Tonight the circus spent a little time out on the town. We went to Outback for dinner and then visited Gander Mountain. The occasion was brought to us by an Outback gift certificate that has been in my wallet for a few months now and a Gander Mountain gift card that Brett received by trading an old golf club he no longer wanted on Craigslist.
Now, when Circ de Dipp goes out to dinner, it is always sure fire entertainment... for everyone else but Mommy and Daddy Dipp! Upon opening the front doors of the restaurant, Ryan announces to the hostess with such excitement, "Tonight, we're eating at a restaurant!" As if this was his first time ever, even though it's only been about 2 weeks since we've eaten out. The boys and I sit down at our booth and wait for the hostess to bring us a booster seat for Liam, and wait for Brett to meet us since he drove straight from work. I told the hostess that Brett would be arriving behind us and that he would be wearing a Lafayette Ford shirt. Before she could register my statement, Ryan blurted out, "He's bald!" Poor Brett. :) However, there was no need for any of us to make the hostess aware of Brett's impending arrival because as soon as Brett walks in the door, Liam spots him and screams, "DADDY!!!!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. At least the others in the restaurant new who he was (and that he was there)!
So there we sit, table scattered with crayons, kids menus, and action figures to keep our little loves busy long enough to give our drink orders. Then we get the inevitable announcement that we get each and every time we sit down to eat, whether at home or out..."I have to go to the bathroom." I think Ryan is on a mission to explore every public rest room we come across. He certainly doesn't get this from me, as I have a phobia of any public rest room regardless of how clean it is.
We are eventually able to place our order and after a longer than normal wait, our food came. Of course by this time, the boys had already consumed two loaves of Outback bread, including the mini bowl of butter. My dear sweet Liam, butter is to be used sparingly. It is not considered a dip for your bread, but rather a "taste enhancer". We will continue to focus on this issue.
In lieu of eating their entrees, Ryan spent most of his time testing how long he could stay under the table without us noticing and Liam spent most of his time attempting to see how far he could throw his broccoli. I had a quick vision of Liam's half-chewed broccoli floret landing in the fancy hair do of the lady sitting in the booth next to us. The outcome of my mini daydream was not pleasant. I don't even remember savoring my meal. As a matter of fact, Brett suggested I may have early onset Alzheimers because I brought up the same subject three different times during dinner. Yay!! Family outings!!! In an effort to look at the glass half full, the boys will be the only kids at school tomorrow with Outback lunches. I can't wait until next time. Anyone have a suggestion for a manners tutor? :)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
To my children, Love!
5 months later... I'm still here! Just busy! I do want to take some time to record my thoughts and feelings on yesterday's passing of Amendment One, which makes any union other than that of a man and a woman illegal in the state of North Carolina. Yes, it's politics and religion, so if you don't want to read or will be offended, stop now.
Even though I speak openly to my children about love and acceptance of those who are different than our family of four, my hope is that one day they will read this blog. I want Ryan, Liam, and any other children we may have to remember exactly what our family values are and what we stand for. If they think differently from me and their father, fine, but they will know what we stand for during this turbulent time in US and NC history. My hope is when they grow up, they will look back on today, just as I look back at the issue of racism during the civil rights movement, and ask me, "Mama, did that really happen? Because it's not like that now!"
I stand for freedom and equality. I try my best to live by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Or, if I were to quote the Bible, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." My parents and my grandparents taught me this through their words, actions and leadership. I am grateful for that. They also taught me to think freely and be confident in my words and actions. However, my mother would tell you that I have an issue with word vomit. My father is famous for giving me "the look" when I speak my mind. Other members of my family and some friends have been known to censor my outspokenness to prevent arguments and uneasiness within the family.
Yesterday I was told that I need to "suck it up and deal with the political crap like we all have to deal with it...life goes on."
Yes, life does go on, you are correct. However, sucking it up and dealing with it is not the answer. Think about history. If America sucked up terrorism, would Osama bin Laden be ruling our country? If America sucked up racism and dealt with it, where would we as a nation be today? If founders of this country sucked up the religious crap they were dealing with in "the old world", would America even be here?
There are some people that were born and bred to suck it up and deal with it. I was not. I will continue to voice my opinion until I'm blue. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will never move forward as a nation; there will always be hate. This nation is not made of 100% Christian, heterosexuals that marry within their race, live a wealthy lifestyle and breed perfect, athletic, scholarship earning children. We are diverse. We will continue to become more diverse. A union or marriage between a couple that is unlike my marriage poses zero threat to the sanctity of my relationship with my husband.
One day, I'm willing to bet, we'll have a gay president, or perhaps a Jewish president, or maybe Hindu, Asian, Greek Orthodox or Jehovah's Witness. [You may replace "president" with any other political position if you'd like]. What if these 'non-traditional' and/or non-Christian leaders were to make it illegal for you to praise Christ in public, cheat on your spouse, or anything else you do on a regular basis? They are bringing their religious views into the equation while running the United States of America. This is dangerous.
It saddens me that so many people who have no issues preaching Christianity, do not lead by example. The Bible tells us to love God, love others and love ourselves. The Bible also tells us not to judge. I am far from perfect and I have never claimed to be, but I do try to live a moral life. I love love and everyone else should love love too. Judging others is not the Christian thing to do. Telling others the way they should live their lives is not your right.
So, to my children... Love. Treat others who are different than you with respect. "Normal" is relative, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Stand for what you believe in and don't back down. If you do this, you will go far. Mama will always love you!
Even though I speak openly to my children about love and acceptance of those who are different than our family of four, my hope is that one day they will read this blog. I want Ryan, Liam, and any other children we may have to remember exactly what our family values are and what we stand for. If they think differently from me and their father, fine, but they will know what we stand for during this turbulent time in US and NC history. My hope is when they grow up, they will look back on today, just as I look back at the issue of racism during the civil rights movement, and ask me, "Mama, did that really happen? Because it's not like that now!"
I stand for freedom and equality. I try my best to live by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Or, if I were to quote the Bible, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." My parents and my grandparents taught me this through their words, actions and leadership. I am grateful for that. They also taught me to think freely and be confident in my words and actions. However, my mother would tell you that I have an issue with word vomit. My father is famous for giving me "the look" when I speak my mind. Other members of my family and some friends have been known to censor my outspokenness to prevent arguments and uneasiness within the family.
Yesterday I was told that I need to "suck it up and deal with the political crap like we all have to deal with it...life goes on."
Yes, life does go on, you are correct. However, sucking it up and dealing with it is not the answer. Think about history. If America sucked up terrorism, would Osama bin Laden be ruling our country? If America sucked up racism and dealt with it, where would we as a nation be today? If founders of this country sucked up the religious crap they were dealing with in "the old world", would America even be here?
There are some people that were born and bred to suck it up and deal with it. I was not. I will continue to voice my opinion until I'm blue. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will never move forward as a nation; there will always be hate. This nation is not made of 100% Christian, heterosexuals that marry within their race, live a wealthy lifestyle and breed perfect, athletic, scholarship earning children. We are diverse. We will continue to become more diverse. A union or marriage between a couple that is unlike my marriage poses zero threat to the sanctity of my relationship with my husband.
One day, I'm willing to bet, we'll have a gay president, or perhaps a Jewish president, or maybe Hindu, Asian, Greek Orthodox or Jehovah's Witness. [You may replace "president" with any other political position if you'd like]. What if these 'non-traditional' and/or non-Christian leaders were to make it illegal for you to praise Christ in public, cheat on your spouse, or anything else you do on a regular basis? They are bringing their religious views into the equation while running the United States of America. This is dangerous.
It saddens me that so many people who have no issues preaching Christianity, do not lead by example. The Bible tells us to love God, love others and love ourselves. The Bible also tells us not to judge. I am far from perfect and I have never claimed to be, but I do try to live a moral life. I love love and everyone else should love love too. Judging others is not the Christian thing to do. Telling others the way they should live their lives is not your right.
So, to my children... Love. Treat others who are different than you with respect. "Normal" is relative, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Stand for what you believe in and don't back down. If you do this, you will go far. Mama will always love you!
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