Over the past couple of months, I have learned a secret about Todd that I don't think he'll mind if I share. When we're little we all dream of being something else; some wish they were a bird so they could fly, others a dolphin to glide gracefully through the ocean. As we grow older these desires slowly fade from our minds. However, for some, these desires never seem to fade out completely, and occasionally they come bubbling to the surface. One of Todd's secret animal wishes is that he were a Flying Squirrel. He wishes he could run around in the forest, gliding from tree to tree. He occasionally demonstrates this wish at random times by mistaking ME for one of these trees. Just last night he climbed up on the back of the couch and glided across the living room - and pounced on me.
So my questions are: What is your Secret Animal? and does the Instinct still remain inside you?
This past weekend, not to miss out on some of the local "flavor", we saddled up and headed on out to the:
Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo (42nd Annual)
Mind you, this was not for the faint of heart, viewer discretion is advised. While the live 'rattlers were the main attraction, there was plenty more seein' to be done: Dixie flag t-shirts, armed armadillos, a flashback to the 80's for some hair-bows (on sale!!), and a quick interview with some of the local folk. Oh, and of course we picked us up some snake meat. Hope you all enjoy this as much as we did. Truly a once in a lifetime event......
It took a lot of convincing, but I think Todd and I have finally found Our Song!
It first came about when I borrowed a handful of CDs from my good friend Amy Naseath last summer, one of which was a powerful collection of 80's love ballads. I was mesmerized - those of you who know me well are well aware of my fetish with 80's music.
Well, there I was listening to the CD when Firehouse's "Love of a Lifetime" started playing. I hit replay over and over, cried a little, sang along, remembering the depth of emotion this song had aroused in me when I heard it for the first time in junior high. The crooning, the guitar, the drums. . . As I listened to the lyrics, I just knew it was telling the story of Todd and I. Sigh.
I spent the entire afternoon singing it, over and over again, so excited for Todd to come home so we could have a euphoric experience bonding over this song and just knowing it was meant exactly for us. It was going to be beautiful.
It didn't work out quite that way. First of all, Todd thought the song was a little bit cheezy, if not obsessive. Second, he just did not feel the vibe I had. I tried hard to convince him, and finally got him to commit to it being "our song for the week."
I sang it to him every chance I got over that week, and kept asking him if he wasn't sure he wanted it to be our song forever. He wasn't buying it.
Well, I guess I kind of gave up on it over time. But every once in a while I would tease Todd and sing it to him, and we would dance together a little bit.
But this week was the clincher. TODD instigated the singing of "Love of a Lifetime!" We were just hanging out in the living room, being silly, when all of a sudden, Todd grabbed me in his arms and started singing it to me.
So it's settled. It's our song. I am satisfied.
If you want to add a satisfyingly romantic five minutes to your life, here you go:
