she wore a top knot, a parka, some boots, and pushed a stroller containing a baby, who wore the same mohawk, and the same moccs, and the same mustard zara puffy vest huck was currently sporting about town (he likes to yank on the fur hood and growl). we smiled at each other in the subway elevator on our way up to the street, our boys kicking their feet and snacking on crackers in their strollers.
"le bebe?" she said to her baby while motioning toward huck. ah, she's french! of courrrrse she's french. i just about died. if we are meeting the more attractive and better turned out versions of ourselves, always we hope they are french, or at the very least, italian.
when the elevator reached the street we pushed off in our different directions.
i went on to have a very lucky weekend.
1.) i got to pet a wire fox terrier through the fence at central park. he looked just like my petey the pan. and then a squirrel ran by and our pete doppelganger was off on his next adventure. about five steps down the dirt path i started to cry, but i did make it five whole steps. there was a time i wouldn't have made it two.
(there are too many wire foxes in this city.)
2.) we walked in a breast cancer walk last weekend. it was billed as a 5k but actually it turned out to be 5 miles. about two miles into our walk we found a sign that said TURN LEFT FOR 4 MILE VERSION. and we were all, high fives!
but suddenly visions of youth activities flashed before my eyes. blindfolds, leaders acting as angels, and other leaders acting as shoulder devils telling you how to take the short cut... you'd take the short cut and once you got to the hell finish line you realized, wait, there are no donuts here? meanwhile all your more virtuous friends are across the way having cider and donuts at the heaven finish line.
anyway, there were pretzels at our hell finish line. and then there was a nap at home afterward.
3.) yesterday afternoon i had a phone call with a fact checker about an interview i gave (weird). it turns out being fact-checked is FUN. it was a little bit like taking a pop quiz on myself and i will tell you, i passed, and it was delightful.
does your baby own a ramones t-shirt?
uhhhhh, yes.
who is your favorite romantic comedy actress?
meg ryan! oh! but only old meg ryan. pre 'city of angels' meg ryan.
was byu your first choice of colleges?
no it was not now that you mention it!
do you own a purple dress?
yes! go on, ask me more!
so i must thank you, dear french person with my outfit, for giving me such a great week.
i hope i did the same for you.
xoxo
love this post. all of it.
ReplyDeleteLindsay
Being French is honestly my secretest of most secretest desires. And I got a jump on it by once LIVING in France (I think I work that in to nearly every comment I make here, as it's my only clim to coolness). I'll leave out the part where I was in fact horribly uncool, wearing flip flops to the internet cafe and screaming in the Louvre courtyard because a bajillion pigeons tried to eat me AND my lunch. The French do not scream in public. Or wear flip flops. They DO wear cardigans and scarves and next to no makeup (French men wear makeup--did I ever mention this?). Oh...I want to be French. I'd happily take a stroll down the tree-lined avenue that's home to the American library (and Jordan Ferney...and the Eiffel Tower) right this second instead of sitting here finishing off the last of the mac 'n' cheese 'n' peas my girls ate for lunch (straight out of the pot...with the serving spoon). Hey--at least I'm wearing a cardigan and a bun while I do it, right?!?
ReplyDeletedefinitely impressive! now, to get yr blogging groove back, i suggest tracking down yr doppelganger & asking her the same questions the fact-checker asked you. she might really BE you, only in french, in which case, i would really like to read her blog.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness. about 3 weeks before i turned twelve, our stake did this "carnival of life" thing that was very much like what you were talking about somewhere under your second bullet point. because i was so very close to turning the magical age of twelve (hello, mutual!), my soon-to-be YW president invited me to attend. so i went! and i had FUN! i traded some of the stuff i was given at the very beginning (now that i think back upon it, i'm pretty sure they were 'TALENTS,') for CANDY! i was able to eat a little bit of it, too, before someone from my ward tapped me on the shoulder and guided me by the elbow away from the crowds enjoying their carnival experience, to tell me that i was dead. i was so confused. then they led me around to the different kingdoms (you know what i'm talking about). inside door #1 (the celestial one--where i wasn't allowed in for having traded my talents in for candy--which, by the way, they took away from me upon my death) was MY FAMILY! DRESSED IN WHITE! seriously, natalie. my parents and younger brothers were there in the celestial kingdom, waving at me, as i was directed to a lower kingdom.
