack those damp swimsuits because it's gettin' hot up in hare. Over 100 again today. We can't wait to see you!
-- the Texas fam
ok...so you totally crack me up!!! my car: stroller, half eaten cookie that i regret leaving in the car bc i wanted to eat it, an invitation or two to a bridal something or another, numerous kashi bar wrappers, a dr pepper can, burp cloths, some random persons prescription sunglasses (i cant even borrow them!), praise baby cds, sand from the beach...ok, you totally win! :)
a woman after my own heart- a car (or super awesome van) is a catch all!!!!i remember the days when i had theatre tape, costumes, scripts, music, pull-ups (my nephews), ect... these days it stays pretty clean- a random diaper or extra stash of baby wipes, a baby bjorn, and stroller- due to my husband... he washes my car for me almost every week so he cleans it out.if you lived in the area i would pimp my husband out to your van's needs;) if it was left up to me you would find all sorts of thing
I, the neighbor in question, would like to say that not only are you not crazy, you are also very fortunate to have something you are passionate about. It just so happens that your love for the theatre means sacrificing your vehicle!
And you are right... the contents of my car DO tell a story. One of messes and half-eaten Cheez-it's, diapers, dog hair, extra outfits for my entire family and my make-up, since I only have time to apply it once I've reached my destination on time and know I have 2 minutes to put it on!!
I do know I'll be hitting you up around Halloween (and any college frat theme parties that only exist in my imagination these days....)
If it makes you feel better, my Suburban has been hosting 3 boxes of costumes, a pair of huge over-the-knee boots (hopefully to fit our still uncast Gaston), at least one tripod, 2 life jackets, a 12 pack of diet coke (because there's really no better place to store the precious nectar in case of emergency) and a blanket that was last used at a Little League game (or maybe a swim meet).
So happy to hear that you have a van. People make fun of my soccer mom mobile. But now I know ALL the cool mommies are doing it!
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