Funny. And true 🙂
Archives for October 2010
37 Weeks
36 week Photo Shoot with Katie
Southlake Baby Shower
I’ll admit, I had some worries going into this third and final baby shower. All of these people are soooo way out of our league financially, that I didn’t know how it would be to spend hours with them at a party. I just didn’t know what I had to offer without piano books in hand.
But the truth is, they were all wonderful. Happy, upbeat, easy to converse with, even down to earth. One mom (with 2 kids under the age of 7) arrived at the same time I did. As we were walking up to the door together, she giggled, “Thanks so much for giving me an excuse to feel like a woman today! I’d almost forgotten how to put on makeup and dress up nice!”
I know it’s not that way with all rich people, but with these moms, you can’t tell they have money. Until they mention a few staggering details, like the fact that the reason the shower was during the day is because they all had tennis matches with private instructors in the evening. One mom is going to Ireland on business with her husband next week– to watch her two children, they are flying their old nanny out from Toronto, Canada. Yes, can we say, “different league”? Even the ones that are “poor Southlakers” (ie., don’t have private jets, two income families, no nanny or Lexus, etc.) have 3,000 square foot homes, people to come clean their pool, disposable income for 2 large family vacations a year, you name it. They are under the impression that they aren’t wealthy just because they are around so many other rich people day in and out.
It helps remind me though–money really isn’t what makes you happy. None of the things these women talked about were their monthly vacations to Europe or their facial treatments at the laser dermatology clinic. They talked about their kids, and how much they had been changed for the better by having them. That’s one of the nice things about Southlake. These people don’t just have big homes for show, they usually have 4-6 kids to fill them. One mom was telling me about her neighbor. They raised 3 of their own, sent them off to college, and then in their late 60s adopted 4 more from overseas. The dad, a retired doctor, had to go back to work in order to pay for all the adoption proceedings (on avg. about 70k/kid). They wanted to give back, somehow, because of all they’d been given.
Anyways, back to the shower details. I love that I’ve had 3 showers, because I now feel loved and encouraged by every aspect of my life, especially since my love language is definitely gifts. My first shower was given by everyone in my past who helped get me to where I am today. My second shower was with the people who support me on a weekly basis through church and community. My third shower then became being loved by those who I work for day in and out. Some of these moms I’ve been with for 3+ years, working with their kids on a very personal and intimate basis. I go to their gymnastic meets, their talent shows, even their funerals. So it was nice to be loved by them.
As you get down to the picture with the toys, I have to tell you a funny story. Jesse has made it VERY CLEAR that there will be no artificial noise making toys in our house.
Imagine my chagrin when one of the baskets, holding lots of little goodies and gifts, was already “singing” before I’d even opened it. No one, and I mean NO ONE could figure out how to turn this toy off.
As we packed my car, we made sure to put that special little number in my trunk. But I could still hear it in the drivers seat, oh, yes. I texted Jesse, “I don’t know how to turn it off!” and he quickly responded, “I know how to turn it off”. I’m sure he was referring to a hammer or throwing it off the balcony.
Luckily, there was a gift receipt, so one innocent toy was saved Jesse’s wrath and will go on to play another day with a different family.
And, luckily, when I added up all my gift cards from all these generous people, we have over $400 to spend at Target! Jesse and I have already decided that we want to buy a video camera in order to record important moments in Gregory’s life, perhaps even right after he’s born. Yes, it would be wiser in one sense to save the $ for future expenses, but once those baby moments are gone, they’re gone. I remember that my siblings and I used to love watching old home videos together, remembering what so and so looked like or said (somewhere, there’s even a video of 2 year old me singing, “Away in the Manger” for the entire family, complete with hand motions…hopefully no one ever gets a hold of that!). It’s something I’ve always wanted for our little family. Thanks to everyone who made it happen!
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