ReplyDeletedo you want to take a guess where i ended up? outer darkness, natalie. OUTER DARKNESS! because i squandered my talents! i don't remember having killed anybody during that carnival of life! i thought that was a cheap shot, natalie. i thought the fact that my folks and little brother being the host family in the celestial kingdom AND NOT MAKING IT to the C.K. was harsh enough. but then i had to sit in outer darkness (which was, by the way, extremely dark, and smelled strongly of anchovies). isn't that hurtful? ahh...i felt bad for me. i still do, when i think of that story, actually!
i'm happy not to have yet my uber-cool doppleganger as of yet. i'm pretty sure i couldn't handle something like that at this point in my life, because she's certainly married to a hugh jackman lookalike, with a couple of children, living the life i dream of. and although i love my life a lot (I REALLY DO!), it's best if i don't dwell on the things that i want hard but do not have yet.
sorry about my ridiculously long-winded comment...?
@DangGina: PHENOMENAL. That is all I can say to that. If I ever become a young women's leader I'm going to steal the idea. Only they'll only have to stay in OD for a little while, because as DC teaches us (And this may be purely doctrine according to Lidia), eternal punishment is eternal because it is God's punishment, not because it's forever. Or something like that. In my young women's, light refreshments will always be served.
ReplyDelete@Natalie: Coolest Halloween display EVER. When I'm a grownup with real money, I'm going to do just that.
LidiaLavonna@Anxiousosity
@danggina, that is amazing!!! ohh man. i love it. i would totally trade my eternal happiness for candy on accident.
ReplyDeletethis was just what i needed to read on this rainy wednesday that started with my daughter barfing on me. welcome back.
ReplyDeletemakings of a very awesome post. loved it!
ReplyDeletei seriously laughed out loud at least 3 times (perhaps more...but my baby is napping so i need to be quiet)! If he wakes up I'm blaming you ;)
ReplyDeleteSmoking Crayolas Blogspot
I laughed out loud reading this post. The whole part about the hell finish line not having donuts was too perfect. Thank you! Thank you!
ReplyDelete"but only old meg ryan. like, pre 'city of angels' meg ryan."
ReplyDeleteOh and yes!
oh it's post like this that make you my favorite. a very lucky weekend indeed!
ReplyDeletei have never been to new york, but i have always wanted to live there because of you've got mail...and now i've got your blog and meg ryan to make me yearn!
ReplyDelete@natalie: glad to know i'm not alone in my thoughtless ways! ;)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I've been spending too much time alone, I can't stop laughing at Natalie wondering about the straight and narrow path and Gina trading away talents for CANDY! I was part of one of those, um, LIFE Games - I helped kids sew on buttons, as per future missionaries. Another woman tempted kids to play poker, complete with face cards.
ReplyDeleteNow my stomach muscles hurt. I wonder if I can get my husband to read this and if he will think it funny too...
Thanks, Natalie and Gina! It's been a gloomy day up til now!
I am both happy and sad for you that you ran into a peter pan clone. No matter what happened with petey and baranaby when you meet wire fox terriers in the park they will send you love.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with your post and your ability to wear buns on your head which is not a good look for me; Have you heard of sock bun curls?(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV-YO46E8Y)
If not, it could change your life.
I am really quite terrified of giant spiders.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell this is a Serious Fear because of the sensible manner with which I mention it. And the capital letters of Serious Fear.
I do not understand the Instagram popular page. I have never made it but I am shocked (SHOCKED!) that you and the Huckster have not.
I love reading your blog and I usually just read and leave (and not comment) but I had to leave you a note after reading about your boob walk. I am participating in a 5K MS walk this weekend. It's my third year of doing this with a group of friends. The first year we did it, although it was billed as a 5K, we ended up walking 5 miles! SO not lucky! Last year they changed venues and got a route planner who actually knew the difference between 5K and 5 miles. YAY!
ReplyDeleteThis happens to me all the time.
ReplyDeleteAll the other moms are cute and obviously holding it together better than me. At first I'm fearful and then jealous and then I think, secretly, that I should try to woo them into be my friend so that I acquire their awesomeness via friend osmosis.
Meg Ryan is my all time favorite too! :) I pretty much love every movie she has ever been in. Well almost all of them, haha. great post, great pics! What neat decorations on that house!
ReplyDeletelovely photos!! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://littlethingsthatinspireme.blogspot.com/
i want to read this article!
ReplyDelete"if we are meeting the more attractive and better turned out versions of ourselves, always we hope they are french, or at the very least, italian."
ReplyDeleteyes! i have never quite heard it put that way, but you totally tapped an unspoken truth in my consciousness!