10 Moments From Everyday Life in the West, Vol 1

For the most part, I think there are remarkable similarities between all people, no matter where they live.  But every once in awhile I travel to a completely different part of the US, and it amuses and intrigues me to take in all the culture related differences.

I recently traveled to West Virginia, for work.   It was an enjoyable experience, but I’m always glad to return back home to Western Colorado.  I feel I’m a better fit here.   It’s a good feeling to be able to live where you feel that way, and it’s something that I do not take for granted.

So allow me give you a little glimpse of my everyday life here in the West.   I’ve decided to take a lesson from one of my favorite social media moms, Amy of Using Our Words.  Amy writes a funny, heartwarming series called 10 Things I Learned This Week, which I thoroughly enjoy.

So I’m going to try out a similar new feature, here on Colorado Mountain Mom.  An occasional post of just random, recent happenings from my life here in the Wild West.

10 Moments From Everyday Life in the West, Vol 1

Moment #1: Go ahead and bust out those Zumba moves in every day interactions (even business meetings!), working them into conversations as gestures.  Sure, it can be mildly embarrassing.  But no one could argue that it fails to keep things interesting, and you may even make a new friend.

Moment #2:  When a mom who craves solitude takes a 6 day trip for work across the country, the first day or two are frankly kindof wonderful.  But by the 3rd day when she comes across the TV cartoon her toddler typically watches while curled up in her lap, that appreciation for her chaotic family home life starts to renew itself again.

Moment #3:  Taking an evening stroll with dogs, kids, bikes, and grandparents becomes even more awesome when you get to see your retired father giggling as he runs through the sprinklers blocking our path.

Moment #4:  End of summer peaches direct from our local orchards may be about the most delicious food I’ve ever tasted.  Although I’ve been quite excited about the return of the Twinkie – fresh peaches trump Hostess any day, hands down.

Moment #5:   It appears that my wild 2 year old has inherited his mother’s reverence for the novelty of a truly rainy day.  We pulled open the patio door, laid side by side on some blankets, and just watched, listened, and breathed it all in for a lovely, peaceful half hour.   Such a lovely memory.

Moment #6:   Speaking of memory, I discovered that mine was completely used up, on my home laptop-of-5-years.  If you’ve not taken the Windows 8 plunge yet, prepare yourself for some confusion and tears.  Beyond that dire warning, I really don’t feel like talking about it.

Moment #7:   {ok, just one more about the aggravating computer escapade…}  If you buy one of those cute, tiny, light new laptops out there – be aware (preferably before you pay and leave the store) that they do not contain a CD/DVD drive.  Meaning you will no longer be able to rip any of your admittedly Old School music CDs.  Bringing you one step closer to being forced to embrace this brave, new, completely digital world of ours.

Moment #8:   If you’re trying to surprise your 8 year old with an upcoming trip to Disney World, you can’t pull up your blog site to show her a post when an “82 DAYS UNTIL OUR DISNEY TRIP!” button is boldly displayed in the sidebar.  (That was a really close call…)

Moment #9:  When shopping for electronics with a 3rd grader dying to get her hands on some technology, sometimes it’s good to just let them talk themselves through it.  “Mom, I could use this computer for playing games, writing stories, and doing my homework… wait, why would I want to use it for homework??“

Moment #10:   Even if you are tired and don’t feel like attending a pool party that your children are invited to attend for an entire Saturday afternoon and evening, you should suck it up and go.  But on Sunday when the same child who’s had a blast for several hours the day before starts pestering you to _____ (fill in the blank, with any “all about the kids” activity), feel free to tell them with a guilt-free conscious, “No.  Mommy has too much to do around the house today.”  This is a fair trade that you can feel good about.