MIL drama continued

Ladies, I don't really know where or how to start this one. I'll probably have to get more in-depth when I have a longer amount of time to tell you everything. I'll try to give it to you in a nutshell:

Inlaws said they wanted to come for Hubby's 40th birthday and Christmas. We said that was fine. We told them that we would have an agreed-upon agenda. They sent 'fluff' email stating that they wanted to 'make memories, sing Christmas carols around the piano and just enjoy 'being' together'. (I swear, this was verbatim...who are we Norman Rockwell?) Well that is what we thought we had been doing for the last several visits.

But after we received the email that they felt like we used them, we decided to take a different route. We set an agenda of what we could do and they said that we sounded militaristic and couldn't move on. The words they used were ones that we were 'cold & unwelcoming'. So, we told them that we weren't being cold, we were just trying to make a plan because we wanted to make sure that no one felt used. They responded with a 'until you can move on and not move backward, thank you but NO THANK YOU'. Those are exact words. We replied stating that we were not moving backward, but rather feeling like we were at a stand-still because we needed answers to these questions and that we couldn't move on until we knew exactly what we did so that we can make it right.

So, that is it. How sad that they have to be so controlling and struggle for power all the time. I feel very badly for my husband most of all. I can't imagine growing up in such a conditional-love atmosphere. He is such a good man and I consider him one of my many blessings to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. And, hubby, when you read this, know how much I love you sweetie, and am so proud of who you are!

I will fill you in if anything else happens!

Biker Love....

And I don't mean motorcycles. Nothing against them, I am just talking about the cycling kind of bikes.

Clemsongirl posted about the traffic in Atlanta on her way home the other night and mentioned that some cyclists were on the road and she was frustrated and just wanted to get home and put on some comfy pjs! Many of you guys, my fellow bloggy friends, made some rather harsh comments about cyclists. My husband came across Clemsongirl's post and was floored by the comments. He was saying, "And several of your 'followers' were on there going off!" So, I ask, why the hate ladies? Where is the love?

Here is my love. This is my husband after a 120 miles bike race called the Triple Bypass--held each year in the mountains of Colorado. His Bike = His Sanity

My husband is an avid cyclist (to say the very least) and this Plaid family knows all about cycling rules, regulations, their rights to ride just like everyone else on the road, etc. He even has some plaid-ish type socks (ok, argyle) courtesy of his wife. Although I do understand that it can be frustrating when you come across cyclists on the road (or anything for that matter--children, dogs, runners, etc.) but somebody's life is worth more than the 15 seconds you are delayed in traffic.

Someone even commented that cyclists should stay on trails or get their own bike lanes. Well, trust me when I tell you this--cyclists wish they could have their own lanes. My husband, as well as his friends, all ride in the bike lanes when there are some there. But there aren't many there. I, for one, would feel SOOOOOOOO much better if there were more bike lanes. I know my husband is taking his life into his own hands when he rides, and I pray practically every time he goes out. (He rides like 4-5 times a week--20 to 30 miles each time.) But that would mean paying more taxes, and nobody wants to that. So, the states put into place laws that give cyclists the same right to the roads as a motorized vehicle.

Please think about this the next time you see a cyclist. This is probably someone's husband/wife, dad/mom, son/daughter, etc. It is my husband, riding off his stress from work, his family ( me! HA), etc, all the while getting exercise and staying healthy for his family and himself.

This is my son, future cyclist. He has had a 'big boy bicycle' since he turned 2. He also has a helmet. We are teaching him the rules of the road. Education means knowledge and power and we want the next generation to have it all! This is one way of doing that.

Please think about this the next time you see a cyclist. Give them a thumbs up and move over a little or slow down for a few minutes! It will make you feel better and them, too! Now I'm going to hug my cyclists--big and little! Why don't you do the same?

The Hubby

I copied this Meme from Ladybug's Picnic. Feel free to use it......Just thought I'd do it for the heck of it. And by the way, Clemsongirl thinks I should call him Mr. GPS because he was better with directions than we were and Clemsongirl LIVES in the area! (Love you, Girl!)

About the Hubby:

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? ESPN usually for football, or Versus (which used to be OLN-Outdoor Life Network) for cycling, or Food Network!

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch, if he even orders a salad

3. What's one food he doesn't like? not sure what he fears more--mushrooms or broccoli

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Dos Equis possibly, or some type of non-domestic beer; if with dinner, then maybe a red wine

5. Where did he go to high school? A private school in Chattanooga

6. What size shoe does he wear? 11 or 12 depending on the shoe

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? bike magazines...and he DOES collect them or he just CAN'T LET GO of them!

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Tuna fish from Manhattan Subs

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Probably wings

10. What is his favorite cereal? Granola or Grape Nuts...but he puts them in yogurt!

11. What would he never wear? Plaid shorts, the patchwork or madras kind---of which I'd love you know!

12. What is his favorite sports team? Tennessee Volunteers (and does Lance Armstrong count as a team? )

13. Who will he vote for? Not sure yet...........I think he's on the fence

14. Who is his best friend? a guy from High School who he also went to college with

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? let the inside of my car get dirty (which is super hard with 2 little ones in there!!!), yell through the house

16. How many states has he lived in? Tennessee, Alabama, Colorado, Georgia-4 :)

17. What is his heritage? Irish & German

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? cheesecake

19. Did he play sports in high school? Soccer, Track, possibly Football

20. What could he spend hours doing? cycling, reading cycling magazines, watching DVDs of previous Tour De Frances, working on his bicycles, you get the idea. And he likes to hang with us ,too...

Daddy's Home! Daddy's Home!

Yipppeeee! I heard the angels sing at approximately 8:15pm when the little MLCC came zoooooming into the driveway. We were all getting ready for bed.

Have NO idea what we are doing tomorrow and I usually have a plan, especially for the 4th of July! We have been out of town, then came home, then Daddy just came home tonight, so we haven't even had a chance to even discuss what we are doing. It will probably be one of us takes Big Brother to see fireworks while the other stays home to let Miss Bug sleep. It's all good. I'll do either of the two......

Nothing else going on other than that. We all took naps today. Hallelujah. Miss Bug's was the shortest, and that is wrong........ especially seeing as how she was the one up twice in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Then Big Brother came in at 4 am to tell me that his water was empty and I needed to refill it. Who wakes up enough to do all that--realize there's no water, want more water, walk all the way across the house in the dark to tell me, and then walk all the way back to bed? My son, obviously.....Ammmazzzinggg.

And I got flowers from the Hubby! How sweet.

Have a great July 4th and thank a soldier.

Mid-Life Crisis Mobile

Here's the mid-life crisis mobile (MLCM). I didn't have the one hour drive to the dealership as mentioned previously (thank goodness). Hubby is 39, and YES, I know it's not a Corvette or Ferrari. But, we have 2 small children--a 5 month old and a 4 year old. Can you say CAR-SEAT friends? How 'bout CAR-SEATSSSSSSSS. Ok, so they fit in there, but you know it's not too comfy back there for them. Little one, Miss Bug, will get out of the rear-facing monster seat soon enough, so that is good. And since we live in Deep South, Big Brother will be riding shotgun by the time he's 5. So, it's all good, I guess.

It's a Mazda SPEED 3. Not just a Mazda3, but a SPEED 3. Can you say SPEEDING TICKET? He does have a radar detector, but has already gotten a speeding ticket, or two with it. It is a stick shift. It has a Bose stereo system in it. it is silver, just like in the picture. It goes, as he says, "zero to sixty in 5.4 seconds". I believe him. Not that I tried it. I didn't. But I did give it a little test spin near our neighborhood (after stalling out the first time--DUH).

I have to say, it did make me feel young again. My first 2 cars were stick shifts and SO fun to drive.

And then I got back into our other car, the minivan and went to the grocery. I am the 'ying' to his 'yang'.

Congrats, honey, on your new 'baby'. Hope this one sleeps through the night!:)